Barely touch this one and it keeps chugging along fine. Water changes when I remember, a dose of Prime, and that's basically it. Spiderwood anchors the whole layout and the hygrophila pinnatifida has finally started hugging it instead of growing straight up, which took a while to convince it to do. Rotala stays in check with an occasional trim, otherwise I mostly just watch it.
Crystal red shrimp are the main attraction, a whole colony of them now picking through the moss and grazing the glass alongside the ramshorns. Found a baby shrimp during a trim a while back, way smaller than the others, first sign they'd actually bred in here. Temperature stays steady thanks to the inkbird so I don't worry about that side of things at all. Small footprint, big personality tank, and easily the lowest maintenance thing I own even with thirty shrimp crammed in there being their usual paranoid little selves.
Photo Timeline
After trim + water changePhoto Date · found a babyFirst fish going inPhoto Date · shrimp are in!Hardscape, before waterPhoto Date
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5 updates
Note
found a baby
Did a water change today and trimmed back some of the rotala that was getting leggy. While I was in there moving things around for the trim I spotted a tiny shrimp, way smaller than the adults, definitely a baby crystal red. Didn't even know they'd bred yet so that was a nice surprise mid cleaning. Water level's a bit low right now with the bucket still sitting next to it, plants look good after the trim though, a lot more open where I cut back. Ramshorns were all over the glass while I had the water down too, little guys never miss a chance to graze when the levels change.
After trim + water changePhoto Date
Note
shrimp are in!
Added the crystal red shrimp today, first livestock in the tank. Floated them a bit before letting them out and just sat there watching, they scattered into the plants almost immediately which I guess is normal for shrimp being so small and paranoid. Spotted maybe three of them poking around the hygrophila within the first few minutes, rest are probably hiding in the spiderwood somewhere. Carpet area is coming along nicely but still has some gaps, moss is getting thicker though. Such a different feeling having something actually living in there now instead of just plants growing on their own.
How are you keeping the substrate from migrating around the wood, mine always ends up a mess in small tanks like this
Tank owner replied
Spiderwood helps some just by breaking up flow near the substrate, but honestly in a tank this small I just nudge it back into place with a chopstick whenever I see it creeping. Never fully stops it, just manage it every few days
Chris Harris
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