Finally decided to move the Sulawesi shrimps to a bigger home. The current shrimps population has tripled, and they were cramped in the few rocks crevices. There were also some berried females.
Also needed a new scape so that I can admire them more easily. So I planned on a new scape with river sand substrate and some interesting rock scape.
6 weeks prior to the move...
Recommissioned my 2 ft tank, light and airpump. Took it out from the store room. Placed it on the bay window.
Bought the following:
1 bag of river sand.
1 bag of crushed coral chips.
2 kg bag of gex soil for planting.
1 new hang-on waterfall filter.
2 airstone.
Some rocks.
Collected some large coral rocks from the beach.
1st Week:
Step 1. Washed all the rocks, chips and substrates.
Step 2. Placed the gex soil at both ends of the tank.
Step 3. Positioned 2 airstones and tubes at 2 corners of the tank.
Step 4. Cut out a large piece of very dirty, old filter media (sponge) from the goldfish tank. Squeezed the mulm onto the tank base, and retainted the old filter media for later use.
Step 5. Covered the base of the tank and the mulm with the crushed coral chips.
Step 6. Covered the crushed coral chips with river sand. ( I prefer the river sand to be on top, as I find that shrimplets are tiny enough to be trapped between the larger coral chips.)
Step 7. Positioned the rocks and the coral rocks.
Step 8. Transferred water from the existing sulawesi nano tank to the new tank. This was done over a 2-week period, and I mananged to get the new tank filled 3/5 full.
Step 9. Placed the older filter media and mixed in some new filter sponge into the hang-on waterfall filter. Started the filter, started the airpump.
Step 10. Planted some hairgrass, some dwarf sag and crypts in the gex soil.
Step 11. Made some adjustment to the scape until I was somewhat satisfied. The new scape allows me to easily see the inhabitants and is pleasing to the eye.
End of 2 weeks: Algae starts growing on the surface of the tank glass and on the rocks.
3rd Week:
Bought 3 sulawesi snails (yellow rabbit snails) from C328, and put them in the new tank. They were crawling all over.
4th Week:
Measured the water parameters. Zero ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
Moved 2 zebra nerites, 5 horned bumblebee nerites from the existing sulawesi nano tank over to the new tank to feed on the algae. Moved 1 sulawesi cardinal shrimp to the new tank. It survived.
6th Week:
Time for the Sulawesi shrimps transfer.
Moved more water from the existing nano tank to the new 2 feet tank. The new tank is now 3/4 filled.
Carefully removed some rocks from the existing nano tank without stirring up the dirt.
This would make the shrimps easier to spot and catch.
Lowered a transparent glass cup into the tank, and teased the adults to go into the glass cup.
Once they were in, I quickly moved them to the new 2 ft tank. They were teased out of the cup, and swam onto the substrate.
This was done over 20 times to move all the adults.
The baby shrimplets are very small. Netted 6 of them with a fishnet and transferred them unceremoniously to the new tank. Too difficult to catch them otherwise.
Counted 32 shrimps, including the 6 shrimplets during the move.
7th Week:
The shrimps are all alive, no casualty. They are eating and molting just like what they do in their old tank. The berried females are still carrying their eggs, and nothing is dropped.
They are rather particular about real estate space. During the first week, they go around shopping for a new crevice as home. Once they find something the like, they lay claim to it and I suspect chase away other shrimps. You can see them waving their white antenna from the various crevices.
I place their food in front of the tank nightly, on the substrate and do see them coming out to eat them.
The old nano tank is decommissioned. It will be home for my colony of sakura shrimps.
Once again, the sakura/cherry shrimps' population has increased rapidly. Decided to set up a new 1ft habitat for them. This is the 4th time that I am setting up a tank for them. Bought a drift wood, and 1kg pack of Gex soil, and a pack of white gravel. First thing I did was to take a large piece of sponge filter media from my goldfish tank. Squeezed all the dirty mulm onto the tank, retained the sponge for the hang-on filter for the 1ft tank. I think the sponge filter media from my goldfish tank is amazing. 1 day of goldfish shit is probably equivalent to 2 months of all my shrimps' excrement. So you can imagine the amount of beneficial bacteria, as well as all the micro-organism living in the sponge!!! Placed the gravel, positioned some rocks and driftwood, and planted some crypts and chain swords. Topped up the tank with de-chlorinated tap water, and the tank was ready for the shrimps. The total effort probably took about 1 hour, and the tank was commissioned in a day. The shrimps are now eating, molting and breeding 2 weeks later, without any casualty.
