Afterburned's 60l Planted Tank

[Afterburned]

Seeing as I just passed a major milestone yesterday I'll start putting some updates here!
Livestock finally in my tank!!
Here is the tank all cycled and ready:


And the first inhabitants - 4 little Cherry Shrimp!


Light has not come on yet since adding them - hopefully get some more (better) pics tonight.

I know it's not much but after a month of watching the plants grow & wave in the flow it's so nice to have a moving creature in! Also algae was getting a bit out of hand, so good to get them munching.
They were quite active last night (added about 3pm), which I was surprised at, I thought they would be hiding for a while.
Well, they have the run of the tank for now, a couple of weeks before I get any fish.

[Lee_k]

Very nice start! - When's further stocking coming

[Afterburned]

Very nice start! - When's further stocking coming

It's my birthday in a couple of weeks and I have the feeling one of the kids wants to buy me some Guppys so 2 weeks min!

[Afterburned]

Some shrimp pics (been playing with the camera settings!) - Used the info here: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-e ... arium.html
Nikon D3300 with the stock 18-55 lens fully zoomed with manual focus and moved myself to get focus! Manual mode 1/125, F5.6, iso 6400, no flash.













Have not spotted all 4 at the same time yet, one seems very bold and active (the one on the Valllis), one has found a nice hidey hole in the bogwood, one hangs around under / behind the wood, and no idea where the 4th is!

[Feather_Borb]

The tank looks lovely. Hopefully you have a mix of sexes in the cherry shrimp and they will multiply

[plankton]

The "missing" one is probably off moulting somewhere with the change of water.

[Afterburned]

Damn - wrote a nice long log yesterday & it didn't submit & I didn't notice.

Still no sign of that 4th shrimp, although the universe has a way of sorting these things out...

Was my birthday at the weekend & fish related I got an air pump, pipe & flexible bubble tube (all specified by me of course ). That's now under and to the left of the lava rock, bubbles come up from under it nice & slowly just as I wanted. Will get a video tonight if I remember.

Also got some MA vouchers, so actually left the house & got my first 3 fish for the tank!
Say 'Hello' to Sparky, Ochre and Rose (kids got naming them )





Sparky is the triangle tail yellow lace male, Rose is the pinky female and Ochre is the leopard tail yellow female.

Also whilst in the shop wanted another few shrimp - however they didn't have any cherries, just a solitary fire red (a few £ more than I would usually pay for a shrimp). Same species so took it to keep it from getting lonely in the shop! Only when they took the hiding plant out there was another one as well - so took both. Got them home and acclimatising in the bag in the tank, when I saw a 3rd, much smaller shrimp in there too!
3 for the price of 2, still expensive but makes up for losing one!

A couple of shrimp pics, you can tell the difference between fire and cherry!







Just searching for some catfish and my tank will be complete (not going to buy any more guppies, at least for a while, going to see how many I get naturally).

[fr499y]

not going to buy any more guppies, at least for a while, going to see how many I get naturally.

About a million in a few months. Guppies don’t know when to stop breeding. I bet a couple of weeks and she will drop fry. Rose certainly looks close to dropping a few.

[Afterburned]

Not sure if it's just the angle but didn't think Rose was pregnant before I got her... Who knows with those breeding machines! Really want Ochre's patterning with Sparky's coloration & fins, Rose is there to keep the tank happy! Will just have to see what comes out I guess - other Guppys in the shop (different tank) had lovely red & blue markings.

Have ordered a couple of 'dwarf' Banjo cats, will pick them up next week, hopefully will keep some fry in check!

In the mean time took a quick vid of the tank to show the bubbles:

[Afterburned]

Little 'sqeeee' of joy & excitement - got a pair of 'dwarf' Banjo cats on hold for me with Tunnel Aquatics (York)! Am waiting a week or so as only just put these Guppys in.