Hi from Germany - see my tank and tell your mind :)

[Innocenti]

Hi :)
I'm new here and my name is Ellen. I want to show you my tank and listen to your sentiments.

The tank is a cube of 30cm, in the right corne is a mat cleaner (whats 'Hamburger Mattenfilter in english? :rolleyes: ) with a little indoorpump behind. I know it's a little oversized but it was impossible to get a thinner mat. Furthermore there are following plants:
in the front left and right:
Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
behind, under the shale and on the root:
Cladophora aegagropila
on the mat:
Vesicularia dubyana
on the root and the shale:
Riccia fluitans
in front of the root:
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
background:
Vallisneria nana
swimming:
duckweed and some Riccia

here some pics:
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/1350/vonvornetotale22jz.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/2716/vonlinkstotale21ng.jpg

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/663/vonobentotale24oi.jpg

I'm planning to put some black&white bee shrimps in after the nitrite peak - actually there are just some different kind of snails in...

please excuse my grammatical incorrect english... :embarasse

Ellen

[Beviking]

I like it! :2thumbsup I would try to use a black sponge but I know how impatient one can be when setting up tanks :D
Also, a background to cover the back glass so you do not see the wall behind would make it feel more secluded...like a place in nature, not in your house.

I think Hamburger Mattenfilter in english is Hamburger Mattenfilter?

Thank you for sharing!

-Be

[Innocenti]

Hi :)

you know Hamburger Mattenfilter in english? :D great... :D So it is just like 'kindergarten'?
Sorry, in Germany I haven't seen a black sponge ever (if you mean a black filter mat)... it is even a problem to get thin mats... :-/ (this one is 5cm strong - 3cm would be more than adequate for that tank)
the wall behind is very yellow at the moment, I know - but I want to grow that vallisneria like a wall instead of doing something else behind the glass - so lets wait until the plants were grown. If it still isn't enough I can still do something dark behind.... :)

cu,
Ellen

[Beviking]

Hi :)

you know Hamburger Mattenfilter in english? :D great... :D So it is just like 'kindergarten'?
Ellen

I only know Hamburger Mattenfilter in english because of this site and my interest in the hobby. The internet can be very educational :D

You do not have to apologize for my preference! If you cannot get black filter mat you cannot get it. The blue will become more dull in time anyway.

I like the idea of a vallisneria wall and am ashamed I didn't think of that when I first looked at it :embarasse That will look very nice!!!

-Be

[amber2461]

It is a beautiful tank, and I like it, good job !

[gladhertha_]

I like it! And i think the shrimp will do that to!

[shrimp]

nice tank. noticed that you put in some duck weed in your tank, I did that once and had alot of problems clearing them up when I didnt want them. They reproduce too fast.

[jojoecute]

Hi...

I like your setup very much, care to share the water parameter of it?

I notice after setting up nice shrimp tank with rocks & some other gravel may cause the PH rise..

[Mischy]

Hi Ellen,

I like it, too! But I would throw something like Elodea canadensis (Ger: Wasserpest) , Ceratophyllum Demersum (Ger: Hornkraut) or something like this in, because my B&W Shrimps like such plants!! ;)

regards, Michael

[Innocenti]

Hi :)

@shrimp: I know about that problem with duckweed but they were my only fast growing plant in the tank and I hope to keep algae away with them.... (and they are a nice indicator plant - if there isn't enough iron in the water they will loose color immediately) :D :)

@jojoecute: normally shale is unproblematic with PH because there is no lime in it... :)
Parameters are:
KH 9°
PH 7
GH 13,5°
NO3 20 mg/l
NO2 0,3 mg/l (yesterday - tank is now about 1 Week running in complete setup)
FE 0,05 mg/l
CO2 37 mg/l

I want to try alder cone to lower PH a little - do you use that?

