Setting up a new planted aquarium in the office.
Gonna fill it with a few cherry shrimp after the ground cover takes root & I fill the rest up.
Will plant some bulbs then too.
Tips for planted tanks are welcome!
Yes, I’m asking for advice.
Please & thank you!

Yes I have fish and shrimp in other tanks who are fine, so I don’t need aquarium 101 stuff - this is a request for tips on planted tanks specifically.
I’m too new to do the Walstad method I think - but I’m open to being wrong about that.
I need it to be simple, not biome-making!

Day 1/not promising anything about how much I post on this, but mute #shrimptank if you only want InfoSec/natsec/human rights/pay equity/hydroponic lettuce/karaoke content & no more #tankgirl stuff in your feed.
Seeds starting to sprout!
The larger seeds are for some clover plant

Day 2/ #shrimptank The clover is taking root!!
Hope the baby tears start soon.

Day 2.5/ #shrimptank

Since when is Amazon delivery a whole day early?

March 5-10 = Mar 4?!

We now have 6+1 cherry (?) shrimp

Names:

Boom boom
Zoom zoom
Vroom vroom
Cherry
Shrimpy
Red Cracker
Muerto (DOA)

RIP Muerto, we never knew ye.

Welcome BB, ZZ, VV, Che, Sh, & Red!

Day 2.5/cont.
When I realized what had arrived, not wanting to disturb the dry sprouting seedlings in the planted tank, I hastily assembled the tank stand & attempted to arrange my spare #shrimptank

Scapy The Cat decided to “help”.

Thanks, buddy. You definitely helped me smile

Day 3/ #shrimptank
The hastily set up spare 20 gal tank is going to be drained now that the cherry shrimp are happy in the established 10 gal tank.

The 2nd 20 will be planted via dry start method w clover & emersive form aquarium plants.

Decor preview & 1st 20 gal sprout update!

Day 4/ #shrimptank
A sad day of mourning for our longtime (since late December) Amano Shrimp known as Pequeño.

He was found in the front of the tank, no 2nd guessing when he died, since we saw him eating yesterday.

RIP Pequeño.

From happier days:
https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1215524959675543554?s=21 https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1215524959675543554

Day 4/ #shrimptank cont.
At least these clover ground cover plants seem to be doing great.

The baby tears still haven’t sprouted at all, but I won’t worry until we’re past day 14, since the package said they’d germinate between 7-14 days

The spare 20 will get only clover planted

Day 4/ #shrimptank
The spare 20 was drained, bag of Fluval Stratum for plants & shrimp added, hardscape pieces repositioned, live emersive form plants hand planted, & clover seed sprinkled!

Live plants:

Argentine sword
S. repens
M. pteropus (crested java fern)
U. graminifolia

Day 5/ #shrimptank
Beautiful good morning from one of the cherry shrimp in the 10 gallon tank.
Tank mates include a crazy leopard guppy Polka (Dot) who needed his own tank because he won’t stop attacking his own reflection (& other guppies).

Polka fears the shrimp though for now.

Day 5/ #shrimptank
hypnoshrimp

Day 6&7/ #shrimptank
Finally saw sprouting baby tears in the 20 gallon dry start tank!!

Meanwhile...

A shrimp has molted in the 10 gallon tank.

So far today only 2/6 of the shrimp in that tank have made themselves known.

Day 7/ #shrimptank
More Baby Tears!

In the spare 20 gallon planted tank, we see some shriveling in the Amazon sword & in the S. repens.

Hopefully it will all recover.

Ooh!! Exciting, there are actually two shrimp shells, meaning two have molted in the 10 gallon #shrimptank !

Day 8/ #shrimptank
Hard to see without comparing yesterday to today, but the baby tears are really starting to fill in.

Sightings of the cherry shrimp all day peaked at 4 simultaneously.

The molted shells are being reclaimed, likely by the shrimp themselves. No sign of shell #1.

Day 9/ #shrimptank
I’ve spotted 5/6 cherry shrimp at once, all happily eating.
Note the white/light pink stripe down the vertebrae of some of these shrimp.
I read somewhere that was due to water changes/mineral content, so I added 1/4 of a Tums which the golden snail Tiny loved.

Day 9/ #shrimptank
Quite zen to watch the shrimp, until Scapy The Cat starts meowing.

Day 9/ #shrimptank
Very cool to see them swimming around in there.

Day 9.5/ #shrimptank

Omg the live aquarium plants got here wayyyyyy early also!

These were supposed to get here next week or the week after!!

Why, amazon sellers of live things, whyyyyy???

Well, here we go.

Day 10/ #shrimptank
Still have only spotted 5/6 cherry shrimp at one time.

