New shrimp papa questions

[oil]

Hi everyone ,

I have searched up, and down these forums and I feel like there's mixed/unclear answers for what I am searching for. I just want to be 100% secure in my purchases to ease my paranoia about raising these little shrimpies.

I'm planning to purchase a 0.5 gallon cube glass tank to start with, and plan on purchasing 10 shrimp from Petshrimp - when the tank is cycled.

Questions! (/concerns)

1) I've also been reading that tank size matters for breeding? I'd definitely love to see babies, is .05 gallons too small for this to occur? I do plan on eventually upsizing the tank when they populate, but want something small and manageable to start.

2) I know you should only fill the tank with distilled/RO water. But, do you need to wash/rinse (or is it better to soak?) the tank, decorations, etc. with distilled water? I live in Nevada and have water softener if that makes any difference?

3) I am paranoid about buying the correct salt. Is the one I pictured below acceptable? Or are there other ones that are easier to use/mix/better?

4) Also paranoid about buying the wrong kind of substrate. I was reading that this one (below) is good, as it will also regulate the PH, etc. like a 2 in 1, so I don't have to put any calcium carbonate rocks in. Is the one pictured acceptable? Also, do I have to wash it? Or soak before adding it into the tank?

5) Is it wise to put the setup in more direct sun while cycling (to speed it up), then move it away once some algae growth has started; or just leave it in indirect light and wait.

Thank you guys so much in advance for the help!

[SuperProofer]

Hi,

I can tell you my experience as I am a "small jar shrimper".

My jar is 0.25 gals (I think I posted before that it was half gallon, but I was incorrect.)

I used boiled distilled water to soak all my decor before putting it in the jar. I didn't use the reef salt you used, but I know sometimes the term "reef" is a misnomer and not always what you want. I used the Instant Ocean brand salt (I can tell you exactly which one when I get home and look at it), so I know it's safe.

The substrate should NOT be live as you can get some unwanted organisms in there. But any other non-live substrate should be fine. I used the Imagitarium white aquarium sand. You can use sea shells to act as your calcium carbonate if you're worried about the esthetics of rocks.

For cycling my tank, I just left it on a shelf near an open window where it got indirect sunlight all day and it cycled fine. It might go a little faster if you left it in direct sunlight, but I guess it's up to your preference.

Now, here's the important part... I bought 10 of Mustafa's shrimp for that jar. I put them in around Crlhristmas 2017 and by May I had babies. So, yes, as long as the tank is not already at what the shrimp feel is capacity and conditions are right, they can breed in a small tank. It might be a little more difficult with such a small number to start from, but I hadn't planned on them breeding to begin with. So I was pleasantly surprised.

Good luck!

[Super Jess]

Welcome! Those are good questions

1) Is .05 gallons too small for [breeding] to occur?

Nope! If conditions are right, you should get babies in a tank that size. The thing to bear in mind about tiny tanks is that tiny changes can have big effects. Bigger tanks are less affected by tiny swings in conditions.

2) Do you need to wash/rinse [everything] with distilled water?

It will be ok to give everything a wash with tap water, then rinse with distilled if you want to be extra careful.

3) I am paranoid about buying the correct salt. Is the one I pictured below acceptable? [Instant Ocean Reef Salt]

Don't buy that salt, it has "essential ocean reef elements in greater concentrations than natural sea water." Buy Instant Ocean Sea Salt:

4) Also paranoid about buying the wrong kind of substrate.

Stay away from any substrate listed as "live" or "bio-active" or anything like that. You want something that's completely inert so it doesn't die and create problems right off the bat. Just regular aquarium sand or small gravel will do the trick and avoid mucking things up from the beginning.

5) Direct sun to kickstart cycle? Y/N

I'm not sure it matters, tbh. I'm a fan of the the "set it and forget it" nature of these setups, so I took the lazy person approach and just stuck my tank in the spot I planned to keep it, then waited a couple of weeks for algae and biofilm to appear. If you want to speed things up a bit you could throw in some of Mustafa's snails and the water that comes with them. They're tough and can go into the tank before it's ready for shrimp, say after it's been up for a week or so. They'll poo and clean and get your cycle started (and survive in the meantime).

Hope that helps! Post a pic of your setup when you get a chance

[oil]

Thank you both so much for the help!

I will pick up some Imagitarium brand sand, and I found the exact salt as you pictured

This may be a dumb follow up question - but these are considered seashells right? As long as they are real? (for the calcium purpose) I'm trying to go very minimal for my first tank and want just a single large focal point with the super moss/super moss ball from the shop.

I'm still gathering the materials - but will definitely share pics when I am done!

[Super Jess]

Yep! Barnacles will work. I've been considering getting some for my tank and I like those big purple ones, too. Good luck!

ps - as SuperProofer points out, leaving the tank uncovered during cycling does seem to create opportunity for algae spores to find your tank. Just make sure it's in a safe spot where it won't be exposed to aerosol products and other potential problems.

[DN1]

Are those live rocks? I can't tell if they're corals or just painted rocks

[oil]

Are those live rocks? I can't tell if they're corals or just painted rocks

In regards to the barnacle piece? I contacted the seller and she told me they were once real, but now dead. So it would work as calcium.

[DN1]

So you don't have anything live besides the shrimp?

[oil]

So you don't have anything live besides the shrimp?

The only live things I plan to have besides the shrimp are the macroalgae and the super shrimp mossball from Petshrimp - and maybe some snails, not sure.

But yeah, everything else will be inert/dead. I plan to get a dried sea fan, sea urchin shells, coral bits, with black substrate. Gathering all my materials over a couple days, hopefully I can start cycling by the weekend.

[Super Jess]

FYI the sea urchin skeleton and coral bits will work for the calcium, too It really takes only a tiny bit to satisfy that requirement because it will only dissolve a tiny amount if it's even needed.

[oil]

Finally got my tank set up!

Slightly less than 1 gallon glass jar, put half the amount of salt as directed on the package and mixed as well as I could. Soaked all decor for a few minutes and rinsed with distilled water.

The future home has a barnacle, some urchin shells, coral bits, and a sea fan.

Now playing the (slightly anxiety inducing) waiting game for algae to grow. I’m super paranoid I did something wrong but I am trusting myself with following directions - and to not touch anything.

[oil]

I just noticed this little stream of white coming from the hole at the top of the sea urchin shell. Is this just calcium? It looks like a thin flume of "smoke" underwater, rising up to the surface.

[Super Jess]

Your new tank looks great! I really like the decorations you chose. The sea urchin "smoke" is most likely a stream of micro bubbles/shell dust rising to the surface as water infiltrates the skeleton structure. It should stop in a little while.

It's a little hard to tell from your pic, but you might want to check the depth of your substrate. If it's too deep your snails won't reach the bottom and work their magic. Up to around an inch deep is probably fine.

Your new shrimp friends are going to be so happy!

[oil]

Thank you Jess! I took a long time searching for the exact decor I wanted. And the sea urchin did stop "smoking" thankfully.

I measured the substrate and it's +/- 1 inch depending on where you measure, so I scooped some out to be safe and made it slightly more level all around. I can't waaaaait until I see some algae growth.

[sabbylina]

It's a little hard to tell from your pic, but you might want to check the depth of your substrate. If it's too deep your snails won't reach the bottom and work their magic. Up to around an inch deep is probably fine.

What magic is it that their working? I'm just confused why they need to reach the bottom to cycle the tank