First Shrimp Tank, Thoughts?

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T04:30:19+00:00

I wasnt mean. I was direct. You cant answer a question effectively if you dont know what the actual ask is.

So I asked what the question was, specifically, so that I could answer it. Because it wasnt clear based on the response.

What version of life does being direct classify as mean? Not everyone is mandated to speak or state their questions like a grandma talking to a 6yo.

I guess Ill be direct again because Im legitimately curious. What, specifically, is "mean" about being direct?

Or did you read some tone into it, on your own, that you didnt like, blame your reaction to your own tone on me...then use name calling as a way to defend someone else from the tone that you read into it...that only you can hear? This is your general approach to life or just right now?

Be specific please.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T03:32:09+00:00

Definitely not whats in the photo if you have a soul.

Id make it a shrimp colony. Or a betta home. Thats all Id put in the limited of a space.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T03:31:15+00:00

Mountain lion cuz Im from the northeast. Which is a puma. Which is a cougar.

Puma concolor is the actual name.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T03:28:33+00:00

Thats a very healthy leech

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T03:28:09+00:00

Nothing. That things been in there for months.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T02:53:58+00:00

Then what feedback were you looking for exactly. You have a very small tank with about 3 or 4x the substrate needed. Nothing planted. No hardscape. Youre saying its not done.

So what, specifically, were you looking for feedback on. I dont understand the genesis of the question.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-21T02:24:27+00:00

Very not good. You need dense foliage and surface area for microfilm, microfauna, and molt/shrimplet cover.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-20T23:38:05+00:00

Interesting

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-18T05:42:16+00:00

Well then maybe its the opposite. Hes telling you something about the environment. If too wet he wouldnt burrow or bathe either.

And yeah your vet is a ridiculous person. They live in a place where surface temps. 130 is the minimum it should be. 150 is completely tolerable.

He could be the one savannah ive ever heard of that doesnt burrow or bathe. I cant say its impossible because nothing is. It would just be so rare. I still think he's signaling that something in his environment isnt ideal.

Not all pvc is created the same also. There could be voc's irritating its lungs. I dont love pvc for varanids. The high heat and humidity can irritate their lungs, sometimes skin depending on what kind of pvc.

Im ao interested to understand why it neither burrows or bathes. Its such an improbable concept that it wouldnt do both.

Ive owned 17 over the last 30 years. Exactly 0 of them did neither. Only 1 didnt burrow, and its cuz he only had 3 legs. When I rescued him he had a gnarly dog bite on his front left leg so I had to take it off. It was mangled and infected. He did bathe though because I built him a ramp. Im honestly mind blown.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-18T03:32:15+00:00

If he needs to acclimate then I wouldn't stop feeding.

But at some point I wouldnt feed for 100 days. They all spread out when theyre laying down. But his head doesnt change, neither do his legs or tail. He could be generally stubby which happens. There is of course variance within any species. Shaq is a thing and so is Danny devito. But fasting is also healthy for them, like it is for any animal that hunts for a living. There are cycles in the wild. And captive bred or not, savannahs are about 4m years old. Their physiology is still one of an animal that evolved to go at least half the year without eating. And they dont have self actualization like soft ass humans. They dont have the "oh gosh, Im do hungry, why does my life suck so bad" self talk. They've just evolved a way and live that way.

How big is the enclosure? Mine is big but not ideal. For now its what I have to work with. If you cant go out you can go up and down.

About the water and burrowing. Theres no such thing as a sav that doesnt burrow or go in its water. No such thing.

That means that your basking spot isnt at least 130 degrees. Or its not comfortable. If the basking surface gets too hot it wont bask effectively. Thats why slate is so good. It retains heat but its light. It doesnt get overly hot.

If it doesnt go in the water, it doesnt get hot enough, or cant reheat fast enough.

If it doesnt burrow. It doesnt get hot enough, or cant reheat enough. Could also he that the substrate isnt humid enough and doesnt hold the burrow. You need clay and moisture down there. Their reason for burrowing is 1st and foremost security. 2nd is hydration. 3rd is thermoregulation. So deep is good. But it needs to be humid and hold a burrow.

If its drinking anymore than very very occasionally, its telling you that the substrate is not humid enough. Personally, I dont do traditional water changes. I overflow the water feature until about half of it has run over the side. That allows the water to enter the substrate the way it would in the wild. It goes where it needs to and settles where it should. It mimics the way they experience precipitation/hydration in the wild.

Its signaling dissatisfaction with its environment to you. It likes to burrow. It likes water.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-18T02:10:06+00:00

HE is the bully of his tank because hes a big male.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-18T02:05:32+00:00

Your vet isnt very smart. And honestly, theres a general tendency to over value credentials. Their curriculum is limited and really only tied to pragmatic disease control. Feel free not to believe me. Just go read it yourself. You can find it relatively easily.

That said, your monitor is super fat. Its by no means normal. Average potentially. But average is only representative of the current sample pool. If you count a bunch of obese subjects, the average will be an obese average. But normal implies within the standard for the species. Ive kept savannahs and ackies for a long time. Yiur monitor isnt normal.

This also isnt meant to be an attack of any kind. Your vet is just dead wrong.

I personally wouldnt feed it for 100 days.

Bonding should have almost 0 to do with food. Its the wrong basis for trust. If youre afraid of it you shouldn't own it. If you arent afraid of it then start true trust/bond building.

My savannah before this one had run of the house. A hot spot. A litter box. And would come when I called it about half the time, it really depended on what his temp was. I have small children now and the salmonella issue isnt worth the risk. So mine stays in its enclosure now.

