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Little shrimp tank

I Like Rare Fish

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Hello, I had some questions regarding a shrimp tank. I plan it to be either 2.5 gallons with some plants and a couple small shrimp, or a larger tank, a cubed 30g or so with larger shrimp and planted. At the moment I’m not sure about species, but we’ll get there. My questions:

Depending on the species, does there need to be a heater? (it would be an indoor tank ofc).

Does there need to be a filter? I’m trying to make it very low maintenance, and I’m not sure if a filter is needed IF it is heavily planted. Of course wc.

Anything i can do to prevent algae growth?

Will have more questions soon tho
 
Hello, I had some questions regarding a shrimp tank. I plan it to be either 2.5 gallons with some plants and a couple small shrimp, or a larger tank, a cubed 30g or so with larger shrimp and planted. At the moment I’m not sure about species, but we’ll get there. My questions:

Depending on the species, does there need to be a heater? (it would be an indoor tank ofc).

Does there need to be a filter? I’m trying to make it very low maintenance, and I’m not sure if a filter is needed IF it is heavily planted. Of course wc.

Anything i can do to prevent algae growth?

Will have more questions soon tho
How do you feel about RCS? I think you could do these without a heater (depending on room temps) or filter, but lots of plants. The tank would need to be well established and I personally don't trust smaller than about 8 gallons. These shrimp can control algae if fed infrequently (ie. once a week).

Some of mine are in a large bowl and rarely get a water change. I based it on this MD Fish Tanks video.
 
I can't find any reference to lightning bolt shrimp but there are blue bolt shrimp, which seem to be Caridina cantonensis, while RCS (red cherry shrimps) are Neocaridina davidi.

There are many different colours of Neocaridina davidi -
Red - red cherry, red rili, bloody mary, red fire,
Orange - orange cherry, orange rili,
Yellow
Blue - blue dream, blue jelly, blue sapphire
green jade, snowball (white), chocolate, black, black carbon rili
and so on, all the same species. These are the easiest shrimps to keep as they can live in a wide range of water parameters.

It is not advisable to mix different colours of N. davidi as several generations down the line you'll start seeing wild brown coloured shrimps.


Then there are various species of Caridina, which include the well known amano shrimp as well as tiger shrimp, and the crystal shrimps both red and black (Caridina cantonensis or logemanni*). C. cantonensis need soft acidic water.


Bamboo shrimps are filter feeders and more difficult to keep alive unless you make sure they are fed properly.



Like with fish, research their needs.



* Taxonomists keep changing the names of shrimp. For example, amano shrimps used to be Caridina japonica, now they are C. multidenta though you still see both names used. And red cherry shrimp used to be Neocaridina denticulata, now they are N. davidi.
 
Hello, I had some questions regarding a shrimp tank. I plan it to be either 2.5 gallons with some plants and a couple small shrimp, or a larger tank, a cubed 30g or so with larger shrimp and planted. At the moment I’m not sure about species, but we’ll get there. My questions:

Depending on the species, does there need to be a heater? (it would be an indoor tank ofc).

Does there need to be a filter? I’m trying to make it very low maintenance, and I’m not sure if a filter is needed IF it is heavily planted. Of course wc.

Anything i can do to prevent algae growth?

Will have more questions soon tho
Firstly I agree with Naughts 8 gallons is the smallest I would go for shrimp. All neocaridina don't need a heater as long as the tank is at room temperature. If the tank is heavily planted with floating plants as stems then no filter is needed.
Could I have a couple bamboo shrimp as well?
Bamboo shrimp are lovely. I would say 30 gallons of you want some. They would be fine living among the other shrimp. They do need a heater. I do agree with essay they are harder to feed but certainly not as difficult as he makes it out to be. You would need an established tank 6 months maybe longer, a sponge filter would be helpful but not needed, and powder food. Live baby brine, frozen Cyclops would be adequate. If you do get some watch closely to see if they are eating particles and not digging for food.
 
It is not advisable to mix different colours of N. davidi as several generations down the line you'll start seeing wild brown coloured shrimps.
Are there any negative effects to mixing them?
I don't really care for the special colors, I prefer the natural ones.
Hence, I bought 20 mixed n. davidi knowing they will soon all be brown.
 
