Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Yes, when they first become benthic they are very tiny and easily hide between gravel bits and in other tiny crevices. Congratulations on your happy population!

If your substrate is too deep the snails won't be able to move through all of it to keep things tidy, which can lead to it harboring some nasty stuff instead of just good bacteria. 1" is good, maybe up to 2".

Such a small tank is highly susceptible to wild swings in water condition when you add stuff to the water. I would skip the ferts--no idea what's in it, and it could cause an algae bloom or shrimp death.

Paper towels can contain wetting agents, dyes, and other chemicals that can cause problems with your tank's water. Best to buy a scrubby made for aquariums.

The only benefit of leaving them in is that it's one less reason to mess with the bowl and potentially muck things up. Also, I suppose they provide a small amount of additional surface area for biofilm. If you're moving things around anyway and want to remove them, go for it.

Any plastic plants sold for aquarium use are usually fine. Amazon search for "plastic aquarium sea fan" returns some good results. Have fun!

I did math to calculate the volume of a 10"x10"cylinder and ignored the neck part of the jar :) Calcium carbonate will dissolve at the rate it is needed to buffer, so you can't have too much. If you particularly like the look of the MacroRock product you could fill a big pot with cold wate...

Congratulations! Actually, it looks like the jar you linked has a volume of about 3.5 US gallons, which will make a nice home for your shrimp. For sand/substrate, both of the options you linked would work. Aragonite is essentially crushed calcium carbonate, and both are inert unless labeled "li...

Best way is to check them at night for activity since they are largely nocturnal. Not sure if you can do that in your office, but I see maybe three during the day and about 50 running around after dark in my tanks.

The snails probably just died, or they are hiding in the substrate. You might want to use some type of cover on your tank to reduce evaporation and prevent airborne stuff from messing up your water.

Unless you really like that particular vase, I would cycle a new tank with all new stuff to avoid transferring hair algae. It will be fun! Your shrimp can live in their unsightly home until the new tank is ready.

I've had these in new builds. They are fine, just ignore them and they will disappear by themselves over the course of several days. If you have snails the snails will help.

1 week is not long enough for the tank to settle. Don't do anything, just wait. No fast moves and your opae tank will sort itself out.

I'm sorry you lost your shrimp :( I hope the survivors continue to thrive! What are the grass and marimo balls you mentioned? Did you purchase them from this site? If not, you should remove them because they will slowly break down and poison your tank. 10 of the snails sold here are not too many for...

Good save!