New fish bowl project for shrimp (maybe betta)

Ordered the pheonix moss, some java fern windelov (the regular java fern they sell looked a bit large for my tiny bowl), and another crypt. Got the first crypt in, though might need a better spot as the place I put it isn't the deepest sand-wise. And thanks to my decision to separate the sand/soil/gravel with plastic mesh, I can't put the crypt deeper than it is. I mean, once the roots grow out and latch down under the mesh it won't uproot itself anyway, but I don't like seeing the top part of the roots like I can right now. Won't get the new plants until about March 8 (earlier if I'm lucky) but we'll see. I'll look into removing all the moss tomorrow with my water change and adjusting the crypt too.

Fed the fish today though and my goodness. They're not the brightest things. The shrimp were all for it, eating away the frozen mysis shrimp like a buffet but the fish themselves were a nibble here, a nibble there, another nibble like an hour later. Little stinkers. Wish they'd just eat when I feed them but they're too busy hiding from me or flaring/chasing each other.

 

Fed the fish today though and my goodness. They're not the brightest things. The shrimp were all for it, eating away the frozen mysis shrimp like a buffet but the fish themselves were a nibble here, a nibble there, another nibble like an hour later. Little stinkers. Wish they'd just eat when I feed them but they're too busy hiding from me or flaring/chasing each other.

What if you try feeding them some flakes?

 

What if you try feeding them some flakes?

I was feeding them flakes before and they do the same thing. I switched to frozen mysis shrimp because they seem to like those better. they just aren't super food-driven I suppose. they do their own thing and then occasionally scout for food, nibble, then move on. Doesn't help their water parameters either, given the food just sits there and the shrimp eat it so they poop even more. It's why I'm only feeding once every 3 days now. And they don't come up to the surface either. I'm going to see about painting half the bowl black (the side where the most people traffic is) and see if that helps. Feed them on the side that's blackened out, though I feed them on the side away from the door but we'll see

 

Before you paint the glass black, put a dark towel or something on the part of the glass you want to paint, and see if it even makes a difference. Because if it doesn't, you will have a blast scraping it off of a round surface

 

So! Plants should get here by the weekend. I've removed the dead moss (as much as I could because a little bit is stuck on with superglue and I am debating as to whether to remove the rocks and scrape that off) and am keeping an eye on the dwarf hairgrass. Might end up removing that too, because it's hard to tell if I can separate the dead and living blades without having un-plantable tufts. Might try dwarf sag, s.repens, or pearlweed instead.

Buce and java fern are definitely doing a-okay. New growth on the buce and the little baby ferns are growing well. The new crypt is doing okay too. I'll be keeping an eye on it for new growth or lack of nutrients. Not like I don't have other tanks to put things in if it's not working out.

I tried having a cloth covering the glass where the most people traffic is and I think that by removing all the moss I've lessened their hiding places but by giving them the darkened side, they're not too uncomfortable and are still exploring. I'm hoping by adding the new ferns and the second crypt that they'll be more comfortable. I might still paint about 1/3 of the bowl black to give them that extra hiding space and keep them from being spooked by people walking by.

 

Sounds great. even though the fish are most probably a bit scared because there are so many people walking by, I think that they're also a bit shy since there's a lot of changes all the time. I think that once you're done planting the bowl, they will slowly show up more often.

 

Sounds great. even though the fish are most probably a bit scared because there are so many people walking by, I think that they're also a bit shy since there's a lot of changes all the time. I think that once you're done planting the bowl, they will slowly show up more often.

That's what I think too. I hate having to do daily water changes for them because I know it stresses them out (they hide and the few I see lose all color when I do it) but with the nitrites jumping all the time I can't not do them.