Besides the color difference, there won't be any negative effects to keeping variously colored N. davidi. I would very strongly recommend a filter. Shrimp are actually more sensitive to water quality than the average fish, and a filter will enormously improve water quality, as well as allowing you to do fewer water changes while keeping the water quality high. Shrimp are also sensitive to changes in conditions - including temperature. Because very small bodies of water (like a 2.5 gallon) are very prone to sudden changes that wouldn't make a good home for shrimp. The 30 gallon cube would be much more stable. Because of issues with water stability I wouldn't put any shrimp in less than a 5 gallon tank, even if they're bioload and size are small.
As far as temperature, N. davidi are able to handle a large temperature range so long as there aren't sudden shifts in temperature. Anywhere from 68 to 80 degrees should be alright.

Lots of live plants will help out compete algae growth. Making sure the light isn't on too long, you don't overfeed, and that you keep up on weekly water changes should also help with that. Cherry Shrimp don't particularly care for algae and will only pick at it. I had a large colony and they did virtually nothing for algae control. I recommend against starving Cherries in the hopes that they'll take to the algae. Cherries should be fed every other day, and they'll accept sinking fish pellets as well as food made specifically for Dwarf Shrimp. Instead you could get a different type of Shrimp like Amano Shrimp, whose natural diet is mostly algae. Amanos prefer algae and will eagerly eat lots of it, and 3-4 Amano should be able to keep a 30 gallon clean of algae. Amano are compatible with Dwarf Shrimp like Cherries as well as larger shrimp like Bamboo Shrimp.

Blue Bolt Shrimp are a type of Caridina Dwarf Shrimp. They're a bit more fragile than Neocaridini Shrimp like Cherries or others like Amano Shrimp. You might want to see how you do with more hardy species of shrimp before trying Blue Bolts. Like many Caridina Shrimp, Blue Bolts are much more particular about water parameters than Neocaridina Shrimp. Blue Bolts need temperatures in the low 70s (so you could need a heater for them), a pH of 6.0 to 6.5, and very soft water. They do not do well outside of that pH range long term. If you want to keep things relatively low maintenance, you might want to test your pH and not get Caridina shrimp if you'd have to adjust it.

Bamboo Shrimp are very high maintenance, so that's something to keep in mind. They'll need tanks established long enough to have their own microflora (around 6 months or so). They're current feeders, so will need a filter with a strong current to feed from with a feeding perch nearby, and they'll need to be fed at least a few times a day. They're built to be eating small bits of live food almost constantly. Speaking of live food, you'll need to either buy or culture live small invertebrates for them. Bamboo Shrimp do best in a tank with strong currents and lots of dissolved oxygen.

I'm not sure how high maintenance you want the planted aspect to be. But some good low maintenance plants that would do well with Shrimp are mosses of all types. Christmas Moss, Java Moss, Fissidens fontanus, you name it Shrimp will love it. Having lots of moss should also increase the survival rate of shrimplets. Anubias, Java Fern, Cryptocoryne, Subwassertang, Hygrophila and Ludwigia are other less demanding plants. For carpet plants, Marsilea and Sagittaria subulata are some of the less demanding varieties.

Lastly, Shrimp in general do poorly in new tanks that haven't been cycled yet. Cycling involves using a filter and an Ammonia source to grow beneficial bacteria that can break Ammonia down into less toxic forms that can be easily removed with water changes, and it takes about a month. If you've already added the shrimp to a new tank, you may need to do daily partial water changes of 25% or so daily until the beneficial bacteria that break down Ammonia into less harmful substances have had a chance to develop in your filter media. Otherwise some of those shrimp will probably die. Adding live plants can also help the tank cycle faster, as can adding Tetra Safestart to boost the beneficial bacteria population. If you know someone with an established tank, getting some filter media from then and putting it in your filter would also really help.
 
Besides the color difference, there won't be any negative effects to keeping variously colored N. davidi. I would very strongly recommend a filter. Shrimp are actually more sensitive to water quality than the average fish, and a filter will enormously improve water quality, as well as allowing you to do fewer water changes while keeping the water quality high. Shrimp are also sensitive to changes in conditions - including temperature. Because very small bodies of water (like a 2.5 gallon) are very prone to sudden changes that wouldn't make a good home for shrimp. The 30 gallon cube would be much more stable. Because of issues with water stability I wouldn't put any shrimp in less than a 5 gallon tank, even if they're bioload and size are small.
As far as temperature, N. davidi are able to handle a large temperature range so long as there aren't sudden shifts in temperature. Anywhere from 68 to 80 degrees should be alright.

