# Setting up a shrimp tank - Need suggestions!



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Tank: 10 gal hex tank, something like this:









Substrate: trying to decide between Flourite, Eco-complete, or just plain sand.

Plants: M. Umbrosum, frogbit/duckweed (not sure what it is exactly), hornwort, and possibly some water wisteria and tape grass. Maybe I'll even move my onion plant over...

Lighting: Natural sunlight. I will be putting the tank near a window that gets a few hours of direct sunlight in the morning only, so hopefully temperature won't be an issue. I'll also get a CFL light for backup and viewing.

Heater: need to buy one. How many watts should I have for a 10 gal? I'm always afraid that it will malfunction and cook the whole tank.

Filtration: do I really need a filter? I'm planning to put an airstone and activate it for a couple of hours in the evening (when the plants aren't using CO2), in order to have some water movement.

I would very much appreciate any suggestions and comments! Thanks!


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## souldct (Nov 26, 2009)

I would at least get a sponge filter since you are pumping air anyways.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

get you substrate your filter I recommend a sponge filter and the plants add the water. Read up on fishless cycle and let it do it's thing. Get the lights and in a month or so you should be ready for some shrimp.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

'water wisteria and tape grass' need at least medium light. Sun-light will not be enough, particularly in the current season. 
Note that frogbit/duckweed will cover your light from other plants.

Don't waste your money on Flourite or Eco-complete, if you are not planing to get plants that need a nutrient-rich substrate. 
Shrimps looks the best with a black substrate. The best I've seen is Tahitian Moon Sand. I use it. And it's relatively cheap 

I also recommend to use a filter.

What shrimps are you going to keep in there?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> 'water wisteria and tape grass' need at least medium light. Sun-light will not be enough, particularly in the current season.
> Note that frogbit/duckweed will cover your light from other plants.
> 
> Don't waste your money on Flourite or Eco-complete, if you are not planing to get plants that need a nutrient-rich substrate.
> ...


I'm just going to try to start a RCS colony right now. Maybe in the future, when I have more experience, I'll try my hand at other shrimps.

The thing I'm worried about using sand is that I see a lot of mentions of how sand is too compact and can create dangerous pockets of hydrogen sulfite over time, unless it is being constantly overturned. Do cherry shrimps shift through sand? If not, maybe I could get some MTS, although then I'm worried they'll take over the whole tank...


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## laurahmm (Apr 1, 2010)

I have a bucket of free black sand that I bought at The Menagerie. Its perfectly good, you may have to just rinse it. I used it for my red cherry shrimp tank as well but switched out to ADA soil. I also have tons of free guppy grass if you want. Very very easy to grow... you can just leave it floating and demands low low light. If you place your tank next to the window, expect alot of algae so the guppy grass might help fight the algae by competing for the nutrients. I would definitely use a sponge filter. shrimp can be picky about their water conditions. I dont know how warm your house is or not, but I dont think you need a heater for your cherries. They generally prefer room temperature water anyways unless you keep your room really cold in the winter time. I also have tons of MTS snails if you need some to stir the sand. I live at bathurst and steeles. You would have to come get this stuff and bring a bucket if you want.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

laurahmm said:


> I have a bucket of free black sand that I bought at The Menagerie. Its perfectly good, you may have to just rinse it. I used it for my red cherry shrimp tank as well but switched out to ADA soil. I also have tons of free guppy grass if you want. Very very easy to grow... you can just leave it floating and demands low low light. If you place your tank next to the window, expect alot of algae so the guppy grass might help fight the algae by competing for the nutrients. I would definitely use a sponge filter. shrimp can be picky about their water conditions. I dont know how warm your house is or not, but I dont think you need a heater for your cherries. They generally prefer room temperature water anyways unless you keep your room really cold in the winter time. I also have tons of MTS snails if you need some to stir the sand. I live at bathurst and steeles. You would have to come get this stuff and bring a bucket if you want.


Thanks for the offer! I just might take you up on it once I get my tank!

I'm curious why you decided to use ADA soil for your shrimp tank? Doesn't it lower the water pH?


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

solarz said:


> I'm just going to try to start a RCS colony right now. Maybe in the future, when I have more experience, I'll try my hand at other shrimps.
> 
> The thing I'm worried about using sand is that I see a lot of mentions of how sand is too compact and can create dangerous pockets of hydrogen sulfite over time, unless it is being constantly overturned. Do cherry shrimps shift through sand? If not, maybe I could get some MTS, although then I'm worried they'll take over the whole tank...


