Freshwater fish for a 50 liters tank

so you can house nano fish in an 8gal?
seriouslyfish advises at least 40x30 of surface and I don't meet that requirement at all haha
 
I had considered them before, but I was quickly turned off by the fact that they need snails to live healthily. I'm not sure I'd be able to stand that level of commitment.
no single pygmy gourami either, with a couple of neocaridina davidi?

edit: actually, nevermind that. I think I found a store that sells fancy shrimp so I'll probably get 10-ish caridina and a nice snail
 
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Which species of shrimps, there are a few different Caridinas?
 
Amano shrimps are Caridina multidenta. These shrimps don't breed in freshwater; the females may carry eggs but they are one of the few shrimps where the eggs hatch to larvae which need to be in brackish water to develop. They also need microscopic plankton to feed on which is why they are so hard to breed in captivity.

Other Caridinas include crystal shrimps and tiger shrimps, both come in various colours. These do breed in fresh water.

Cherry shrimps, in various colours, are Neocaridina davidi and they do breed in fresh water. Never mix the various colours of cherry shrimp or you'll end up with a tank of brown shrimp. I have red cherry shrimps in my 23 litre tank. Red cherries are one of the easiest shrimps.



Different shrimps have different water needs. Some like hard water, some like soft. Some like warm temperatures, others prefer it cooler. Research which species suit your water. For example, crystal shrimps need soft acidic water while tiger shrimps prefer harder water.
 
I found some neocaridina! a local store has a steady supply of them.
I'd have to make my water way more acidic and mix it with with distilled water to make it softer though.
how many should i begin with? they're sold at 6-9€ a shrimp, depending on color variant.

and this is a dumb question, but...
dream blue or cherry red? I dont fancy the yellows haha
 
The choice is yours :) I have red shrimps, but I do like the blue as well.
Cherry shrimp, whatever the colour, can live in a wider range of water parameters than most other shrimps, water with a pH anywhere between 6.0 and 8.0 and in soft and hard water. Yours is neither too soft nor too hard for them so you don't need to alter it.

Don't forget you need to prepare the tank first as shrimps are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite in the water. There are two ways to do this - fishless cycling and plant (or silent) cycling.

Fishless cycling is explained here, though for shrimps you don't need to use as much ammonia as they have a lighter bioload than fish. 1 ppm ammonia can be used instead of 3.

Plant cycling relies on plants to remove the ammonia excreted by the livestock, whether that's shrimps or fish. And plants do not turn ammonia into nitrite. With this method, the tank is is planted with live plants, then we wait until we are certain the plants are growing and not about to die. Once you see active plant growth, it is safe to add the livestock.
Floating plants are good for this, I have Amazon frogbit floating on my shrimps tank and they love to climb through the roots looking for bits of food. I also have a piece of wood with Java moss attached to it which they also seem to like.
Other members who have shrimps will be able to suggest more plants.
 
I do know about cycling!
I was gonna use the fishless method, but I'm going to decorate the tank with live plants (will choose when I get the aquarium) and java moss, then maybe duckweed as a stupidly prolific food source.
not to brag, but I'm an established houseplant enthusiast :)
as for the ph, some sources claimed cherry shrimp are really sensitive to hard water and advised ph levels between 6.4-7.2
if I see anything wrong later, I guess I'll fix it.
 
Sorry, I just needed to make sure :) We get so many newcomers who listened to the shop and end up doing a fish-in cycle.


These are from websites that no longer have articles on shrimps, but they can be accessed via Wayback Machine
The Red Cherry Shrimp can be housed in many different water parameters. I have kept them in a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0, soft and hard water, temperatures from 72F to 84F

Can live under conditions that are soft and slightly acidic (ph 6.6-7.0) to very hard and alkaline (ph 7.0-8.4 and above). Very adaptable shrimp.


And from a current website
 
I did check out some italian sources (as that's my first language, so it's a bit easier to understand)
are powdered dried mealworms a good source of fat and protein for shrimp and fish in general? I regularly feed them as a treat to my other fluffy pets.
should i expect a fishless+plant cycle to take 5-6 weeks or would the plants require less bacteria for the ammonia to safely disappear?
I will check nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels regularly with some testers, I'm just making sure
 
I apologize about question bombing, but I think you missed the one where I was asking how many I should start with. I assume 4-6?
 
I just saw the dimensions and yeah being taller than long is not ideal at all. I'll adjust my list: you have a point with betta but remember there are other species which would work in that tank, a group of Hara jerdoni, ember tetras or even better Chili Rasbora (not the best options), there are a few killifish species, Poropanchax normani, if you want to harden up your water endlers would be an option, African dwarf frog, Cambarellus patzcuarensis, Limnopilos naiyanetri.
 
Sorry I did miss that question. I'd go with 6 if only because with that amount you are more likely to have at least 1 male and 1 female. With 4, you could end up with all the same and then, of course, they won't breed. Cherry shrimps will breed but not until the tank bursts like guppies do. Once they reach the optimum population for the tank, breeding slows down.
If you can choose the individual shrimps at your shop, try to pick a female that is carrying eggs - they look like a cluster of berries under her abdomen. Then a couple of weeks later you'll have a lot more shrimps.

There are specific shrimps foods, I am currently using this one, though I don't know if it's available in Italy
 
If you can choose the individual shrimps at your shop, try to pick a female that is carrying eggs - they look like a cluster of berries under her abdomen.
I....actually didn't think of that. even though I did know about how much larger females get when they have eggs. oops :/
 

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