Going on faith that Shrimpy (the 1 I’ve decided is always hiding, yes I know that’s not logical, don’t @ me regarding the probabilities of spotting my shrimp in these troubling times) is fine.

Baby tears!

So I ordered more shrimp.

A breeding set of 10 females & 5 males because it’s time to build a colony #shrimptank !

They will of course get here early. But now I have tons of plants & places for them to hide in the 10 gallon so they can be there w the first 6

Here’s Tiny

Day 11/ #shrimptank
Saw 5/6 I am almost certain.

Day 12/ #shrimptank
That may be as tall as the clover grows, so by that completely made up gauge, I’m transplanting some live plants & filling up the “spare” 20 gallon tank today!

Also, the 1st 20 gallon may also be ready to plant & fill.

Should I?

Check out the baby tears!

#shrimptank new shrimp arrived early but this time, we were ready!

They are supposed to be a breeding set of 5 males & 10 females.

I counted 10 & 8 in each bag, one DOA. But wait. What’s that?!?!

I see BABY SHRIP IN BOTH BAGS!!!!

Cant spel to exited!!!!!!111111

Day 13/ #shrimptank
Home
Home on the log
Where the shrimp with their antennae fed
Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word
Over the bubbles coming out of Groot’s head

#shrimptank algae water ftw!

Rejoice!

I don’t think the DOA in this batch was actually dead!! The one who seemed dead isn’t where they landed & nobody seemed large enough to drag a grown shrimp away from that spot.

Zombie #shrimptank it is, then!

Enjoy the communal algae wafer eating by many happy shrimp.

I think this one is a female with eggs!!

And... some photobombing #shrimptank pals.

Day 17/ #shrimptank
I deliberately didn’t want to post only farewells & the past couple of days in the new shrimptank has seen some sad endings.
Our Gravid Ladymom didn’t make it, along with 3 others found around the tank.
I can only count up to 8 at a time now.
But here’s Groot

Day 18/ #shrimptank
I saw one successful molted shell in the tank, floating around like a ghost.

Ghost *is* the shell

2 more of the fallen were scooped out & given their own spiraling send off into the ecosystem.

Here’s a happy live one plus the ghost shell

Day 18/ #shrimptank

Sound on to hear me singing to the mf shrimp.

A short film starring Tiny The Snail enjoy #shrimptank

Day 19/ #shrimptank
Another day, another spiral funeral for a dearly departed shrimp.
I think we’re down to 7 in that tank from the original 18.

Rather than dwell on sorrow, let’s see some shrimp cleaning stuff.

Day 20/ #shrimptank

The blue shrimp have shipped & they will be here Friday!!

Many new live plants arrived & were planted in the 2nd 20 gallon tank late last night.

Boom, a new tank is cycling now!!

Day 21/ #shrimptank
OMG new snails just arrived!!

Getting them acclimated in a sec to add to the tanks, but they will help produce waste that the shrimp & plants need.

Here are some lovely stills from the tanks now.

Who wants a new Tiny The Snail video later?

Welcome to the 20 gallon cherry #shrimptank new Snail Friends

Dizzy (trumpet snail)
Gillespie (another )
Onyx (black mystery snail crawling directly on top of)
Invader Zim (zebra nerite)
Teeny Tiny (golden mystery snail)

Day 22/

Tiny the Snail has an important message from the #shrimptank

Sound on, enjoy

OMG can it be??

IT IS!!

A baby shrimp !!!!!!!!!!!!

Best news of the day, thanks #shrimptank !

Day 23/ #shrimptank

Blue Team Shrimp frens are here!!!

They will live separately from the Red Team in the Buddha tank.

Welcome new buddies!!

Day 23.5/ #shrimptank

9/11 were alive & kicking in the bag!

What should we name the Blue Team Shrimp?

Names like Detect, Contain, Eradicate, Recover all seem way less cute than these shrimp deserve.

We already have Billie Shelliday (a blue mystery snail )

Entertaining ideas

Day 24/ #shrimptank

Are you ready for some cherry shrimp baby pics?!

How about some closeups of the Blue Team ?

Day 24.5/ #shrimptank

Time for a little Billie Shelliday & classical music, followed by Shrimply The Best starring in his own classical contemporary.

Sound on, relax, enjoy

Day 25/ #shrimptank

We’ve got helpful fire red painted cherry shrimp cleaning dragons
Blue shrimp being dazzling
A Sakura shrimp cleaning Tiny the Snail

And ANOTHER BABY shrimp !!

Day 26/ #shrimptank
A day of sorrow for two fallen fire red shrimp . We’re down to 6 adults in that tank now.

