mosspearl Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 Okay, so I took the plunge and cleaned out the BV tank (removed the growing moss/algae tornado). It looks like I have 4 adults left. One female just berried... she was saddled two days ago. No signs of any of the last two clutches. I'll be testing parameters later today. Aside from finding out the parameters and making whatever corrections necessary, what else can I do to make it baby shrimp friendly? There is a lot of biofilm available and I have shrimplet food. Temps range between 63-72 (no heater). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merth Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 Probably different from most folks but I have tons of babies in established tanks that I do nothing to. I top off with tap water 8.0ph gh0-1 and kh 6-7. temps are in the 78-80 range. I dont do water changes on neo tanks unless I move them and lower the level to make it easier to carry. Lots of floaters mainly duckweed which I took a small cupful out the other day and there were at least 5 babies in that less than half sandwich baggy. So probably pretty unorthodox but it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Thanks, Merth... I tend just to top off most of the time. I don't want to change things too drastically for them. Still have to do my water tests. Will post results when I do. Plants in the tank include a few chainswords, some moss, and floating pennywort and a little bit of duckweed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sake Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Lots of moss, they seem to do better with tons of places to hide, I guess it's less stressful for them. Also highly oxygenated water always seems to help a bit. Toss an airstone in if you've got one handy. Those are the things I fall back to after correct water parameters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Great answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Okay, finally got my tests done. pH: 6.6 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: <5 GH: 7 KH: 2 TDS: 262 I have a sponge filter in the tank (tank is only 2.5 gallons) that bubbles up to the surface. Do I still need an air stone? I had a huge bit of moss in there before... it basically became a moss/algae monster that wanted to take over the tank. I had left it in for the babies, but obviously it didn't do them any good. I've currently got a little bit of moss in there now that I'm planning on letting grow. If I need more, however, I do have a jar of moss to draw from. Suggestions on how best to implement it? I didn't like the out of control look. It was messy and I could never find any of the shrimp. I'll admit I'm a compulsive shrimp counter. I don't upset the tank looking for them, but I do try to look from all available angles to find them (two angles in this particular tank). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 My only guess is to raise the ph to around 7+ for more baby survival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 So, what would be the best way to raise pH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Are you using tap or ro? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OblongShrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 You can use mosura ph up or add some baking soda which will raise you KH and your pH. If you increase your water temp your shrimp will grow faster because the higher temp increases their metabolism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I use tap water. I don't have a heater in any of my shrimp tanks... the heaters I have for such small tanks are not able to be regulated, and I didn't want them to get too warm. I've had a hard time finding heaters where the temperature could be controlled that weren't overpowering in a 2.5 gallon tank and were affordable. I've been a bit shy of messing with my pH because I read that it was better not to play with it chemically. Didn't want to mess anything up. I trust you guys, though. I have baking soda in the cupboard. If I mixed a little bit in my next top up, would that be gentle enough not to shock them? Does it stay in the water or does its effects wear off? I'm not sure why this tank is so low. My 10g and my Evolve4 stay closer to neutral, but the BV tank and my Evolve8 tend to stay lower. Same water, same treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MABJ Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 I'd personally avoid messing with the PH chemically. Instead you could use mineral rocks which will slowly raise it over time. Some do at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OblongShrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 It would raise you KH so it will stay in the water. Mineral rocks still change pH chemically and they are continuous and therefore harder to keep constant. It is always earlier if you don't have to mess with your water but it may be a good solution in this case. I forgot that your tanks are so small, heaters probably would be a problem then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 You always have the option of betta heaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 That's what I have... they are not adjustable. They kept the water in this size tank between 78 and 84, depending on the room temperature. That would be a big change for them... would it be beneficial? It would definitely put them on the higher end of their temp spectrum. We're currently going through a cold snap... supposed to be around 10 degrees tonight. Brr! We're having a snowstorm at the moment. We've been keeping our heaters on in the house, but it's still somewhat cool. The main house is made of cinderblock (where the BV tank is located). The rest of the tanks are in my office, which is wood construction. I think it was originally part of the garage. Temp in the BV tank is currently 66.7. It warms by a couple degrees after the tank light has been on for a few hours. Outside temp at the moment is 27 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 84 is pushing it. 78 is okay. I found when my tanks were at 84, breeding stopped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Yeah. No way to control it with them. They do what they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merth Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 I just had the displeasure of my tank reaching 84 and it was.a nightmare , deaths,bacteria bloom, algae bloom you name it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerSaint Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Ass far as the moos goes you seemed to be looking for a bit less of a messy sprawl. I have had some luck with tying it to a rock and trimming monthly. You can create a bush of moss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2013 Thanks, JerSaint! I've got a bit of moss on some wood... seeing what it's going to do. I'll take your advice and trim it every month. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheylillymama Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 for a small heater if you want one, the hydor Theo 25w works great in my 2.5 betta tanks. Adjustable, affordable, not too powerful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosspearl Posted December 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Thanks! Maybe I'll see about those for a Christmas present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.