Thanks for sharing chetan. We need more such examples of lush green jungles that don't beed 4k worth of CO2 powerstations.
apart from your outstanding tank, what i liked is how you enjoy wrapping your head around a problem before you solve it! Fantastic approach, very painstakingly displayed too. dunno what deserves more praise, the plants, the endlers (god, neon-quality), or the shrimp (sakura quality)!
thanks a lot bro! it's nice of you to appreciate the effort and motivate me to continue.
You are correct about CO2 system exaggeration. Most people run away from aquatic gardening thinking that it's not possible without a CO2 kit. Nothing is further from the truth. The kit is mainly to boost growth for most plants, something like using steroids at the gym. Plants grow with the natural CO2 in the environment as well. Without CO2 you just need to be patient. I enjoy looking at the plants growing slowly and steadily, it's very relaxing in it's own way. It's got a subtle rush of it's own. I hope more people start venturing into aquatic gardening after seeing this tank.
Nice growth of pellia..
They grow pretty fast provided the environment is good..
Thanks! I agree with you. Apart from the moss tied to the stone, I had taken some stray pellia moss and stuck it wherever I could on top of the driftwood. Now the top of the wood is completely covered by it. You can make it out in the last pic I posted of the entire aquascape.
From my experience with them I gather that they will be a excellent choice for someone trying to make the iconic tree aquascape. And incidentally I found a pic of it been done. The pelia moss gives a very fluffy pillow-like texture... quite unique.
Maybe someone in IAH should try this.
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:31 pm Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
Tank Diary: Feeding Ginseng to Shrimp to boost their color and sex drive
Being a nutritionist by profession, I sometimes like to apply my knowledge on non-humans. I have come to notice that while humans do not have a keen instinctive sense of whether a particular food is in fact nutritious for them (cited by soaring sales of cola drinks), however in the case of fish and shrimp it's not so. They seem to home in quite quickly to foods that will do them good.
So I've been experimenting with the diet in this tank. The most remarkable response I have observed is with Ginseng and Multiminerals. In this post I'll only talk about Ginseng.
Ginseng is a super-food I give to my clients usually to boost their physical energy, immunity, and sexual performance. It is also observed that certain species like dwarf shrimp and guppies are sexually very active in all seasons. And this high level of sex hormones is directly related to the brilliance of their color. However I didn't really see anything particular in their default diet (biofilm, algae wafers in my case) which particularly boosted their sex hormones. So I decided to test giving ginseng to my shrimp, as a way to supplement their sex hormones.
The theory being that:
(a) if their diet truly lacked something that boosted their sex hormones, and
(b) if ginseng was to be really good for them
...then they would jump on it like it were an algae wafer, and their pale colors would redden.
So I got some of premium imported ginseng that I've always favored (because the stuff we usually get in India is low-grade rubbish) and popped it in the tank. And guess what it worked. The shrimp went on it like crazy. It was awesome.
Among the fish, the endler's guppies also went for it. It quite confirmed that the species with a high reproductive rate do require something extra in their diet.
Also surprisingly the otocinclus often feeds on it.
Presently I supplement my shrimp's diet with ginseng along with the regular algae wafer.
I also believe that high quality ginseng will do well in breeding high grade CRS more effectively. However I do not know anyone who breeds them to be able to confirm it. It should also do well to supplement other fish around their mating season. Probably feeding it to parents will result in colorful offspring in fish as well.
A recent pic of the shrimp and guppy snacking on the ginseng blend (the white stuff)
Last edited by Chetan3 on Sun Jan 31, 2016 12:53 pm; edited 1 time in total
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
WHOAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Thats an amazing finding and they way the RCS are engrossed in enjoying their snack, it seems that they have even forgotten their biological needs :grin:
By the way Chetan. I would want to visit your home to see them in real. Can I? Do have your cell no will call u before I come with my son he will be happy to see soo many of them alive.
