Journal UNS 60U - Sensei Stone Shrimp Tank

[Capraquaria]

Tank: ADA 60F (60 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm) - 10.8 gallons

Lighting: Chihiros WRGB II Slim

Hardscape: Sensei Stone (Magura sandstone, with quartz and feldspar). GH, KH, pH neutral

Substrate: Crushed lava stone (to support hardscape), AF Lava Soil, and maybe Controsoil Extra fine? Still deciding

Filter: Oase Filtosmart 100 with Jardli 12/16 glass lily pipes (modified intake for shrimp)

CO2: GLA GRO Cartridge (once it is in stock)

Primary plants:

• Eleocharis pusilla
• Micranthemum tweedii ‘Monte Carlo’
• Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) 'Cuba
• Staurogyne repens
• Gratiola viscidula
• Riccardia Chamedryfolia
• +/- Myriophyllum guyana

Livestock: Neocaridina Ocean Blue; maybe +/- a few Least Rasbora (Boraras urophthalmoides)

Still in the idea/planning stage of this tank. For a challenge I am pushing myself outside of my own comfort zone here, so this will be entirely new territory for me. Modern Iwagumi/diorama is not something I thought I would want to try, but my interest has grown in recent months, so why not give it a try? It will work, or it won’t. If it doesn’t work it’s always an excuse to rescape.

I have an ADA 60F tank sitting on my kitchen counter.



It was the first tank I purchased when I dunked my toes back into the hobby last year, that I scaped with some Ancient stone and driftwood for a few shrimp.




Once it was planted I quickly got in over my head on too many stems in the back, and moss growing too well on the rocks to maintain in a short, cramped space, and had some persistent CO2 related algae courtesy of a drifting needle valve. Thinking about rescaping the tank I had started to tear it down last week, removing most of the stems, and then found myself needing a temporary grow-out tank for some minnow fry, so the tank won’t be fully torn down and scaped for a few more weeks yet, but that gives me time to play around.

So, with an eye toward some sort of modern Iwagumi/diorama, I needed some hardscape. Without the luxury of walking into a store that caters to aquascapers, I am usually stuck with buying hardscape sight unseen. Rather than have a plan, and then try to find the materials, I ordered some rock to see what I would end up with, and let the hardscape inspire me.

Enter 55 lbs of Sensei stone in assorted shapes and sizes.



Why Sensei stone? I didn’t want to use Seiryu. It’s beautiful, easy to work with, and readily available, but I really needed this rock to be inert. Something in this tank’s original build sent GH and KH through the roof, and it had to be either the Controsand, or the or the ‘Ancient stone’ or both. I should have tested it in water first, and I learned that lesson the hard way. The 60F is a small and shallow tank, and shrimp loathe parameter swings, so this time I want to be able to control the water parameters a little more easily (especially the Ca/Mg ratios), so I am starting with inert rocks. Also, in case I wasn’t thrilled with the stones sent to me, I still wanted rocks that were easy to break into usable pieces, so no Hakkai stone this time. I did consider Frodo stone, but would like to use that in at least a 90P. So, hammer and cold chisel at the ready, Sensei turns out to have been a good choice.

The majority of the rocks were interesting either in color or texture, and reasonable in scale for a tank this size.

I did a quick speed-scape on Saturday afternoon with the majority of the larger stones, more for fit, and quickly ruled out some particularly chonky rocks. Thankfully, I saved the lid from the 60F tank when I ordered it, so it is currently my temporary dojo for now. I seriously need to build a real one, it is difficult to get much height in a cardboard lid!



My phone doesn't do it justice here, but Sensei has some interesting character, with neutral greys, and warmer tones that run throughout the rock due to insoluble iron deposits. I think it’s pretty flexible in that it is easy to pair with a variety of sands or soils quite easily. I could use something like WIO Rocket sand to bring out the greys, or Colorado sand to accentuate the warm reddish brown tones. For playing around purposes I just opened an extra bag of La Plata from the 150 build.



Not the all stone was well suited for use in a tank this size, though. That large stone center top in the image above is at least as thick as it is wide, and WAY too beefy and blocky to be useful, even if this was a 90P. Too many like that, and there would be no need for plants at all. It’s always difficult wanting to smash something you just purchased, but this morning I took a deep breath, and unleashed a hammer and cold chisel (honestly just the hammer works pretty darned well with with the strata in this stone) to see what I would end up with. Worse case scenario, I will end up with some accent gravel, because Sensei is difficult to match in color and texture with the accent gravels I have see out there.



