Setting up feeder shrimp tank?

[SavTheArtist]

So, I've been helping my bestie Frostclaw set up his extra 3g as a feeder ghost shrimp breeding tank. It originally housed his crayfish, Snapina, but she is now in a 10g as she had babies! All it had in it was these green decorative rocks on the bottom.

I did a 100% WC as there was mold, algae, and a lot of excess food on the bottom. siphoned most of it out.

I then scrubbed off the algae, refilled the tank (Left rocks in) and removed the filter, as it had no media in it and was thoroughly coated in mold and algae. I used onlky a drop of algae reducer. Fast forward a few days later, I cleaned up the filter and put some polyfil that is seeded from my filter into it to help re-cycle the tank.

The other day I added almost 1 inch of sand to the bottom, re-added the rocks(I took them out to put sand in), and added some other rocks from my own tank. I brought over some plants from my house, anacharis and bacopa, and planted those. I also did a 25% WC and added water from my tank.

Then, about a day or two ago, I did another 25% WC and used tetra water conditioner, a bit of ammoniasafe, and a packet of liquid stress zyme. Yesterday, I got some new plants and gave some to him to plant, another kind of anacharis and some water spangles.

We sadly don't have a testing kit.

Do you guys think it should be cycled? With seeded filter media, decor and plants from an established tank, and dirty tank water? Also the stress zyme.

He's going to be breeding ghost shrimp in it to feed to his dinosaur bichir and red-eared slider, Fossil and Chomp.

So overall it's been set up for about a week.

Do you guys think its safe/cycled? From what I've read it should be.

 

[Coradee]

Giving this a bump up for you hope you get some responses today

 

[SavTheArtist]

Giving this a bump up for you hope you get some responses today

Thank you ^^

 

[phnx314]

If it is only housing ghost shrimp, depending on what was in the tank the seeded media is from, it should be cycled.

When using seeded media, you want to use it from a tank with a higher bioload than the tank you’re going to be setting up.

So if the media came from a community tank, you’re good. If it came from another shrimp tank, a betta tank or something like that, it’s probably not cycled.

 

[SavTheArtist]

If it is only housing ghost shrimp, depending on what was in the tank the seeded media is from, it should be cycled.

When using seeded media, you want to use it from a tank with a higher bioload than the tank you’re going to be setting up.

So if the media came from a community tank, you’re good. If it came from another shrimp tank, a betta tank or something like that, it’s probably not cycled.

It came from an overstocked community tank, so i think it should be good!

 

[tjander]

I assume that your partner is planning to raise Ghost Shrimp? I have never done this but I seem to remember it’s rather complicated process. With a very low success rate. I could be wrong though.
As far as the cycle is concerned, as long as you keep the ammonia levels down it should be fine. You will need to monitor ammonia levels, at least until your sure it’s cycled.

 

[Sheldon13]

Yes wouldn’t cherries be easier? You could buy up something culls for a decent price and they will perpetually breed and won’t eat their babies the way ghosts do.

 

[wishuponafish]

I wouldn't recommend breeding them on a small scale, they take forever to grow to a decent size and eat a lot (for a shrimp) and will cannibalize if they're hungry. I would recommend breeding crickets or something, that will be much easier and faster.

 

[SavTheArtist]

I assume that your partner is planning to raise Ghost Shrimp? I have never done this but I seem to remember it’s rather complicated process. With a very low success rate. I could be wrong though.
As far as the cycle is concerned, as long as you keep the ammonia levels down it should be fine. You will need to monitor ammonia levels, at least until your sure it’s cycled.

Hmm... alright.

Yes wouldn’t cherries be easier? You could buy up something culls for a decent price and they will perpetually breed and won’t eat their babies the way ghosts do.

We'll try cherry shrimp instead, the local Petco carries em.

I wouldn't recommend breeding them on a small scale, they take forever to grow to a decent size and eat a lot (for a shrimp) and will cannibalize if they're hungry. I would recommend breeding crickets or something, that will be much easier and faster.

Ok... If there is a lot of hiding places and plants and they were fed often it would be more unlikely, yes?

Also I suggested crickets, but the bichir has never eaten them and Frostclaw is cautious. We already have some because he has an anole.

Also, from what I've read it isn't terribly hard to breed ghosties. We'll have to see.

 

[wishuponafish]

Ok... If there is a lot of hiding places and plants and they were fed often it would be more unlikely, yes?

Yes that would help a little but it's hard to get enough space for a practical breeding population in a 3g. They'll be walking all over each other and aren't terribly smart so they'll just eat whatever's smaller than them.

Perhaps you could breed cherries and sell/trade them in for 4-5 ghosts apiece? Another good one is self-cloning crayfish, if the fish will eat them.

 

[tjander]

Also understand Cherry shrimp are at least in my area 4 to 5 times more expensive then a Ghost shrimp. Point being RCS are more expensive the Ghosts. Also RCS do require some work to get them breeding and getting a tank setup and established takes time 3-4 months then another couple months for reproduction and grow out.

IMO I would buy some Ghost shrimp keep them in a tank and get buy new ones as consumed. Way easier then raising RCS, or raising Ghost Shrimp. Again just my opinion.

 

[SavTheArtist]

Also understand Cherry shrimp are at least in my area 4 to 5 times more expensive then a Ghost shrimp. Point being RCS are more expensive the Ghosts. Also RCS do require some work to get them breeding and getting a tank setup and established takes time 3-4 months then another couple months for reproduction and grow out.

IMO I would buy some Ghost shrimp keep them in a tank and get buy new ones as consumed. Way easier then raising RCS, or raising Ghost Shrimp. Again just my opinion.

Yes that would help a little but it's hard to get enough space for a practical breeding population in a 3g. They'll be walking all over each other and aren't terribly smart so they'll just eat whatever's smaller than them.

Perhaps you could breed cherries and sell/trade them in for 4-5 ghosts apiece? Another good one is self-cloning crayfish, if the fish will eat them.

Yeah... I get that it's tricky but we don't have a way to constantly buy more as both of us are minors and the stores are a while away. Breeding, or attempting to, would be much easier.

 

[tjander]

Good luck.

 

[Sheldon13]

I’ve seen cherry culls for $1.99 before. Not too bad.

 

[tjander]

I can get 12 ghosts for that amount.