A Re-Think

I was enjoying the new shrimp arrivals and my early fake-planted Red Cherry tank was quickly becoming the black sheep. Time for a step-up.

I'd seen people talking about Akadama as a shrimp substrate, and ordered myself a big bag to set up some more shrimp tanks. In went some Emerald Eye Rasboro and Ember Tetra to keep the tanks cycled. I also ordered a few basic plants from a 'shrimp friendly' list I'd seen online - although under LEDs we'll see how they go!

I also didn't really want to move the Aura Blue and Orange as they seemed happy and settled on the fluval shrimp stratum. New tanks were set up for the new arrivals.

I ordered...
Rili Red
Caridina Dennerli Cardinal
Neocaridina Var. Yellow
Blue Gabonensis
Neocaridina Red Fire
and some more of the Aura Blue

Once again only 3 types turned up.

Rili Red
Red Fire
and... I must have written down the stock number wrong as my 'Yellow' came in as Amano/Japonica (Caridina Multidentata). They're a nice shrimp, but require brackish water to breed. I've kept brackish tanks before, but replicating the movement from fresh to brackish.... hmmm, maybe a bit early for me!

I also shut down my red cherry tank and prepared it more suitably - although no sooner had I done so and some really nice red cherries were in a local store so I grabbed a dozen (which reminds me, I still haven't paid for those!). The new red cherries went in with the Japonica, but everything else has it's own tank.

So now I have....
Aura Blue - hopefully more arriving in a week or so to bump the numbers
Neocaridina Var. Orange
Rili Red
Red Fire
Red Cherry in with Multidentata

It's a lot of red, and still nothing uber-challenging, but I'm enjoying my baby-steps!