This won't be my last stupid question...

[Neoma]

I jumped the gun with something today. I bought gravel and rinsed it with RO water. Put it in my new 1-gallon jar, which I had also rinsed with RO water.

I rinsed off fake plants with RO water and "planted" them in the gravel.

Then I filled my jar with RO water.

I totally forgot that I needed to wait for my salt to be delivered from Petshrimp.com. It should be any day now.

So, my question is: When I get the salt from Petshrimp.com, can I dissolve it in a little RO water and then stir that into the jar filled with RO water? Will the saltwater mix and disperse OK?

It's a brand-new setup. I'm going to let it cycle for a couple of weeks before ordering snails from Petshrimp.com. Cycle some more... Then order shrimp.

[Mustafa]

Yes, it's fine. Just take out as much water as you can out of your tank, mix the salt into it in a different container, and then pour the water back into your tank.

[Neoma]

Thank you, Mustafa!

[Neoma]

Today I received my salt, microalgae, calcium pebbles, and black lava rock. I bought another gallon of RO water, too.

This is my 1-gallon jar after adding the brackish water and all the other stuff. I piled most of the lava rocks against the back wall behind the fake plants.

I wanted to leave a big space in the front for the shrimp to feed, etc., when I get them.

In about 10 days, I will order snails.

I have the jar on one of my plant tables under a grow light that glows pink.

[Mustafa]

What substrate did you use? Is that epoxy coated gravel from the fish store? That stuff tends to "bleed" over time as the epoxy come off the gravel. Not sure if that affects the shrimp, but it may.