Hi all,

I would like to start a planted shrimp tank but i'm a beginner and i have no idea where to start.
I currently have a 1 x 1 x 1 feet tank. Any advice for the basic setup ?
i plan to upgrade the tank slowly.

budget?

Preferably less than rm 500

erm, my current tank is just slightly bigger than yours, 1ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft (rough estimate). excluding tank cost, i showered around rm480 for setup alone ie light, soil, air pump etc. lighting alone costed me RM180. and i have yet to include plants and shrimps.

perhaps my place here is a bit tad more expensive since the shrimp hobby here are still new.

just giving you a rough estimate of what are the cost gonna be.


so lets get to the basic, if you want a planted tank with shrimp, most important thing is the soil. i'm using ADA amazonia. there's others brand too out there but my place only have this. then comes the bacterial powder and water purify addictive. then you have to cycle the tank for about a month depending on your set up.

i suggest you go read up about setting up a shrimp tank from various sources. i read up for almost two months before getting started lol.

the key here is patience

and after that, i suggest you find a local shop which specialize in shrimp keeping and ask them about setting up a tank for you and you observing them how its done on the spot. you'll learn from there too.

well, thats just for setting up the tank. then comes the water parameters for the shrimp lol. not to mention the insects / worms that can come from it


here's a good read : https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2979543

Thanks.

I would like to start with the substrate first
What do you recommend for the soil and bacteria?
What type of filter should i get?

depends on one's preferences. amazonia are known for their high ammonia (they are designed for planted tank after all) which is bad for shrimp. but thats only during the early stages of cycle, and hence it takes longer to cycle with amazonia as substrate for a shrimp tank. bacteria part you better consult with the shop you're gonna get your tank set up with. they know better.

filter just use those sponge type filter that works with air pump. 1ft tank i dont think require water pump.

what kind of shrimp you plan to keep??

and i will not advise a beginner to start at 1ft tank
since space is limited
and to make it look awesome..
u need a knowledge about the plant
size of plant matter

p/s:
unless you go for simple style like iwagumi with carpet

I'm going to start with a planted tank first, what can i plant if i dont want to invest in CO2 in order to achieve iwagumi?

Hi seeseewhy,

Would suggest to drop by one of the specialty shops and they can advise you from A to Z - that includes the tank, substrate, additives, light, pump and even the plants, rock, driftwood and scaping.

For your budget, you can try Pets Wonderland in Ikano. Best to go on weekdays.
Or if you really want to do it nicely and have the budget, go to ADA showroom. One stop, and they will help you with everything even up to the layout, lighting period and dosing schedule. If you choose to go the ADA route, be prepared to pay - but you get result. Otherwise just do window shopping for knowledge gathering, you'll learn a lot by talking to those guys.

many that those use as carpet plant
like HC or monte carlo
need co2
and intense lighting
to keep them short, bushy and crawling all over the tank
but there's also a story that ppl successfully grow them without co2
but in intense lighting condition

you can also try using moss first
there's also plenty of moss variety
so in one aquascape you can use two or more moss variety

Do anyone know where i can buy aquatic plants online as im staying in small town. Or any shop in penang have alot of variety except CTY aquarium in Burma Road

I bought some from http://www.lelong.com.my/, a shop named Aquacult and also algaefarmer.

This post has been edited by artsyfarty: Jan 20 2016, 11:56 PM

Aquacult is based on Penang. I bought some buce from him. Certainly recommended.

hi guys, wanna ask anyone here use storage box to keep fish before or not ?

what shrimp is this? I think it came with the Riccia i found in a small stream. It was smaller than the Cherry when I first saw it in my tank 3 months ago. Now it is about 2-3 inches.

Worst thing is my moss getting lesser and lesser. Shall I throw it away?


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It's not a shrimp, it's crayfish.

harmful to the plants?

mind to share which stream did u find it from ?

Not sure, I never had one before.

In Melaka, an oil palm estate after A'Farmosa. I went there for site visit. To my surprise I found riccia in a tiny stream.

There were also some Rotala, but not submerge type. It melts after planting in my tank.