Planning a (relatively!) low-maintenance planted shrimp aquarium?

[frankston]

Hello! I was hoping to get a little bit of advice as I'm planning ahead to start an tank. A little bit of relevant background: I kept a small (~10 gallon) tank years ago with a betta and some miscellaneous shrimp, but at the time I definitely underestimated the amount of time/effort I'd need to maintain the tank. In general I struggle with some depression and executive dysfunction that means that sometimes chores are hard to keep up with, so I've resigned myself to an aquarium-free existence since then.

However, I've been making progress on that front, and have been considering a planted freshwater shrimp tank -- 10-20 gallons, probably -- as a future incentive for continuing to get better at regularly caring for my space. I have been given the impression that a tank of just shrimp and some snails keep a tank cleaner than a tank with fish (although of course I don't expect this to remove the need for proper aquarium maintenance as well). What I'm hoping to learn more about is what kind of setup might fit with my life, and exactly how distant of a goal it should be, based on how much work I should plan for!

Here are some more specific questions. If anybody has any answers or tips, I'll be super grateful.
- What actually is the difference in care needs for a 10-20 gallon tank with just shrimp, as opposed to one that also had a betta and/or very small shoal of fish?
- How regularly should a planted shrimp tank be cleaned?
- Any advice on a good, relatively low-maintenance setup? Advice on specific kinds of plants and/or shrimp to consider?
- Anything else I should be considering in my planning?

That got long. Thanks so much to anyone who can share thoughts!

 

[Ram419]

Hi! I've had a 10 gallon with red cherry shrimp and a single female betta for a while now. You can see a pic of the betta and the description of the plants here --> https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...-the-month-contest-bettas.488544/post-4272929

and another pic here --> https://www.fishforums.net/threads/she-posed-for-me.488246/

The shrimp have had several babies recently. Not sure exactly how many.

It's important to note that red cherry shrimp and bettas share water temperature needs and other types of shrimp want a bit lower temps.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

It is recommended that you add around 3-5 shrimp per gallon of water, if you follow this rule than maintenance should be pretty easy. I would say in a 10 gallon shrimp tank you should clean the tank once per week and do a water change every two weeks.

If you want less maintenance, than i would recommend adding 2 or 3 shrimp per gallon of water. If you do this than you would probably only have to clean the gravel and scrub the glass every two weeks and do a water change every 3 or 4 weeks, but keep in mind that shrimp do breed. This means that as your shrimp population increases so does your maintenance, so unfortunately there is no long term solution that lowers maintenance in your shrimp tank.

As for low maintenance plants, i would highly recommend java fern, hornwort and anibius. Also add plenty of java moss, shrimps really like it! Good luck!

 

[Ram419]

I started with only a few shrimp. I've actually been surpirsed at how low maintenance it has been compared to other larger tanks I've had. I attribute some of this to the amount of plants and the substrate I used.

 

[frankston]

Hi! I've had a 10 gallon with red cherry shrimp and a single female betta for a while now. You can see a pic of the betta and the description of the plants here --> https://www.fishforums.net/threads/...-the-month-contest-bettas.488544/post-4272929

and another pic here --> https://www.fishforums.net/threads/she-posed-for-me.488246/

The shrimp have had several babies recently. Not sure exactly how many.

It's important to note that red cherry shrimp and bettas share water temperature needs and other types of shrimp want a bit lower temps.

Oh, what a lovely tank and betta! Looks like your plants are thriving.

Thanks for the note about temperature! I'll remember that.

 

[frankston]

It is recommended that you add around 3-5 shrimp per gallon of water, if you follow this rule than maintenance should be pretty easy. I would say in a 10 gallon shrimp tank you should clean the tank once per week and do a water change every two weeks.

If you want less maintenance, than i would recommend adding 2 or 3 shrimp per gallon of water. If you do this than you would probably only have to clean the gravel and scrub the glass every two weeks and do a water change every 3 or 4 weeks, but keep in mind that shrimp do breed. This means that as your shrimp population increases so does your maintenance, so unfortunately there is no long term solution that lowers maintenance in your shrimp tank.

As for low maintenance plants, i would highly recommend java fern, hornwort and anibius. Also add plenty of java moss, shrimps really like it! Good luck!

Thank you! Starting with a smaller shrimp population sounds like a good way to at least start off easy and ease my way in. I like that idea.

 

[barbaraesterly]

Hello! I was hoping to get a little bit of advice as I'm planning ahead to start an tank. A little bit of relevant background: I kept a small (~10 gallon) tank years ago with a betta and some miscellaneous shrimp, but at the time I definitely underestimated the amount of time/effort I'd need to maintain the tank. In general I struggle with some depression and executive dysfunction that means that sometimes chores are hard to keep up with, so I've resigned myself to an aquarium-free existence since then.

However, I've been making progress on that front, and have been considering a planted freshwater shrimp tank -- 10-20 gallons, probably -- as a future incentive for continuing to get better at regularly caring for my space. I have been given the impression that a tank of just shrimp and some snails keep a tank cleaner than a tank with fish (although of course I don't expect this to remove the need for proper aquarium maintenance as well). What I'm hoping to learn more about is what kind of setup might fit with pizza tower my life, and exactly how distant of a goal it should be, based on how much work I should plan for!

Here are some more specific questions. If anybody has any answers or tips, I'll be super grateful.
- What actually is the difference in care needs for a 10-20 gallon tank with just shrimp, as opposed to one that also had a betta and/or very small shoal of fish?
- How regularly should a planted shrimp tank be cleaned?
- Any advice on a good, relatively low-maintenance setup? Advice on specific kinds of plants and/or shrimp to consider?
- Anything else I should be considering in my planning?

That got long. Thanks so much to anyone who can share thoughts!

Hello,
Shrimp are generally more sensitive to water quality than hardy fish like bettas. I recommend you ensure stable water parameters, maintain proper filtration, and monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels. Shrimp tanks typically require less frequent water changes compared to fish tanks, as shrimp produce less waste. However, regular testing and partial water changes (10-20% every 1-2 weeks) are still necessary. Shrimp tanks benefit from a more stable and matured environment, so I think you should allow the tank to cycle for a few weeks before adding shrimp is recommended.

 

[Naughts]

I copied this set up but didn't add shrimp (red cherry) for 6 months. I'll never add fish.
Unlike MD, I do a water change every few weeks (maybe 3 or 4).
I add food once a week. Someone here thought that was akin to starving the shrimp but they are scavenging on plants, algae, biofilm, micro-organisms...
I was surprised last winter that all the shrimp survived at room temperature.
I'd always seen plenty of shrimplets in here, if that ever slows, I'll up my game.