Lots of live plants will help out compete algae growth. Making sure the light isn't on too long, you don't overfeed, and that you keep up on weekly water changes should also help with that. Cherry Shrimp don't particularly care for algae and will only pick at it. I had a large colony and they did virtually nothing for algae control. I recommend against starving Cherries in the hopes that they'll take to the algae. Cherries should be fed every other day, and they'll accept sinking fish pellets as well as food made specifically for Dwarf Shrimp. Instead you could get a different type of Shrimp like Amano Shrimp, whose natural diet is mostly algae. Amanos prefer algae and will eagerly eat lots of it, and 3-4 Amano should be able to keep a 30 gallon clean of algae. Amano are compatible with Dwarf Shrimp like Cherries as well as larger shrimp like Bamboo Shrimp.

Blue Bolt Shrimp are a type of Caridina Dwarf Shrimp. They're a bit more fragile than Neocaridini Shrimp like Cherries or others like Amano Shrimp. You might want to see how you do with more hardy species of shrimp before trying Blue Bolts. Like many Caridina Shrimp, Blue Bolts are much more particular about water parameters than Neocaridina Shrimp. Blue Bolts need temperatures in the low 70s (so you could need a heater for them), a pH of 6.0 to 6.5, and very soft water. They do not do well outside of that pH range long term. If you want to keep things relatively low maintenance, you might want to test your pH and not get Caridina shrimp if you'd have to adjust it.

Bamboo Shrimp are very high maintenance, so that's something to keep in mind. They'll need tanks established long enough to have their own microflora (around 6 months or so). They're current feeders, so will need a filter with a strong current to feed from with a feeding perch nearby, and they'll need to be fed at least a few times a day. They're built to be eating small bits of live food almost constantly. Speaking of live food, you'll need to either buy or culture live small invertebrates for them. Bamboo Shrimp do best in a tank with strong currents and lots of dissolved oxygen.

I'm not sure how high maintenance you want the planted aspect to be. But some good low maintenance plants that would do well with Shrimp are mosses of all types. Christmas Moss, Java Moss, Fissidens fontanus, you name it Shrimp will love it. Having lots of moss should also increase the survival rate of shrimplets. Anubias, Java Fern, Cryptocoryne, Subwassertang, Hygrophila and Ludwigia are other less demanding plants. For carpet plants, Marsilea and Sagittaria subulata are some of the less demanding varieties.

Lastly, Shrimp in general do poorly in new tanks that haven't been cycled yet. Cycling involves using a filter and an Ammonia source to grow beneficial bacteria that can break Ammonia down into less toxic forms that can be easily removed with water changes, and it takes about a month. If you've already added the shrimp to a new tank, you may need to do daily partial water changes of 25% or so daily until the beneficial bacteria that break down Ammonia into less harmful substances have had a chance to develop in your filter media. Otherwise some of those shrimp will probably die. Adding live plants can also help the tank cycle faster, as can adding Tetra Safestart to boost the beneficial bacteria population. If you know someone with an established tank, getting some filter media from then and putting it in your filter would also really help.
Thanks for all this! I have 5 other tanks to choose water from, but it seems bamboo shrimp aren’t the best. Also the great plant selection! Is there anything I can do to promote plant growth?

I didn’t mean blue bolt shrimp I meant colors in general, which seem to be fine, however I would probably just choose one color (rcs probably).

Firstly I agree with Naughts 8 gallons is the smallest I would go for shrimp. All neocaridina don't need a heater as long as the tank is at room temperature
I’ll go with atleast a 30g, as I found a good spot to put it.

Then there are various species of Caridina, which include the well known amano shrimp as well as tiger shrimp, and the crystal shrimps both red and black (Caridina cantonensis or logemanni*). C. cantonensis need soft acidic water.
Can I mix RCS with Amano Shrimp?
 
Can I mix RCS with Amano Shrimp?

I've not kept them both together personally, and I was once warned that RCS can be intimidated by the larger amanos, but in a well planted tank I don't see that being an issue.
Something not mentioned yet, there are specific shrimp foods available. I know those available in the UK, I use Dennerle shrimp food for my RCS, but there are sites reviewing the quality of shrimp food with American brands.
 
I have a list of plants that caught my eye. I didn’t look much into the care, though, thought you would be better than the websites. Given, it is probably a 💩list

Myriophyllum sp ‘Guyana’
Microanthemum umbrosum
hydrophillia polysperma
Hydrophillia pinnatifidia
Fissindens fontanus
Elocharis montevidensis
Deraptophyllum demersum ‘foxtail’
Bucephalandra pygmae ‘Bukit Kelam’
Christmas Moss
Red root floaters
Juncus repens
Littorella uniforma
 
My shrimp tank is just a 12 inch cube so there's not room for many plants. I have Anubias bonsai on wood, Schismatolottis prietoi growing in the substrate, Java moss on a tall thin peice of wood which needs a severe haircut every few months and red root floater. The RCS seem to like the moss in particular.
 

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