Why Shrimp? Shrimp are fascinating little creatures that are now very common in the aquarium hobby – there are even many hobbyists that are exclusively shrimpkeepers! When kept in a species-only aquarium, you can truly see their quirky personalities. They can be seen swimming and grazing throughout the tank day and night. They’re very curious creatures and if anything goes into the tank, whether it be food, maintenance tools, or your fingers, they’ll likely come closer to check it out! Shrimp also readily breed in the aquarium, so you’ll be able to see their entire lifecycle from when a female is carrying eggs to when they hatch into adorable shrimplets and mature. As they grow, they will molt, a process where they shed their old shell and grow a new one better suited to their size. You’ll probably see lots of old shells lying around the tank! As you can tell, I’m a bit obsessed with shrimp but how could I not be? There’s never a boring moment with shrimp with lots to see and lots to learn. Raising and caring for shrimp is very fulfilling and hopefully with this guide, you can be a shrimpkeeper too! Tank SizeShrimp are very small creatures, but their proper tank size is largely debated – each shrimpkeeper tends to have their own opinion based on experience. This is mainly because the number one thing shrimp need is stability. If there is one thing you should takeaway from this article, it is that shrimp need stability. Fluctuating water parameters is detrimental to shrimp and will cause them to die. Sometimes it will be immediate (within days), or they’ll be chronically stressed and die over time. This is where the tank size debate comes in. The larger the tank, the more stable the water parameters tend to be. In smaller tanks, even the slightest provocation can spike any one of your water parameters very quickly. Because of this, the general consensus is that bigger is better. Larger tanks will be easier to maintain and keep stable. Smaller tanks will limit the number of shrimp you’ll be able to keep and if the tank is overpopulated, the shrimp will likely stop breeding. It is also important to keep in mind the species of shrimp you intend to keep, as some are more sensitive to changes than others. My personal opinion is that you can go as low as 3 gallons for a shrimp tank, just bearing in mind everything I’ve mentioned previously on stability and limitations on number of shrimp. For more sensitive species, such as crystal red/black shrimp and Taiwan bees (caridina species), I would recommend having a larger tank (closer to 10 gallons or larger) unless you are experienced, very strict with tank maintenance and check water parameters religiously. Setting Up Your Shrimp Tank Once you’ve decided on your tank, it’s time to set it up! Here are some general things you will need: Substrate Substrate hosts loads of beneficial bacteria, can help stabilize your water parameters, and is a great grazing surface for shrimp. For Neocaridina species, such as the common Cherry shrimp and it’s color variants, an inert substrate such as sand or gravel will work just fine. For soft water shrimp species, such as Caridina shrimp, I would recommend using an active substrate. Active substrates buffer your water to keep the pH stable at around 5.5-6.5, depending on the substrate you use. This is especially important for Caridina breeding and survival rate of shrimplets. The downside of active substrates is that they need to be replaced once they’ve been exhausted. Most active substrates will last one year on average before needing to be swapped – at that point your pH will start to climb. I am currently using Ibaraki Akadama soil, which is a reddish-brown, hard-baked clay normally used for bonsai trees. It works great as an active substrate for shrimp, is budget friendly, and is very long-lasting. I decided to use it after recommendation from Mark’s Shrimp Tank, and he’s had it last for at least 3 years before exhausting. I have also used Fluval Shrimp Stratum with great success as well. Other popular options include GlasGarten Environment Soil and ADA Amazonia to name a few. Bacterial Products Bacterial products are very useful for selecting the bacteria that will be in your tank. Basically, you want lots of “good” bacteria to be present in the tank to outcompete any “bad” bacteria that could harm your shrimp! Beneficial bacteria are responsible for cycling your tank and keeping your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates at bay. They are also important for biofilm formation, which shrimp of all ages like to graze on. This is especially important for baby shrimp, which tend to hide during their first few weeks of life. If you have adequate biofilm in your tank, your baby shrimp should have plenty of food available near them until they’re ready to start roaming the tank. I like to add a layer of bacteria to my tank before putting in the substrate. For this, I use Borneo Wild Enlive. I sprinkle it across the bottom of my tank, then pour at least 3cm of substrate on top of it. Afterwards I sprinkle GlasGarten BacterAE over the substrate. I also like to add BacterAE during water changes. Water It is important to do your research on the shrimp species you intend to keep so you know what type of water parameters they like. Some of the most important parameters to check are Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), General Hardness (GH), and Carbonate Hardness (KH). Depending on the water in your area, you can use tap water for your tank. If you are, it is essential you use a water conditioner to make it aquarium-safe. My favorite