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:06 pm Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
great!! your red cherry shrimp are red like blood!!
my plants are growing well !! but i guess since i stopped my Diy Co2 !!! BBA and filamentous algae seem to appear!!! i don't get ottos in chennai!! only some times!! and thats the same case with amano shrimp!! rarely i found a couple of zebra nerite snail in chennai!! in a shop which wasn't suppose to be thr according the vendor. so have ordered for seachem flourish excel!! planning to dose it to get rid of the algae!!
:( cannot go forward without co2 ! my bad luck!
check my post and pls post your suggestions .
and hydrocotyle tripartita is growing well!!
feeding my shrimp
Spirulina pellets (daily)
Almond leafs( monthly once)
green peas( weekly once)
and
spinach leaves(once in 15 days)
is it enough!!
Last edited by pranavakira on Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:26 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: May 16, 2011 Posts: 1065 Location: mumbai (south)
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:14 pm Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
Hey kool tank, did the shrimps populated with tetras in it? i had added tetras and they ate the baby shrimps. im usin indian soil mixed with ADA. also with co2, the plants you got are hardy and can tolerate low co2 levels. Iv been using DIY since a very very long time and never moved back to pressurized since it blasted and even leaked before. iv grown all plants and mosses without any issue even at high temp. i suggest adding CO2 will be a good supplement to your tank........
WHOAAAAAAAA!!!!! Thats an amazing finding and they way the RCS are engrossed in enjoying their snack, it seems that they have even forgotten their biological needs By the way Chetan. I would want to visit your home to see them in real. Can I? Do have your cell no will call u before I come with my son he will be happy to see soo many of them alive.
Thanks man. I was first concerned if feeding them terrestrial plants would be harmful, but then I remember that cucumbers are terrestrial
Have PMd you my #. you and your son are welcome to check it out.
amazing tank bro !!! I like....how often do you change the water? I too have some live plants in my 32 litre aquarium, changing water is a hard task..
thanks bro! I change the water (about 20-30%) once in 15-20 days.
Why is it hard for you? If you have a lot of plants (especially rooted ones) then you really don't need to siphon the gravel. All the material at the bottom will be used by the plants as fertilizer. You just need to stir the water a bit and siphon it from the top of the tank only.
great!! u red cherry shrimp are red like blood!! my plants are growing well !! but i guess since i stopped my Diy Co2 !!! BBA and filamentous algae seem to appear!!! i don't get ottos in chennai!! only some times!! and thats the same case with amano shrimp!! rarely i found a couple of zebra nerite snail in chennai!! in a shop which wasn't suppose to be thr according the vendor. so have ordered for seachem flourish excel!! planning to dose it to get rid of the algae!!
cannot go forward without co2 ! my bad luck!
check my post and pls post your suggestions .
and hydrocotyle tripartita is growing well!!
feeding my shrimp
Spirulina pellets (daily)
Almond leafs( monthly once)
green peas( weekly once)
and
spinach leaves(once in 15 days)
is it enough!!
Thanks again! :)
You can order the amano shrimp from the Nautilus store in Bombay. They have nationwide shipping.
You tackled the oil film problem you were having finally?
"Is it enough?" - Dude, you're overfeeding the shrimp.
Don't feed them daily. Twice a week is more than sufficient. They are scavengers, they'll find something or the another to eat (biofilm, fish food etc). Your spoiling them with so much food.
Initially I used to feed my shrimp 1/4 of an algae wafer twice a week. Only recently because of their population growth I've increased it to half or one wafer twice a week.
