# new to this...



## azotemia (Jan 28, 2009)

Hi, i have a spare 10 gallon which is collecting dust... i thought about turning it into a shrimp tank but i have NO idea where to start (kind of substrate, filter lighting)

heck i dont even know what to ask lol

please advice

thanks


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## J-P (Feb 27, 2011)

Well, it is not hard...
On substrate:
Personally, I'd go with sand. I have a personal liking to seachem's black fluorite sand.

Why? Shrimp are substrate foragers. They turn over every nook and cranny to look for food. The sand is of a particle size that they can easily move and sift through.

You will hear others chime in about ADA soil or Red Bee Sand... They are good at what they do and that is buffering the pH in your tank. I find the grain size too large for the smaller species of shrimp. And there is a lot of hype behind these "branded" products (I know from fist hand knowledge about Red Bee Sand).

Filtration:
Any sponge filter or a small HOB filter with the intake wrapped will suffice I have seen some really cool HOB filters with a sponge intake but I'll have to go back through my e-mail to get the one I wish I had 

There are also many many breeders on the forum. Keeping shrimp is one thing, breeding them is something totally different. You can make it as complicated or as simple as you want.

Decor and lighting:
Simple LED lights or standard T12 / T5 florescent lighting is good. Just don't let it too close to the water line or you will have an evap problem (especially with lights that run hot). I had mine on for 8 hours a day. Don't forget that sunlight and ambient room lighting counts.
Live plants are usually recommended as they help filter the water and provide places for your shrimp to hide and mate. Java moss is the usual suspect. You can use anything you want but keep this is mind: Sometimes plants are more difficult to keep that the livestock. Keeping it simple is trial and error based on how advanced you want to go. For myself, if a plant isn't doing as well as others, I ditch it. I only keep those that will thrive in the conditions I provide. Since everyone's situation is different the plants that will thrive will also be different.

Feeding:
The foods you provide are important but again it is up to you. I used to culture my own foods (the best method) but grew tired and it became time consuming. I switched over to Shirakura and all was good. There are many many brands out there and I can't say one is better than the other. Your shrimp will tell you which one they prefer. Of note: Each brand has a regiment and various products that were designed to be used in conjunction with each other, there is no stand alone "all in one product". That is where your biggest expense come in.

I hope that helps a bit...


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

J-P gave lots of good info, but I'll chime in to say something short. Since this is just a whim of using a spare ten gallon tank, I'd suggest keeping it really simple and inexpensive. Some shrimp tanks can be extremely major projects from the start, and not at all inexpensive, or small in care demands. In additon to all that, this sounds like it might be your first foray into shrimp tanks, I'd say to start with some Cherry Shrimp. A ten gallon will support around a hundred shrimp, which you can occasionally spread to your other tanks, trade/sell, etc, with minimal care as they are hardy and breed easily without any special consideration.

J-P said it right, "you can make this as simple or as complicated as you want".

10 Gallon Tank
Substrate: 10lbs fine black sand
Light: Standard 15W Fluoro w/ FullSpec or 6500K bulb -or- Marineland Double bright LED
Decorative items: Cholla wood, driftwood, pebbles
Easy Plants: Dwarf Sag, Green/brown Crypts, java fern, java moss 
Filtration: Sponge Filters w/ Airpumps, optional box filter

Here is a nice little 10 gallon fish/shrimp tank I had/have setup: http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17685 this tank is about 2 or 3 times as complicated as you might need to keep cherry shrimp alone. I've helped a friend start his own after he came over to look at this one, using almost exactly my suggestions above, and his cherry shrimp population is exploding and his tank is growing slowly into a nice wild looking habitat.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Hi Azotemia,

First of all, welcome to the obsession that is shrimp keeping. 

I know how overwhelming starting something completely new can be. It took me forever to jump from keeping Cherries to keeping Crystals, but once there, I realized that it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought!

The first question you need to ask yourself is, "what kind of shrimp do I want to keep?"

Personally, I'm familiar with Red Cherry Shrimps (neo-caridinia) and Crystal Shrimps (caridinia). Cherries are pretty hardy and easy to breed. Crystals require more preparation, but are much more beautiful.

Cherry shrimps feel right at home in our moderately hard Toronto tap water. Crystal shrimps require special substrates to soften and lower the pH of tap water.

You can keep cherry shrimp in a community tank, if you have enough plant cover. Crystals, however, are better kept in a shrimp-only tank.

You can keep cherries and crystals together, so long as the water parameter suits the crystals.

Shrimps require low nitrates, especially crystal shrimps. Plants are the best way to ensure a low-nitrate environment, and they provide a more comfortable environment for the shrimps. Personally, I would not recommend dosing ferts or using CO2 in a crystal shrimp tank.

Some good plants for a shrimp tank:

*Mosses*: I've only ever had java moss, though any moss will do. Mosses are the best plants for shrimps because they provide excellent cover for shrimplets and they trap food particles that the shrimps can graze on between feedings. You should attach the mosses to something so they don't float around in the tank.

*Duckweed/Frogbit*: These floating plants grow like crazy with some good light. They are take CO2 from the air, so they can outgrow any submerged plants. The duckweed in my shrimp tank is instrumental to keeping nitrates down. You do have to remove them from time to time so that they don't block all the lights for your other plants.

*Hornwort*: I like hornwort for the way it looks and the way shrimps perch upon them. They grow relatively quickly as well, so they help with keeping nitrates down.

As for substrate, if you keep crystal shrimps, you have to go with either ADA Aquasoil, or Netlea Shrimp soil. I currently use Netlea and have heard good things about this soil. If you keep cherries, you don't need any special substrate, so long as it's a dark color (black brings out the best color in cherries).


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## azotemia (Jan 28, 2009)

*very helpful!*

wow! thanks guys, i think this should get me going while i wait for my sw setup to age a bit


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