My Nano Tank Set Up Success Story

[jcfrank922]

Hi Everyone! I wanted to share my simple set up success story of a 3/4 gallon nano tank for my super shrimp. First, I purchased the tank (3/4 gallon jar with lid), crushed coral substrate, instant ocean salt, small artificial plant, shrimp wafer food and 2 gallons of distilled water. I bought everything on Amazon.com except the distilled water, which you can find in any store. I mixed 1/4 cup instant ocean salt to 1 gallon distilled water to create brackish water. The directions said 1/2 cup per gallon for ocean water, so I cut that in half, down to 1/4 cup to a gallon of distilled water to make it brackish water. I let the salt dissolve in the water for 24 hours, mixing occasionally. I trimmed the plastic plant with scissors to the size I wanted for the tank, then I rinsed the jar, the crushed coral substrate and artificial plant with the 2nd gallon of distilled water. Then I set it all up. I put the plant in first. I placed it in the back of the jar, then added about 1 and 1/2 inch of crushed coral. I put the plant in the back area of the jar to allow more space in the front for viewing my shrimp, but still giving them the plant in the back to hide in and hang around on. Next, I added the brackish water to about 2 inches from the top of the lid to allow for oxygen. I also unscrewed and removed the handle on the lid which left a small, pea sized air hole. Then, I ordered just the macro-algae from pet shrimp.com. When it arrived, I placed it in the tank to help speed up the cycling process. Next, I waited 3 weeks for the tank to cycle. After 3 weeks, I ordered 10 supershrimp from pet shrimp.com. When they arrived, I poured them into the tank, and then placed the tank on my bookcase, which gets bright, indirect sunlight. I waited 1 month, then I began feeding them 1 tiny shrimp wafer (the size of a pin head) every other month. Yes, I only feed them once every other month! It has been 8 months, and all my shrimp seem happy and healthy! They have a nice red color and swim actively around all day. I also purchased a small magnifying glass so I can watch them up close and personal, scratching around on the crushed coral and eating the algae that has started to grow. I top off any evaporation with distilled water. I get little evaporation, since I keep the lid on most of the time. I have no electric light or filter. Wanted to keep it as simple as possible. So thats MY set up. It's seems to be working. Good Luck with yours!

[Mustafa]

Thanks a lot for your multi-month experience report and setup details! You have a beautiful setup there!

[jcfrank922]

Hi All. I found this video on youtube about basic care and set up for an opae ula tank. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOtnZ8bEKz0

[jcfrank922]

Hi Everyone! I decided to remove the macro algae ball from my nano tank, since it began growing and taking up more and more room. Someone here on the forum had suggested using chopsticks to remove or rearrange things in a small tank. The chopsticks worked very well! Great idea! Also, I am very happy with the tank I found. It is an Anchor Hocking glass storage container. They sell them online (Amazon) and they come in a variety of sizes from 1/2 gallon up to 2 1/2 gallon. Plus, you can easily unscrew the handle from the lid, which creates a small air hole in the lid. Anyway, my shrimp are all doing great. Have not lost a single one! Special shout out to Mustafa and his simple set up and care instructions! Just hoping to see some berried females in the near future. Thank you for this forum and to everyone's great advice!

[Mustafa]

Glad things are working out! You don't have to remove all of the macroalgae, though. You can always just prune it, unless, of course, you just don't like how it looks.

[jcfrank922]

I have a question. I am wanting my shrimp to reproduce. So should I feed them more often? Like maybe every two weeks? There is not much algae growth in my small 3/4th gallon tank.

[KenCotigirl]

I would stick to your current feeding schedule. Trying to rush breeding by more feeding could cause problems. Please be patient.

Ken

[Syscrush]

I would stick to your current feeding schedule. Trying to rush breeding by more feeding could cause problems. Please be patient.

I agree with this 100%. Don't mess with success! Waiting is the hardest part, but there's no question that if you keep them healthy and happy, the babies will come.

BTW - thanks very much for the pointer to those A-H jars! It looks like the ones with the removable lid handle are the Montana Jar line - can you confirm? For other interested readers, it appears that these are also available with a black lid if you prefer that style.

[jcfrank922]

Thanks for the advise, and yes the tank I have is an Anchor Hocking Montana Storage Jar, Glass, 96-Ounce. They come in a wide range of sizes from 1/2 gallon up to 2 and 1/2 gallon. You can find them all on Amazon. And yes, you can very easily unscrew and remove the handle to make a small air hole. I really like the one I have!

[jcfrank922]

Hi All! I have a question. My nano tank contains a plastic plant which is sold for aquarium use. Are plastic plants safe long term? Will the plastic degrade over time causing harm to the shrimp? Should I maybe replace it with rocks or something else? Right now, the shrimp seem fine.

[Mustafa]

If they're made for aquarium use they're safe. No, they don't degrade over time. They actually provide more surface area for algae and other biofilm to grow on which the shrimp feed.

[jcfrank922]

After 14 months, I have a berried shrimp mama!!!

[jcfrank922]

Also, I'm in the process of cycling a new tank. It is identical to my original tank except it is twice the size. I will be going from 3/4 gallon to 1.5 gallon. This time I'm using aragonite sand instead of crushed coral. I also added a black lava rock and some shells. I added one cup of water from my current tank to the new tank and added a couple of food pellets to help the cycling process. I really like these anchor hocking glass jars! I think they make excellent shrimp tanks! I'm in no hurry to transfer them, since I don't want to move any berried shrimp.

[jcfrank922]

Hi Everyone! I am trying something. I have been cycling a new 1.5 gallon tank for 6 weeks now. I initially added 1 cup of water from my current tank and a few shrimp food pellets to kick start the process. After two weeks the ammonia level was 1.0. After 5 weeks the ammonia level was at 0.5 with 0% algae growth. Indoors, where it has been, it gets indirect sunlight. So, today I have put it out on my balcony, where it is getting full on direct sunlight. It's a cool day today here in St Louis. It's only supposed to reach a high of 70 and sunny. There is nothing currently living in this tank right now. Will this work? Do you think this will speed up the cycling process and possibly promote algae growth???

[Varanus]

One idea I've heard (but not tried) to promote algae growth is leaving the top off so more spores in the air can get into the water. Though with a container that small and it being outside you'll have to keep track of evaporation more carefully. Doing this idea indoors would help reduce the chance of an unexpected pollutant getting into the water too.