18-gallon Tank in Green Stage 8/23/15

Posted on August 23, 2015 by JimS
Click image to enlarge.

The 18-gallon is in the green algae stage. Diatoms are nearly gone. See 18-gallon Tank Entering Green Stage 8/18/15 and Diatom Stage in 18-gallon Tank 8/1/15. Click image to enlarge.

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1 Response to 18-gallon Tank in Green Stage 8/23/15

  1. Robin says:
    October 11, 2015 at 6:34 am

    Yay for the green stage! 😀 Gotta love Mother Nature!

    I’ve been gulping down Opae Ula info for a couple of weeks now as I am going to set up a 2 1/2 gallon tank on my kitchen table (long story). I am a life long animal person and very little of what I read on these shrimp made sense from a natural/nature point of view. These ponds receive circulation, direct sunlight, and debris rotting on the bottom of the pond. A stagnant set-up made zero sense. But with the tank on my kitchen table I really didn’t want to start stringing electric cords across the table (been there done that). So I figured I would just do regular water changes. However, as a life long fish person (freshwater) this bothered me a bit.

    My favorite filtration is the undergravel filter. But finding people using this with these shrimp has pretty much been non-existant and I was afraid of them being sucked into the gravel. But with this small a tank I didn’t want to use a sponge filter because it takes up so much space and forget an HOB. I want viewing from both sides of the tank.

    I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE FOUND YOUR SITE! Guess I’ll be running cords across the table. It will make me feel so much better! Not to mention better for my shrimp! 🙂

    Just a couple of fishy notes for you. The difference between the sponge filter and the UG is available surface area for the bacteria to colonize and grow, along with a variety of types. These bacteria are what ‘eat’ your ammonia (from shrimp waste). They ‘poop’ out nitrite. Another bacteria eats the nitrite and poops out nitrate (fertilizer) that plant life needs to survive. This is what ‘cycles’ your tank. These bacteria colonize based on supply and demand. The next time you change a tank over, take your sponge filter and give it just a trickle rinse or better yet a gentle swish in a bucket to dislodge some of the chunky waste and then squish the sponge in the new tank to dislodge the bacteria into your new tank. Yes, there will be debris, too, but worth it for the bacteria to cycle your tank. Less stress for the shrimp.

    Also in your tank are gazillions of different types of bacteria that make up a biofilm on everything in your tank. Ever seen a fish picking at the glass in the aquarium? He’s snacking on these tiny life forms. Using your gravel bed for filtration adds even more surface area for these guys to set up shop as well. In my personal experience (just talking for me), the fish are more interested in getting their snacks from just about anywhere other than the filter. I don’t know if it tastes bad or if certain bacteria don’t like the sponge makeup to colonize on. Also, at some point, you will have to vacuum/syphon your gravel to keep it from getting clogged with waste (the waste build-up will reduce circulation). I have never had these shrimp in an open aquarium, so I can’t help you with a time table.

    Thanks so much for taking the time to put up this blog (and I know it took a LOT of time 🙂 ). It was very helpful!

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