Enjoy my most recent posts
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Keeping things simple
A list of things needed
Setting up a shrimp tank is fast and easy provided you keep it simple. I have tried many methods of setting up a shrimp tank from sponge filter, permanent UGF, box UGF, overflow etc. In my opinion, choose one that will suit your availability of time and effort when you need to reset the tank later on.
Things you need:
- Aquarium Tank
- Active Soil
- Filtration
- RO water
- Reminerizer
Optional items (added after cycling or during) :
- Moss
- some plants
- quick start bacteria (liquid or powder)
- Microorganism ball (Lubao)
Setting up
The steps are fairly simple and if you have everything ready, setting up the tank would probably take 15 minutes.
There are different methods and my method is to ensure during reset it also takes a much quicker time. Reason being is that if you have to use 45 mins or 1 hour to reset your tank, multiply that with the number of tanks will determine the total time required. Also resetting tanks require some form of effort and if you have a lot of tanks, it will also take a lot of effort physically.
People ask why do we need to reset a tank? When breeding slows down and the soil has slowed down in it’s buffering than changing it will help kick start the breeding too.
Coming back to the method of setting up:
- Pour active soil into the tank until it reaches 1cm
- 45 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm tank will use about 1L of soil
- Add water into the tank and reminerize to TDS of 85-90 with GH of 3
- Setup filter (i use Totto hang on and powerhouse S size Soft water filter media)
- Wait 40 days.
This method of cycling is the traditional method and it works as active soil release ammonia which then kick start the nitrogen process.
During this period some will add liquid bacteria (can be any brand) to ‘kick start’ the beneficial bacteria colonization. More importantly is these beneficial bacteria will then convert ammonia to nitrite and then the less harmful Nitrate.
Source:http://theaquariumwiki.com/w/images/1/1f/Cycling_graph.png
Once it reaches 40 days it is then where the Nitrate is the highest and Ammonia and Nitrite becomes 0.
Few methods to Seed the tank:
- Use existing mature shrimp tank water
- Use existing filter media
- Add Lubao
The first 2 directly place beneficial bacteria colony into the new tank but an ammonia source is needed to keep them going. Active soil and lubao emits sources of ammonia to allow beneficial bacteria to feed on and multiply.
The difference over here is lubao whilst a grazing material will also help condition the water.
Using Microorganism ball
Using microorganism ball to seed the tank can have multiple layers of benefit while it creates biofilm for shrimp to consume, the biofilm creation is due to the fermenting of material in the ball which invariably also feed beneficial bacteria thus in return increase beneficial bacteria numbers.
While the creation of biofilm cannot be controlled as there are no shrimps in it to feed on, what i do is to scoop out excess biofilm that i think the shrimp will not be able to feed upon when they’re release into the tank after cycling. Incorporating microorganism ball as part of tank reset or setting up new tank what i’ll do is to soak the ball for a day in RO water to leech out the tannin and then let the process begin.
After 40 days
After 40 days i’ll then measure the water parameters and if the parameters are fine, i’ll do a 20% water change, reminerize and wait for another 2-3 days and re measure the water parameters. Once everything is fine, i’ll add mosses, a claypot of plants and frogbits. By day 47 the tank will be more or less ready.
However, there is this unspoken feeling, gut feeling based on experience that if the tank doesn’t appear to be ready, i’ll continue to keep cycling till day 50-60. Once that is done, i’ll re-measure the parameters before adding the shrimp.
The shrimps will have sufficient food in the tank and i’ll hold off feeding for a few days. If you’re adding new shrimp in hundreds, they’ll strip off biofilm very quickly so you can then start feeding after 3-4 days in the new tank.
Thanks for reading and i hope you have learn something from this post.
What is your aspiration and why does it matter?
The purpose
People often ask me why i am so passionate about the aquarium hobby and why am i doing what i do? Providing information, wasting time typing away and then share all these information. Worst part some people even use my information for their benefits. Why i do that?