And also of joy - we think this is baby shrimp number 1, since they are the biggest baby we’ve seen & they ventured among the ground cover just now!!

Day 29/ #shrimptank

Very busy weekend! Work & shrimp related.

Got 19 new blue shrimp & 22 more painted fire red shrimp Friday, all acclimated & living in their new tank homes!

I’ll make a video of them all soon.

But today, let’s relax with a little baby shrimp lullaby

Day 31/ #shrimptank
Time to relax and watch some of our fine Shrimpy McShrimperton friends in the Red Team Tank starring in:

Shrimp in the Hood *

May you all have a peaceful evening.

* yes of course I made a version with “that” song as the soundtrack but this ain’t it.

Day 31.5/ #shrimptank
So my RGB-only lights give you seizures, who knew.

Just wanted you all to know my autocorrect nearly changed those last two words to “why Kanye” & I’m at a point in isolation I almost let it slide.

Here’s a new video without Kanye’s infernal flickering.

Day 32/ #shrimptank
You know Tiny the Snail
This is Onyx the Snail’s journey.

Take your mind of things for a bit & celebrate the climb with Onyx (which was also my first hacker handle).

Early it seems Onyx wasn’t going to make it, but just watch her go.

Can’t help but cheer

Day 36/ #shrimptank

There’s so much going on.

No matter how frantic a world, you can always find peace if you sit still long enough to watch a symphony unfold.

In this case, it was a Shrimphony in Blue.

Day 41/ #shrimptank

I’m going to be a grandma!!!

OF SNAILS uh oh

That’s a baby snail!!

This is me now. But with glitter.

A glamma.

But it’s too soon to have come from the newly hatched eggs...I wonder where they came from.

Wow, a gravid shrimpmom in the other #shrimptank !

Oh come on, get a room, busy snails.

Day 51/ #shrimptank
We’ve been busy.
So have the snails.
And the shrimp.

Enjoy

that film is titled ShrimpSnailian Rhapsody fyi

Day 52/ #shrimptank

There isn’t much going on here except BILLIE SHELLIDAY IS LAYING HER 5TH CLUTCH OF EGGS!!

Enjoy her SnaiLabor of Love

Day 62/ #shrimptank
Let me fill you in - no -

Let me sum up:
eggs hatched into a net nursery
eggs hatched directly into the main tank & are of unknown numbers
babies are back!
escaped the tank, I heard a crunch, I popped it back into the tank, it lived.

Meet Denty

Day 102/ #shrimptank
It’s been a while.

Many more important things going on in the world than what’s in these tanks.

Each time I read the news or deal with work, & find it all just too much, I look to these relaxing tanks.

Sound on, enjoy the
Shrimp Show of Epic Proportion

Day 103/ #shrimptank
In addition to the present population explosion ,
there are at least 3 pregnant shrimp

I’ve ordered a nice water-carrying net to help me catch some or all of them & move them into the former blue team tank.

Enjoy Mission Shrimpossible

Day 103.5/ #shrimptank

What about the snails , you ask?

Nobody asked?

Well I’m going to show you anyway.

In two parts!

Day 103.6/ #shrimptank
The snails shall have their day.

Roll easy on yourselves this week folks.
The pandemic & political upheaval aren’t over yet.

Pace yourselves like Amethyst the Snail

Day 104/ #shrimptank

I never tweeted about the end of the Blue Team Shrimp.

They just kept dying, one by one, until there were none, like overwhelmed security teams.

I focused on the snails , which reproduced quite well in that tank.

Too well.

Who needs mystery snails?!

Day 108/ #shrimptank

Having a bad day? Having an ok not great day? Having a fantastic day?

Well turn up the volume and have a Bad Shrimpmamajama Day !!

Day 109/ #shrimptank
Just ordered another 20 gallon tank, two giant resin decor castles, & a multicolored LED bubble volcano because we have too many

So logically we just need another tank to accidentally breed twice as many
Yeah I just wanted to decorate another tank

This is about to go down in downtown #shrimptank

The castles are a pair, 14.5” high, forming the backdrop.

I’m going to anchor the volcano in front of them, dead center.

A hobbit hole will rest blissfully unaware, in the shadow of Mt. Snailsuvius

Day 112/ #shrimptank

Have an excellent holiday weekend, my fellow snailmericans

Sit back with your favorite hydration or libation & enjoy a glimpse into Shrimp topia!!

Day 113/ #shrimptank
Time to liberate some snails !!!

Day 115/ #shrimptank
This day shall live in shrimphamy.

