While i have been talking to a few local and overseas breeder, it appears that for those breeders that have been in the hobby for some time understood the meaning of simplicity.
Simplicity in Shrimp keeping is really tough and difficult because there are a myriad of products out there to disable your potential to greater things. I too walked that path, having this and that with more and more things, i got more and more confuse. Questions start coming up like if i use this can i use that? If i feed this should i then feed that, if i add this can i add that?
This is tough because unless we have ready available information if not the only way is to try. By trying means time, money and resources are invested in it.
In Taiwan it is often said “There isn’t a best way, only better way”, and this rings true for us as well when we keep things simple and only adjust ever so slightly on one element at a time vs changing every other week. Hence, it take time to find a better way that is suitable for you
For me my ‘better way’ is really now about keeping it simple:
- Thin soil (1cm) laid in the tank as i have move away from UGF. Reason for doing that is because the time needed to reset a UGF setup takes a much longer time. Resetting a tank with thin soil setup only takes 30 mins per tank.
- Feed a good staple food and supplement with a reliable grazing material
- weekly water change using RO water
- Every few months i’ll give the Totto filter a wash and change 10% of the filter media to allow new colonization of beneficial bacteria.
With that, even with the busiest schedule i’m able to at least still keep the hobby going. So for those out there who are feeling that you don’t have time to continue on this hobby, i would urge you to try another process that will suit you rather than being slave to the hobby.
Hope you guys enjoy this post!
what you said is very true, ive just got into the hobby and its amazing, love your blog and just found out not long ago my brothers girl friends family owns a big aquatic farm here in taiwan. so many fish and so many shrimp its really cool. if anything they try to keep it as simple and consistant as possible.
As always, great article Ben. We have talked about this often and I notice that the more I experiment, the more I learn I notice my individual strategy becomes more focussed and narrowed down to something that might be considered simple. Still a long road ahead but setting goals as described in your earlier articles gives you a sense of walking the right path 🙂