For the Newcomer: Things you should know before you begin

For the Newcomer: Things you should know before you begin

by: Sang Rim (USA)

This article is basically how the newcomer should start out and what to look for. Following doesn’t have all the details on new tank setup and other setup information. This is mostly to help you get the idea where to start out and some information about tank setup and shrimps. First thing every newcomer should do is study about the shrimps and how the tanks are setup. Reading is vital for this hobby if you wish to be successful.

Choosing equipment and size of your Shrimp Tank

Let's first talk about the shrimp tank. Setting up a new tank can be frustrating but if you do properly first time you are all good to go for a long while. A shrimp tank can be easy or hard and it can be expensive. I myself started with a 10g tank. I chose a 10g tank because I felt that I could easily setup a 10g tank and I also only had 15 shrimps to start with. It also wasn’t too big or small and for the price, so it was worth it. As time went by I did get a 20g tank. You can choose a bigger size tank to start with if you want mass colonies. It is suggested however to start small until you gain knowledge and experience before upsizing.

After you get your tank, you need a filter. There are lots of good filters that you can use. Most filters you will find are sold at local pet stores. Check out your near pet shops. I use sponge filters to start with because lots of people seems to be using them and they are doing pretty well. I didn’t know why sponge filters were good at that time, but as time passed I realized that it’s very good for the baby shrimp and also very easy to clean out. If you are using a propeller type filter then it is highly recommend that you use a spong or similar safeguard to prevent the shrimp from getting sucked in the filter and dying. Baby shrimp are easily sucked into an unprotected filter.

Now you need a tank light and thermometer/heater. If you are going to plant your tank, getting an aquarium light is a must. Some tanks do come with hood and light. You can always choose your own kind of aquarium light and save some money. When you get your aquarium light, one thing I would suggest is you should use sunlight or cool white light bulbs because some shrimps do get better colors and it’s good for your plants as well. Make sure you do turn on at least 7 hours + for a planted tank. Also, get one small thermometer/heater. For my experience, shrimps will not breed or they will die if temperature is too high or low. The optimal temperature range to keep shrimp are listed in the section of shrimp species here on Planet Inverts. Each species has different requirements so it is suggested that you read before you buy.

When you get all the equipment you should get some gravel, aqua soil, or some sort of aquarium substrate. Also, for my experience, I would prefer to use aqua soils or aquarium substrate because it can make your water pH lower which helps the shrimp live better and longer. These aqua soils or substrates can be sold in normal pet shops but if you can’t find them there is always online stores. There are many different types of substrate to use. Make sure you do read on those substrates and what they do. Different aqua soils or substrate do different things.

Next thing you should do is cycle the water in your new tank. Cycle is extremely important. It can take 2 - 4 weeks or more to fully cycle a new tank. Make sure you use dechlorinator because you do not want chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals on your water. Tap water delorinator will remove them. Seachem Prime is a highly popular and recommended dechlorinator for any tank. Now, if you are using aqua soils or aquarium substrate, the water may get cloudy about 2 days or more. As time passes, the water will clear. Oh yeah, you should have started running the filter from the very beginning. It can help process your water clean faster. When water gets a little clear, you can start planting plants or setup tank.
Final step is getting water test and getting shrimps. After 2 – 4 weeks of cycle, test out your water pH, nitrate and ammonia. Those test kits should be selling at your pet stores. They aren’t that expensive to buy. Most of the shrimps are safe with pH range of 6.0-7.5 and nitrate/ammonia should be close to 0. Here, Planet Inverts has pH range of different kind of shrimps also located in the individual species information pages.

Here is another great resource specifically for setting up a new shrimp tank; the article "Setting up a new tank". Please read it.

What shrimps to choose and where to get them

Now let me talk about some shrimps and where to get them. I know you are wondering what shrimps to choose and where to buy them. You can buy some shrimps here at the Planet Inverts Store. You can also buy at some other online stores and pet shops near your area. Near my area, pet stores didn’t have much shrimps for sale. Any ways, I told you all that I started with 15 cherry shrimps. You do not have to get cherry to start out but for my experience cherry shrimps are cute, easy to breed and it’s not too expensive to start with. (I know some shrimps are more expensive and it depends on what you are getting.) I also think it is best for the newcomer to get Red Cherry Shrimp to start out. You can see the section of shrimp species here on Planet Inverts to see what types of shrimps are there and choose them wisely. Not all shrimps are easy to breed. I know from my experience I had about 10 cherry deaths in the first 2 weeks. It was my water cycle and bad tank setup. Not being prepared can turn into a problem.

How to introduce the shrimps to new tank

Now when you have your shrimp and acclimate is very important. I know there are several ways to acclimates your shrimp to tank but as far as I know here on planet inverse has a good article introducing shrimps to new tank. Check out the article "Acclimating New Shrimp". (I use this method)

Different kind of shrimps to keep together and is it safe to put fish?

Another important thing you should do is search about what types of shrimps are safe to keep together. Please read the article "Will These Shrimp Interbreed?". It is highly recommended that you read that article and pay attention to the chart on that page. Also, do not keep fish in the same tank at all. Fish can eat shrimps or attack them. It can be very stressful for the shrimp. They will die faster or will not breed so keep out the fish. Best way is do not keep together whatsoever.

Good Luck!

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