As an aquarium enthusiast, I’ve kept various fish, corals, and invertebrates over the years But lately I’ve developed a special love for keeping shrimp Their small size, bright colors, and peaceful nature make them a joy to care for.
But keeping shrimp healthy and happy requires more than just dropping them in any old tank. Shrimp have some specific needs when it comes to water conditions, tank setup, tankmates, and more.
After learning the hard way and losing a few shrimp, I now have a thriving freshwater shrimp colony. Here is my complete guide to successfully setting up the perfect shrimp tank.
The Essential Elements for a Shrimp-Friendly Aquarium
Through research and experience, I’ve found shrimp need the following tank elements to stay healthy:
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A 5-10 gallon tank – Small shrimp need adequate space but don’t require huge tanks.
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Sponge filter – Provides circulation without sucking up baby shrimp. Alternative hang-on-back filter with mesh covering intake
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Adjustable heater and thermometer – Maintain water between 68-82°F depending on species.
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Substrate – Shrimp enjoy burrowing in fine gravel or sandy substrates.
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Plants and hides – Driftwood, mosses, aquatic plants, and caves offer security and grazing.
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Low bioload – Don’t overstock the tank. Shrimp are sensitive to ammonia and nitrites.
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Cycling – Establish healthy bacteria to prevent dangerous chemical spikes.
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Water testing kit – Monitor levels to ensure water stays safe and stable.
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Lighting – Low to moderate light levels allow plants and algae to grow for food.
Let’s explore each of these elements in more detail.
Choosing the Right Shrimp Tank Size
While a 1-3 gallon nano tank may work, I recommend a 5-10 gallon tank for beginners. The extra water volume provides more stable conditions. A 10 gallon gives shrimp adequate room to swim and explore.
Make sure the tank has a tight fitting lid. Shrimp can climb and may escape!
Filters for Shrimp Tanks
Shrimp do best in gentle filtration that doesn’t create strong currents. My filter of choice is a basic sponge filter with an air pump. The bubbles provide water movement without sucking up baby shrimp.
If using a hang-on-back power filter, put a prefilter sponge over the intake tube. This prevents shrimplets from getting pulled in.
Maintaining Proper Water Temperature
Different shrimp species have different temperature needs. But most do well between 68-82°F. Cooler for more sensitive species, warmer for heartier breeds.
An adjustable heater with built-in thermostat lets you dial in the ideal temperature. Place it near the filter outlet to evenly distribute heat.
Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature daily. Water temperature influences shrimp health and activity.
Choosing the Right Substrate
Shrimp enjoy burrowing into fine substrates. Sand or very small gravel size works best. Smooth pebbles prevent injury to their delicate undersides.
Bare glass or large gravel can stress shrimp, making them feel insecure without places to hide and dig.
Inert substrates specifically for aquariums are ideal. Avoid painted or treated gravel that could leach chemicals.
Plants, Driftwood, Rocks and Hides
Shrimp feel most secure with ample places to explore and hide. Cholla wood, mopani wood, and spiderwood make excellent shrimp caves.
Floaters like duckweed help dim direct light. Moss, anubias, java fern, and other low light plants thrive in shrimp tanks, providing grazing.
Rocks, clay pots, and PVC pipe also create nice shrimp hiding spots when arranged into little cave formations.
Capping Bioload to Prevent Dangerous Spikes
Shrimp are extremely sensitive to water quality parameters like ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH. A tank overstocked with fish or shrimp produces too much waste, impacting water conditions.
For 10 gallons, I recommend:
- 6-8 small shrimp
- OR a trio of small fish like neon tetras, galaxy rasboras OR a betta plus 3-4 shrimp
- No more than that to start!
You can slowly add more once the tank matures over several months. But take it easy in the beginning while the biofilter establishes. Which leads me to my next topic…
Cycling the Aquarium Before Adding Shrimp
Beneficial bacteria that process fish waste don’t appear instantly in a new tank. It takes 2-8 weeks for adequate colonies to develop during the “nitrogen cycle”.
Add a few fish flakes daily to start cultivating bacteria. Test ammonia and nitrite levels weekly. When both read 0 ppm for several days, your tank is cycled for shrimp!
During cycling, don’t add too many fish that overload the limited bacteria. This results in toxic ammonia and nitrite spikes.
Routine Water Testing is a Must
Once your tank is established, continue testing the water 1-2 times per week. Make sure levels stay in the safe zone:
- Ammonia and Nitrites: 0 ppm
- Nitrates: Under 20 ppm
- pH: 6.5-8.0 depending on species
- KH: 3-8 dKH
- GH: 6-12 dGH
Use testing kits for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, KH, and GH. This helps spot issues before they turn dangerous.
