New "bottle tank" setup

A forum for discussing everything about the Supershrimp (Halocaridina rubra, Opae ula).

Moderator: Mustafa

Post Reply
augustus4842
Larva
Larva
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:51 pm

New "bottle tank" setup

Post by augustus4842 »

I just bought a large 5 liter (1.3 gallon) glass coca cola bottle.

Is this a good vessel for super shrimp?

I'd imagine I can fit 1 gallon of water (maybe a bit less) with sand substrate. I have some corals, but can't imagine how I can position them nicely.

I'm not new to super shrimp, I have a 1.8 gallon wine glass with 14 relatively happy shrimp. I say relatively since all 3 berried shrimp had babies but they all died. After reading the forums, I'm thinking checking nitrate and ammonia levels. All adult shrimp are red and active.

I understand that I would need to cycle the tank for a month. Should I get some moss? Marimo balls?

What do you guys think? Or is a bottle not a good shape for these critters?

Thank you in advance. You guys have been a life saver (no seriously) in the past!
User avatar
jonesinfershrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:21 pm
Location: Sturbridge, MA, USA

Re: New "bottle tank" setup

Post by jonesinfershrimp »

augustus4842 wrote:I just bought a large 5 liter (1.3 gallon) glass coca cola bottle.

Is this a good vessel for super shrimp?

I'd imagine I can fit 1 gallon of water (maybe a bit less) with sand substrate. I have some corals, but can't imagine how I can position them nicely.

I'm not new to super shrimp, I have a 1.8 gallon wine glass with 14 relatively happy shrimp. I say relatively since all 3 berried shrimp had babies but they all died. After reading the forums, I'm thinking checking nitrate and ammonia levels. All adult shrimp are red and active.

I understand that I would need to cycle the tank for a month. Should I get some moss? Marimo balls?

What do you guys think? Or is a bottle not a good shape for these critters?

Thank you in advance. You guys have been a life saver (no seriously) in the past!
i dont see why it wouldnt be a good tank for some shrimps. fitting the corals in there would be tough unless they were small pieces no? but if you can fit them im sure they would love them. sorry to hear about the loss of the babies. get some moss mustafa sells. marimo balls will melt and kill your shrimps. i would just be cautious and replace evaporated water once a week. with such small volumes of water the parameters change very quickly and it is lethal.
JennyPenny
Shrimp
Shrimp
Posts: 217
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2015 7:49 pm

Re: New "bottle tank" setup

Post by JennyPenny »

I would expect you would run into trouble getting decorations into the bottle and arranged. You would need a long pair of tweezers in case a shrimp were to die, otherwise I don't think you could remove the body. Like jonesinfershrimp already mentioned, marimo balls are no good in brackish water.
In my opinion, I don't think it's ideal. I would look for another container. I often see cool options at thrift stores for a nominal cost. But, it's not my tank. So if you want to do it, go for it! :)
augustus4842
Larva
Larva
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:51 pm

Re: New "bottle tank" setup

Post by augustus4842 »

Thank you guys both for your inputs!

The corals I have are indeed small enough to fit the bottle opening, but I'm not sure where I can procure such long tweezers (or the skills to use them!) I have been itching to buy the marimo balls offered by Mustafa and understand that my normal marimo would be very unhappy in brackish water.

I was concerned about the small vessel and water parameters as well; as I'm guessing that's what killed off the first batch of shrimp before I got my current setup...

What's considered large enough that I won't have to worry too much about water parameters? Almost 2 gallons (my current setup) our more like 5+gallons?

I love thrift shops! That's where I found my giant wine glass. You know, now that I'm looking at this bottle, I can't see inside very well... Off to thrift shops!
User avatar
jonesinfershrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2015 5:21 pm
Location: Sturbridge, MA, USA

Re: New "bottle tank" setup

Post by jonesinfershrimp »

go with 5+ if you have the space :p it never hurts to go as big as you can.
Mustafa
Founder
Founder
Posts: 6065
Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 2:13 pm
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Contact:

Re: New "bottle tank" setup

Post by Mustafa »

Did you end up doing this? I imagine it's a pain in the butt to set up and maintain...but maybe you found a solution.
Post Reply