Trenchy's Tanks

So,I bit the bullet a month ago and bought a 34l Fluval Flex.  A couple of weeks spent ordering/fitting extras to make this small tank suitable for small fish (what were Fluval thinking?) and boost the filtration system.  Then another fortnight to cycle (using some BioHome from my other tank really sped things up).

Cycle completed on Thursday so I headed out on a 60 mile round trip on Saturday to buy the Celestial Pearl Danios that I've wanted since the first picture I saw!
Back again on Sunday to swap one poor little fella with a crooked spine and malformed fins who was not long for this world.  To make the trip worthwhile I bought a couple more (I now have 10) and picked up a baker's dozen of Red Cherry shrimp from someone selling them cheap on ebay!

So, after 120 miles and too many pounds I have this:



The CPDs have exceeded my expectations. The poor little scared grey things (they were in a tank full of Tiger Barbs ) have quickly settled in and coloured up beautifully.  They're supposed to be timid, but they spend most of their time in the open water, hanging about and looking lovely!

As they were so faded in the shop it wasn't easy to sex them so I do have a possible problem as it looks like I have only 2 (maybe 3 ) females.  So far there has been a fair bit of displaying between the boys, especially the two largest but no fisticuffs yet.  I'll keep a close eye on them though.

On the other hand, the shrimps have gone into stealth mode!  I know 12 went in, but after a couple of hours they all dissapeared and I'm lucky if I can see two at any time.  Unfortunately I found number 13 dead on the table this morning.  There is no way he could have escaped from the tank where i found him, so i can only assume he flipped himself out of the net yesterday and I didn't notice 

Both tanks are looking good 

The plants in the bigger tank have really taken off....

Thanks @Matt

I love the minimalist aquascapes I've seen, especially the Iwagumi ones but while looking for inspiration it became apparent that they place form firmly above function and none of them really seem to cater to the needs of the fish.
I was quite surprised that chucking in some greenery worked out so well!

I got them from MA in Belton and they were feeding them Tetra Pro ground into a powder which is fine by me as I have that already.  They also seem partial to the dissolved JBL shrimp pellets on the substrate.

And there's a gap behind the large rock.  I'm fairly sure that most of them are behind there as I keep seeing 2 or 3 knocking about, but never the same group!

All the tanks are looking brill; I have to admit that my shrimp seem to disappear for long periods, only for one or two to reappear now and again.  I had them in a small curved marina 360 tank which helped magnify them and make them look MASSIVE, they have since been moved to not become food for a couple of dwarf puffers I would like.

They still hide in their new tank, so at least they are consistent.