Tank update

Current tank condition after 4 months. Thick bushes (top)- Java Moss. The thick bushes has become a heaven for baby shrimps, they got nurtured there and find protection from the Tetras maybe. But most importantly, it has provided the food source and shelter to the babies.

How did I managed to keep up the plants? Pour Flourish Excel daily BUT make sure it is at a right dose. Not too much not too little. Just nice. For me, no measurement, it is my gut feeling cuss i ALMSOT killed my entire tank's living creature with overdose. So watch out!

Baby shrimps have grown up. Feasting on Algae tablet. My tank is more like breeding grown for red cherry shrimps now. From 22 to currently, maybe 100?! It is possible. Just many of them.

See them behind the tank.

More of the red cherry shrimps. Feasting on another algae tablet.

Baby shrimps in my tank!

Finally, like a sheperd or herdsmen, finally seeing your flocks of animals under your care finally give birth, the feeling is high and exciting!

If you do follow on my blog, about 1 month ago, i over-dosed the Flourish Excel in my tank, killed fishes and beneficial snails in my tank and caused slight algae bloom, and now it is full of new life, this has been encouraging for me as a newbie on aqua planting and fish keeping.

For the past few days, I finally see some baby shrimps appearing on java moss in my tank, i had let the moss to grow as much as it can and not trimming it. Now it is a heaven for the baby shrimps.

I do have 10 Neon Tetras, 2 Otocinclus and many adults red cherry shrimps in the tank, which might be attacking the baby shrimps, however as the moss provided a natural protection for the baby shrimps, they survive!

Am so happy to see them grow, so tiny, have to look at them carefully to find where they are. Once you found them, they are happily picking the algae from the moss.

Hope they will grow and mature in the couple weeks.

Added 50 little cherry shrimps and black peat.

Went to C328 to get Flourish Excel as the supply is running low.

As usual when you make a trip there, you will want to shop around to see what you can buy, maybe this is how guys spend their money. lol.

I saw a bag of baby cherry shrimps 50 for $10. Thinking I got nothing much in my tank, so I bought it. haha. Then got a pack of Algae wafer for them to feast.

On the other hand, I had been thinking how to lower the pH in my aqua tank, always in the range of 7.5. My cousin did recommend me some solutions but abit difficult to maintain like using Reverse Osmosis water to remove the bad substances from the tap water.

So when paying for my stuffs, I spoke to the shopowner's helper, maybe son,on how to reduce tank's pH, he told me can try to use black peat in the filter instead of dosing with chemical liquids. It is safer this way and friendlier to the fishes. So i got 1 box of black peat and put into my canister filter.

This morning before leaving for work, the water had turned abit cloudy, I believe it should be caused by the black peat. Will blog again whether the peat had managed to reduce the pH and make the tank a happy place for fishes.

Behold and lo! 2nd time eggs in red cherry shrimp stomach again!

1 week after the lost of eggs, I see eggs inside one of the female red cherry shrimp again! woo hooo...!!

I am happy and crossing my fingers this time, hoping some miracles will happen, that is I can see new life in my tank. But, I better lower my hope, I am not sure whether any of the other 2 are male or not. Why I bother male or not ? Cuss in order to fertilize the eggs, male shrimp is needed to provide the sperms! haha...

So, let's wait and see!

I will blog about it as it progress.

No more eggs. Sad.

All the orange eggs I saw on my cherry shrimp earlier this week, is now gone.

Yes, gone. No longer under the abdomen of the female cherry shrimp.

Found out that the shrimp knows whether to keep or release the unfertilized egg. Unknown how they know, i guess it is the best solution for the cherry shrimp community I have in my tank.

I guess I have to wait for another round and male cherry shrimp is mature to fertilize the eggs.

Let's just wait!

My cherry shrimp once thought died,now back to 4 and maybe more!

Eh.. what is the red and orange color thing there ?

Oh! It is my pregnant cherry shrimps!

Once thought 1 of the cherry shrimps died, but after few weeks, tonight I saw all 4 and one of them is pregnant!! yay! Happy la!!

My planted tank update 2

Little O2 pearl on the rock moss.

O2 Bubbling Java Fern.

Cherry shrimp near the surface on my drift wood.

My cute little Otocinclus.

More about Otocinclus:

The perfect little catfish for the community aquarium the oto will do a fine job at keeping the algae in check. Small to large aquariums will benefit from their service as this fish bothers none and is usually left alone.

My planted tank update

Dunno what these two plants are. Anyone can help?
There are roots coming out from the branches. When I bought it, it is stuffed in a ring holder, can see it on the right? Now the roots is growing down into the soil.

Identified: HOTTONIA PALUSTRIS
Hottonia palustris is a pinnate-leafed aquatic plant native to wetland areas throughout Europe, where it is threatened, endangered, or extinct in certain parts of its range. It is usually found growing totally submersed except for the long flower spikes each bearing a set of light purple flowers. It is often used as a medicinal herb. Although relatively uncommon in the aquarium trade, it is used extensively as a decorative plant in ponds.

2 of my cherry shrimps saying "hi" to each other.

One of it.

Current condition of my planted tank.

4 Red Cherry Shrimps Added!

Yes. Adding new species into the tank. Haha. Went to C328 and Polyart(Another aquarium shop near C328). Bought these cute little Red Cherry Shrimp from Polyart @ $0.80 each. Total of 4 shrimps, and at the point of posting this blog, one of them died. Haiz...hopefully is due to not in gd condition when purchased.

Red Cherry Shrimp.

Few of it's brothers or sisters,maybe. lol.

Another view of Red Cherry Shrimp.