Hello,
I am new to this forum and new to keeping shrimp. I have had fresh and saltwater tanks before, but never a tank dedicated just to shrimp. I am wondering about 2 things.
1. Has anyone had any experience with the Tetra LED Cube 3-Gallon Aquarium or the Fluval Spec aquarium series and if these tank filter setups are safe for keeping shrimp and fry? I am wondering if I need to epoxy any mesh or foam over the intake or if it is safe for shrimp fry. If yes, what would you recommend I use and how would I go about attaching the mesh or foam?
2. I am also wondering what types of plants I can keep with the LED light the tanks include. I have heard that some plants need a full specturm LED wheras others are ok with just regular LED's.
Any help anyone can offer would be great.
Thank you. I really appreciate this forum and the help you all are giving to people new to the hobby. I plan on getting a few of these tanks in order to keep different breeds separate.
Tetra and Fluval Cube aquarium filter safe for shrimp?
Moderator: Mustafa
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sonicshrimp
- Egg
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 10:36 am
Re: Tetra and Fluval Cube aquarium filter safe for shrimp?
None of those filters are shrimp safe. You may have to fashion some kind of pantyhose solution for the intake. But that needs to be cleaned a lot since panthose material tends to clog easily.
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hardware_failure
- Tiny Shrimp
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Thu May 21, 2015 8:18 pm
Re: Tetra and Fluval Cube aquarium filter safe for shrimp?
1 step further than pantyhose would be a foam prefilter.
This would actually work pretty well with the Tetra LED cube. Not so much with the Fluval spec's. The Fluval spect's intake is a skimmer of sorts, sucking the water through a grate at the back/top of the unit. You could add a foam block(s) (might need to be oversized and then trimmed to fit) but still it would be risky - if the foam was not extra tight on the grate fry/juvenile and even adult shrimp could get sucked in.
On shrimp tanks and pretty much any tank I have run over the years, I like to run a HOB filter (aquaclear as a preference) with a "Fluval Edge" type prefilter on the intake. Looks like this:
You can find generic ones for cheaper, especially in blulk. There is a seller called "zanyzap" that sells these in 12 packs for $5 on both ebay and amazon. I do not know this person nor am I in any way affliated with them, I will simply state that I have ordered from them many times before, they seem to have the best prices and also seem to do alot of business.
When using a HOB filter like an aquaclear I can turn off the filter, remove the intake all together, swap out the prefilter (on the intake) replace, then turn back on. Almost zero intrusion on the tank. The prefilters can be washed lightly (not too vigorously to keep some bacteria on them) and be re-used many times. On the aquaclear models I am able to keep a prefilter inside the intake chamber (which is actually right near the end of the output) that keeps bacteria but doesnt get that much of a mechanical payload. Works great for swapping the 2 out. (thuroughly washing the old intake filter, then swapping with the one in the intake chamber)
EDIT: I forgot to mention - sponge filters (run with an air pump) are usually the filter of choice for fresh water shrimp keepers. They are very efficent, gentle, and cost effective. They are great for breedind and raising, especially for mutiple tanks. The biggest problem with them is that they have a low flow and they are unsightly. They stick out like a sore thumb and take up a big part of tank area. When you are breeding and raising, you dont care about that. When you have a tank where you want it to look very nice and presentable (using shrimps as a display item, ie simply keeping them to enjoy looking at them) the HOB filter option is a nice balance.
This would actually work pretty well with the Tetra LED cube. Not so much with the Fluval spec's. The Fluval spect's intake is a skimmer of sorts, sucking the water through a grate at the back/top of the unit. You could add a foam block(s) (might need to be oversized and then trimmed to fit) but still it would be risky - if the foam was not extra tight on the grate fry/juvenile and even adult shrimp could get sucked in.
On shrimp tanks and pretty much any tank I have run over the years, I like to run a HOB filter (aquaclear as a preference) with a "Fluval Edge" type prefilter on the intake. Looks like this:
You can find generic ones for cheaper, especially in blulk. There is a seller called "zanyzap" that sells these in 12 packs for $5 on both ebay and amazon. I do not know this person nor am I in any way affliated with them, I will simply state that I have ordered from them many times before, they seem to have the best prices and also seem to do alot of business.
When using a HOB filter like an aquaclear I can turn off the filter, remove the intake all together, swap out the prefilter (on the intake) replace, then turn back on. Almost zero intrusion on the tank. The prefilters can be washed lightly (not too vigorously to keep some bacteria on them) and be re-used many times. On the aquaclear models I am able to keep a prefilter inside the intake chamber (which is actually right near the end of the output) that keeps bacteria but doesnt get that much of a mechanical payload. Works great for swapping the 2 out. (thuroughly washing the old intake filter, then swapping with the one in the intake chamber)
EDIT: I forgot to mention - sponge filters (run with an air pump) are usually the filter of choice for fresh water shrimp keepers. They are very efficent, gentle, and cost effective. They are great for breedind and raising, especially for mutiple tanks. The biggest problem with them is that they have a low flow and they are unsightly. They stick out like a sore thumb and take up a big part of tank area. When you are breeding and raising, you dont care about that. When you have a tank where you want it to look very nice and presentable (using shrimps as a display item, ie simply keeping them to enjoy looking at them) the HOB filter option is a nice balance.
Re: Tetra and Fluval Cube aquarium filter safe for shrimp?
Thanks for the info! Yes, I'll second that...those HOB filters would work nicely in a shrimp tank. Just be careful with using sponges for the overflow in a fluval, though...if the sponges get clogged then your tank may overflow...possibly onto your carpet. Same applies to pantyhose material...how do I know? I've done it. 