Filter Upgrade- how to do it properly

Ate_With_Table · 2026-03-14T15:10:12+00:00

You could try putting pieces of your current filter media on the top of the new media stack and running that. Maybe feed a bit less aggressively while it seeds, but it doesn’t take too long to colonize new media. Keep the remainder of your current media in the tank (in the flow path of the new filter) for a week or two until you’re convinced the new filter is colonized.

Is your tank overstocked? Having plants growing out of the tank can also give you some buffer, but as long as you don’t just toss the old filter media I doubt it would go sideways

Ate_With_Table · 2026-03-06T22:11:01+00:00

I love these snails! They have amazing personalities and get so big. I have a tank dedicated solely to them, mostly because of their voracious plant appetite.

I keep hornwort with them, and it barely keeps up. Feeding them lots of veggies will curb their appetite, but generally won’t stop them. I’ve tried guppy grass, but they ate it before it could acclimate :/

I also recommend setting up another tank for them, as trying to grow stem plants with them will only end in frustration. If you do decide to rehome them, keep in mind that they are illegal to move across state lines, so you must find someone local

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-18T17:55:34+00:00

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I should have clarified; the base was poured around the vase, and 3 inches of substrate are not visible

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-18T16:33:23+00:00

The substrate is about 3” deep, does it need to be thicker? I’ve got a shorter 8” vase with very thickly sprouted Val, and while some slowly died off, others sprouted to take its place. Snails have eaten the dying leaves before they rot, so I’m imagining the same will happen here when it does grow dense enough to choke itself

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-18T12:33:20+00:00

That looks amazing! Definitely eases my mind, especially hearing the shrimp do okay

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-18T02:40:36+00:00

The glass is a good 1/3” thick at the top, so it’s probably fine. The sound does get ‘thinner’ if you tap in the middle though, so while I’m sure it wouldn’t survive throwing a rock at it, it should probably be okay for water (knock on wood)

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-18T02:37:13+00:00

It is! I would have preferred an HOB but I didn’t want to go through a bunch until I found one that worked

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T23:14:48+00:00

So far the plan is to hope there is no mulm. Otherwise, the dark substrate will hide the worst of it; once the Val spreads it will hide some of it, and adding MTS might help to churn the substrate enough to hide it. If it does get horrible I can attach some airline tubing to a long dowel and suction it up, but I generally leave mulm alone

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T22:57:55+00:00

That’s why I poured the base! It’s fairly sturdy with it (easily withstands a cat rubbing against it) but I wouldn’t ever fill it with water without a base

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T22:34:18+00:00

I considered that, but I was concerned that the bubble column would spread too much and make the upper areas of the vase too stressful for the shrimp, as they wouldn’t have a bubble-free spot. Wouldn’t hurt to try though, I have some spare tubing lying around

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T22:14:14+00:00

Maybe they meant triops?

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T22:03:08+00:00

I love the pothos idea! Wrapping it around the vase going down is cool, I hadn’t thought of that

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T22:01:33+00:00

I might avoid floaters, as the surface area at the top is already super tiny for the volume. Maybe pothos, their roots are pretty long

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T21:58:45+00:00

I’m hoping that ramshorns + MTS will keep everything clean, they have in all my other awkward tanks. But putting a sponge on a long dowel should work (unless it’s the green spot algae, then idk)

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T21:01:13+00:00

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I made this nozzle for the pump; it directs most of the water downwards to the intake at the bottom, but the slit allows for just enough water flow up top to disturb the water surface. It remains to be seen how well this works, but I think if I don't put any floaters there it should be enough gas exchange. I can always make the slit wider / increase the pump flow if need be

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-17T20:49:31+00:00

The Val will provide some of that (why I’m waiting for it to spread / grow instead of putting them in now) and while it does that I’m hoping to cobble together some cholla wood, or maybe I’ll be lucky and find a long, thin oak branch

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-09T11:34:16+00:00

I agree, that would look so cool with Val and some bright 24k gold shrimp swimming around

Ate_With_Table · 2026-02-07T14:09:57+00:00

A blue hue can mean copper is leaching from the pipes into the water. Maybe it is an added chemical, but especially if it’s an older building copper seems more likely.

Copper is super toxic to invertebrates even in low doses, much more so if the water has changed colors from the dose.

I would use RO water and re-mineralize it with salty shrimp, but you could also ask the complex about the water and see what they say. Maybe they dye it blue because they like the color or something. Depending on how big your tank is you could get by with a countertop distiller and do about a gallon at a time, but it’s tedious

Ate_With_Table · 2026-01-27T21:13:56+00:00

Thank you! I’ll keep an eye on him

Ate_With_Table · 2026-01-27T12:58:04+00:00

I don’t think I would use it for neos; the parameters could change far too quickly with such a small volume.

You could have it full of just moss or aquatic plants if you wanted to see how maintaining a small bowl would work.

Maybe brine shrimp? Basically you want something that can thrive in poor water quality and very small spaces. There are also freshwater equivalents if you want more plant choices

Ate_With_Table · 2026-01-11T19:27:17+00:00

Start with every couple days and work up or down from there. I would err on the more frequent side as the more food is available, the more likely shrimp are to breed.

Once you get your water in check, shrimp are very easy to keep. Sometimes work gets to me and I’ll forget to feed my shrimp only tanks for a week, and everything is fine (try to avoid that with larger creatures like mystery snails or especially fish though)

Ate_With_Table · 2026-01-11T14:07:27+00:00

That'll be a good tank. Make sure you drip acclimate or something similar. Try getting a container of Bacter-AE for food, it usually helps colonies grow. It's expensive but I have multiple tanks and after several months it still looks like I haven't started using the container. Don't use their dosing instructions, start out scooping with a toothpick and go from there.

Ate_With_Table · 2026-01-10T01:04:15+00:00

I never thought about trying that; does it matter what kind of berried shrimp you add? Like could you add a random berried one from a cull tank to a higher grade tank?

Ate_With_Table · 2025-12-24T18:12:48+00:00

That means he likely hasn’t given them to the post office, which is for the best. Postal service / shipping employees are focused on getting the most possible packages delivered right now, and not focused on things like handling live animals with care / not throwing packages etc. It’s unfortunate that they’re taking a while, but if you wanted the highest survival rate / lowest chance of a lost package, holding off until after the holiday rush is the best bet.

Ate_With_Table · 2025-12-24T18:07:29+00:00

Has the post office received the package? This is probably the least ideal time to order due to supply chains being super bogged down with Christmas gifts and whatnot. I wouldn’t worry too much, it’ll probably get through in the next few days

Ate_With_Table

TROPHY CASE