What do you know…smashing it worked pretty well, and I much prefer the shards that I broke off that blocky rock. Much more pointy potential there. There are a couple of other odd shaped stones I would be willing to resculpt into a more useable shape, too. It is actually quite fun bashing rocks with a hammer first thing on a Monday morning. I am now looking forward to playing around some more with these rocks, and seeing if I can up the drama a bit. We’ll see what I ultimately end up with. I don’t think the shrimp will mind too much regardless.

 

[Capraquaria]

A not so great update on this project, and I had to wait a few days before posting while I calm down about the entire situation. First, for the hyper-astute, you may have noticed that Art was able to change the title of this journal for me a few days ago (thank you!). This project was supposed to be a rescape of my ADA 60F tank. Alas, my house cleaner brought a helper with her to clean as she had another home to do afterward, but this helper wasn't told a few important details about cleaning this house. Including not to clean around the tank in the kitchen (she only cleans the main floor, thankfully, and the 150U is fine in the basement).

For reasons I can't fathom, her helper thought she needed to clean the counter UNDER the 60F tank. This resulted in two substantial corner chips off the tank when she couldn't control 'sliding' it while full of water (it doesn't exactly slide easily with a leveling mat under it), and somehow she managed to get TWO corners to hit the granite backsplash behind it while attempting to move it. It was ok, though, because they spilled water, and refilled it from the sink. That tank is remineralized RO, because my tap water is liquid concrete. That wasn't the end of it, either.

I noticed the shrimp before I noted the tank damage. Many were already dead when I got home, and I realized the house smelled like a swimming pool. Apparently that day her helper used bleach to clean the kitchen counters. In a spray bottle. All over the counter and adjacent sink, and to remove 'spots' on the rim of the tank. Suffice to say that I no longer need to think about where to put my breeding colony of Blue Diamond shrimp that were in the 60F during a rescape

Unless I want no downtime at all at the moment, and I want to fit this hobby into my existing schedule, I need to retain her for now (she's been here for four years so all this is rather astonishing), but it requires some compromise on my part. As such, I have decided that as the eventual goal is to transform the previous owner's workout room in the basement into my small studio, all tanks will need to be in the basement. I've enjoyed having a tank to view in the evenings on the main floor of the house, but it's not worth this sort of stress as it negates the entire zen aspect of this hobby. Maybe I will replace the 60F in the kitchen with a few DOOA Shizuku glass pots after Aquashella.

Anyhoo, the 60F is damaged, and while likely useable (not sure if I can maybe silicone or epoxy the corners to reinforce them? The corners are sort of 'crushed'), at least for a shallow small farm tank, I am not comfortable filling it with this much Sensei stone at the moment. I also had the issue of finding a stand to put it on so I can move it downstairs. The 60F is pretty shallow in depth. ADA cabinets are not bountiful here, and I just don't have the time at the moment to retrofit furniture. Because I still need to clear the Nautilus out of the exercise room, for now any replacement tank will sit in the same general area as my 150U. It's a really good thing we almost never use the pool table down there, but I think I can situate a 60U just out of the potential strike zone of a pool cue. After this, I will take that risk.

As of last night I received confirmation that the new UNS 60U and stand have shipped, and are on their way from California via UPS. They should both arrive Tuesday, but I am a bit concerned that UPS here tends to drop-kick everything prior to delivery. FedEx is usually better for fragile items, but fingers crossed the tank and stand arrive unscathed. At least it won't take four people and tractor to move this one

Due to increased depth of the 60U, I have changed some of the other hardware, too, and will be switching to a Chihiros WRGB Pro 60cm light for the extra depth in coverage, a full pressure CO2 system with a GLA regulator, and a dosing pump (because with the tank out of sight, I know I will forget to fertilize daily).

