For this setup style I’m going to be using ADA Amazonia Ver. 1 soil, the ADA meta for me when setting up is thin soil + sponge/s. Now with this shrimp setup it is recommended that you cycle for at least 2 weeks because it does leech ammonia & it could be an issue for newly setup tanks. You can follow my setup style, cherry pick certain parts or formulate your own as well.
A ratio of soil to water volume I aim for is 1L : 50L for the soil bed. If you are using a UGF since there will already be a large amount of soil (3L) in the UGF, 500mL of soil to 50L is plenty. Now the main ingredients we need for this setup include the following:
- ADA Amazonia Ver. 1 (Gold label)
- Sponge/s – preferably large dual sided ones that curve 90*, although there are other sponge types worth trying also
- Jug (1L – 5L) to weigh soil
- Lighting – the lights I use are UP-Aqua (U&Z series) & Chihiros A ii Series
- Air pump – I have a Hailea HAP-80 for all my tanks whether it connects to sponges or UGFs
- Indian Almond Leaf (IAL)
- Bacteria Powder – DSP or Bacter AE
- Cholla Wood, Mini Taiwan moss & Java fern
Once you have the key ingredients for the ADA dish, make sure you have the soils weighed via using the Jug beforehand, following the ratios provided prior. Make sure the lighting and air pump are operational, the lighting ideally needs a timer to minimise errors.
- Place the sponge/s and/or UGF into the tank
- Evenly distribute about 2 spoons of bacteria powder of choice to the bottom
- Pour the correct amount of soil into the tank
- Sprinkle another 2 spoons to the top of the soil
- Fill the tank by 50% (RO water is recommended, although I do use Sydney tap) and if you have a canister use it to remove the dust particles, a sponge also works well. We only fill it to half to reduce water wastage because we will do another water-change down the line anyways.
- Leave the lights on for roughly 8-10 hours per day to get some micro flora & fauna growth happening
- Let the tank cycle for 2 weeks and come back, you can add cholla wood, moss, IAL and Java fern after the cycle is complete. Recommended cycle time is 1-2 months for greater micro flora and fauna growth & biofilm cultivation.
- After cycling, do one more 50-80% water-change before adding shrimps into the tank, squeeze the sponges to start fresh
- Drip acclimate the baddies in
Happy shrimping folks, hope this helps will be doing a video version of this as well. Also, would like to leave this phrase here. Shrimping is a marathon not a sprint, enjoy the ride & be patient it takes time for life to start occurring.