COMPLETED! Planted 10G Shrimp Tank and 5G Shrimp / Dwarf Cajun Crayfish Updated: 3/16/2013

Enjoy the shaky videos!

Ten Gal RCS / Mystery Snail Tank

PS WATCH IN 1080P!

5 Gallon Dwarf Cajun Crawfish / Malawa Shrimp!

PS WATCH IN 1080P!


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Special thanks to:

Tanya(GoFish), Matt(PbMax), Roy(Seattle_Aquartist), Ron(FishloverRon), Terri (CherokeNative) , Binbin, and Earthfish!
Thanks again for all the help and suggestions!

Hi BillHN,

I think that everyone of those plants you listed are 'low light'.

Substrate: I suggest a little more research; some of the Caribsea products are known to have pieces of shell in them which may effect your ability to maintain a stable dKH / PH. Also do some reading on substrates with high CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) and their benefits in planted aquariums.

I am currently using Safe-T-Sorb #7941 which is working very well. The first use requires substantial washing but the high CEC, natural appearance, and economical price makes it a very attractive option. I like the grain size and mix of natural colors. It is available online at Drillspot for $9.29 per 40# bag with free shipping included.
[URL="http://www.drillspot.com/products/1476408/Moltan_7941_Montmorillonite_Clay_Absorbant_40_lb"][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[/URL]
Here is a picture of my 10 gallon, with Safe-T-Sorb substrate. This tank has no CO2, just Flourish Comprehensive and Flourish Excel. The baby Corys have been in there for over 3 months and have doubled in size.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Lighting: Whoa! Too many options but one really caught my eye

I may use the 2x 54 watt for my 20L

That much light could start a nuclear reaction!!! lol

Lighting does not have to be complicated nor expensive. For the 10 gallon pictured above I have 2X10 watt CFL's from Walmart in a incandescent strip light. The strip light with those bulbs provides a PAR rating of about 40. Don't know about PAR? Here is are a couple of great threads to help you get started; it will also help answer a lot of your questions on lighting for planted tanks:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If you get stuck just ask!

-Roy

Thank you for the advice!
Also, Wow that's cheap substrate and the shipping rate is awesome! I'll definitely get this instead of the caribsea!

The PAR is still a tad bit for me to understand, I'll take my time to understand that. But my current lighting, I take it, shouldn't be too bad for the 20L should it?

I'm definitely gonna get that substrate though, and I'll search up the lights later tonight when I'm done with work, thanks Roy! You're awesome!

K sooo
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Stuff for all tanks.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


So I went to this site and found it on sale for 20 cents bag. Must be a typo so I added one to cart and checked out no shipping and the cost was still 20 cents. I'll email the webmaster after I have my coffee and hope they resolve this mistake. They could lose alot of money before the day is over.

On second look I find everything is 20 cents. That means they have been hacked and if you give them your credit card number you could be in for some trouble. Might have that card stolen and your account wiped out. stay clear untill you see the prices go back to normal.

Hi BillNH,

I noticed in that picture of your stuff that you have API Leaf Zone. If you are into planted tanks and want an easy "one dose" fertilizer do yourself a favor and change over to Seachem Flourish Comprehensive.

API Leaf Zone contains only two nutrients:
potassium
iron

Seachem Flourish Comprehensive contains:
Nitrogen
Phosphate
Soluble Potash (Potassium)
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfur (S)
Boron (B)
Chlorine (Cl)
Cobalt (Co)
Copper (Cu)
Iron (Fe)
Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Sodium (Na)
Zinc (Zn)

Obviously Seachem Flourish Comprehensive is a more complete fertilizer containing all three macro nutrients: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate and a full range of micro nutrients. It costs about $2 more than the API product but you will get much better results.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Woohoo! Very cool, BillHN!! Can't wait to see pictures of your tank all nice and set up!

.oO WTH? I thought this thread is about "s h u r m p"?!

ermahgerd, shermps! D:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Oh i'll be asking around for shrimps soon

There will be some peeps with shrimp at the SWAP on Mar 9, from 3-6. Come early to get the best picks.

@Roy,
Flourish, 2 L / 67.6 fl. oz. - 31.89
or
Seachem Flourish Excel 500ml - 10.23
Either way I have to wait for 3 days.
@Sal
Everything else on the website seems to be stable, maybe it's an absorbant sale?
@Ron
What's the SWAP?
I don't think I'll be able to make it, I have work that day

Hi BillHN,

Flourish is the fertilizer; Seachem Flourish Excel is a carbon supplement that provides carbon molecules for plant growth sort of like CO2 does but not as good. If you don't have CO2 Excel is better than not having any carbon at all. I think you already have the API carbon supplement (CO2 Booster) shown in your photo.

Got the 500 ml flourish

Went to b n I almost bought Mark's puffers

Did you see those great Red Arc Pencils?

@ Ron, no sorry. I was too busy talking to him about the puffers. I want 3

BillHN wrote:Went to b n I almost bought Mark's puffers

Hi Bill,

If you were a GSAS member you could have flashed your membership card and gotten a discount! B&I is just one of many GSAS Sponsor Stores!

-Roy

I get 10% Military discount xD

Went to the SWAP.
Was awesome.
Met: PokeSepiroth / FishLoverRon / Lamental Jester / Earthfish / JesseM!
As well as some Gsas peeps, they were all pretty cool!

Spent like 80 cash there on some cool stuffs. I can't wait for the next one!

fishloverRon wrote:Did you see those great Red Arc Pencils?

Ron... Lars on and I went to B & I after the SWAP and saw the Red Arc Pencils, they are amazing!!!!

Super awesome seeing you there at the Swap!

It was awesome meeting you guys!

I'm glad you wen to B&I. I've never seen pencils that colorful before. Great seeing you guys there!

Okay how the heck did you get your spray bar onto your filter? I have the same one but the connector fittings are the EXACT SAME SIZE.

Erm... it came with like a second handle inside the box

Bump

Cray tank is looking good - they should be happy campers in there.

Don't be afraid to add a little crushed coral in a net bag to bump up calcium content in the water - helps them with their molts. You can also use some cuttle bone too (the kind they sell for birds with nothing added).

Okay, thanks matt!

Updqte !

So sweet!! Those tanks look great, BillHN!!

nice videos..snails good good ^_^ where did you get your purples?

Got them from my friend tanya. I got all of the snails from her. Then they reproduced and now I have 11 clutches of them on the inside of the hood of my ten gallon