My plan..

[Andrew]

So here's my plan. I'm going to buy these 3 1 gallon tanks : (there was a link to a aquabid auction, but it didn't let me post it, that's a pretty good feature to prevent spammers, doesn't help me though :( )
run a simple small sponge filter in each one. Pack them to the brim with javamoss, hornwort and hygro, no gravel or anything, maybe a rock or 2. Then fill each one with a different species of shrimp, or maybe adults in one tank and babies in the other etc..

For lighting im going to mount a simple 10 gallon light above hanging from the wall. Here's my questions.

Will the shrimp be fine without a heater? Sometimes the temperature in my room fluctuates.

What type of filtration would you reccomend?

Will this even work out? I plan on keeping mostly cherry reds..

I look forward to all your responses, this is one of my favorite shrimp sites and you guys are the experts :)

[silane]

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to shrimpnow.

Are you referring to a 31 gallon tank or 3 of 1 gallon tank?

[Andrew]

3 tanks, each are one gallon. They measure 6x6x8

[silane]

What you have in mind will work with Cherry Shrimps, they are hardy. A small hang on side filter should be neater than sponge filter, but a sponge filter should work as well.

No gravel is fine for cherry and most algae eater, as long as they have moss and plant to cling on.

I can't help you on heater part, but someone else in your region will advise you on this for sure.

Feed sparely on small tank like this to prevent water from going bad.

[spinex]

Hi Andrew,

Welcome to shrimp keeping. Is there a small heater that's small enough for your 1 gallon ? I never seem to seen it before.

Maybe it would be better if you let us know what's your ambient temperature for a start.

Usually a light will usually raise the temperature of your water by 1 or 2 degree celcius.

[Andrew]

Nevermind, I think i'm going to go with a 5 gallon instead, much easier. The temperature in my room right now is 71 degrees. Can I successfully breed red cherries in a 5 gallon with a small filter, no water changes, and a bunch of moss?

[simcb]

Nevermind, I think i'm going to go with a 5 gallon instead, much easier. The temperature in my room right now is 71 degrees. Can I successfully breed red cherries in a 5 gallon with a small filter, no water changes, and a bunch of moss?

Its very hard to say whether they will breed without optimum conditions(..erh no water changes is kind of risky).

My 4ft for cherry is not yet breeding...so its very hard to say. But i reckon no harm trying to breed them in your 5 gallon.

[dom]

Honestly, you need to perform water change when you just up the tank. Or before the tank getting mature. I performed daily water change like 5-10%. After a month or 2. I will introduce some shrimp in. (Still perform the water change. But 10-15% weekly) I stop water change and just refill only after my cherry carrying with eggs.

So, most of my shrimp tanks are mature and shrimplet everywhere. No water change but refill only. But make sure your tank full with plants or mosses to assorb the NO3.

[Andrew]

I got my 5 gallon, i'm going to have 18 watts of power compact light over it, a biowheel filter with a sponge covering the suction holes, but i have one more question.

Right now i'm running my biowheel in an established tank, how long does it take for the good bacteria to grow on my biowheel?

I get my shrimp tommarow, i'm going to put the biowheel on my tank and suck some mulm out of one of my tanks and pour it in the 5 gallon, to start the cycling. Then in goes the moss and shrimp and I pray to god that I don't lose any.

Will this work?

[retardo]

Both the mulm and the biowheel from an established tank will make jumpstart your tank's cycling, but it will _not_ be a substitute by any means. Your tank will still undergo the entire process, with ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite spikes at different points during the cycle. If anything, I would put the shrimp in the established tank while you cycle the new tank using fuana other than shrimp. You can catch and move the shrimp to the cycled tank later, although this may not be a route you want to take. You save yourself the risk of losing your newly purchased shrimp though.

[Andrew]

What if I use 90% old tank water from an established tank?

[jon]

that might work out IMO. :)
help to cycle the tank faster.
thou never try out before. anyone did that before??
regards :D

[NanoDave]

It is not likely to help a lot because beneficial bacteria colonises on surfaces inside the bio media and, on the tank walls and on the substrate and surfaces of driftwood and plants. They are not free floating.. :)

There will be some beneficial bacteria that is on the surfaces of micro particles floating in the water tho, but that is not much. If you really want to super-accelerate the cycling of a new tank,

1. make sure water has totally no chlorine and chloramin (This is 500% important in this process). In fact overdose on your antichlorine is even better.

2. Aerate the water as heavily as possible

3. Leave alone for 24 hours with the aeration

4. take the filter media from an established tank and swish them around the intake of your filter in the new tank. Note: your water will turn dark brown, almost black. Do not be alarmed and don't change water.

5. Leave it alone, and the water will turn clear in a day. Tank is cycled!

note: When it turned clear, you will see some bacteria residue on the surfaces in your main tank. Don't scrub them or do anything. With 1 or 2 days they will disappear as they will disappear (die or migrate to dark areas in your filter).

[Andrew]

Thank you everyone for your help, i'll let you all know how this turns out.

[NanoDave]

Just to highlight that this has not been tested on hang on filters because I don't use them. One reason I could think of is maybe the prefilter of a HOB is very fine and it prevents the bacteria from reaching the media effectively.

This will 100% work in sump, IOS, OHF and caninister. :)