First Shrimp Tank

[Water7]

I've been in the wishing, thinking, planning stage off and on for years, but I am back at working on it again. 

 

I currently have a one-week-old tank (Don't worry, not adding shrimp any time soon!) that is getting itself established in preparation for shrimp one day. I want to share a few basics about my setup, as well as questions I have.

 

 

I've done and continue to do a lot of reading regarding how best to keep shrimp. I'm concerned by the number of times I've read experiences of people having trouble with even "easy" shrimp. I'm afraid it would be all to easy to have a similar experience so I would like to be knowledgeable and start out right rather than having trouble down the road. However, my other goal is to keep things simple (time-wise) and inexpensive. So I'm planning on keeping neocaridina, and not one of the more difficult strains.

 

Here is what my tank (hopefully) has going for it:

 

10 gallon tank

Safe-T-Sorb substrate

Moss, Anubias, Java ferns, floating anacharis (Other floaters to be added)

No "planted" plants that could lead to substrate disturbance

No fertilizers

No CO2 or Excel

Low light

Hydrosponge filter, air-driven, 20 gallon size

50-watt heater

No fish!

Snails

 

Okay, water chemistry. This has been interesting. Some time back, I thought the general consensus was, "cherries can be kept in tap water." Now what I am reading is a stronger emphasis on starting out with RO, even with neos. I've learned that mysterious deaths, even after a colony was doing just fine for a while, may be due to some element in the water that does not agree with the shrimp. Certainly I want to avoid being the next "Help, my shrimp are dying!" story, so I'm planning to use homemade distilled water. Distilled water seems almost unheard of in favor of RO. I hope this won't cause any problem. I think this will be easier in my circumstances. 

 

Next comes remineralization. It is easy to see that Salty Shrimp gets the most votes. I note that more than one are using GH+ for their neos instead of GH/KH+. Since I find the price for a small container of powder high, at least GH+ allows you to use less powder per gallon, and the powder is cheaper too. So I hope it would be OK for me to use the GH+. Will having no KH be a problem? Will I have pH swings?

 

For food I have Hikari Crab Cuisine. If this is not a good idea, please let me know. I also hope to get Indian almond leaves, alder cones, and maybe another shrimp specific food. I'm open to suggestions. I will look into the options regarding home-prepared foods.

 

If I use alder cones and leaves in moderation, and have no KH, am I liable to have too low of a pH? I also have a small piece of driftwood in the tank that I have had in one aquarium or another for years. It does not discolor the water.

 

I hope to run this tank for 2-3 months with fish, which would be removed before adding shrimp. There is currently a bag of old filter media next to the sponge to help seed it, and two fish.

 

Should I plan on 10% weekly water changes? Is it necessary to drip the new water into the tank? (I hope not.)

 

Lastly, I hope I do not need a TDS meter. If I use Salty Shrimp according to directions on distilled water, I think that will give me a good TDS. But correct me if you think I would indeed need it.

 

Thank you!

[Trotwood]

Sounds like you're on the right track to me. I too am new to shrimp keeping and like you did lots of research before I started in hopes of getting it right the first time. I started with fire red neos since they were supposed to be so "easy". What I've come to realize is that easy is a relative term. Compared to some of the fancier shrimp these neos do indeed seem to be quite hardy. Compared to the pets I'm used to having (dogs, cats, horses) they are incredibly fragile. 

 

I had read stories of people who accidentally left some shrimp in a bucket in the garage or a half drained tank and came back to find a thriving colony and so felt quite a failure when I lost my first shrimp. I was one of those who was using tap water successfully for a couple of months and then suddenly, after a particularly rainy spell, something must have gotten into the well that didn't agree with them because I lost 8 of my adult shrimp following a regular 10% water change.

 

I've decided that it's really a matter of perspective. I started 3 months ago with 12 shrimp. I have had 8 deaths and 120+ births and my two remaining adult females are both berried. So, overall the colony seems to be doing just fine; in fact if you decide to start out with fire red neos I could send you some when your tank is ready :-). I did switch to RO water after the "incident" and have been remineralizing with SS GH/KH+. It's been working fine though it does seem to result in a very high PH. I've heard of people using the GH+ successfully with neos and also heard very positive things about SL-Aqua blue and red wizard so might try one of those next time. I do weekly 10% water changes mostly for the sake of routine. I do drip the water back in now because I'm a little jumpy after having problems and am being over cautious, I'm pretty sure it's not necessary. Originally I was just pouring it back in and everything was fine. I'm not sure what others will say about the TDS meter but I have certainly found it helpful since I've been using remineralized RO water ... it's so much quicker than messing with the liquid tests. 