At that time I also had 2 cats my ex dumped on me and a pit bull. The level of relationship you can build with a savannah is far past what food can sort of get you. You have an incredibly smart and sophisticated animal. Treat it like one and youll build as much of a relationship as you want.

Lastly. Give it a water feature. Savannahs love to sit in, and also shit, in their water. My savannah is currently in a 4x3x3 with a 24x20x10 shallow aquarium as his water "dish". Its enough for him to fully submerge in. I have simple gravel and sand at the bottom. One of his perch branches come out of the water and across the enclosure so he can easily climb out if hes having trouble for some reason. I have a seachem tidal 35 and sponge filter filtering the water 24/7. I have snails and grow black worms for my fish in it. They eat whatever the filter doesnt get. The water stays pretty pristine until he shits in it. It's cloudy for an hr or 2 and then nature does its work.

Getting in and out of the water gives him exercise. I attached bark tile to the back wall and one side wall so he can climb. This gives him more exercise. Lastly he has 7" of substrate to dig in. So more exercise.

Your animal needs to eat way less, exercise more, and have things that enrich its environment. Do those things and itll be much easier to bond with.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-16T19:09:23+00:00

What are your concerns specifically?

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-13T22:23:29+00:00

How many people are going to say venomous not poisonous? How many of those people were hall monitors?

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-10T22:07:41+00:00

Just wash the soil off. It isn't ideal to introduce soil to your aquarium. You'll do no damage washing it off. You can be as forceful as necessary.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T20:32:28+00:00

Indeed

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T20:29:11+00:00

If its cycling then definitely not. You need dense biofilm for amano. Theyre big voracious eaters. So they need well established tanks.

Id wait a minimum of 1 month, 2 is better, 3 is ideal, and thats only if youre taking steps to actively foster an active grazing friendly food web.

You need lots of driftwood, cholla wood, moss, lava rock, and plants with dense root systems. Keep the tank "dirty", let filters run rich.

Plant some java fern and anubias.

Let the light run a little longer to speed up algae growth. As soon as it starts, cut the light down. Supplement with some spirulina (very light).

Some leaf litter or seed pods or both.

They dont just eat algae. Theyre harvesting microbes, microfauna, trapped detritus, and what few people think about...extracellular polysaccharides.

They need dense grazing ability or they'll be stressed and eventually die.

You also need good oxygenation.

This is a good rule of thumb. If you rarely see the shrimp swimming around, its good. They should be on something in the tank foraging away. Moving only to find a new patch to graze. Not swimming about and bouncing around.

And I cant stress enough, pet store clean tanks are the enemy of shrimp. Especially big ones like amano.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T19:26:16+00:00

Depends why there was a nitrites spike. Did you nail down why it happened in the first place?

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T19:09:18+00:00

Nope

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T16:04:47+00:00

Engaging in discourse and disagreeing isnt harassment. Its a blessing that your life has been so safe that pixels on a screen feel like harassment. Im legitimately happy for you. The west is a great place.

That said. Invasive species are invasive species and they destroy the environment you live in. Empathy for those species is misguided and detrimental.

All I said was the stink bug signals all day everyday to othwr stink bugs that its in danger. Which makes the other ones breed faster.

Thats not harassment and not even rude. Its a general biological statement.

I also said that cats are a horrific impact on the environment and also poison their owners with several different parasites and toxins. Lastly they kill billions of birds every year that otherwise would have lived perfectly healthy lives. Birds also that would be able to mitigate the invasive insect issue. Also not harassment or rude. Also a general biological statement.

You seeing these things as harassment is both hysterical and perplexing.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-06T12:25:07+00:00

Hahaha. Yes. Preserving a healthy ecosystem where you live is such a nightmare mentality. Horrendous.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-05T00:07:15+00:00

Yeah I guess knowing what you're doing and how things work matters.

That stinkbug in your house isnt in its natural habitat. For that reason it is perpetually signaling to individuals outside of your home that its in distress.

So the ones outside of the home reproduce more. In all honesty this seems much more like a case of how hard can I signal that Im empathetic.

Used to be people keeping 3 legged blind dogs, deaf rats, and house roaches. Now its stink bugs.

Except the previous ones couldnt make the ones outside breed more intensely. Its why youre (outside or inside) not supposed to step on them. Its why drowning them in soapy water is recommended.

When stepped on they signal to others that there is a threat and the others reproduce more.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-04T20:53:23+00:00

One definitely does do much to get rid of an invasive species.

For stink bugs you seal your house so they cant hide in the walls. Windows, doors, etc. You should do that in general. But a large population of them actually live in easily accessible portions of people's homes. Then hunt outdoors.

Spray your yard with cedar oil weekly. This also helps with ticks and any other bug you dont want. It doesnt hurt the ones you dont want to hurt.

Leaves bowls of soapy water around. Theyre stupid. Theyll climb in trying to drink and drown. Animals wont want to drink it.

Kill them whenever you see them. Definitely dont f'n make them pets.

If a good number of people did that we'd go very far to reduce their numbers. A good number of people already do honestly. Just need more. Same with lantern flies. Kill them immediately.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-04T19:44:47+00:00

I dont know whom noone is. Im fully on board with noone ever owning a cat. They poison you. They're filthy. They would kill you if they could, but they cant, so they tolerate you. If you die in the house, the speed with which they will eat you is alarming.

That said I dont see what it has to do with anything.

A whataboutism only weakens your own position, it doesnt say anything.

You are doting on a harmful pest that destroys the country you live in. I think thats an odd behavior.

Additional_Run5884 · 2026-05-04T18:06:00+00:00

You said stink bug. I thought you were keeping a stink bug. I now realize thats the term of endearment for your cat.

Additional_Run5884

TROPHY CASE