product is Seachem Prime, which not only dechlorinates water, but also neutralizes ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. I live in London, UK, which has very hard water. Because of this, I use Reverse Osmosis (RO) water when setting up a tank and when doing water changes. To do this, I add SaltyShrimp GH+ to a bucket of RO water, mix it, and check the TDS using a TDS meter. I can add more remineralizer if needed until I reach the desired TDS. After that I can add it to the tank. No matter what water you decide to use, it is important to age it in an open container for at least 24 hours first. This allows the water to stabilize it’s pH (when not under high pressure conditions such as in water pipes) and also heat to room temperature. If your room is cooler than what you have set in your shrimp tank, you can add a heater to the water bucket. Heater Dwarf shrimp are tropical species, so it’s important to maintain their ideal temperature! A heater is useful for this, especially during the winter or if your room temperature is cooler than what is ideal for your shrimp. During the summer months, you may have the opposite problem, especially if you don’t have air conditioning. In that case, having a fan pointed at the water surface is useful for cooling the aquarium. Recommended temperature ranges: Neocaridina – 21°C - 26°C Caridina – 19°C - 23°C Filter Shrimp are extremely sensitive to nitrates, or all nitrogenous wastes for that matter, so you really want to have adequate filtration for your shrimp tank. Many shrimp keepers love using sponge filters in their tank because they not only aerate your water, but they also have a ton of biological filtration. Sponge filters can either be attached to an air pump (as originally intended) or you can attach it to a powerhead. The biggest advantage of sponge filters is that they have a huge surface area for beneficial bacteria and biolfilm to grow – great for maintaining your cycle and perfect for baby shrimp to hide in and graze on! If you decide on using a sponge filter, I would recommend getting a double-headed sponge filter. That way, you can clean or replace one of the sponges while leaving the other. This will ensure you still have loads of beneficial bacteria and won’t risk crashing your cycle. Hang-on-back filters and canister filters also make great filters as they allow you to have multiple stages of filtration. Just remember to put a pre-filter sponge (fine grade) on the filter inlet so baby shrimplets don’t get sucked into the filtration! Plants I personally love using live plants in my own tanks, because they provide extra filtration (they soak up nitrogenous wastes) and are great hiding places for shrimp. They also provide more grazing surfaces, which you can never have too much of. Mosses and other low-maintenance plants are great for shrimp tanks because they don’t require too much care, such as extra fertilization, which shrimp can be very sensitive to. Mosses also supply a lot of hiding spaces for baby shrimp and freshly molted shrimp. Floating plants, such as the dwarf water lettuce and amazon frogbit you can see in the photos, are especially great for shrimp since they’re the best plants for soaking up nitrates. They also supply some shade for your shrimp and you’ll find that your shrimp love to climb and graze on the roots. Light While on the topic of plants, I’ll have a quick word on lighting. In terms of shrimp care, your shrimp aren’t too bothered about what kind of light you use, so don’t stress over getting a top notch, over-priced light. The lighting is mostly up to your taste and how well your want your tank illuminated. Certain lights would really accentuate the coloration of your shrimp and plants. I would suggest getting a light that is suitable for whatever plants you decide to use. Most low maintenance plants such as mosses are low-light plants, so most standard aquarium lights should be just fine. That being said, there’s also nothing wrong with getting a fancier light if that suits your taste. I mean ... that's what I did ;) Feeding Dish If you’re doing some shrimp research, you’ve likely noticed a plastic or glass dish in most shrimp tanks. The main purpose of these dishes is to prevent leftover food from being left in the tank. Rotting food will increase the nitrates in your water, so having a dish makes it easier for you to monitor how much food your shrimp is eating and to remove anything that’s uneaten after a few hours, even if it’s just a few crumbs. It also prevents these food crumbs from falling into the substrate and basically staying there to rot. Again that would increase your nitrates which could really harm your shrimp. Having this feeding dish prevents all of that! Cycling your tank Remember – shrimp need stability! A cycling tank is the furthest thing away from stable and the last thing you’d want in a shrimp tank. It is recommended to cycle a new shrimp tank for a minimum of a month before adding shrimp. Most shrimpkeepers even recommend two months to be safe. This is to ensure that not only is the tank cycled, but also mature – you want your tank to grow an adequate amount of biofilm before you add your shrimp. An important tool for monitoring your cycle is a water testing kit. This will allow you to track your tank cycle and know when it is finished. I won’t go into the details of tank cycling because that in itself is a long topic that deserves an article of it’s own. To test your water, I’d highly recommend using a liquid test as they’re significantly more accurate than the test strips (which can actually be quite inaccurate).
