First tank, is it ready?

[fatrat]

I've been wanting some of these fellas for a while but hesitated after learning about the horrors of the ecospheres. Glad to find this place! I'm kinda new to keeping aquatic critters in general but hope to learn.

So far my setup is a 2.5 gallon tank with an aquarium clip on light at the top, some nice little granite rocks I found, a few sea shells, a marimo moss ball and as of today a macroalgae. It's been cycling for a couple of weeks now. I wasn't sure whether or not to get some snails. Should I? I also have a piece of limestone tile, I've heard that calcium is something shrimp need to molt? Would this be suitable for now or should I invest in something else?

I have noticed however that there's a film on the top of the water. Is this normal? Would you guys say the tank is ready at this point? Tips and advice appreciated! I will try to upload pictures eventually.

[Mustafa]

Hi, and welcome to the hobby!

The film on the surface is normal. It will either go away or be barely noticeable over time as the shrimp and snails start munching on it (yes, it's food for them!). Do you have any algae growing anywhere? Any pictures? Without seeing your tank it's going to be impossible to say if it's ready.

I personally put snails in all of my tanks as they add to the life in a tank and also eat certain types of algae (brown algae, diatoms) that the shrimp don't seem to sufficiently clean. If not eaten, brown algae grow really fast and kinda obstruct the view. Snails aren't absolutely necessary but very helpful.

[Varanus]

You mentioned a marimo moss ball. If it really is one then you should remove it as everything I've read says they won't live long in brackish water.

As for calcium, the sea shells and salt itself I would think should provide enough. That limestone tile, are you pretty sure it was never exposed to any potentially toxic substances? If its toxin free then there is no problem with it being there as far as I know.

[fatrat]

Really? Because from what I've read marimos come from brackish conditions. I will remove it anyways just in case. I'll also try to get some pics tomorrow.

[KenCotigirl]

Not sure where you read that the algae is a brackish species. They seem to be from fresh water lakes. They may survive for a time in brackish water but surviving for a time is not thriving. Mustafa has been involved with fresh water dwarf shrimp for many years as well as H rubra. He has indicated that he has tried many plants and algaes and without success. I am sure if these lake balls were compatible with the lowtech setup he promotes then he would sell the balls along with other species. Also 'brackish' is a vague term for a range of salinity.

Sorry for being preachy but this issue comes up again and again. I need to remember I was new once so patience is necessary.

Good luck with your setup and keep the pictures coming.

Ken

[Stalker]

Marimo ball DO survive in brackish condition and even grow faster than in freshwater. They just need to be slowly acclimated. I still think Mustafa's moss balls are regular marimo balls wish talli or spores somehow ended in his tank.

[Mustafa]

Marimo ball DO survive in brackish condition and even grow faster than in freshwater. They just need to be slowly acclimated. I still think Mustafa's moss balls are regular marimo balls wish talli or spores somehow ended in his tank.

Highly unlikely and almost impossible given the circumstances. Marimo balls don't produce spores (akinetes). They're famously known for not producing spores. They only reproduce by fragmentation. There were never any marimo balls in my possession before my "mossballs" appeared. Plus...the mossballs I have "bud" into smaller balls already when they are really small themselves. And those also grow in a ball shape.

I did buy one marimo ball a few years after my original mossballs appeared and literally took it apart so I ended up with 20-30 small pieces. Many years later now those *still* haven't grown into a ball shape (they're all in freshwater). They kinda just grow flat although they have gotten bigger and I have gotten fragments from them that also grew into a more flat shape.

Having said that, all actuall "Marimo Balls" occur in freshwater lakes. However, the species (Aegagropila linnaei) is very variable and the non-ball forming variety/local variation does occur in the brackish Baltic Sea as a flat growing type of attached hair algae. I've posted about this already over 3 years ago in a different thread but I will post that info again in its own thread now so we can once and for all provide some clarity. Stalker, in that thread I was actually replying to you with very good information about why it's unlikely that I have "Marimo Balls", so I'm not sure why you're still so convinced that my mossballs are the same as marimo.

[fatrat]

Here are the pics finally! I ended up changing out the limestone tile I had in favor of sea shells. The blue rocks are from my fish tank, as a tip I heard for getting bacteria started was to put in some gravel from another tank. You can see the macroalgae hanging out along with the moss ball (which I removed and put back in its freshwater home). I also put in a quartz cluster I had because I thought that'd look nice.

What do you fellas think? This is the first set up I've ever done on my own, I think it's pretty alright.

[Mustafa]

I think it's great! Looks very similar to my minimalistic tanks.

[fatrat]

Do you think it's ready for some shrimp to inhabit it? I'm excited to try my hand at raising opae ula.

[Mustafa]

To be on the safe side I would wait until you see some algae growth. Maybe there is some growth, but I can't see any in the pictures.

[fatrat]

I haven't seen anything green and growing in there yet (besides the macroalgae of course). Though it has been cycling for a few weeks, is there anything else I could do to encourage growth?

[Mustafa]

Nope. Just wait...and possibly distract yourself and try to forget the tank for a while. (and it's not just green algae...brown algae are ok too as indicators).

[fatrat]

Alright, thanks!