 

As for feeding I've been relying mainly on leaves (indian almond, guava, mulberry, amaranth, morenga) because I love not having to worry about overfeeding and ruining the water quality. I also use snowflake and barley pellets as they have the same "leave-in" quality. I do use either SL-Aqua More Meat, More Vegetable or borneo wild red ruby once or twice a week for variety and to ensure they're getting everything they need. I like these foods because they don't fall apart and it's very easy to remove what's left with long tweezers after a couple of hours. I know lots of people use petri-dishes to contain food and prefer food that breaks up as it's more available to the whole group. Personal preference.

 

Anyway, I'm sure all your research will pay off. Good luck!

[Mr.Shrimp]

Wow, nice tank, good luck to you when you get the shrimps!

[Water7]

Thank you Trotwood and Mr. Shrimp for your replies! Trotwood, I really appreciate all of your counsel based on your own experience. I found it very interesting. Especially the suggestions on different types of foods you like gives me somewhere to start from. I appreciate your willingness to share some shrimp from your colony. Very kind of you.

[Shrimp lover]

You should go on HanAquatics.com and maybe order some of his shrimp products and foods! Best supplies around imo! Also what kind of snails do you have?  Flourish excel is safe for shrimp if used appropriately! Maybe add a little more plants and wood for shelter too. Your tank looks great though!

[EricM]

Sounds like you're on the right track to me. I too am new to shrimp keeping and like you did lots of research before I started in hopes of getting it right the first time. I started with fire red neos since they were supposed to be so "easy". What I've come to realize is that easy is a relative term. Compared to some of the fancier shrimp these neos do indeed seem to be quite hardy. Compared to the pets I'm used to having (dogs, cats, horses) they are incredibly fragile. 

 

I had read stories of people who accidentally left some shrimp in a bucket in the garage or a half drained tank and came back to find a thriving colony and so felt quite a failure when I lost my first shrimp. I was one of those who was using tap water successfully for a couple of months and then suddenly, after a particularly rainy spell, something must have gotten into the well that didn't agree with them because I lost 8 of my adult shrimp following a regular 10% water change.

 

I've decided that it's really a matter of perspective. I started 3 months ago with 12 shrimp. I have had 8 deaths and 120+ births and my two remaining adult females are both berried. So, overall the colony seems to be doing just fine; in fact if you decide to start out with fire red neos I could send you some when your tank is ready :-). I did switch to RO water after the "incident" and have been remineralizing with SS GH/KH+. It's been working fine though it does seem to result in a very high PH. I've heard of people using the GH+ successfully with neos and also heard very positive things about SL-Aqua blue and red wizard so might try one of those next time. I do weekly 10% water changes mostly for the sake of routine. I do drip the water back in now because I'm a little jumpy after having problems and am being over cautious, I'm pretty sure it's not necessary. Originally I was just pouring it back in and everything was fine. I'm not sure what others will say about the TDS meter but I have certainly found it helpful since I've been using remineralized RO water ... it's so much quicker than messing with the liquid tests. 

 

As for feeding I've been relying mainly on leaves (indian almond, guava, mulberry, amaranth, morenga) because I love not having to worry about overfeeding and ruining the water quality. I also use snowflake and barley pellets as they have the same "leave-in" quality. I do use either SL-Aqua More Meat, More Vegetable or borneo wild red ruby once or twice a week for variety and to ensure they're getting everything they need. I like these foods because they don't fall apart and it's very easy to remove what's left with long tweezers after a couple of hours. I know lots of people use petri-dishes to contain food and prefer food that breaks up as it's more available to the whole group. Personal preference.

 

Anyway, I'm sure all your research will pay off. Good luck!

 

SL-Aqua rising to the top again!  

[35ppt]

Sorry to be so late with my reply. Hopefully someone else with more experience can comment about the SafTSorb in shrimp tanks. Doesn't it remove carbonates?

Are you going still going to try distillation? I read your other post on your water source choices, both of which kind of make me nervous.

[EricM]

Sorry to be so late with my reply. Hopefully someone else with more experience can comment about the SafTSorb in shrimp tanks. Doesn't it remove carbonates?