I might end up moving them to the 10 gallon sooner than I thought as well. I'll be house-sitting for a week on the 18th and my sister will be caring for the tanks. She's not a fish keeper and it'll be easier for her if the fish are in the 10 gallon than in the bowl (and the shrimp back with their friends in the 15 gallon) so she's not trying to figure out how water changes work. It'll give me a chance to ensure the water is perfect for if/when I put them back and stable for the plants as well... might see about removing the plastic mesh between the sand and stratum so I can plant deeper too. I need to weight down the wood better anyway, as it's come loose from the rocks I had it glued to and it's easily moveable.

 

Sounds like you're almost re-doing the whole bowl. I think that might actually be worth it. You know, since. you're already removing all the fish, weigh. down the wood and want to remove the mesh.

 

Sounds like you're almost re-doing the whole bowl. I think that might actually be worth it. You know, since. you're already removing all the fish, weigh. down the wood and want to remove the mesh.

Yeah, might as well given how troublesome it's being with everything. I can pull out all the dead plant material, scrape off rocks, weigh down the wood, remove the plastic mesh, and get the plants and parameters at least going well in it before I consider putting fish/shrimp into it again.

I don't honestly mind doing that either. It sounds like a lot of work, but my brain loves a project. I think I've redone fishtanks every few months at this point. Betta tank was moved to a bigger one and redone once. 10 gallon was redone 2-3 times now because of parameter issues and transitioning to live plants. And I redid the two tanks I took from my sister as they were covered in algae and being neglected. Also redid my snake tank too, lol. Just got in the mood for projects then picked up this bowl for an easy one that turned out not to be so easy.

I'll probably redo it this week then and move the fish as well. Pick a day I'm not doing much and just get it figured out. Should have the plants by Saturday so maybe Sunday, since Saturday is water-change day for all the tanks. Lesson learned though~ Make sure tank is stable before adding inhabitants other than plants, always leave appropriate room for planting, and don't get plants from cheap/damaged Petco. I'll stick to Petsmart where the quality is a bit better plant-wise. None of the plants I got from Petco are surviving other than the java ferns and anubais... and the buce I guess but it was already in really good shape.

 

If you re-do the bowl, you should put the sponge filter in another tank so that it can colonize some beneficial bacteria. You almost sound like MD. Re-doing your tanks every few months, lol. I love fish tank projects too.

 

It's nice to keep ranshorn snail on the bowl, too. You know some of them grow to be pink, some orange, it can be the special one in your bowl. My mini landscaping is a hygger fish bowl which is 0.75 gallon only, I keep a ranshorn snail in it, and considering if I can keep a Pearl crab go with the snail, I'll do it lately. The ground is the spanish moss and the plant is banyan on the wood with resin decorations.

 

It's nice to keep ranshorn snail on the bowl, too. You know some of them grow to be pink, some orange, it can be the special one in your bowl. My mini landscaping is a hygger fish bowl which is 0.75 gallon only, I keep a ranshorn snail in it, and considering if I can keep a Pearl crab go with the snail, I'll do it lately. The ground is the spanish moss and the plant is banyan on the wood with resin decorations.

I have a couple bladder snails in there right now since I can’t easily get ramshorns and my sisters tank has an over abundance of them. I wouldn’t mind a neocardia shrimp tank by itself. So I might leave the rasboras in the 10 gallon and get some nice neocardia instead. Still want to bowl to be nice and ready for any inhabitants though and I found snails poop a lot, lol. So I’m leaning a little more towards shrimp.

If you re-do the bowl, you should put the sponge filter in another tank so that it can colonize some beneficial bacteria. You almost sound like MD. Re-doing your tanks every few months, lol. I love fish tank projects too.

I know! I’m like man, he does the same thing with redoing tanks every month or so. My brain just says it doesn’t like it and has to fix it. Or I see there’s an issue with debris (the last time I fixed my betta and 10 gallon was because debris was getting caught between the stratum) and redo the substrate but using his method with the aqua soil baggies. Just hard getting the right sand depth on top of them. I think I got it then I go to plant and it’s too shallow, lol. Whoops. But yeah. Love a project

 

Still want to bowl to be nice and ready for any inhabitants though and I found snails poop a lot, lol. So I’m leaning a little more towards shrimp.