RIP Tiny
https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1241491778676461569?s=21 https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1241491778676461569

Day 116/ #shrimptank
So I was listening to a podcast I did & Scapy The Cat apparently really disliked it, & proceeded to inform me of this fact by loud meowing, followed immediately by written notice in several rooms in Morse code

Which is code for

I naturally made a

Day 121/ #shrimptank
Getting the new Goth Club tank set up.
At first I’ll add a single color of the mystery snails to it.
I have golden snails, & ones with dark indigo bodies with yellow shells, making them a sort of muddy olive color.
Deciding what live plants to add..

Day 122/ #shrimptank

I think this counts as parody.

Day 122.5/ #shrimptank

Goth tank is filled!

Oontz oontz oontz

Day 125/ #shrimptank
All my friends know the Snail rider
The Snail rider is a little higher
Snail rider drives a little slower
Snail rider is a real goer
Snail rider knows every street, yeah
Snail rider is the one to meet, yeah
Snail rider don't use no gas now

Day 127/ #shrimptank

Watching these little buddies go all around the tanks has been a small respite from the world for me, and I hope for you as well.

It’s a window to a society where everyone gets along & they all have plenty.

enjoy

“Snail to the Chief”

Day 130.1/ #shrimptank

They seem to dance in harmony with each other in here.

Feels like this could be all of our rhythms together, all in harmony - if not for the glaring inequality, brutality, & systemic repression.

Here’s an aquatic escape to Snever My Love

Day 133/ #shrimptank

Everything I needed and I wanted
Used to be that my head was haunted
And all these sirens they make me mad
And all this violence it brings me down

For those of us who feel strong and lucky , or just wish that they did, this is our Letter to Shrimphis

What’s that #shrimptank pals?

Feds have now descended upon Seattle?!

I see.

<cries in Constitution>

Well then today is going to be a double feature.

Just another day in

Shrimpin USA

Day 136/ #shrimptank

She's dressed in yellow, she says "Hello,
come sit next to me you fine snello."

It’s frozen & the snello supply is subdivided & stored.

Now we wait for some of it to come to room temp and it’s magic time!

Mmmmm snello donuts !!!

Day 137/ #shrimptank

This is what a snello feeding frenzy looks like, because you didn’t even know you were wondering.

Now you know.

Day 140/ #shrimptank

This snail’s (new) name is Casanova.

We removed this overly amorous fellow from the snail tank to the guppy tank, and suddenly no more eggs are being laid.

Lonely Sweet Snail

Dining on bachelor petitions of Snello

Day 152/ #shrimptank

Big moves in snail ville!

The Goth Tank is now populated with Goth Snails . It is absolutely the Addams Family of Snails in there!

But for tonight, ride the Wave of Crust-e-aceans

Day 155/ #shrimptank

Feeling a little bit country, a little bit goth and roll.

Snail this corrosion to me.

Musical requests for songs to watch my #shrimptank by are most welcome.

The 6 month ShrimpTankiversary is coming up soon, gotta do a special video or two.

This one is already in the running of course
https://twitter.com/thedailyshow/status/1294113555638345728?s=21 https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1294113555638345728

Day 158.9/ #shrimptank

We got Shiny New Fish so shiny

Now it’s time to kick some hiney

Day 163ish/ #shrimptank

Time to glow up, people.

Very SuperFishious

Day 165/ #shrimptank
Nothing like a little high wire act to make you really feel alive.

Just hanging around with our fish friends in the Goth Tank, swinging from the jellyfish.

Relax and enjoy...

Day 165.9/ #shrimptank
Well the insomnia has me.

I’ve tried meal prepping my way through it. Nothing but prepped meals at the end of all that.

At least old punk hymns of my youth are cool again. Heard this in a soundtrack for a new Netflix thing.

Enjoy Celebrity Snails

Day 166.9/ #shrimptank

What can I say, my insomnia brain is both terrible at committing short term memory to long term memory,
and great at remembering songs from 25ish years ago.

Enjoy the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, bringing punkabilly to your tank-watching experience.

Day 180closeEnough/ #shrimptank
It’s been about 6 months since I started what was originally a 20 gallon planted tank for

Now:
20 gal cherry shrimp tank
20 gal yellow mystery snail tank
20 gal goth & glofish tank
10 gal guppy &
5 gal guppy &

Enjoy shrimp fun

Day 185/ #shrimptank

Damn it, I mean #snailtank

Seriously, anybody want some snails?

Day 186/ #shrimptank

Mischief managed. I’m so relieved!

Petco. Where my extra invertibrate pets go!!



Their lineage:

Billie Shelliday (blue snail)
Eggplant (purple)
Amethyst (lighter purple)
Casanova (yellow)