NT Labs Liquid Multi-Test While on the topic of water testing kits, it may also be useful to get test kits for measuring the GH and KH in your tank. These parameters are quite important for shrimpkeeping specifically. You want to ensure your GH and KH are within the desired range for the shrimp you’re keeping and to make sure there are no drastic swings that will stress your shrimp. Useful Tools TDS Meter My TDS meter is by far the most useful shrimpkeeping tool I have. It is a quick and easy thing to measure (it literally takes seconds) and it is a very important parameter to monitor when keeping shrimp. TDS is the Total Dissolved Solids in your tank, and different shrimp have different preference ranges. If your TDS is too low or too high, it will stress your shrimp and shorten their life span. Sudden changes in TDS will also shock and possibly kill them. This is why it’s so important to just have this tool around and check your TDS when you have spare time each day. It is especially important if you use remineralized RO water when doing water changes for your shrimp. You can measure the TDS in your tank and then remineralize your RO water to match it. This way there won’t be any large fluctuations to stress out your shrimp. Remember – stability is key! Shrimp Net Shrimp nets are made to be smaller with much finer netting. This is to prevent any injuries to your shrimp when catching and moving them. It’s worth having them around as they do make it much easier to catch your shrimp. It is also useful having a shrimp-only net to avoid any cross contamination and possibly introducing harmful infections or parasites to your tank. The last thing you need is an infection in your shrimp tank, as many medications used to treat them contain copper, which is deadly to shrimp. Having a shrimp specific net can help prevent that! Sochting oxydator Purchasing this handy little device was a game changer for me in my shrimp tanks. Shrimp naturally come from highly oxygenated waters, which is why it is so important to have a lot of surface agitation/aeration in your tank. This is usually achieved by your filter output, as mentioned earlier, or an air stone. The Sochting oxydator uses hydrogen peroxide to oxygenate your aquarium water. The glass container is filled with hydrogen peroxide, where it reacts with a catalyst (a little stone that sits inside the container). The reaction produces water and oxygen, and the oxygen diffuses into your tank through the grey ceramic bowl. I was amazed at the difference I saw in my shrimps’ behavior once I added the oxydator. They were especially useful during the hot London summers and oxygen levels were dangerously low, as warmer waters retain less dissolved oxygen. I had many shrimp deaths despite extra aeration, cooling fans, and water changes. The oxydator was the only thing that made a difference. They’ve been a mainstay in my shrimp tanks ever since. Links:
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David Ward · Tuesday, 2 April 2019Products - Platinum Soil – is a substrate very rich in mineral components. It contains micro- and macroelements, as well as humic acids (this its deep black color) and fulvic acids. It has a very good porous and stable structure, enabling problem-free desliming and not disintegrating during use Bio Bactor – complex mixture of beneficial non-pathogenic bacterial strains including nitrifying , denitrifying , PSB photosynthetic and active enzymes. It builds a biological balance in the tank. Decomposes organic waste, quickly reduces NH 4 and NO 2 . Protects against tank contamination. It improves the survival rate of aquatic animals. Prevents the growth of harmful algae. Removes accumulated deposits in the substrate. It improves the quality of water in mature tanks. Bio Nitro – BioNitro contains a complex of nitrifying bacteria, denitrification bacteria and probiotics, among others Bacillus natto. BioNitro removes NH4 ammonia nitrogen and NO2 nitrite efficiently and quickly, converting them to NO3 nitrates. Rich One – RICH ONE is an abundance of fulvic acids, amino acids, microelements and oligosaccharides, which are obtained by natural processes, among others, fermentation. Mironekuton - Mironekuton is a rare mineral occurring only in one region of Japan. It is exceptionally rich in minerals and numerous trace elements Setup Fill your tank with Platinum soil to the level of 1cm, then sprinkle the correct measure of Bio Bactor, Bio