I think I've once heard that bladder snails almost poop the same amount that they eat. So yeah, shrimp are a bit better. I don't know how much rams horn snails poop tho
Whats the brands name that you always buy your plants and fish from? I'm just wondering btw

 

I think I've once heard that bladder snails almost poop the same amount that they eat. So yeah, shrimp are a bit better. I don't know how much rams horn snails poop tho
Whats the brands name that you always buy your plants and fish from? I'm just wondering btw

I get 75% of my stuff from Petsmart. I work at one and get discounts so might as well. Their plants are surprisingly hardy and I've never had any issues with them, even the tissue culture ones and the tubed ones. The other 25% I get from people on Etsy. AquaticMotiv is one I've found has really good products (it's where I just got the new plants for this bowl from) and Aquariumplants2o9 is another, though I'm open to most places. They have more variety than Petsmart and Petco and are relatively cheap in comparison too. They also give shop discounts and stuff. Aquariumplants2o9 has a website too I believe. Fish I also get from Petsmart unless I'm looking for rarer things. The rasboras in the bowl I got from Aqua Huna online.

And I got my plants today! I just kind of threw them in the bowl for now other than the crypt which I put in the substrate. The only thing not in the bowl is the s. repens I got from Petsmart as they're in a tissue culture and can wait until Sunday when I redo the bowl. The shrimp were on the moss in a second, checking it out. And with the added windelov java ferns the fish are darting around as well, so everyone's happy anyway. Haven't done a water change yet, but I'll test it first to see if there's any change in nitrite/ammonia levels. I haven't really bothered checking nitrate given it's not really a problem whether I have some or not.

And I'll put the heater (which will be turned off, but probably has BB on it so might as well keep it wet) and the sponge filter in my betta tank (he won't mind). And I've had nerite snails (they poop so much) and bladder snails (though I can't tell what's bladder snail poop and shrimp poop in this bowl).

 

Ok thanks. I'm already excited to see how the new bowl will look

 

Ammonia: 0.25 (tap has this so it could be a false positive)
Nitrite: 0.25

That's what I got before I did the water change today. Fish and shrimp loving the new plants. I might end up keeping the dwarf hairgrass. I'm seeing a lot of green bits on it now so I might just replant it all together in the front of the bowl when I redo it and see how it goes. I'm thinking hairgrass in the front, s. repens along the sides, java ferns in the middle and crypts in the back. Then use the moss to cover up some rocks in the front with the anubis. So, we'll see! I am also excited and can't wait for Sunday.

 

Sounds like a plan

 

Some of the fishies checking out the Phoenix moss~ they’re so fluttery. It’s why my sister calls them hummingbirds

 

They are SO cute

 

Fish have been moved! I moved the rasboras into my 10 gallon and the shrimp back to their 15 gallon. Plants and the water are being left in the tank until I have time to redo it on Sunday. I mostly moved the fish because I didn't want to do a water change on the bowl today. Figured might as well move them now.

I had to keep an eye on the rasboras though because there's a female swordtail in the 10 gallon who I was hesitant on them getting along with (on her side more than anything). She seems alright with them. She's not actively chasing them, even when they get close and they've got enough plants to hide in between that I think it will be fine. I... don't think she likes how they swim though. Again, they're very fluttery and she's in there with guppy who harass her, so she was a bit stressed when they were first put in and glass surfing in the front. She's calmed down now and the rasboras are much braver than they were in the bowl! Out in the open, full colors within minutes.

I've got the heater in that 10 gallon, for now, turned off, and the sponge I put in my betta's tank. I left it on and it was very funny to see my betta inspecting it and getting hit by the bubbles in surprise. He's a silly betta, but has never seen a sponge filter and seemed confused by the bubbles.

