http://www.infantclothingforgirls.com/set-otto/
Your thoughts on my set up?
?
i have a 10 gallon planted. it has two 25 watt compact florescents that are around 6500k. i have about 30 red cherry shrimps one otto and six rasbora maculatas. the tank is pretty heavily planted. i never do water changes. the nitrite is 0 nitrate hovers at around 5ppm amonia 0. the tank temp fluctuates from 80-86 F. the photo period is around 10 hours.
i have a penguin rated for 20 gallons and blue night lights. this tank has been running for about half a year
any thoughts? ![]()
haha thanks a bunch i forgot to mention that. i do suppliment my tanks not for hardness, but for KH. i use NeutraRegulatorthat raises the KH so my ph wont swing. i dont make my tank hard because im going for soft acidic, but thanks
I'd say it's very nicely stocked, and you're obviously taking a lot of things into consideration. However, I would caution you against skipping water changes simply based on nitrogen levels. Water changes also serve to replenish minerals in the water, which get used up by fish, plants, and in your case especially, shrimp. By not performing water changes, calcium levels will drop sharply (unless you're doing something else to supplement these, like a KH/GH additive), and that will lead to pH instability. Even doing something like a 50% water change every couple weeks, you'll be able to keep a reasonable concentration of calcium, which is crucial for plant, fish, and shrimp health-- without it, the shrimp will have an especially hard time molting.
Also, there is the so-called "old tank syndrome" to beware of. As the nitrogen cycle occurs, ammonia and ammonium (NH3/NH4+) are broken down into nitrite (NO2-). That causes a release of hydrogen ions. Hydrogen ions constitute acidity, and as they build up, the H+ will start to chip away at any hardness (KH/GH) in the water. Hardness serves as a pH buffer, keeping it stable. As the hardness falls, the pH will bottom out sharply, which can cause whole systems to crash. So, while the tank may be looking self sustainable now, it won't last indefinitely.
EDIT: KH is a measure of hardness, so yes, actually, you are supplementing the hardness. Even in a soft, acidic tank, you still need some level of KH and GH (hardness) for balance, which you've accounted for. Can you give me the exact name of that product you're using? I couldn't find anything for NeutraRegulator, except NutraSweet, which presumably isn't what you're using.
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