Hey guys, so my tank has been cycling since the 17th of November, i have JUST started getting green algae growing in small patches on the ocean rock i have in the tank.
I have been testing the tank for ammonia and nitrites but not really showing much, when should i be looking at adding Opae Ula to the tank? i wont be getting any until January at the very earliest anyway so what kind of time frame should i be looking at for them to be nice and healthy in the environment i have set up?
regards,
what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
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KenCotigirl
- Senior Shrimp Master
- Posts: 759
- Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:46 am
- Location: Old Bridge, NJ
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
Mech I do not know where you live, the concern I would have is weather. By January your tank should be cycled. If shipping costs are not a problem/concern i would buy snails first. When they start breeding say by March then buy your shrimp. I do not know how reliable heat packs are.
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
Not that I'm saying it is okay to get opae in the winter but my opae arrived when the weather sudden dipped to the 20's although it was 50's the week before. The shrimp were motionless and white. I left them in the bag for a few hours and when I came back they were ALL alive but one. Out of about fifty. It was amazing I can't believe they are this hardy.
Regardless, I too would get snails first. They will help keep your walls clean so that you actually see your buddies and although you are testing ammonia and nitrites those chemicals will only show of there is a bioload source. If nothing is living in your aquarium then you aren't feeding the cycling.
Option two is to cycle via ammonia drip. Google it, you basically put ammonia in everyday as if there was some bioload in the tank until the cycle bacteria catches up enough to convert to nitrite and then nitrate.
Regardless, I too would get snails first. They will help keep your walls clean so that you actually see your buddies and although you are testing ammonia and nitrites those chemicals will only show of there is a bioload source. If nothing is living in your aquarium then you aren't feeding the cycling.
Option two is to cycle via ammonia drip. Google it, you basically put ammonia in everyday as if there was some bioload in the tank until the cycle bacteria catches up enough to convert to nitrite and then nitrate.
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
What sort of snails and if so what are they called, as I'm in the United Kingdom, I cannot order any from Mustafa, I have Malaysian Trumpet Snails in my freshwater shrimp tanks, what about these?
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KenCotigirl
- Senior Shrimp Master
- Posts: 759
- Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:46 am
- Location: Old Bridge, NJ
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
MTS snails I believe can be acclimated to brackish conditions. I am sure if you can google it. Give it a shot in a small glass jar slowly increasing the salinity.
Ken
Ken
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
Yeah MTS are pretty hardy. I accidentally had hitchhikers with my nerites. The breeder sent them to me with no water to acclimate with so I plopped them all in the brackish water. They all survived. But I wouldn't recommend it.
PS MTS breed like crazy, especially if there is a lot of waste around.
PS MTS breed like crazy, especially if there is a lot of waste around.
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
yah, i have them in a smaller tank with a few fish, breed them to feed my assassin snails in my community tank.shwin wrote:Yeah MTS are pretty hardy. I accidentally had hitchhikers with my nerites. The breeder sent them to me with no water to acclimate with so I plopped them all in the brackish water. They all survived. But I wouldn't recommend it.
PS MTS breed like crazy, especially if there is a lot of waste around.
Re: what stage to add shrimp to a new tank.
Started getting a fuzzy white mold on my sea rock, just like what grows in new tanks on bogwood, I hate the stuff lol