 

sounds great. I wonder why the rasboras like the ten gallon so much. Maybe they just like having more space. I dunno. Your betta sounds really funny.

 

sounds great. I wonder why the rasboras like the ten gallon so much. Maybe they just like having more space. I dunno. Your betta sounds really funny.

My betta is a total goof. Loves to flare at me, get fed, and lay in the plants but I feel bad. He's one of those cheap Petsmart ones, which is fine, but he wasn't well-bred, is my guess. He has diamond eye, so he's mostly blind in one eye because his scales are covering it. He also has a tumor/cyst on his side that's grown. It's not bothering him and there's nothing I can do about it, but still feel bad.

As for the rasboras, I have no idea! They were out and about immediately after getting put in, though they like hiding out under the middle and background plants in the 10 gallon (I'll add a picture for you). It has a lot of open space in the front (trying to get the monte carlo I have to fill it out) so maybe between that and all the hiding places they're more comfortable? Maybe the other active fish encouraged them? Who knows.

And I think with them so happy in the 10 gallon, I might just get this bowl set up (and properly cycled this time without the nitrite issues I've had) and get a nice mix of neocardia shrimp and see how they do instead. I think if I had it less planted it would work for a betta, but I love lots of plants so shrimp are fine

 

The story about your betta sounds sad. I totally agree with keeping a lot of plants. Don't expect a reply from me until Sunday 2:00 pm pacific standard time. I'm gone until then

 

Lol I forgot to show the pic of my 10 gallon. Here it is. The rasboras lovely new home~ They like hiding in the reineckii in the middle. It’s a slightly older pic as the Monte Carlo has grown out as have the repens and there’s more stems I’ve added since. But I still like it even if the swordtail keeps uprooting the stems in the back left

 

That fish tank looks so cool.

 

Redid the bowl! I removed the plastic mesh between the sand and stratum, took all the sand out, rinsed it, and put it back after putting the wood in. Then made sure the rocks were on top of the wood, glued in place, and made sure that they weren’t leaving large gaps where I couldn’t clean properly like last time.

Put the sponge and heater back in to keep the cycle (if it’s still there; I kept water in this whole time for the plants and had the heater and sponge in other tanks) and for the plants given it’s been cold lately.

With the hair grass I took what really green strands I could and combined them together. Found MD’s technique of rolling them between fingers works amazingly well. Only plant I added was the S. repens on either side. Hoping everything grows as it should and that it cycles completely this time. If tests come back good, then it’ll be a neocardia paradise! I’ll probably debate for a while whether I’ll try nano fish again in here, but I’ll hold off until the tank can handle shrimp first. I just miss looking up at it and seeing something in there. I keep expecting a fish or shrimp to zoom by so I hope it cycles quickly this time and the plants grow well.

 

You know what, I don’t even want to look at the bowl. You make me jealous all the time . The bowl looks amazing. I don’t think the bowl is big enough for nano fish. Shrimp can be super cool too. I don’t really think the cycle was interrupted btw.

 

You know what, I don’t even want to look at the bowl. You make me jealous all the time . The bowl looks amazing. I don’t think the bowl is big enough for nano fish. Shrimp can be super cool too. I don’t really think the cycle was interrupted btw.

The cycle probably is probably okay but I'll give it a few days and test it, just to see. And there probably isn't enough for nano fish, unless it were only like 4-5 tiny boys. There was technically more room the first time I had the bowl done because there was a large gap in the center of the wood piece. I've packed it full of plants though (it was tough keeping that area clean before) so the only "swimming room" is around the center, not through it. Given the rasboras are hiding in the plants in my 10 gallon, they wouldn't work in here. Which is fine. I'm more than happy to get a bunch of neocardia instead.