Are you going still going to try distillation? I read your other post on your water source choices, both of which kind of make me nervous.

 

I believe people use it because its super cheap an inert. perfect for neos.

[35ppt]

I believe people use it because its super cheap an inert. perfect for neos.

Yes, it is cheap. I'm just uncertain how much it affects chemistry.

[Water7]

Thank you all for your comments, as well as your concerns. I always appreciate learning from others.

 

As far as more plants, I'm planning to keep this tank very simple, although I would like to add some floating plants. The light that I have on it is not adequate for plants; I have tried with another setup. Besides I have another planted tank, and I find that with plants comes extra debris, uprooting and substrate disturbance, deficiencies and a need for fertilizers, etc. I would like to avoid all of those potential problems with this tank, so I'll mainly be sticking with moss and these two anubias. However some cholla wood would be nice; maybe some day I will get some.

 

Regarding the water sources, I found out it wouldn't be feasible to do distilling. I have given a great deal of thought to water, and it seems that anything other than RO water carries some level of risk. If that risk is reasonably low in my case, I'm willing to try keeping shrimp. If I'm likely to fail, I'll need to give up the idea for now. I know that in my current situation, RO and remineralizer would not be something I'm able to get into, so if it is a requisite for shrimpkeeping, I guess I ought to stick with fish. I'll continue to study on it. 35ppt, please feel free to share your specific concerns about my water sources; I value all input.

 

The snails I have are pond snails and some ramshorns that stay very small. I'm trying to feed them specially to see if I can get them to grow any bigger than a small garbanzo bean.

[Wygglz]

I would hate to see you give up, Water. Many people keep neos in declorinated tap water very successfully.

[Water7]

Thank you, Wygglz for the encouragement. I am not hoping to give up at this point either. There is also the idea of remineralizing the rainwater I have. I am considering that. We live in an extremely rural, unpolluted area. We have a new metal roof and gutters, particle and charcoal filters, and UV sterilizer, so I'm thinking it might be a reasonable option. 

[chibikaie]

I used Safe T Sorb or a similar product in a planted tank with fish. I still don't know exactly what it does to water chemistry, but while it is not an active substrate that intends to alter pH, it does do SOMETHING. I eventually switched to a different substrate because what I had kept breaking down into powdery silt, but after some discussion with Shrimpy Daddy, I won't be going back to it due to the uncertainty.

I used to have wild type neocaridina a few years ago, and they did well in my tap water and even survived a three day drop in temperature with no filtration. However, just this year, I decided to try again with chocolate neos. Every single one vanished and I still don't have a definitive reason why (although I have some suspicions).

I'm actually planning to make malawa shrimp my next venture. I have a lone female that seems to be doing well in my tap water. I filter the water with charcoal (I just use a large Brita filter) and there are several handfuls of aragonite (crushed coral) mixed into the substrate, but otherwise the water is simply maintained. I'd give some thought to malawas as they are quite hardy and adaptable. A friend with a very different tap water supply (super soft and acidic vs. moderately soft and alkaline) also keeps malawas successfully. So they are not as delicate as neos.

[Water7]

Thank you Chibikae for sharing your experiences. I am sorry that I took so long to respond! I am sorry that you lost your chocolate neos that you kept in tap water. Do you have any idea why you might have lost them all?

 

Thank you also for the suggestion on the malawa shrimp.

 

Well, the 10 gallon tank that begins this thread, I have now given to my six-year-old daughter. She very much wanted to make her own fish tank, and her grandma gave her a couple of goldfish (which I know will outgrow this tank in time). I did not mind. My heater had just broken down and I did not want to replace it. I am now down to one tank of my own, my 20 gallon long planted, low-tech tank. It has 4 fish, all ones that have been rehomed to me by others. Maybe one day, when there are no fish left I can put shrimp in that. I'd really like to.

 

Life is just so busy right now that I lack time to put into aquatics, which I really enjoy. I am a homeschooling mother with three young children so I am very busy, and right now it is mainly about fitting the basics in. But I still look to eventually being able to pursue shrimpkeeping--really! Eventually it will probably work out. For now, here is a picture of my 20 long.

 

[chibikaie]

^-^ You should see my 500 unread emails, and not feel guilty about a late response.

Specifically, I suspect that I contaminated my tanks with a dewormer. I often get it all over my hands at work - I find it difficult to work with gloves on. It is a long-acting drug developed for cattle, so the effects on tiny invertebrates ... Anyway, not something most people have to worry about.

