Hi all,

I've been scouring the internet during quarantine to both pass the time and prepare for my first tank! Some of these resources will be shrimp/planted tank specific, but I've found them to be very helpful and in depth. Many of them link out to other resources too!

1. Eco23’s AquariumAdvice.com Fishless Cycling Guide
2. Bud 29s AquariumAdvice.com Shrimp Guide
3. Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise by Diana Louise Walstad (book)
4. McMerwe’s YT channel for misc guides and product reviews
5. Dennis Wong’s YT guide to lighting a planted tank
6. Dennis Wong’s website's guides to all aspects of the planted-tank, including CO2 injection
7. Foo the Flowerhorn low-tech nano tank setup YT video
8. /u/criticalanarchy**’s** primer on algae eaters
9. carpet plant infographic guide by Adam Edmond
10. /r/plantedtanks, /r/shrimptank, /r/aquariums, and /r/tankstarter communities. Many Instagramers have even replied to my questions, so definitely put yourself out there for questions you've had trouble researching!

Hi all!

Below is the plan for my first tank. I'm pretty much starting from nothing, so I'm trying to be as budget-conscious and complete as possible. I will crosspost this to /r/shrimptank and /r/plantedtank for feedback as well. Here are my current questions:

1. Do you have any ideas to bring down the cost?
2. Are there any glaringly absent tools a hobbyist should own?
3. Would fish necessarily add to the health of the tank? I’ve considered pygmy cories and otocinclus, but I'm about not having enough space for a proper school and about the loss of shrimplets.
4. Are there other invertebrates you would recommend to help add to the diversity of the tank?
5. Are there any advantages to CFLs over LED?
6. What’s the best way to cycle a planted tank? Pre- or post-planting?

​

Goals: Pretty shrimp, ideal shrimp breeding conditions, low budget, low tech, decent biodiversity, quiet, space efficient for a Brooklyn apt.

Livestock: 8-10 mixed sex blue velvet or red cherry neocardinia shrimp. 1-3 nerites and Malaysian trumpet snails. Most fish will eat shrimp or shrimplets, so I’m leaning toward going fishless. I'm anticipating $40 w/o shipping for livestock from local breeders. Ideally I would breed them into a colony of around 50 or so.

Plants: I chose mostly North America-native, fast-growing, low-CO2-requiring plants. I intend to network with and purchase from local hobbyists post-quarantine.

• Duckweed - floater
• Hornwort - background left
• Vallisneria - background right
• Phoenix Moss - midground left
• Guppy Grass - midground right
• Dwarf Sag - foreground

Substrate: 1.5” Potting soil + 1.5” Carib Sea Gravel

Equipment

• aquaCulture 10 gallon tank ($15) + screen cover ($10)
• thermometer ($11) + Heater ($20) + Heater cover ($3)
• syphon ($7) + API Test Kit ($23) + dechlorinator ($7) + pure ammonia ($6)
• Beamsworth LED Fixture ($27)
• 50 gal/hr powerhead ($10) + sponge filter ($5)
• Tweezers ($9) + brush ($4) + net ($2) + scissors ($9)
• stand (tbd) + Bucket (tbd)
• Total known cost (minus flora/livestock) = $168

Hello everyone

I've been cycling my tank for 2+ weeks now and there is a lot of brown hairy algae growing on plants/rocks/glass. It looks nasty and it's growing everywhere on the plants.

To treat this, I've read about specific fishes and shrimps that could help but my tank is still cycling.

Is physical removal until the tank is cycled my only option?

I've heard snails are more resilient than other inverts and fish, maybe I could add some ?

Hello everyone,

I'm about to set up a shrimp/community tank next month and I've been doing a lot of research. I'm a beginner and never had a aquarium before.

I'm so excited to finally fulfill one of my dearest childhood dreams but I'm overwhelmed by all the informations available on this subject. This is why I'm taking a break from youtube and reading, to come ask some specific questions to you all.

I want to run a community tank (min ~20g but I hope I can find something bigger). My goal is to have a planted tank, fresh water, with shrimps as my main tenants.

I was thinking about something like 5-10 shrimps (red cherries, probably), 34 Limnopilos Naiyanetri, a few snails, ~7-10 Microdevario Kubotai and 5 Otocinclus Affinis.

Now I know this is not a shrimp tank. But since shrimps are my favorite, I wanted to ask you guys how can I make this work for them. I'm willing to take everything off my list but the shrimps.