I am still looking into filters. The Filtosmart is ok, in that it is functional, but I really despise opening the Oase Filtosmart latches. I only got it because it could sit adjacent to the 60F on a flat countertop without accumulating a lot of air and running itself dry. Now that I will have a cabinet to put the filter in, options are open. The Biomasters are all 16/22, so that would mean reducers on the intake and outflow. Very open to recommendations for favorite canister filters for a 60U/P. I was surprised to see the 1S version of the Netlea stainless I have has the exact same footprint and capacity as the one I have sitting under the 150U, which seems like huge overkill for a 60. What does everyone use on 60cm tanks? (No HOBs, I don't think there will be room with this scape).

The scaping plan will still be the same, but will give me a little more space to work front to back, along with a little more height as this is no longer a shallow tank. Of course, I will also need new shrimp

 

[Kwyet]

What a nightmare! I’m so sorry! I hope they at least reimbursed you for damages.

 

[JayP]

Honestly, that's like killing a family pet. I can only imagine your reaction to seeing it. Hard to believe someone would be that incompetent to think they needed to move an aquarium to clean under and around it not to mention using caustic cleaners around it.

As for filtration, even though I haven't started using my Week Aqua "ADA Superjet ES-600" clone filter yet, I'm already appreciating the simplicity of the design of a "can" with a single gasket. The Oase's just have too many potential air leak and flow choke points. Although, while it's not as easy to clean, as you pointed out, my Filtosmart 100 has been running great compared to the Biomasters. I'll be setting up the Week Aqua on my 22 long tank and I may add a Netlea "style" prefilter to it and if it works out, I may use the same setup on my upcoming 30g. I really like the idea of the DC controllable pump. I also have each size of the Aquael Ultramax waiting in the wings for larger tanks to see if @BranchScape has been leading us astray , but even the 1000 is probably too much for a tank under 25g. Maybe I'll set up a test run on a 25 with it to see and let you know.

 

[Capraquaria]

As for filtration, even though I haven't started using my Week Aqua "ADA Superjet ES-600" clone filter yet, I'm already appreciating the simplicity of the design of a "can" with a single gasket. The Oase's just have too many potential air leak and flow choke points. Although, while it's not as easy to clean, as you pointed out, my Filtosmart 100 has been running great compared to the Biomasters. I'll be setting up the Week Aqua on my 22 long tank and I may add a Netlea "style" prefilter to it and if it works out, I may use the same setup on my upcoming 30g. I really like the idea of the DC controllable pump. I also have each size of the Aquael Ultramax waiting in the wings for larger tanks to see if @BranchScape has been leading us astray , but even the 1000 is probably too much for a tank under 25g. Maybe I'll set up a test run on a 25 with it to see and let you know.

I looked at the ADA Superjets, and the general critique seemed to be low flow (with the recommendation to use a larger filter than you think you need). Price is pretty up there, but if they are out in the open and visible, they are nice looking filters. I love the aesthetic, and was looking for a more compact version of the Netlea 2S Stainless I have. Greatest 'pro' of the Netlea has been the adjustable flow rate DC pump at the bottom of the canister, rather than the top. Quiet, self-priming (always primes faster than the Biomaster), and the hidden pump eliminates extra height. If Netlea made a more 'nano' version of this filter, I would have jumped on one for the 60F, because the pump being at the bottom would have enabled the filter to be along side the tank on the counter, rather than under it, as the bottom-install pump would be situated below the water level. However, the SS Netleas have very large footprints, all of them. The smallest model has the same capacity as the one under my 150U.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Biomasters. LOVE the prefilter, and that even if I am short on time, it takes no time at all to clean the prefilters. Flow is ok, but some are not quiet enough for my sensitive hearing. For the 60F a Biomaster would never have fit on my kitchen counter under an upper cabinet, and the hoses would require reducers as the entire product range is 16/22, which is a bit big for a 60 shallow. Of course, most canisters are designed to be situated BELOW the tank, as the majority lack self-priming features, and/or have the pump up too high.

The Filtosmart has been pretty good on flow, it's quiet, it works, and it doesn't have to be below the tank. I just wish they would make it less ugly, and easier to open. I did note that Aqua-El does not make smaller filters, but if I set up a 120 or two I will definitely look at them. Let me know how you like the Week Aqua. I will be curious if they are better than those UNS Blitz filters that got good reviews out of the box, but not so great for durability, with early pump burn-outs.