Nice tank! I have a double decker 20 L stand myself, one tank for fish and one for shrimp. Worked out nicely!

[Wygglz]

What a pretty tank. My sister homescolled all 4 of her kids until high school. I think three out of the four spoke before the senate, one skipped a grade or two, it was crazy how well they did. More power to you! Keep enjoying this forum, you never know when a new tank will appear. And it is a great bio lesson!

[Water7]

Chibikaie, thank you for letting me know about your experience with the chocolates, and what you think went wrong with them. Thankfully that is probably not something that I will run in to. But it does bear out the importance of making sure one's hands are clean before reaching in the tank.

 

Wygglz, I really appreciate your encouragement. And congratulations to your sister's children for how well they did in their education!

 

Well, I have good news. Dear daughter's interest in fish waned (she is young still) and my setup became available for my four small fish. So they will be moving out of the 20 long planted tank shown above, and we have some red cherry shrimp on order. I'm so excited and I just hope that I don't accidentally do something wrong! I have been reading and reading and I know it is a risky venture, so I hope they survive! They will be in time for my birthday--what a nice present!

 

This is a very low-tech tank, although I do have to add a little bit of dry macro fertilizers or I get signs of obvious deficiencies. I think that probably means I am not overdosing. I know nitrates are bad in excess, but without a little addition of it, the plants start either disintegrating or turning pale/discolored. I won't be adding micronutrients though, because of the copper. I will add an occasional pinch of nutritional green clay powder that I have. It is likely similar to what people are selling for shrimp.

 

I have a good bush of moss in there now, and a Lustar hydrosponge prefilter (a great, huge thing actually) over the filter intake. The tank is five months old. Today I ordered some cholla wood and alder cones to use for biofilm. I've been avidly collecting leaves this fall--different kinds. I have oak, beech, maple, and domestic and wild cherry. I'm getting ready for drip acclimating. I need to test GH and KH tomorrow, but I'm aiming for a GH of 6 or so (I mix well and rain). So I hope that it will go well!

[Water7]

Shrimp are here!

 

They arrived last Wednesday, 12 shrimp which ended up being of various sizes--maybe 1/2 to 3/4 inch. I wasn't expecting them till Thursday, so when I got the e-mail that they had arrived to our rural post office that morning, I hurried to do a final water change. Then while they drip acclimated, my mom came over from next door and helped with the very difficult task of netting out of my planted jungle three fish. They moved to my other tank. I drip acclimated from the tank into a bowl for about 2 hours, 45 minutes. At first, the shrimp swam around the bowl, but from time to time they sat quietly, grouped together, on the bottom. I feared this might be a bad sign, so decided not to drip longer. However, they spent their first day in their new home eating biofilm and seeming content.

 

I am enjoying them so much! They're rather addictive. I am SO glad I FINALLY took the plunge and got shrimp. I was so afraid I'd do something wrong and kill them, but so far, it's going well. I started trying to get into cherry shrimp two years ago, and the last number of months I've been reading and reading to get myself prepared. My daughters love watching them too.

 

I don't know how I'll do at getting pictures, but these are very beautiful, solid, deep red shrimp.

 

And they are already breeding. We've observed them at it a couple of times, and at least one is clearly saddled. It may prove difficult to see on some of them because of their coloration. It was surprising to me that very small males are already ready to breed. They are eagerly swimming around tonight; apparently someone has molted. In fact I didn't realize any of them were breeding age yet. Maybe they aren't as juvenile as I thought.

 

I am feeding them different things, and the tank is heavily planted and has snails so this should help maintain water quality. They really enjoy the cholla wood I got from Han. It is really amazing wood! I wish I'd gotten more. The alder cone and oak leaf are not of interest to them so far. They do like Hikari crab, and tiny bits of dried snail jello.

 

Feel free to add your comments or advice. Thanks for reading!

[Vpier]

Congrats and glad you didnt give up. You did a great job on the 20L.

[Water7]

Thank you, Vpier! Here is an updated tank photo.

 

Here are my shrimp, eating squash. They've been with me for one week.

 

 

My 7 year-old daughter took this one.

 

 

As of today, I have one saddled and one berried. There is an advantage to having them in a heavily planted tank. There are plenty of places for them to play and hide. But the disadvantage is, you cannot see them all, all the time. I imagine they are probably happier this way though.