Nitro, Rich One and Mironekuton over the soil, then add 1cm more Platinum soil so the total height of the soil is 2cm. Now start to fill with pure ro water, the reason we use pure ro is to remove the excesses of macro- and micronutrients. Once the tank is full add another dose of Bio Nitro, mixed with about 20ml of tap water or water from a mature tank. Also add a dose of water conditioner, I prefer to use either SL Purify or Seachem Stability. Turn your heater on and set it to 31 degrees centigrade and turn your filter and lights on. Leave the lights on 24/7 for the first 2 weeks then switch them to your normal timed schedule (I recommend 8 hours of lights on a day). After 1 week do a 50 water change with pure ro water and add a half dose of Bio Bactor and Bio Nitro
Repeat the weekly water change for the next 2 weeks At the end of week 4 test your water parameters, they should be - TDS 80 – 150 KH 0 GH 4 -6 Ammonia 0 Nitrate 0 – 5 It is important that the ammonia is 0, if it is not keep repeating the weekly 50% water changes and adding half measure of bacteria products until the ammonia is 0. Once you have the above parameter, add a dose of Trace Shrimp then start adding shrimp slowly. Only add a couple of shrimp to begin with and monitor them and the tank water parameter every few days. David Ward · Wednesday, 12 December 2018Taiwan Bee Shrimp don’t like sudden change in their living condition, the most important thing is to keep the parameters stable and if you do change them do it slowly.
Most Taiwan bees prefer these water parameters – TDS 120 - 180 KH 0 – 1 GH 4 – 6 PH 5.8 – 6.5 Nitrate 0 – 15 Nitrite 0 Ammonia 0 Temperature 21 – 23 degrees centigrade Water Changes Depending on how many shrimp you have in your tank water changes should be done every 1-2 weeks and you should change between 10 – 20%. Before you do a water change measure the TDS in the tank your doing the water change in and either match the TDS to within 10+/-. Most important part of the water change is to add the new water slowly. I use a separate tank with a 6/4mm ro pipe with tap so I can adjust the rate of flow into the tank. While I’m doing the water change I add – · SL Aqua Purity – Breaks down organic waste and ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and other harmful substances · Trace One Shrimp - contains over 23 micronutrients and many trace elements · Bio Bactor - beneficial non-pathogenic bacterial · Mironekuton super powder – natural minerals and trace elements · Rich One (every other week) - fulvic acids, amino acids, micronutrients Feeding Don’t feed your shrimp every day, it’s not necessary increases the risk of polluting the water with waste food. I feed my shrimp every other day and vary what I feed them – · Day 1 – Ebi Pro Vital, Bio Probiotic · Day 3 – Ebi Pro Mineral, Bio Probiotic · Day 5 – Skyfish S3, Bio Probiotic · Day 7 – Ebi Pro Protien, Bio Probiotic · Repeat On feed day I also supplement with small amounts of bee Pollen, Moringa powder and baby powder food if I have babies in the tank. Don’t over feed, most food packs state 1 stick per 10 shrimp, I suggest you start off with one stick and see how long it takes the shrimp too finish it off, if it goes very quickly add another stick. If after a couple of hours food is left remove it as it will pollute the water. I use a large turkey baster to remove any left-over food it’s much easier than trying to remove it with yours hands. Testing Test your water regularly, particularly TDS and Nitrate. I test my TDS daily and Nitrate every other day. If your TDS rises more than 10 from the TDS when you did a water change consider doing the water change early, same with nitrate, if your nitrate rises above 15 perform a partial water change following your normal water change procedure. Don’t make drastic changes to the water parameters, and make sure any changes are done slowly as not to upset the shrimp. You can also consider using a de nitrifying bacterial product to lower nitrate, I recommend and use Skyfish N1. Active Soil Review - ADA Amazonia
5/21/2019
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David Ward · Monday, 5 November 2018ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia substrates will lower the pH and KH, thus creating an ideal environment for tropical fish, shrimp and aquatic plants. The soil contains organic materials that are much needed to keep healthy shrimp. Humic Acids found in the substrate will promote plant growth.