They tell me i think you should not spend time to benefit others and even if i do choose to keep sharing and writing you should make your articles worth the while. Make it paid articles.
i say no, i think in life we are all measured too much by KPI and matrix cause and effect. If i do this i should get that. I find since there is no structured school or syllabus to study on this hobby, i think sharing proven data is the next best thing. Make everyone have equal chance to learn in this hobby. I was fortunate to have learn from a great Taiwan breeder and i want to reach out to as many as i can with my post.
To me i don’t think i’m wasting my time typing away, i see this as time invested so shrimp hobbyist can benefit. If i can reach 10 people great if i can reach 100 superb! I do what i can in my own time to help spread the joy of this hobby.
That is the purpose and why i keep this going.
Aspiration
Have aspiration! It is good regardless it’s life or this hobby where you aspire to have a championship boa or 20 tanks or something. Have aspiration and to share my aspiration apart from the shrimp goals i have, i have one particularly close to my heart.
I aspire to make a difference.
Like my purpose i would like to reach out and hear from you and learn from you about your shrimp breeding journey. This is by no means that i don’t have setbacks. I actually do. When i start sharing too much some people will take advantage of the situation and benefit out of it by either using my information and then telling others it’s theirs and sell a product.
Certainly i always believe there are black sheep among the white ones and i have met countless of good people. One example is that i know of someone from Europe whom i have chat with and because they have been to Singapore and so we chat even outside of shrimp breeding and talking about the Satay (a local skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce). Another whom i have shared many of my family worries with had in return shared his grandfather secret of curing common cold. Some have shared with me their life long journey and advise me what i can do and should do.
People asked me why are you wrapping lubao yourself, don’t they have a machine to do that? yes, there are. However, what i’m doing is wrapping them individually myself, each ball with love, pouring seeds of happiness and so all your shrimps are happy. Irreplaceable by machines. Like a craft, a chef cooking his food all done manually.
To be open and vulnerable and aspiring to make a difference can be rough at times when taken advantage but we keep pushing on and focus on the journey ahead.
So have aspiration in your hobby, keeps you more engage and share them with others, if nobody wants to hear you, send a note to me, i’ want to hear what your aspiration is for shrimp breeding.
Do what matters
Life is short.
Don’t count the days, make the days count. This is the same for breeding, if you would like to have a nice boa or excellent black fancy, go for it. Set it as a goal for the year and strive towards it. Make every day count, because shrimp life cycle is very short, at best 2-2.5 years pushing it. So every molt, every water change matters.
It’s a race against time when we are talking about selective breeding, how much can we extract the gene out of the male into the female. The reason why we have a 2-4M to 20F ratio is to shorten the time required to achieve the goal and also reduce the probability when both the male and female molt and the male will not be able to mate so other males will help in this case. The shrimps wouldn’t last forever to breed, the older it gets the lesser it will breed and even if they do, risk dying of complications. The life cycle is very short hence plan out what it is, select 2-4 best Males and use all available female that you can get. If you do this right, you will have hundreds of shrimplet and then the selection begins.
Do what matters. Make the days count.
Hope you have learn something from this post and have a great weekend!
Follow your Dream
Shrimp Breeding
Shrimp breeding for some can be a daunting task and have met many problems and setback along the way. Tank crash, mass death due to some error that has happen.
It is easy to be disappointed and discourage and tell yourself this is as good as it gets, i’ll just learn to live with it. We all go through setbacks, disappointment and pain. However, this pain that we go through is part of the shrimp breeding process. It is what we do in this situation that will determine the outcome. This will change us, we re-evaluate our processes and technique, we refine our skills to shrimp breeding. Every painful time even if you don’t like it, it’s developing something in you.
Eventually if you decide to go through it, you will emerge with more knowledge of how to deal with it, a total change in your breeding setup. How you want to deal with the situation is up to you.