I havent bought nor set up anything yet. I'm trying to be as much prepared as I can by asking questions and doing research.

Keep in mind that I'm a noob, and I will ask stupid questions. I'm aware that what I have in mind might be wishful thinking.

Here are my questions.

1. I read everywhere that shrimps must be kept "alone" without any other species and especially fishes because they will eat the shrimplets. What if I'm not planning on breeding the shrimps?

2. I dont want a tank full of breeding shrimps (assuming I get this to work properly.) So I dont really want them to breed. Can I save some of the shrimplets with a net and put them in a smaller tank for them to grow big enough so they dont get eat by the fishes? Is it doable or is it wishful thinking? Can this be a good method of "controlling" the population?

3. I read everywhere that shrimps cant be kept around fishes. But what about fully herbivore fishes? The microdevario and otocinclus affinis (and even the small crabs limnopilos naiyanetri) are supposed to be 100% herbivore. Will they still try to eat shrimplets? (edit : oops microdevario are insectivore apparently. This changes things a bit)

4. What happens to the ... how can I say ... "excess" fish? I know this a stupid question but... What happens when you have to many fishes in your tank (because of breeding for exemple). Do you kill them? Can you give them to a local pet store? I dont plan on killing my fishes but it's something that I want to know if anything happens.

5. For the fish "roster" that I gave, how big of a tank should I be looking for?

510 shrimps (1-2cm) 34 mini crabs (0.7-1cm) 7~10 microdevarios (1.5-2cm) 5 Otocinclus Affinis (4-6cm) and a few small snails (maybe a big one too)

Add to this the soil, rocks, plants, maybe a marimo moss ball, ...

Is 20 gal enough or is it too small?

6. Do you guys mind if I come back later to ask some more questions?

7. What are aquarium components that I can buy for cheap (second hand, thrift shop, wish/alibaba,...), and what do I must buy at full price (good quality, import, good brands)? For exemple, are cheap lamps ok? Or not?

8. What about fluorescent/luminescent decorations? I saw glow in the dark blue gravel, and I was thinking about scattering a little bit of them around to give a eerie feeling to my tank at night. Is it bad for the fishes? Even if it's 10-15 little gravels scattered around the bottom?

9. The more I research microrasbora/microdevario and the more I like them. They are so smol it should be illegal to be this smol. Can I mix different microrasbora/microdevario species/colors in the same tank?

Thanks a lot !!

(I'm french, so be kind with my english)

Edit : I dont know what happened to the title. I was not yelling I'm sorry

I asked my LFS to inform me about a custom-sized tank today for a new aquarium. It was 50x35x35 (cm). They said it should be built with 8mm glass. Is that TOO much thickness for a planted tank or should I stick to 5mm ? 8mm cost like ~8-9 dollars more.

Okay while I am new to the hobby and I have a lot of that thin stringy seaweed overgrowing my tank anything I could do to get rid of It?

Hello all.

I have had many fish tanks over the past 5 years off and on. They all eventually leaked. I wanted to get a small tank for the office and purchased the Fluval Spec 2.6 gallon for a whopping $80. This price may have been a bit high for the tank but thats ok.

My point in doing this is to really try to get a tank that will not leak. My plan is to put some live plants and one Betta fish in it. ( I do know its a bit small of a tank for a betta or any fish really)

My questions to you: Is this a good tank that will last or do I need to return it to get something different?

What type of fish other than a betta would you recommend?

Am I heading for disaster with that small of a tank?

Thank you guys/gals I only recently found reddit and used to brows forums and websites for hours the last time I got into this type of thing.

Hi,

I just bought a 10 gallon tank (my first one) and I am not sure what to do with it regarding a stand. Money is an issue so I had planned to put it on an old wood dresser, but researching around I keep reading people saying it depends on the dresser whether it will support the weight or not as well as the water spilling from water changes ruining the wood after some time.

This led me to search for stands and most are quite expensive, except one I found in Wal-Mart for $30 but its meant for a 20 gallon. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-Steel-Aquarium-Stand/180670405?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227043047717&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=97258721072&wl4=aud-310687321802:pla-198787248992&wl5=9029805&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=180670405&wl13=&veh=sem

Its steel and looks strong, the problem is its for a 20 gallon. Is it a good idea to get a thick piece of wood cut to the same size as the top of the stand and then put the aquarium on it?