@Michael: nice to see more Germans here (and strange to talk in english to them... :D )
mhm - I don't like those plants very much because they are so scrubby.... I hope the mosses I got in the tank will be enough for the shrimps...
Where did you got your b&w shrimps? I hope to get mine at 'Wirbellosentreffen' at Murr (invertebrates meeting near Stuttgart/Germany).

best regards,
Ellen

[Mischy]

Helle Ellen,

I think your PH is ok, but your KH is a little bit too high under 5° dH would be ok...
And I don't think, that mosses will be enough, you should think of something alternative like much more Vallisneria or sagittaria or Microsorium pteropus (Javafarn).


For me it is strange, too to talk in english with german people, but its also interesting ;)
I think I can't tell you here, where I go mine from, maybe I got permission to PM *greet to Robert* ;) then I'll send you his e-mail adress ;)

[Innocenti]

Hi Michael,

yes, I think that Vallisneria will soon grow like a wall in the background - the lilaeopsis just started to grow round that root and I'm thinking about Monosolenium tenerum - if I can get it without paying too much forwarding charges... :)
Is there an easy way to shrink KH? Something like add distilled water?
Isn't it possible to send private messages in this board?
Where in Germany do you come from?

regards,
Ellen

[Robert]

Hi Ellen,
welcome to ShrimpNow!

Your KH is OK, there is no need to lower it. Shrimps can adapt well to wide range of stable water parameters. Your water is quit good for them and you shouldn't get any problems with any species.

I would worry more about your Nitrite level at the moment. Observe is it well and wait a few more weeks, please. Let the plants grow well, do the regular water changes and there should be no problem at all later on. BTW, I wouldn't add more plants. You have more than enough plants in this little tank.

A problem could be this fine gravel/sand later on. Anaerobic zones are possible, especially below the stones and the driftwood. 2-3cm of this fine gravel/sand would be enough for your plants. You have no Cryptocorynes or Echinodorus species which develop a large root system.

best regards
Robert

PS It's not strange to talk with Germans in English. Sometimes it is much easier to speak with them in English than in German because of these rather strange dialects in Southern Germany :D

[Mischy]

Hi Ellen,

you can use peat (right word for "Torf"?) to get a lower KH. I live between Stuttgart and Nuremberg and we're getting our water from the Bodensee and so it is very hard, too. So I took a little inside filter and put a lot of peat in it. If I want to change water, the evening before I take a bucket with water and filtrate it with the littl filter over night. Next day my water is about 3°dH form originally 11°dH!! PH is also a little bit lower :) about 6,8 - 7 form originally a bit over 8!

And it's not possible to PM under a special count of postings... :(
But are you in some german shrimp-boards? :)

@Robert: Why don't you like our dilects?? *gg* ;) I think it's stranger to talk with persons which can not say the "TH" right ;) or some dialects fom the east ;)


best regards, Michael

[Innocenti]

Hi to all :)

@Robert:
I normally avoid to speak dialect because I don't like Swabians ( I'm from Baden :D )
I think, I'm at the beginning of the nitrite peak now, so I will check level about every two days and I'll have more than enough time until that meeting in Murr will happen. The tank will run about 5 1/2 weeks until that date... :)
I'm looking forward to get the shrips there because it will save the burden and stress of shipping for the shrimps.
When I setup the tank, first I filled some water in to prevent air inclusions - I hope this will avoid anaerobic zones. Additional I added some 'Turmdeckelschnecken' (I'm sorry - don't know the english phrase for that snails living in sand and dig it up - maybe 'towercapsnail'? :D)
Today I added 4 JBL fertiliser balls and I do a weekly fertilize with tropica liquid dung (just half of their referral). There wasn't any anmount for those JBL balls on the pack - do you think, 4 balls are ok?

