5.5 Gallon Cherry Shrimp Tank Build

[JoeCamaro]

I have had a Top Fin 5.5 gallon tank for a long time now. I bought it to build a RCS tank but never got around it until today.

I found a breeder on Craigslist and his prices were too good to let go so I had to get the tank up and running.

I de-rimmed the tank last weekend, because I knew I wanted a rimless tank.

Then I got hands on the build today.
I had everything on hand: sand, driftwood, ecocomplete substrate, cholla wood. I used a clear plastic to shape and divide the sand from the ecocomplete.

I added driftwood and marimo moss balls and filled with water from my main 46g tank.

The sponge from the sponge filter was inside my 46g tank filter for 2 days, but I also added another piece of media that has been in the main tank's filter for over 3 months. I put that inside the sponge filter for an instant cycle.

While I was setting up the tank, I drip acclimated the shrimp for 6 hours.

Then I proceeded to add them to the tank.

This build was done in a day. I did have all supplies in hand, but was built today.
I still have to work on it. I will plant it and add some Java Moss to the driftwood to make it look like a tree.

I am very happy for the results and will post updates as I keep working on it.

Joe

 

[Fanatic]

Epic! I really love the divider for the substrate!
I would recommend some Indian Almond leaves or leaf litter to give the water a brown color. That’s appreciated by shrimp

 

[DarkOne]

Looks awesome!

IAL also promotes biofilm growth for shrimp to graze on.

 

[alexbeal1117]

Looks great. I have an aquascaped 4 gallon for orange sakura neos and I've learned a few things from that tank. Leaf litter is very important for shrimp, as it breaks down it creates an area for bio-film to build up. More bio-film=more food. After adding leaf litter into my tank it seemed I didn't have as much die off in the babies/juvies since they had more food. Moss is also really good for shrimp, provides area for babies and juvies to hide which decreases their stress. So I highly recommend a moss mat or some moss attached to a piece of wood. The tank looks amazing though!

 

[TLOP]

Thats a beautiful aquarium, but one question. How did you de-rim the tank?

 

[JoeCamaro]

Thank you all for your likes, input and suggestions. I will get some IAL for the tank.

Are there any other leaves I can get locally and for free? I am in Central Florida.

Thats a beautiful aquarium, but one question. How did you de-rim the tank?

Thank you!
To de-rim it, I just bought a new single-sided razor blade. I inserted thr blade inside the top rim and carefully moved it side to side. Cut the silicone and pulled the rim gently. It wasn't hard, but I took my time to not cause any damage to the tank.

 

[DarkOne]

I would also add that BacterAE helps keep food in the tank everywhere, especially for the shrimplets.

 

[DarkOne]

Thank you all for your likes, input and suggestions. I will get some IAL for the tank.

Are there any other leaves I can get locally and for free? I am in Central Florida.



Thank you!
To de-rim it, I just bought a new single-sided razor blade. I inserted thr blade inside the top rim and carefully moved it side to side. Cut the silicone and pulled the rim gently. It wasn't hard, but I took my time to not cause any damage to the tank.

There are other (free) leaves you can add but IAL seems to have the most benefits for shrimp. I bought a 50 leaf pack for under $12 off eBay. Looks like it went up a buck.



*Edit*
There's a drop down menu for more quantity at a discount.

 

[smee82]

Tank lools good

 

[alexbeal1117]

Thank you all for your likes, input and suggestions. I will get some IAL for the tank.

Are there any other leaves I can get locally and for free? I am in Central Florida.



Thank you!
To de-rim it, I just bought a new single-sided razor blade. I inserted thr blade inside the top rim and carefully moved it side to side. Cut the silicone and pulled the rim gently. It wasn't hard, but I took my time to not cause any damage to the tank.

Other leaves to look into are magnolia, guava, mulberry, oak, and you can even look in alder cones.

 

[WTFish?]

I use to love my shrimp tank...until I saw yours, very nice!

 

[tjander]

Nice looking tank. Question, Does de-rim the tank make it less structural sound? I love the look and would like to do that to my twenty gal tank but the thought of sides busting out scares the heck out of me.
Nice looking tank though. Hope the shrimp so well for you

 

[bgclarke]

Nice looking tank. Question, Does de-rim the tank make it less structural sound? I love the look and would like to do that to my twenty gal tank but the thought of sides busting out scares the heck out of me.
Nice looking tank though. Hope the shrimp so well for you

I wouldn't.
I have 10 gallon and 20 gallon tanks from Marineland and Seapora (Deep Blue) and they all bow slightly.
Pretty sure they would fail without the rims.

I have a 10 gallon Aqueon Ascent rimless tank, and that thing is solid; it uses thicker glass than standard tanks.

 

[JoeCamaro]

Nice looking tank. Question, Does de-rim the tank make it less structural sound? I love the look and would like to do that to my twenty gal tank but the thought of sides busting out scares the heck out of me.
Nice looking tank though. Hope the shrimp so well for you

Thank you very much!
I agree with @bgclarke. I wouldn't risk it. There is too much water in there that it could fail due to pressure. I did it with the 5.5 because it is so small. I am hoping it holds on well. I once dropped a 5 gallon bucket on my living room and that was a LOT of water.

 

[Inno]

Wow, you did a very nice job! That looks awesome.

 

[tjander]

Cool, I thought as much, I am not a structural engineer but, sort of figured 20 was too much.

 

[JoeCamaro]

Here is an update on my 5.5 gallon tank.
I think I'm done. I am satisfied with how it looks. Now I just have to wait for the plants to take over.

5.5 Gallon RCS Tank 2

• JoeCamaro
• Jun 18, 2018

5.5 Gallon RCS Tank 1

• JoeCamaro
• Jun 18, 2018

There are Italian Vals, Dwarf Sagittaria, Echinodorus Parviflorus Tropica, Salvinia Minima, Anacharis, Java Moss & Hornworth.

 

[WTFish?]

Here is an update on my 5.5 gallon tank.
I think I'm done. I am satisfied with how it looks. Now I just have to wait for the plants to take over.

5.5 Gallon RCS Tank 2

• JoeCamaro
• Jun 18, 2018

5.5 Gallon RCS Tank 1

• JoeCamaro
• Jun 18, 2018

There are Italian Vals, Dwarf Sagittaria, Echinodorus Parviflorus Tropica, Salvinia Minima, Anacharis, Java Moss & Hornworth.

Very nice! Just be careful with no lid...mine are jumpers.

 

[JoeCamaro]

Very nice! Just be careful with no lid...mine are jumpers.

Oh, really? I'll have to keep an eye on them. Thankfully I have had none try to escape, so far.

 

[Bryangar]

Any updates?