# 5g shrimp/ Het tank



## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Alright, so this is what i have so far. 
I have the:
-style 5 marina kit
-Flourite black small gravel 
- some mini swords for mid ground ( thinking around the driftwood that i plan on getting soon)
-Small amount of Baby tears (foreground) the pet store gave me a little bit for free  I was quite happy
- Coralife Colormax bulb 
-Slim S10 filter (not as strong as i had hoped, but will be adding a small sponge filter soon)
-Moss Ball

So far I put in the substrate, filled with water and started the filter. Going to wait till the water clears up a bit... that flourite sure can make a tank look messy...  I rinsed it out and everything first!

Things still to come:
-Few peices of drift wood
-pellia
-Flame moss
-Some kind of taller plant for the back (to cover the filter and incoming sponge filter)
-Sponge filter

Critters still to come:
-Green Shrimp
-Cherry Shrimp
-Hets ( tiny fish)

As a side note.... I had bought WAY to much flourite... about twice as much as i needed.. I took out about half of it, and still have about 2inches on the bottom. Is this a good amount to have? Should I take out a bit more? 

I will update as much as i can! and will add pictures soon as well!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

2" should be fine, I bought too much also when I got it for my 50 gal lol


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

Diztrbd1 said:


> 2" should be fine, I bought too much also when I got it for my 50 gal lol


same for my 10, and it isnt fun rinsing that stuff lol


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Not fun rinsing it at all... 
I had to use my friends small pot to rinse it... Took about an hour to do it all, and didnt even end up using it all! heh..


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

lol no it isn't fun , I used a colander/strainer to rinse mine , worked out pretty well but definitely alot of residual stuff to rinse out


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i had to do it in a flowerpot in the bathtub hehe


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

the first time i got red flourite i didnt rinse... red cloud of death followed everytime i moved something or my corydoras moved.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

lol, was the red cloud actually harmful or just ugly?


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Soo... its been about 3-4 hours since I put the water in, and it is still pretty cloudy... should i maybe change some of the water now? 

Also, I was worried when i was washing it that i was gonna wash away the nutrients, which seems sorta silly... but it was expensive  and didnt wanna waste any.. lol


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

no worries about washing away any nutrients, the flourite is made of clay and the cloudiness is caused by the residual dust, so there are still plenty of whatever nutrients is in it ...there. You can change some of the water if you want, but you will still probably have residue that will keep it cloudy for a 12-24 hours....pre-washing it thoroughly is the key to little or no cloudiness. You might just let it filter out or settle down and do a gravel vac afterwards to remove whats left


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Alright, Maybe ill just vac it tomorrow before i add the plants... 
The plants should be okay for a day or so eh? I have to deal with a few critters ( some kinda worm) that hitched a ride >.<


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

make sure you make up your mind, cause repositioning plants without a good rinsing of gravel is just very annoying to deal with as time goes on.


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## jkcichlid (Apr 21, 2010)

Give your plants a bleach dip. Not sure on the concentration but should kill any hitchhikers


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

I dont have access to any bleach.. =/ and dont wanna just go buy a jug for a dip.  I doubt hand soap would work eh? hahah... 

And about the cloud of dust.. it is gonna show up every water change if i pore the water in to fast right?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

curtisonrad19 said:


> I dont have access to any bleach.. =/ and dont wanna just go buy a jug for a dip.  I doubt hand soap would work eh? hahah...
> 
> And about the cloud of dust.. it is gonna show up every water change if i pore the water in to fast right?


if you were to do the bleach treatment here is a link to some great directions:
Aquarium planting tips and care...I definitely wouldn't use any soap products
As for the cloud of dust, the residual dust will slowly disappear as vacuuming and filtration will remove it, but best to pour your water in slowly to avoid the dreaded cloud


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Ill try and look for some bleech i could use...
Ahaha... i love how its the 
"dreaded cloud" or the "red cloud of death" =]


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Alright these are some pictures of my tank! I still have to work it out abit.. will have to move some around once i get some drift wood. 

I was surpised to find some of this grass in the bag as well! and i think i found a plant or two of glosso? i planted it as well, maybe it will spread 
Edit: And thats the baby tear on the ground... that was my attempt at making it stay down.. lol


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Very pretty!


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Alright everyone! I havent updated this in a few days... cause nothing really happened..  But! Today i got some java moss in from my other tank back home. I plan on using it like a "seed" for the bacteria... then giving it away once i get my drift wood and flame moss. 

But i was surpised at how green it was... it looks like a gaint moss ball! which it is.. but the real moss ball is next to it. 

I may keep a few of the java ferns that are sprouting on it though


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

that'll make a nice het habitat as it fills in.


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Mmmhm!  
I am pretty excited!


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## Emily (May 4, 2010)

Curtis... I think you need to post new pictures


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Alright! here is a bit of an update! 
So, I got my driftwood in and what not( please ignore the ugly elasticbands, i have no thread or anything... so they will have to do for the moment)

I would like to say a big thank you to Kanesska for all the plant clippings (basicly all my plants are from her), The hornwart, moneywort, the one in the background(forget the name), and the big leaf one on my driftwood 

I was very surprised at the root growth when i moved my plants around. 

Oh! almost forgot, 
I added a DIY C02 system, it is currently the yeast, baking soda, and sugar kind... I am planning on doing the Jello method in the new year though.

As a side note, I am looking for Dark green shrimp for the new year and would be willing to have them shipped here. ( i have a thread in the classifieds). Pm me if you have some available! =]

Thank you for looking! and if you have any suggestions, i would love to hear them!


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## Kanesska (Oct 7, 2010)

your welcome for the plants  And welcome to more  lol 

The hitchhikers (other than the red ramshorns) Werent on my plants were they? I didn't notice any but now I'm going to have to take a closer look 

Your tank looks great tho!! 

Oh, also, Are you still looking for Cherries? I have ... a few (many)... to spare


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Lol thanks! 
And nah, they were from the local pet store. Other then the odd twiching worm swimming through the water, they are all gone. (I think the twiching worm will become a quick snack for the future hets 

I will be putting cherries in, I plan ongetting some from home. Gonna bring my biggest and reddest!  Perhaps we can trade a few though... i assume mine have just been interbreeding.

And thank you!


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## Kanesska (Oct 7, 2010)

Sounds good to me


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Hey everyone! Here is a bit of an update on my little 5 gallon!
I have added 4 cheeries and some flame moss ( Thank you to Kanesska once again!)
I have also changed my mind on getting hets to getting a few Celestial Pearl Danios =]

Once again, i would love to hear any comments or advise about the tank! 
Thank you for looking


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## Emily (May 4, 2010)

Looking great  though the pictures really don't do it justice! Much better in person


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

cool. coming along nicely


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

> cool. coming along nicely





> Looking great though the pictures really don't do it justice! Much better in person


Thank you both!


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