@Michael: I don't think our town-water is so incredibly hard that I'll have to do very much to get it softer. Did you ever use alder cones (Erlenzäpfchen) to pimp your water? I don't like that yellow color peat gives to water so I would prefer other solutions if it would be necessary to change water parameters.
I'm also active in garnelenforum.de - so if you're active there, too it would be easier to talk over there?

best regards,

Ellen

[Mischy]

@Michael: I don't think our town-water is so incredibly hard that I'll have to do very much to get it softer. Did you ever use alder cones (Erlenzäpfchen) to pimp your water? I don't like that yellow color peat gives to water so I would prefer other solutions if it would be necessary to change water parameters.
I'm also active in garnelenforum.de - so if you're active there, too it would be easier to talk over there?

best regards,

Ellen


Hello,

I don't think it's toooo hard, but it could be better ;) I don't use alder cones, because I don't want such big differenzes after a water-change, I don't think that would be very good, so I use peat to have the perfect fresh water for the change!! I have brown sand and the dark water, the sand and the shiny white together are looking brilliant - in my opinion ;) But you can also use your water without pimping it ;) if you can breed the shrimps it is ok, if nt you have to change something...

I don't think it would be easier to talk in 'garnelenforum.de' but there I can PM you :)

best regards, Michael

[dom]

i like the setup. Very Chinese "Feng Shui" look. Keep it up...

[Innocenti]

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6412/anfang2woche2wg.jpg

Hi :)

today I made a comparison picture "first day-today"

I imagine a little different in plant size :joking:

Nitrite didn't rise over 0,3 mg/l and yesterday I got 0,1mg/l

@Michael: whats your nickname at garnelenforum.de? Mine is Innocenti, too. :)

best regards,
Ellen

[Beviking]

i like the setup. Very Chinese "Feng Shui" look. Keep it up...

Isn't that the desire of all setups? :D

As Robert said, your KH is good. It is more important (and easier) to keep everything stable than add one thing or another to change your water.
My KH is 8-9dH and GH is 11dH. No problems.
You want 0ppm Nitrite and <10ppm Nitrate. If you are adding nitrate as a fertilizer supplement, you can go up to 20ppm.

I have to agree Ellen, VERY Nice!!! :2thumbsup

-Be

[tsia]

Very nice setup where did you get that rock ? It's very unique.

[Innocenti]

Hi tsia,

it isn't a rock - just shale. I stuck it togehter with aquarium silicone as it look a bit like stairs - thats all... :)

regards,
Ellen

[spinex]

Hi Ellen,

Nice simple setup. Any liquid fertiliser dosing for your small tank ?

[Innocenti]

Hi spinex,

yes, I use Tropica liquid fertillizer weekly, but just half of their recommendation

[azn_fishy55]

Looking good,can't wait to see it mature.Keep ups updated with pics!!!

[Innocenti]

Hi :)

time for an update...

here an actual picture of the tank:
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2523/totale120306klein1br.jpg

and here you can see three of six Amanos which moved in last week. I hope I will not get same problems with hunting Amanos like other users... :shocked:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9017/amanosnudelklein0vh.jpg

My HC started to get brown on the old parts like I've read here and I've got some light green almost white and hairy algae growing in my riccia - looks really strange. Any idea to get it away? Those Amanos don't eat them....

best regards,
Ellen

[tsia]

Very nice got a Zen feeling to it :D
I just redid my tank and looking for ideas to decorate it as it's quite bare now. Would post a pic when my CRS moves in.
The last time I had hair algae, I just stave my cherries over the weekend and they cleaned it up really well. Maybe you could try not feeding your Amanmo a couple of days to see if they would eat it.

[Mischy]

Hi,

it's looking quite good now!!! Do you already know, where you will get your B&W shrimps??

greets...

[Innocenti]

not really - I'm will wait until that meeting in Murr had happend and if there wasn't any B&W I'll have to search on the internet for owners who are willing to sell...

[ILIKESHRIMPS]

It's so cool. Very nice setup. :shocked:

[Mischy]

hey Ellen,

you have some new pictures?? ;) :D

[Shrimper06]

:shocked: Hi Ellen, nice job. Send more pictures and keep us updated as you add more :D