 

[Mr. Silly Goose]

A not so great update on this project, and I had to wait a few days before posting while I calm down about the entire situation. First, for the hyper-astute, you may have noticed that Art was able to change the title of this journal for me a few days ago (thank you!). This project was supposed to be a rescape of my ADA 60F tank. Alas, my house cleaner brought a helper with her to clean as she had another home to do afterward, but this helper wasn't told a few important details about cleaning this house. Including not to clean around the tank in the kitchen (she only cleans the main floor, thankfully, and the 150U is fine in the basement).

For reasons I can't fathom, her helper thought she needed to clean the counter UNDER the 60F tank. This resulted in two substantial corner chips off the tank when she couldn't control 'sliding' it while full of water (it doesn't exactly slide easily with a leveling mat under it), and somehow she managed to get TWO corners to hit the granite backsplash behind it while attempting to move it. It was ok, though, because they spilled water, and refilled it from the sink. That tank is remineralized RO, because my tap water is liquid concrete. That wasn't the end of it, either.

I noticed the shrimp before I noted the tank damage. Many were already dead when I got home, and I realized the house smelled like a swimming pool. Apparently that day her helper used bleach to clean the kitchen counters. In a spray bottle. All over the counter and adjacent sink, and to remove 'spots' on the rim of the tank. Suffice to say that I no longer need to think about where to put my breeding colony of Blue Diamond shrimp that were in the 60F during a rescape

This is a huge fear for me. I'm really sorry to hear your experience . I've only had cleaners come when the tanks were still empty and I gave explicit instructions about the tanks and actually covered both with a bedsheet to make it extra obvious. I also WFH, so there's that benefit too. We keep talking about finding cleaners and this is always at the front of my mind.

I can't fathom using bleach on a granite countertop either.

 

[Capraquaria]

Well, this puts this project on a better trajectory. I feel MTS slowly creeping in. One sparkly new UNS 60U, and UPS got it here without a scratch!



It's so small there's even room for a few more Actually, this is not its permanent home, but it will be safer here than in the kitchen after the recent fiasco. I just need to commit to a filter. I have a Netlea 1SF in my ARC cart...just need to push go.

 

[JayP]

MTS? I have far too many empty tanks sitting in my house. Let's make arrangements to move some to your house.

 

[Koan]

It's so small there's even room for a few more

 

[Capraquaria]

...and another reactor, dosing pump, light, regulator, flow meter, filter. Scaping be like...

 

[JayP]

Well, you could be like me and after that first successful aquarium, immediately start buying a lot more stuff...only to realize later after setting up more tanks and understanding better what you really want, you need to sell all of that other stuuf for pennies on the dollar to have money and room for new stuff. I got a little carried away too soon.

 

[Capraquaria]

With the pivot on the tank to the UNS 60U, so I can try to repair the 60F, things have evolved slightly (it’s a slippery slope...change the tank, add a cabinet, and everything starts to change ).

Tank: UNS 60U (60 cm x 36 cm x 36 cm) - 20.5 gallons

Lighting: Chihiros WRGB II Pro (was the WRBG II Slim, but the 60U has more depth)

Hardscape: Sensei Stone (AFA), and WIO Brown/Warm Grey Accent Chip Stones

Substrate: Crushed lava stone (in media bags, for slope), UNS Controsoil Black Normal, and Fine. ADA La Plata Sand 50:50 with ADA Colorado Sand

Filter: Netlea Stainless (ARC) 1SF with Jardli 12/16 glass lily pipes with outflow skimmer and modified intake guard for shrimplets.

CO2: GLA PRO-DS-1, with ARC Yugang Small Stainless Reactor (see, second Yugang, said this was a slippery slope!)

Revised Plant List (pending availability):

• Eleocharis pusilla 'mini'
• Cryptocoryne parva
• Riccardia Chamedryfolia
• Fissdens Fontanus
• Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) 'Cuba'
• Mini Christmas Moss
• Anubias Mini Coin
• Bucephalandra Lamandau Mini Purple
• Rotala rotundifolia Green (?)

Livestock: Neocaridina Ocean Blue, Clithon sowerbyanum

Spent the last two weekends finalizing the layout for this tank. The goal is low maintence, as shrimp like stability above all else, and a habitat that works for them as a breeding colony, but perhaps with a few less places to completely hide than my previous setup. Nothing like a forest of stems in the back of a tank to make your shrimp disappear! That's why there is a '?' next to the Rotala, but that is actually a well behaved plant and easy to keep lower to the substrate.