Hey kool tank, did the shrimps populated with tetras in it? i had added tetras and they ate the baby shrimps. im usin indian soil mixed with ADA. also with co2, the plants you got are hardy and can tolerate low co2 levels. Iv been using DIY since a very very long time and never moved back to pressurized since it blasted and even leaked before. iv grown all plants and mosses without any issue even at high temp. i suggest adding CO2 will be a good supplement to your tank........
thanks! yup, the shrimps and the tetras started out together.
even my tetras when given the opportunity will eat a baby shrimp. however they don't because there is plenty of hiding place for the shrimp. again, i stress here on the vital role played by the bogwood. this tank is what it is primarily because of the tunneled bogwood. try creating more hiding places in your tank, the tetras won't be able to harm the shrimp then.
wow! the co2 blasting sounds like a crazy incident man. yea, the diy is a much safer and economical alternative.
I was at one point thinking about diy co2 for this setup, however by the rate at which the plants are anyway growing - I decided to skip. In their present state I need to trim the plants once in 2-3months, which is perfect for me.
Nice to see so many shrimps gathering at one place.. Never seen them gathering like this in my planted tanks
they don't come out your case, seriously? how come?
The only explanation for the shyness of your shrimp would be that they are feeling unsafe. are there any potential predators or lack of hiding places in your tank?
My shrimp are absolutely shameless frankly. The don't budge even when I put my hand in the tank. Rather, they've figured that human dead skin tastes great and so when my hand is in for a long time they simply cling onto it and start giving a manicure. silly creatures i tell you.
Too bad that, unlike the garra rufa doctor fish, there won't be many takers for a shrimp pedicure
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:14 am Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
@Chetan :-> My oil film problem got solved automatically! ! i guess it would have been the oils that came with contro soil!! fixed after 2 nd water change
Staghorn algae has now started appearing !! i guess now i am growing algae more than my plants
List of algae faced and fixed
brown -> initially- fixed
Green spot -> secondly -fixed
Cladophora -> on driftwood !! left it as it is for attraction
Oil Film with some green floating algae -> Fixed
BBA-> ????
Staghorn ->???
whats remaining ?
green water and blue green
as you said will reduce the feeding for shrimps !
i got an doubt about wisteria!! shall remove the old big stem and plant the branches which appeared newly!! because it appears too big and atleast by that i can reduce some amount of algae
regarding staghorn !! i read a article stating reducing the light level helps shall i switch to 15watts from 24 watts back again.
@Chetan :-> My oil film problem got solved automatically! ! i guess it would have been the oils that came with contro soil!! fixed after 2 nd water change
Staghorn algae has now started appearing !! i guess now i am growing algae more than my plants ...
For how long do you have your lights on? May be too much lighting is the problem. Because it's very unusual for all of these species of algae to invade a tank at once.
There is probably too much light and nutrition in your tank that is not being utilized completely due to inadequate plant cover. Therefore, these excessive resources are being used instead by the algae to bloom. In short, get more plants for your tank and stop all your fertilizer dosing and reduce photo period (not intensity).
Give a break in the lighting for a while during the day. That will help to reduce algae growth. There's an interesting theory to it. I'm typing out for you below a section on lighting from the brilliant book "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by Peter Hiscock (I wonder if his descendants still go by the same sir name ) ...
Creating a siesta period
Plants are able to regulate the rate of photosynthesis relatively easily, and quickly respond to changes in light conditions. In other words, they do not take long to warm up and start photosynthesizing once there is sufficient light. However, algae are not as biologically advanced as plants and need a long and relatively uninterrupted period of light to function properly. It is possible to combat algae in the aquarium by controlling the intensity and period of lighting in the aquarium and creating a "siesta" period. This is a period of darkness that interrupts the normal day/night light cycle in the aquarium. If the aquarium receives 5-6 hours of lighting followed by 2-3 hours of darkness and then another 5-6 hours of light, the plants will be relatively unaffected and receive enough light throughout the day, but algae growth rates will be significantly reduced and may even start to die back.
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: Tank Diary: It's A Jungle Out There (Non-CO2 Planted Shr
using this principle is working great !! staghorn turning red and then disappearing!! day by day:) thanks alot i guess you have fire red shrimp too with your red cherry shrimp!
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We need more such examples of lush green jungles that don't beed 4k worth of CO2 powerstations.
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