I found my old EcoSphere at my parent's house and there was a shrimp still alive inside! I bought it eight years ago back when I knew nothing about aquatic animals or their proper care... Needless to say, I was MORTIFIED and scrambled to liberate the poor thing.
Here he is right after I got him out of the sphere. He's been clinging to life in 8oz of water all this time... Poor dear.
Here is the set up I cobbled together! I have an axolotl salamander and this is his old 10 gallon tank and sponge filter from when he was a baby. Thank goodness I kept the sponge filter running in his new tank! His new filter had long been established so I was able to move the sponge filter to instantly cycle this tank for the shrimp. I made the water brackish with marine salt and got him some lava rocks and plants. I still need to find some limestone or coral to buffer the water, but hopefully it will be okay for a few days!
Happy shrimp in his new home (he's on the grass) after acclimating him for several hours. He took the transfer well and survived the night! I hope to get him some friends soon.
Aww, I bet your shrimp is very happy! I'm in much the same boat (har har har); I started researching for a betta because they're pretty, and next thing I know I'm planning a 29g for a betta and some corydoras, horrified at the ecosphere, and planning a good-sized tank for my remaining shrimp and planning to get some buddies for him once the weather's nice enough to ship them!
The tank looks nice. I had no luck finding coral or limestone in stores; I ordered crushed coral from Amazon (CaribSea brand), and Holey Rock of Texas for limestone. Or maybe it's Texas Holey Rock; can't remember. But I only just found out about some local fish stores, so I guess they might have some, haha. Good luck to you and the little shrimp friend!
Thank you for the nice comments. Sadly, the little shrimp passed away. I tried really hard to help him and make up for my mistake, but I guess he was just too fragile. At least he got to spend a few days where he was safe and fed rather than suffering for who knows how much longer in that tiny sphere.
Sorry to hear that. From the looks of it I would say that your new tank wasn't ready. There are still air bubbles visible on the bottom and sides of the tank which usually means that the tank was jut filled up. You want to wait 2-4 weeks ideally and see some algae growth before releasing any shrimp into a new tank. Just an FYI for future reference.
I tried really hard to help him and make up for my mistake, but I guess he was just too fragile. At least he got to spend a few days where he was safe and fed rather than suffering for who knows how much longer in that tiny sphere.