Now I’ve come across this soil from my aqua scaping days, and it was a highly revered soil. I was surprised to find it also a very very good soil for shrimp tank setup. The soil adjusts the water PH to about 5.8, is a lighter brown than other shrimp soils and is available in either normal or powder versions. This soil LEAKS AMMONIA during setup, this is to allow the tank to fishless cycle, it also means the tank will defiantly cycle and cycle well the down side to this is it will take at least 40 days to 2 months for the tank to stabilise, but once it’s stable the tank conditions are pretty much perfect for Taiwan bee shrimp. One thing I’ve notices about my tanks with ADA Amazonia is the parameters don’t fluctuate, and the water stays crystal clear. The downside to this soil is that it takes so long to cycle plus if your planning a tank reset you’ll need a second tank due to the ammonia that it initially leaks, even with a mature filter it will still take 2-3 weeks before it safe to put shrimp back in. That said it’ still a really good shrimp soil and one used widely by breeders in Taiwan. I would rate this soil 8/10 David Ward · Monday, 5 November 2018Glas Garten Environment Aquarium Soil is an active substrate made of different fired and sterilized earths especially developed for the use in aquaria. It lowers and stabilizes the pH, I find that it lower water in East Sussex to 5.2 – 5.5 if you use recommended amount so I tend to use less. The soil is dark brown and comes in normal or powder versions.
For a tank 112cm wide by 40cm deep and 30cm tall I use 8 litres which stabilises the PH to 5.8. I really like this soil and so do the shrimp, I would go for the powder version which has grain sizes of 1-2mm. I’ve got 6 tanks setup with this soil and all are doing really well and the water is crystal clear, I would say it’s as close to a perfect soil for Taiwan Bee shrimp as you will find, my only quibble is how it drops the PH to below 5.5 but this can be easily remedied by just using less soil. I would rate this soil a 9/10 The less painful way of cycling your shrimp tank and giving them the best living environment possible using Skyfish products.
5/3/2019
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David Ward · Monday, 5 November 2018Before we begin, shrimp keeping, and tank setup require patience. The tank cycling process will take at least 30 days. Once you start the cycle, stick to the motto, set and forget it, don't touch it, don't test, don't rush, enjoy.
We are starting a Caridina shrimp tank and the soil we use will buffer the water. All of these steps are the same with a Neocaridina tank just switch out the substrate for sand or something similar. What you'll need.
Day 1 Start of Shrimp Tank Cycle Add at least 1” of active soil to the aquarium. Now we get ready to add Sky Fish cycling products. Sprinkle Skyfish N1 all over the substrate. Don't add too much, but enough to cover most areas. Do the same with Sky Fish M1. Now place the empty bag or a small saucer into the aquarium and slowly begin to fill the tank with remineralised RO water, we recommend remineralising to the TDS you intend to keep your shrimp at, we tend to aim for TDS 120-130, with a GH between 4-6 and KH 0. We recommend starting your cycle with RO to avoid exhausting your soil and it gives you good practice when you start using RO for your shrimp. Once the tank is full, add the heater and set it to 31 degrees centigrade, and switch the light on. For the first month leave the light and heater on 24/7. Turn your filter on. Day 14. We are 14 days in at this point we can add another dose of N1 and M1 to the tank. Some things to remember, don't check parameters right now while cycling. The cycling process can give you numbers that aren't accurate. It's best to sit back and check after 30 days. Day 30. Perform a 25% water change with remineralised water, wait a few hours and test the water parameter. They should be – Ammonia – 0 Nitrate – 5-10 Nitrite – 0 GH 4-6 KH – 0 PH – 5.5 – 6.5 TDS 120-150 If you still have Ammonia or Nitrite readings, add another dose of M1 and N1 and test again in 1 week. Using a Handy Bacterial Liquid
5/3/2019
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Robin Abrahams · Saturday, 9 February 2019Seachem Stability There are many bacterial liquids you can buy to decompose organics and boost denitrifying bacteria in your tank. Here we discuss Seachem Stability, which is both effective and easily available. The types of bacteria in this product is not the kind of filter bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrites on our filters. Those are slow growing and established over weeks during cycling. Instead the bacteria used here are fast multiplying, meant to occupy the water column as fast as possible. Opaque Sprayer Bottle First we empty the contents of the Stability bottle into a sprayer bottle. In this case we use a 1l opaque bottle to keep light out. The advantage of this is that it is easier to work with than having to use the original bottle's cap to measure out a dose. Just a simple spray delivers a small amount that allows you to dose more accurately and the product to last longer. Below is a list of cases in which you can spray Stability. Spray
Having the sprayer around just makes it easier to dose. It’s just there. It becomes a habit 😊 |