The largest stone was an odd shape at quite thin at the base, making it highly unstable. As these particular stones are quite 'chunky' (not what I would have picked if I had the luxury of selecting hardscape in person), I didn't want to start gluing support stones, and robbing the modicum of planting space I have. So, I bagged up some crushed lava stone as a base layer to help increase the height a little in the back, and provide a more solid ledge to lean that stone into.



I had originally intended to plant a Monte Carlo carpet across the front, but decided that it would make maintenance a pain in the derriere, especially when shrimplets are hiding in the plants, and would necessitate more trimming than I really want to deal with in a small tank with this much rock. There's enough room for an algae scraper all the way around, but small curved scissors between the rocks would be a special kind of torture. The less I have to trim, the better. It's not a contest tank, just a fancy shrimp tank.

The 60F in its first incarnation was more MD-Style, with a fully sand capped substrate. I ended up this time doing a sand-heavy foreground, and actually prefer the aesthetic to straight aquasoil in this case. Its suits the rock work better, but will also allow me to control foreground growth. Plants like Crypt Parva will still do well, as the sand isn't that deep, and with soil just under it, it will have plenty to substrate to root in. I left the rear corner pockets of the tank open soil for a little Rotala.




My greatest challenge was coming up with a convincing scree stone. Sensei stone does NOT like to break into small pieces without them being very sharp and angular. Not exactly a weathered look. However, after a lot of searching for something close, the WIO accent crushed stones, especially the brown, were pretty perfect for Sensei Stone, I just wish there was more range in stone size. As there are grey tones in the Sensei stone, I also mixed the brown with a little warm grey crushed accent as well.

I haven't used crushed lava rock as base before, but as is mostly under the path in media bags, and there is a generous soil layer over it, I don't expect it to be too big a problem with roots.



Honestly, the greatest challenge has been squishing everything in the cabinet. I actually had to mount the power strip on the 'ceiling' of the cabinet to make room for the reactor. Not even sure I would bother with the CO2 if it wasn't for the Cuba, but I am quite converted to not staring at CO2 bubbles drifting around the tank. Which reminds me, I need to find another flow meter, and maybe hit up Rocco for another Dwyer mounting bracket. Maybe I should do a bulk order to have a few extra on hand

Anyhoo, yesterday was maintenance day for the 150, so it was a perfect opportunity to fill this tank, and steal a tray of Seachem Matrix out of the Biomaster for the Netlea, and squeeze some filter sponges into the Netlea to give it a kick start. Hoping it can shorten the dark start a bit this time. The 150 took almost two months, but I am hoping as the Controsoil isn't as rich as Amazonia, and having a well established filter to seed bacteria from, will help me time the end of the dark start with some more sensible weather that might be conducive to shipping plants.

Amazingly, I only had about a dozen balls of aquasoil roll onto the sand during the tank fill, but I am sure once there are shrimp in here they will make an unholy mess of the foreground! I do like how more of the grey tones are visible once these rocks are under water. It's an interesting rock.



As for the Jardli Pro Filter Tubing from Jay's post, it's ok. I do prefer the 3M silicone hose. The Jardli is thinner walled, and not a particularly snug fit. That said, it is quite flexible (and needs the kink guards especially in a cramped cabinet). The Reactor isn't hooked up yet, but I will probably use this Jardli hose to connect the Reactor, as it will be clamped at both ends, and then transition to clear hose to connect the lily pipes.

Meanwhile, a question for the hive mind. The ADA 60F tank that was intended for this scape will be torn all the way down next weekend, as the fry are finally moving out. Despite the damage to the corners, it is still watertight. However, with two corners crunched in the back I am wondering if anyone has ever tried using one of those windshield glass repair kits to stabilize that sort of impact damage on the outside of a tank corner? The glass is still there, just crunched. Or maybe just a clear epoxy? It wouldn't be visible from the front, mostly just want to stabilize the chips so they don't flake out, and expose the silicone. If nothing else, I can use the tank to grow out mosses.

More after the dark start, when planting commences.