Proper Lighting for a Shrimp Tank
Bright light encourages algae and plant growth, creating shrimp grazing spots. But too much light stresses shrimp.
For a 10 gallon tank, a 15-25 watt 6500K fluorescent aquarium bulb works great. Place it on a timer for 6-8 hour photo periods.
Floaters like hornwort help filter light. Experiment to find the sweet spot your tank inhabitants enjoy.
Performing Partial Water Changes
To keep water fresh, change 15-25% of the water weekly using water conditioner to dechlorinate the replacement water. Match temperature and parameters to avoid shocking shrimp.
Clean the substrate with a gravel vacuum monthly to remove debris. Never deep clean everything at once, as this removes essential bacterial colonies.
Ideal Tank Mates for Freshwater Shrimp
Many fish prey on shrimp, especially their babies or molted specimens. Select peaceful community fish 3 inches or less total length.
Some recommended tankmates:
- Neon tetra
- Chili rasbora
- Celestial pearl danio
- Ember tetra
- Galaxy rasbora
- Endler’s livebearer
- Pygmy corydoras
- Otocinclus
Avoid fin-nipping species that may harass shrimp like bettas, gouramis, and guppies.
Cycling Before Adding Shrimp Prevents Disasters
Now that you know the essential elements for proper shrimp keeping, avoid the mistakes I made when starting out.
Don’t dump new shrimp into brand new tanks! Follow the cycling process for 2-8 weeks first to build up waste-processing bacteria. Add shrimp slowly once levels test safe.
That simple step would have saved me many pricey shrimp losses. A stable, mature tank makes shrimp feel right at home.
Neos, You are the Chosen One
Neocaridina Davidi, also known as the dwarf cherry shrimp, are hardy, adaptable, and prolific. They are a great choice for anyone interested in shrimp, especially people who are just starting out. There are many color variations, such as red, blue, black, and green. Because these colors were carefully bred, it is not a good idea to keep more than one color in the same tank. They will indiscriminately mate, and the offspring will often be a drab brown or clear color. My favorites are the “blue dream” and “black rose” varieties.
When you buy shrimp, please remember that they are social animals that do best when they are in big groups of at least ten. If it’s less than this, they’ll probably hide instead of grazing together in the open. Beginners often make the mistake of buying only a few shrimp for their community tank and then whining that they never see the shrimp.
Large or aggressive fish are not suitable tankmates for shrimp. Barbs, bettas, and other fish will often pick on or bother the shrimp, or they will just eat them for dinner. The best aquarium for you would be one with only shrimp or one with small, peaceful fish (like ember tetras or corydoras), lots of plants, and enough water.
Shrimp are Friends, Not Food!
As rewarding as fish can be to keep, sometimes more variety is needed. As you may have guessed by my Instagram handle (@shrimpery), I am a big fan of keeping freshwater shrimp as pets. In fact, they are what introduced me to the aquarium hobby! Here is a brief primer on how to go about keeping these friendly, colorful and prolific animals in your own tank.
First things first: the type of shrimp you choose will affect how easy it is to care for and breed. I break down the selection into three categories-.
In addition to being the species I keep, Neocaridina is also the simplest and least expensive to buy. This guide will mostly be about them.
Everything You Should Know Before You Get Shrimp! 7 Tips for Keeping Shrimp in an Aquarium
How much water do you need for a shrimp tank?
Aquarium. We recommend a tank that’s at least 5 gallons in volume, preferably even 10. The bigger, the easier it is to keep water parameters stable! Filter. Although not all shrimp tanks require a filter, we strongly recommend using one if you’re a beginner. A simple sponge filter can be enough. Heater.
Do shrimp need a tank?
Shrimp don’t need much space and require little maintenance. Shrimp tanks are quite a bit different than fish tanks. For one thing, shrimp are much more delicate than fish and are usually very small. The water conditions need to be right for them to thrive. Plus, some filtration equipment that works for fish can endanger shrimp.
What size shrimp tank do I Need?
A 20 gallon long shrimp tank or even a 10 gallon setup is also rewarding, but I personally enjoy keeping a desktop sized shrimp tank because it’s easier to watch shrimp in a small tank.
How much water does a shrimp keeper need?
Most shrimp keepers tend to limit the size to about 75 gallons of water (284 l). However, 10- to 15-gallon tanks (40-55 l) are common as well. Having a smaller tank (but not too small), helps the keeper more effectively manage the feeding and removal of a dead pet.