Please, consider yellow shrimps, they are not so expensive as other shrimps, but still more costly than cherries. And you can NOT keep them together with cherries.

I don't think that packing sand is a real problem. I use Flourite Sand and there are no problems with gas pockets. 
Shrimps will go through a sand and dig small holes in it.

MTS will be a problem for plants with roots. And once you get MTS, they will be in your tank forever. Don't go for them, unless you are completely sure that you need them.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

laurahmm said:


> I have a bucket of free black sand that I bought at The Menagerie.


If this is a sand Menagerie uses in their tanks, it's a very good choice.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Please, consider yellow shrimps, they are not so expensive as other shrimps, but still more costly than cherries. And you can NOT keep them together with cherries.
> 
> I don't think that packing sand is a real problem. I use Flourite Sand and there are no problems with gas pockets.
> Shrimps will go through a sand and dig small holes in it.
> ...


Gotcha, no MTS then... at least for now.

Your yellow shrimps are really cool, but I really want to get a RCS colony going too. It sucks that you can't put them together.

I wonder if given enough generations, the yellow shrimp and the red cherry could drift genetically apart enough so as to be unable to interbreed anymore?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

This is tahitian moon sand and a hexagon shrimp tank. Hope that gives you an idea for what you want to do.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

it is true that mts are hard to get rid of but mts always stays burried in the sand anyways so you won't see them, until the lights are off. as for them rooting plants I have mts in all my tanks and I don't have a problem with plants uprooting.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> This is tahitian moon sand and a hexagon shrimp tank. Hope that gives you an idea for what you want to do.


Nice! How did you get those branch-like things with the mosses on them in the 2nd pic?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

solarz said:


> Nice! How did you get those branch-like things with the mosses on them in the 2nd pic?


branchy driftwood at BA


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

*Interbreeding*



solarz said:


> I wonder if given enough generations, the yellow shrimp and the red cherry could drift genetically apart enough so as to be unable to interbreed anymore?


Unfortunately, it doesn't work like this. They are not loosing it's genius. It might be can be done interbreeding yellows with other species, I don't know.
Look at this page for some more info: Freshwater Shrimps Crossbreeding/Interbreeding

What happen if you will keep them together? Read below:


> However by doing a dihybrid cross of two heterozygous parents we get a 9:3:3:1 ratio. Meaning out of 16 shrimplettes born; 9 will retain its wild type coloration (brown): 3 will be cleat-red (but very poor coloration) : 3 will be clear-yellow (again poor coloration): 1 double recessive shrimp (has both yellow and red genes).


It has been copied from this page: http://winnipegfishforum.info/forum/index.php?topic=27887.0;wap2

So, majority of offspring will be brown


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Do I need a heater if my water temperature is 73F? Will RCS breed well under this temp?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

solarz said:


> Do I need a heater if my water temperature is 73F? Will RCS breed well under this temp?


check this site out.

http://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Red-Cherry-Shrimp


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Yes, but I also read here:
http://theaquariumwiki.com/Neocaridina_heteropoda



article said:


> This shrimp is easy to breed. You just need a male and a female. Keep these shrimps relatively cool at 20-23°C (68-73.4°F) and they will breed.


And this site:
http://en.microcosmaquariumexplorer.com/wiki/Red_Cherry_Shrimp

says:


article said:


> *They do best in moderately soft, slightly acidic water*, but are quite tolerant of less-than-ideal water conditions.


I thought cherry shrimps required slightly alkaline water? Why are there so many contradictory information out there?


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> This is tahitian moon sand and a hexagon shrimp tank. Hope that gives you an idea for what you want to do.


hey fish_man what kind of moss is the second picture?


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

cherry shrimp are so easy to breed. just put many plants, feed them every other day, 10% water change once a week and they will breed like crazy.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

camboy012406 said:


> hey fish_man what kind of moss is the second picture?


the moss that I gave you 

java moss


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Wow! I just saw a tiny shrimp in my community tank. I hadn't even seen any berried shrimp!


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

are u sure is that a baby shrimp?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Yeah, it's way smaller than any of the shrimps I first got, about 1/6 of an inch. It's not a baby, but it's definitely a 2nd generation!


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

You could maybe go for a small corner filter that attaches to an air pump. It's full of filter floss inside and is smaller than a sponge filter. They only cost $4 or so.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

BettaBeats said:


> You could maybe go for a small corner filter that attaches to an air pump. It's full of filter floss inside and is smaller than a sponge filter. They only cost $4 or so.


they are also very loud IMO


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