[Sploosh]

Time for another tank journal

This one I did not expect to setup anytime soon, though recent circumstances ended up allowing me to :bigsmile:

Spent the past 5 days converting one of my guppy tanks (running for over 6 months) from a hard water, warm temp setup (pH7.5, 82F), to a soft water, cool temp setup (pH6.5, 74F), in order to house some "Fancy" Caridina Shrimps. Thanks to Frank @ Ebi-Ken Studio, I now have; 1 baby Panda Black King Kong, and 10 sss Mischling shrimps.
The baby panda has such an awesome colouration to it, solid black stripes, and a little bit of blue in the white body stripes with bright white on the tail. The nicest looking shrimp I have purchased since getting back into the hobby. Very much looking forward to berried shrimps and possible bkk offspring... as long as I have learned enough over the past year to keep them thriving
Final parameter adjustment to the tank was done while the shrimps where floating in the bags

Tested before starting acclimation;
pH 6.5
NH3 0mg/L
No2 0mg/L
No3 5mg/L
GH 3.36d/60mg/L
KH 1.12d/20mg/L
TDS: 100ppm
Temp 74F

Took my time acclimating these ones, didn't want to shock them. Spent 4 hours acclimating the Mischlings, afterword let the bag float open. The first nine came out within 30mins, 2 hours later I poured out the last one. Took 6 hours acclimating the Baby Panda BKK. I am keeping the Panda in the bag with some moss for now (with twice daily water changes), until I get a full cover for the tank. Probably just going to be corrugated plastic board or lexan.

Tank Setup is currently; standard 10G tank, aquaclear 20 hob (biomedia/carbon/foam) with foam over intake pipe, 100w fluval m heater, glass thermometer, breeder net (1 guppy still inside), 2 air-driven small foam filters, semi-open top with t8 fixture resting on glass, coralife 10,000k 18w bulb, bare-bottom, floating hornwort, pygmy chain sword, riccia, mosses, and some algae on the glass

:bigsmile: 26 Pictures :bigsmile:

Tank

Mischlings
Just after arrival

Acclimating

......

 

[Sploosh]

......
In tank


......

 

[Sploosh]

......


......

 

[Sploosh]

......


......

 

[Sploosh]

......
Baby Panda BKK
2 hours after arrival

Acclimating

......

 

[Sploosh]

......

 

[Sploosh]

Much Overdue Update (Text Only);

Made a full top for the tank using corrugated plastic board.

Released the Panda the two days after the mischlings. The white stripes on its body are showing more blue now that it's in the tank. I am so very happy I ended up being able to get these shrimps, this panda is one of the nicest shrimps I have seen in person.

Did a 30% water change after 2 weeks (wanted to do one sooner though), next one is coming up soon...

Almost all of the Mischlings have molted since acclimation, the Panda BKK has molted twice , looking very nice, the blue in the stripes is coming out very nicely... (Pictures will be posted...)

I now have (thanks to Trixy), a Fluval 103 for the tank. I was able to get a couple of spare parts for it, and invested in a ball-valve-quick-release for both intake/output pipes (using garden hose supplies ). Now just trying to get my hands on a glass lily pipe for cheap...
I will set it up with two full baskets of bio-media, and one of media/foam. There will be a large foam on the intake pipe.

I also added two clay saucers, which I filled with gravel. I wanted to give the shrimps some substrate, while leaving the tank bare-bottom (for ease of cleaning). They are either on the gravel "islands", on the two moss balls I added, or on the intake foam for the hob (most of the time).

Recently I added an unknown plant to the tank, it looks like either a palm tree, or a bamboo with hygro like leaves at the top. (a photo will be posted...) Makes the "island" actually look like one

 

[Sploosh]

I have a berried female Mischling!:bigsmile:

I was starting to think the parameters were off, or I was missing something (like substrate) to make them "happy". Turns out it's all good
I won't know until all females berry, though I think I have 8 females, and 2 males. At this point, I am thinking the panda is a female, though I could be wrong... which I hope I am....

 

[Sploosh]

Photos;

Unknown Plant


Panda


Mischlings

Berried Female
(Upper Left)

 

[Sploosh]

Another berried female
I must have the parameters close to what they want...

Edit; More recent pic of the Panda BKK

 

[Sploosh]

Berried female number 3... yesterday I was lucky enough to witness the 3rd female molt, mate, and berry. First time I have seen the whole process.

 

[Sploosh]

I have shrimplets :bigsmile:
The eggs from the first berried female hatched this morning, got a couple pics about 2 hours after.

 

[Sploosh]

Been a little while since I posted.
Had some issues with the heat during this summer, fortunately sustained minimal losses in the tank. Over the past couple weeks, I have spotted 4 or 5 baby bkk's, and 1 baby blue bolt.

 

[Sweetpea]

Awesome. Congrats! I hadn't heard of that before...what a gorgeous shrimp the BKK is!

 

[Sploosh]

Everything is going well in the tank now. Netted out 6 cbs/crs (possible mischlings), and 1 golden. I am keeping all the sss offspring and, of course, the bkks.
On the 1st I picked up 1 more panda bkk from Ebi-Ken, hopefully a male to breed with my female panda.

New Panda;



Netted out shrimps;