If I really wanted fish in there (nano or betta), then I'd probably redo the whole bowl into a more minimalistic scape. Few rocks in the center, sand only substrate (maybe thin stratum layer under it or the opposite, stratum substrate with thin sand layer), and just a carpet of something (monte carlo maybe?) and minimal plants. But, that's plans for future me, lol

 

sounds like you have another project to come. What species of shrimp do you want to add to the bowl?

 

sounds like you have another project to come. What species of shrimp do you want to add to the bowl?

Not sure. I'd have to look and see. Might just get a multi-color pack from somewhere and get a variety of colors. I like blue rili shrimp but dunno yet.

 

Just a heads up, if you have more than one kind of shrimp in one tank, their kids will look kinda weird. Not in a body shape weird, but a color weird. I have a tank with red cherry shrimp and, I think they're blue dream shrimp, and sometimes I see brown/transparent shrimp swimming around.

 

Just a heads up, if you have more than one kind of shrimp in one tank, their kids will look kinda weird. Not in a body shape weird, but a color weird. I have a tank with red cherry shrimp and, I think they're blue dream shrimp, and sometimes I see brown/transparent shrimp swimming around.

Yeah, I've heard. Some people don't like that but I don't really care. Shrimp are cute. The shrimp from my sister's tank (now my 15 gallon tall tank) were a group of red cherry shrimp and orange sunburst shrimp. She's got a fun mixture of shrimp in there now. Dark red, red and transparent with stripes, orange, orange and transparent with stripes, etc. I might just do 2 types of colors. Maybe blue rili and carbon rili, or blue rili and blue diamond, or blue rili and dream blue velvet. That way it's just two different blue types?

I'm looking at aquaticarts.com and they've got multi-packs of wild forms, primary colors (red, blue, yellow), red and yellow, deluxe primary color, crystal shrimp (red/white and black/white) and assorted neocardia. I'm considering the assorted and just taking what I get or mixing two types of blue, but dunno yet. Problem for future me, I assume

 

I like your bowl aquascaping

 

Shrimp are cute.

They sure are. I have no idea about what flors they turn out to be if they're two different types of shrimp

 

Added some hydrocotyle japonica to a bare corner of the tank and have just left it running with the heater and sponge in it. Discovered that some of the snail babies I thought had died off when I redid the scape are alive and well. I'll check the water parameters.... Friday? Lol, before the end of the week, anyway. See how it is. If everything's fine, I'll order some shrimp to deal with the poo these little stinker snails are undoubtedly making. Wish their sticky eggs were easier to remove. I've seen one on the cyrpt and another on my buce. dunno how many are hiding out. Though they would've died when I redid the bowl and left it with ice cold water for a while but guess not.

 

Bladder snails are super hardy. I find the best way to remove their eggs, is using an toothbrush

 

Bladder snails are super hardy. I find the best way to remove their eggs, is using an toothbrush

I use a tube brush, but the most effective way is first use an algae scraper then use the tube brush, and you've done completely. Both tools from hygger aquarium cleaner tool kit I used to remove algae last time.

 

I use a tube brush, but the most effective way is first use an algae scraper then use the tube brush, and you've done completely. Both tools from hygger aquarium cleaner tool kit I used to remove algae last time.

It’s not on the bowl itself, it’s on leaves of the plants. I was mainly just using my hands and the turkey baster to remove them. But I’ll try a toothbrush or a tube brush since I don’t think an algae scraper will work given how small the bowl is and then being on the plants

 

Debating now.... I'm seeing biofilm on the heater and snail poo from those blasted bladder snails I'm slowly removing. I'm looking at shrimp from Aqua Huna and they've got a 6 pack of Blue Rili shrimp that look nice or I can go for their assorted neocardia davidi shrimp pack that's 10 shrimp (varients are: blue velvet, red cherry, yellow rice, green jade, red rili, and orange. at least five different variants in the pack)... Need to test the water still but I doubt there's any danger-level anything after I've redone the whole thing. I'm going to test it tomorrow to see and if it's good, order the shrimp.

 

How long does it take aqua huna to ship them?