Thank you

I have had a lot of trouble this month with my freshwater aquarium. I need some advice. Four of my fish have died in the past month. One of the fish that died jumped out through a 2 inch gap in the cover. I currently have 1 adult bristlenose pleco, 2 baby plecos, 1 tetra, and 2 angels. My tank is 29 gallons. I visited two different pet stores. At pet store one they tested my water for PH and ammonia. They said my ammonia was high and my ph was slightly off. I have always had issues with the town water. They suggested that I add more plants, take out one of my rocks and re-home the baby plecos. I took out the rock and added the plants. I am not crazy about re-homing my baby plecos. My experience at the second store was completely different. I called them on the phone a couple days before and they said they would test my water sample. I brought them a water sample for a second opinion. They only tested for ph and then threw the water into the drain without testing for ammonia. They said my ph was high. They stated that I need to do a 50% water change every 2 weeks and clean the filter every 2 weeks. They said no need to re-home any fish. They also stated that a established tank should not have issues with ammonia.

[x posting from r/aquariums] Hi all, I'm new to the hobby and I got a nice second hand 60L Juwel tank (Juwel Rekord 600) - around 15Gal. The tank originally had a built in filter but the pump was broken and I was not able to find replacement unit (the model seems discontinued).

Since the tank has a plastic hood with lights, I'm looking for a internal filter (since the tank is against the wall, HOB or cannister are not an option). So far I've found these options:

• Fluval Aquarium Internal Filter U2
• EHEIM biopower 160
• Juwel Internal Filter Bioflow Super
• others..?

I'm looking for advice on internal filters - the list above is just my first selection, but this is my first tank and I'm total newby, do not hesitate to propose other modesl!

Thanks a lot for the help to this total newcomer to this awesome hobby!

Hi all, I've been lurking around the different subreddits and decided to make the plunge. I don't want to start big and do not have high expectations on getting loads of fishes etc. What I'm looking for is a starter kit, more interested on getting some planted plants and only some shrimps first. To recap:

• I'm looking for easy things to maintain - i would love it to be self-sufficient
• I'm looking for sturdy plants and some sturdy shrimps
• I know starting with a small tank is actually harder so I was thinking of 20L or 40L

I live in Dublin, there seems to be a nice shop around here: http://www.seahorseaquariums.com

From there here is my selection:

• Tank kit: http://www.seahorseaquariums.com/Aqua-One-AquaStart-320T-Black/8788
• 5 Red Sakura Red Shrimps: http://www.seahorseaquariums.com/Red-Sakura-Shrimp/6579
• Plants - I'm a bit at loss on the options.
• I'm not thinking of anything else alive apart from the shrimp - should i consider some freshwater fish or snails or something else?

Thanks for the help!

I'm basically looking for advice and see if the selection makes sense. If it doesn't - any recommendation from that shop?

So I am in the middle of remodeling my fish room/office and have a 90+ gallon cube that I picked up at a thrift shop that I plan on making the centerpiece. The Tank was originally setup for saltwater with an overflow and sump and has a single bulkhead drilled in the base. I will be making the tank into a high tech planted tank but I'm trying to decide if I should keep a sump or close off the bulkhead and run a canister filter? I do plan on running co2 but is the co2 loss from agitated water in a sump really that significant? Thanks all

I am curious what people have heard and what has worked for increasing the cycling time of a aquarium?

I recently acquired a used 44 gallon pentagon corner tank for free. Its currently leak testing outside (on day 3 now). However, it came with a bunch of extra stuff that I'm not really sure how to clean or use in the new set up. I've only had a small 5 gallon with an HOB filter before, while this has a canister filter, bioballs, etc.

Here is an album which shows all the stuff it came with.

I'll boil the decor, but any further advice is appreciated! Thank you!

Hey Everybody! Sorry for the really long absence, but welcome to another weekly themed thread. Since its been quite a while since I've been active, I thought another subreddit suggestion thread was in order. So leave any suggestions you may have here!

Hello everyone, sorry for the few-week absence but I'm back with a new weekly themed thread! This weeks theme is aquarium lifehacks, things you can do in the hobby to save yourself time, money and hassle. So share any tips you may have or tips you may want to know!

i recently got a planted 10 gallon set up and i had 2 plecos, 4 mystery snails, and 6 red cherry shrimp. its been a month now im down to 1 shrimp, 1 pleco, and 1 snail. ive done water changes regularly. but ive noticed some weird bugs on mt drift wood they kinda look like baby shrimp but im not 100% sure, and my plants have like these little clear things all over them. and this morning there was foam floating on my tank. could someone please help before its to late.