Starting phase of operation 24g planted tank

[JAYGEE]

Here is a cloudy pic, it has cleaned up a **** load so I will get a better pic later today and do my 1st water change.

[JAYGEE]

[mistahoo]

Very clear! Got a bunch of potential!

[Victorp]

cool looking rock is that hc?

[JAYGEE]

cool looking rock is that hc?

was told it was fossil rock from City Pets rock bin.

[HERM]

nice setup

[JAYGEE]

New Pic



Added Amazon Sword and Umbrella Plant.

Any LFS's have good snail free plants?

Thanks for looking.
JG

[JAYGEE]

nice setup

Thanks, still have alot of work to do, but I like it.

[mnemenoi]

I am a firm believer that anyone with plants either had snails or Assassins. They don't eat plants and having a few will prevent any outbreaks from ever occuring in the tank. Tim has them, as well as quite a few more folks on the box here

[JAYGEE]

I am a firm believer that anyone with plants either had snails or Assassins. They don't eat plants and having a few will prevent any outbreaks from ever occurring in the tank. Tim has them, as well as quite a few more folks on the box here

I planned on buying some but wasn't sure when to add them. Can they go in now or do I have to wait?

[mnemenoi]

They should be fine now, ours are litearally bullet proof and they do a great job stirring the sand/substrate. They are fairly nice looking and breed slowly, so you can pluck out any extras and either sell/give them away. We always have some if you need, but ours are up on the North side and I'll be back in a week and a half. They are actually a freshwater whelk and they can take whatever food is given for everything else. They do not need much in the way of food and will keep your tank free of any unwanted hitchhikers that could accidentally wander in. They only seem to be able to take prey smaller then themselves (some have seen them gang up, but I have not) and I have seen some successfully keep them with Nerites. There is some issue about them preying on shrimplets, though mine thrive together and I am usually having to thin both colonies.

[JAYGEE]

They should be fine now, ours are litearally bullet proof and they do a great job stirring the sand/substrate. They are fairly nice looking and breed slowly, so you can pluck out any extras and either sell/give them away. We always have some if you need, but ours are up on the North side and I'll be back in a week and a half. They are actually a freshwater whelk and they can take whatever food is given for everything else. They do not need much in the way of food and will keep your tank free of any unwanted hitchhikers that could accidentally wander in. They only seem to be able to take prey smaller then themselves (some have seen them gang up, but I have not) and I have seen some successfully keep them with Nerites. There is some issue about them preying on shrimplets, though mine thrive together and I am usually having to thin both colonies.

Thanks for the info and offer, I will place an ad in the for sale section and see what I can find. I plan on adding some shrimps, Corydoras pygmaeus and some small tetras.

When would I be able to add some shrimp? Which would be considered a "beginner" shrimp?

[mistahoo]

Here's his sticky on freshwater dwarf shrimp. It helped cleared a lot of things for me although I don't have the shrimp I want yet.

[mnemenoi]

Thanks Mistahoo!!! Lol. I would personally recommend a neocaradina species (whatever color variant you prefer, they are all nearly identical species) and start there. Once you have them down and reproducing then decide if branching into more difficult sift/hard water species is something you want to challenge yourself with. There are quite a few local folk breeding neo's and there are always variants that are more rare locally.

[mnemenoi]

Cherry (disrupted red), Sakura or painted Taiwan Fire (more solid red), Yellow, Yellow Fire (more solid), Snowball (clear with white eggs), Blue Pearl (very weak blue sheen), Wild Type (usually mixed from different morphs and dirty brown), Chocolate (Rich deep brown), Pumpkin (Orange), Red Rilli (Red and clear), Blue Rilli (Blue and clear), Blue Velvet (better blue coloration) are the variants I know of and have seen. There are likely a few more I am missing or a specific morph name that is similar to the aforementioned. As for another beginner shrimp that could be kept in unison with these I would recommend a few Amano's. They do not breed, but are effeciant algae eaters and other then occasionally bullying the smaller shrimp will leave them alone. I keep them together and have never had any issue with the cherries breeding like mad.