You can come out bitter or come out better?
You can come out defeated and giving up your dream or you can come out passionate with a new fire, remembering your dream of what you truly want to do. The new opportunities in getting where you want to be and a revitalization of your breeding setup are some of the things you can change to be better.
we all know sometimes we make poor choices, we were led by people who i was too a victim and i had to deal with the consequences. All of us experience some form of challenges, don’t go through it, grow through it. Gain new knowledge, talk to people who have succeed. By not quitting, you will eventually come out better.
if you encounter setbacks during shrimp breeding such as they are not breeding, lots of shrimp death, etc, don’t take it as a setback but a setup for better things to come. Re-look and plan again how your setup is done, look at ways of improving. Eventually you will grow through it and be successful.
Selective breeding
It takes a long time to see results in selective breeding as it requires time and patience. It’s easy to get discourage and be cover under disappointment, setbacks, failures that let us lose our dream.
Easy to settled for mediocrity, at one time you were all fired up and passionate about breeding really good shrimp, you believe you have the right setup to do it but over time, some setbacks, had some bad breaks that weigh you down. You can settle where you are and nobody will fault you. The naysayers will be happy that your dreams are dash, encouraging you to let it go, it’s impossible they say. However, don’t believe those lies. It’s not too late to dust it off and forge towards your dream.
There are plenty of naysayers who are looking at what you are doing, making side remarks and telling you that you couldn’t make it. Deep down thinking you will fail. Hoping you will fail. A true mark of a Champion is when the naysayers throw dirt on you, you keep shaking it off. Keep moving forward. If you don’t have a dream that is alive and well, you wouldn’t have those naysayers going against you. If your dream of selective breeding has been toss aside, it is time to re-live it again. Setup a plan again to select and move towards your goal and dream. Share your goals and dream with like minded people.
Dream Simply
I have a goal and dream. That is to help and reach out to others in need and i know i can only reach out to so many people, but i hope those people whom i have reached out will help reach out to more. Only then will the community be better, and i fully understand the balance there will always be naysayers, but don’t let those pull you down.
This is the reason i write in the blog to share as much information as i can, to help those in need; hence the name Shrimp Sanctuary. For breeders to breeders.
Using Cellphone to take Shrimp Pictures
Introduction
There are many ways to take a good picture. I picked up photography when I was young and spent countless hours in the field taking macro photography.
Certainly it will be great if everyone can afford a DSLR a macro lens etc to get the perfect shot. However, what dictates a good photo? In my opinion a good photo is one where you can capture the moments.
In this blog post I will not be sharing how to use a DSLR to take shrimp pictures but simply using your phone and a clip on lens.
Clip on lens
Using this clip on lens is what i need to achieve clear pictures, and i have tested quite a few of them and this inexpensive clip on lens works great for cellphone with 1-2 lens. I haven’t yet test on a 3-5 lens cellphone. The whole idea is to use just 1 of the cellphone lens and then use this clip on. You can view the inexpensive lens $15 here: https://amzn.to/3yvHCVm
There are some other types as well which i think serve the same purpose:
Trying on
- I will also make sure that area is the feeding area. Shrimp will know eventually that is the feeding area.
- I prefer taking pictures horizontally so I tilt my handphone sideways.
- When focusing tap and adjust the brightness of the photo to reduce exposure and snap away.
- Phone camera in general uses light optics to capture image so a good strong light for focusing will be good.
- I like taking my shrimps horizontally due to the depth of field in phones.
Things to take note:
- Keep the shrimp and camera lens as parallel as possible as the Depth of Field is horizontal and if you capture the subject in a parallel, your picture will be crisp and sharp
- Most aquarium light nowadays are very bright, it is recommended to dial the brightness down using the phone function to capture more details
- Just keep practicing and in doubt please let me know and i can certainly help you out
Taken together
The clip on lens will do wonders after trying so many types. Give it a try and keep shooting!
