New and ready for advice.

[wling]

Hey Guys (:

New to this forum and absolutely loving it. Seriously amazed by the advice given by the more experience members.

I thought about starting my own tank awhile ago to rare shrimp. Not specifically wanting to breed and sell, but just because it looks really nice and I've always wanted to have some. Due to a lack of space, I decided to get a small and simple tank. The tank I got is 18L and I don’t know the dimensions of it as of right now, but I’ll post it up later. Basically all there is right now are two plants, which I have no idea what kind they are cause I bought them simply because they looked nice, and a drift wood (see bottom for picture).

I’ve always wanted to rare shrimps and specifically the Red Cherry Shrimp because I love the color, so what I’m wondering is what else I need to do to prepare the tank for them. I know that the temperature inside maintains about 30C thanks to the handy submersible digital thermometer inside, and the water is clean cause I put in a few tetra to “test” the water to make sure its inhabitable, after it has been dechlorinated. I have the PH test kit but I haven’t tested the water yet because I just started running the water two days ago, so I’ll probably do it over this weekend after letting it run awhile.

So besides the temperature and monitoring the PH level, is there anything else I need to do? More plants? Less plants? The water is topped up pretty much all the way to the top, and the filter is above the water right on top, so there aren’t many “bubbles” that form because the water that flows out from the filter doesn’t have much “space” before hitting the surface of the water, if you know what I mean. I’m wondering if perhaps that might give too little oxygen to the future shrimps in some way.

Final question, how many shrimps do you think would be the absolute maximum for a tank this size? I know I didn’t give the dimensions, but based on a 18L water capacity (probably a bit less since I took up some space at the bottom with the soil and rocks and sand).

Thanks so much for the help! I’m pretty much willing to change anything so just go ahead and shoot away, though I would say that I’m operating on a slightly low budget. Thanks all! You shall all receive good karma points (:





p.s.,
In case the picture thing doesn't work cause I have no idea how it works, here's the link --> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

[wling]

Here it is! http://www.aquaticquotient.com/galle...p?i=12859&c=29

[kaganesti]

Hi wling, Welcome to the AQ forum!
Maybe can share with us more of your tank specifications?
Like how long has it been running, size, filter, etc... If it's a new tank , I will suggest to get an ammonia test kit also and most important...be patience
Shrimps are generally more sensitve than fish so you need to take care of your water parameters. The fish can survive does not mean shrimps can. In addition, if you want to keep shrimp it's better that you dont rear them with the tetras. They will make a quick snack of your shrimplets next time.

That plant on the right is Windelov java fern, you are not supposed to bury it's roots ( Rhizomes) else the plant will likely to decline and die. I will suggest more mosses. The hardier ones are relativley easier to grow and it can offer some safe shelter for your future shrimplets

[David Moses Heng]

Food for thought:

1) what type of shrimps are you considering? Sulawesi or CRS? Do note that different shrimps have different needs such as pH and temperature.
2) Budget: what is the budget that you are allocating for this project?
3) For a tank your size(i guess it is about 18 inch by 12 inch by 12 inch), do you have another container to do water treatment/holding?
4) Plants: what will be your choice of plants be like. Do note that your choice of plants will affect your choice of shrimps.
5) Will your tank be co2 enriched? This again will limit your choice of shrimps.


That's all.

Happy aquascaping!!

[lucasjiang]

Hey Guys (:

New to this forum and absolutely loving it. Seriously amazed by the advice given by the more experience members.

I thought about starting my own tank awhile ago to rare shrimp. Not specifically wanting to breed and sell, but just because it looks really nice and I've always wanted to have some. Due to a lack of space, I decided to get a small and simple tank. The tank I got is 18L and I don’t know the dimensions of it as of right now, but I’ll post it up later. Basically all there is right now are two plants, which I have no idea what kind they are cause I bought them simply because they looked nice, and a drift wood (see bottom for picture).

I’ve always wanted to rare shrimps and specifically the Red Cherry Shrimp because I love the color, so what I’m wondering is what else I need to do to prepare the tank for them. I know that the temperature inside maintains about 30C thanks to the handy submersible digital thermometer inside, and the water is clean cause I put in a few tetra to “test” the water to make sure its inhabitable, after it has been dechlorinated. I have the PH test kit but I haven’t tested the water yet because I just started running the water two days ago, so I’ll probably do it over this weekend after letting it run awhile.

So besides the temperature and monitoring the PH level, is there anything else I need to do? More plants? Less plants? The water is topped up pretty much all the way to the top, and the filter is above the water right on top, so there aren’t many “bubbles” that form because the water that flows out from the filter doesn’t have much “space” before hitting the surface of the water, if you know what I mean. I’m wondering if perhaps that might give too little oxygen to the future shrimps in some way.

Final question, how many shrimps do you think would be the absolute maximum for a tank this size? I know I didn’t give the dimensions, but based on a 18L water capacity (probably a bit less since I took up some space at the bottom with the soil and rocks and sand).

Thanks so much for the help! I’m pretty much willing to change anything so just go ahead and shoot away, though I would say that I’m operating on a slightly low budget. Thanks all! You shall all receive good karma points (:





p.s.,
In case the picture thing doesn't work cause I have no idea how it works, here's the link --> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

Hi i saw your facebook pic.

Firstly, the plant on the left looks like a land plant, hence it will rot underwater. Maybe if you can take a close up of that plant then can confirm whether it is a land plant.

Secondly, regarding your sand, what sand is it? It looks like marine sand from afar, which is not suitable for keeping cherry shrimps.

Thirdly, you should cover your filter inlet with a sponge to prevent shrimplets from being sucked into the filter.

Regarding the maximum number of shrimps, for me the maximum is 30, try not to exceed that.

Good luck with your shrimps!

[Xianghao]

Hi, some tips i can think of for keeping shrimps:
1. Shrimps are more sensitive than fish, so putting fish into the water to test may not be sufficient
2. Don't underestimate the importance of chemical n bio filtration. Make sure u have sufficient filter n biomedia
3. Its always safer to cycle your tank longer to let the beneficial bacteria establish itself. Give it at least 2 weeks or even a month to be safe.
4. Start with easier n cheaper shrimps first. Go with malayan and cherry shrimps, followed by sakuras/fire-reds, then think about crs or sulawesi shrimps once u get the kick of it.
5. Plants have their pros and cons. If you have healthy growing plants they are going absorb ammonia and nitrates from the water. This reduces algae blooms. It also makes your tank look more lush, but u may not be able to account for all your shrimps because they will hide. But if you have dying plants, then the reverse holds true.