Shrimp Essentials

[Morganna]

Hello!
I have a 10 gallon tank that I would love to put some cherry (or similar) shrimp into.
I tried doing my research, and yet my first try at 10 shrimp failed.
I have Indian almond leaves and some alder cones on hand that I can put into the tank, and tank has some christmas moss in it. I have lots of Java ferns and Crypts for them to hide in, and soft driftwood that grows fuzz nicely.
With my first try at shrimp, I didn't order any shrimp food because my tank was growing lots of scrugg, and so didn't think the extra food was necessary. I did put in a little bit of a piece of canned carrot (It was a tiny piece) into the tank one day to see if they would eat that, but they didn't touch it.
Anyway, all of the shrimp are gone now, but I don't want to give up. I would like to try again. But this time I'd like some feedback about what are the absolute essentials to shrimp keeping.
P.S. Here are my water parameters, in case that makes a difference:
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
GH: 150
KH: 110
pH: 7.4

Thanks!

 

[connorlindeman]

Hello!
I have a 10 gallon tank that I would love to put some cherry (or similar) shrimp into.
I tried doing my research, and yet my first try at 10 shrimp failed.
I have Indian almond leaves and some alder cones on hand that I can put into the tank, and tank has some christmas moss in it. I have lots of Java ferns and Crypts for them to hide in, and soft driftwood that grows fuzz nicely.
With my first try at shrimp, I didn't order any shrimp food because my tank was growing lots of scrugg, and so didn't think the extra food was necessary. I did put in a little bit of a piece of canned carrot (It was a tiny piece) into the tank one day to see if they would eat that, but they didn't touch it.
Anyway, all of the shrimp are gone now, but I don't want to give up. I would like to try again. But this time I'd like some feedback about what are the absolute essentials to shrimp keeping.
P.S. Here are my water parameters, in case that makes a difference:
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
GH: 150
KH: 110
pH: 7.4

Thanks!

Just to make sure, you did cycle your tank right? How old the tank? Shrimp prefer an established tank.

 

[Morganna]

Oh my, I can't believe I forgot to mention that!
This tank will be a year old come August, and it has held other inhabitants healthily.

 

[Beastije]

I recently started wondering why did my shrimp die too and found this article and it seemed very helpful.
Big difference is, did one or two die or did everything die at once, those are large factors.
Medication leaching, copper and stuff in silicone could be the cause especially if it happens again. Feeding shrimp is not super necessary, if they have moss and algae and so they will eat that, you can microfeed once in a while, but in a healthy established tank they should not starve

 

[Essjay]

If there are fish in the tank, the shrimps will eat fish food as well.

 

[Morganna]

I think one shrimp is still alive even now. I think that most of the shrimp died within a timespan of a few days, but not until over two weeks after I put them into the tank in the first place.
Is there anyway to test for copper?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Pic of the tank?

Are you using any types of ferts for the plants?

Where did you purchase the shrimp, initially?

 

[Morganna]

No, no ferts, and honestly, they don't really need it, they're growing at a fast pace.
I bought them off of ebay

 

[Aqua67]

Hello!
I have a 10 gallon tank that I would love to put some cherry (or similar) shrimp into.

Anyway, all of the shrimp are gone now, but I don't want to give up. I would like to try again. But this time I'd like some feedback about what are the absolute essentials to shrimp keeping.

I am new to shrimp keeping being only 5 months into the hobby but I’ve been a fishkeeper most of my life (30+ yrs). The 10 red cherry shrimp I purchased in March 2022 had babies by the end of May 2022. They have since had several series of babies.

Bought a 5.5 gallon kit in March 2022 which included a filter for a 10g, hood and light. I replaced the light with a Fluval 3.0 and added a sponge pre-filter for the intake tube to save shrimplets. I added the gravel from an existing 2 gallon which covered about 1/2 the bottom of the tank. I added several bunches of hornwort. Placed one Saggitaria plant in the gravel and a couple stems of anachari and guppy grass. Dropped in some moss which got completely eaten by the inhabitants within two months, most likely the amphipods. Added a clump of Loma Moss attached to a rock. Tossed in a small y-shaped piece of cholla wood. Added one smooth round black rock. Added 3 small pieces of driftwood with some small java ferns I pulled off a plant in another tank. I added oak leaves, alder cones and Indian almond leaves. Added a shrimp cube with many holes for another dark place to hide. Threw in a few ramshorn snails and some pond snails. There are lots of tannins in the water which are said to be beneficial for shrimp, helping to prevent them from becoming sick. It is a heavily planted tank and I enjoy it immensely.

For food, I bought some BacterAE which helps build the biofilm shrimps eat. Bought Mineral Junkie to help provide what they need for successful molts. Bought Pollen Granules as a treat for them. I also give them algae fish foods, fish food flakes, and zucchini on occasion. I feed them Crab Cuisine regularly and Shrimp Cuisine.

I use Reverse Osmosis water which has hardly any total dissolved solids. I bought a TDS meter off Amazon and add a powdered product called Shrimp Mineral to bring the TDS up to around 175-180. Mix the product little by little separately and add to the aquarium once you have the TDS where you need it.

The little tank is unheated and stays around 70-72F which is my house temp.

I really don’t change a lot of tank water, especially since the tiny shrimplets have come along. I do have a turkey baster that I use to fish out amphipods to feed my cichlids. I also use that to suck up crud from the bottom of the tank and I let it sit in Solo cups to settle and then I take it to a strong light to peek in and see if any little critters need to be returned to the tank before I discard the water. With all of the amphipod fishing I do, I’m often taking out a couple cupfuls of water and replacing it with new RO water. Things are staying stable and I check parameters often.

I tried not to leave any details out. This has been working for me so far and my little shrimp colony is growing. When the population outgrows my 5.5 gallon, I have an established 29 gallon tank that is waiting for my shrimp overflow. I believe I will also be able to sell some shrimp to my local fish store.

Good luck starting your colony. I get so much enjoyment watching the little shrimp every morning before I head off to work.

 

[Morganna]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I hope to try again soon, now that I have made some adjustments to my tank, like taking out the seiryu stone and hopefully will replace it with driftwood. I appreciate all of this feedback!