Any shrimp keepers?

TheGhostOfAkina

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
5
Anyone have shrimp tanks they'd like to share?
I just got out of them from the previous 3 years. The only pictures I had of mine were wiped out from my phone before I could transfer them over to my computer.
I only kept ghost shrimp due to the price my LFS was asking for any others, but they were a joy to watch. I had them in a 29 gallon originally, but downsized to a 5 gallon for awhile until something went wrong with the quality of my water.
 

spotropaicsav

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
431
I received an ecosphere with shrimp awhile back and enjoy them immensely, I don't think they are ghost shrimp though. I know nothing about shrimp, but would love to keep a simple tank one day if it is not too difficult...Are ghost shrimp one of the lower maintenance kinds? I kept many freshwater tanks when I was younger, but can't keep any fish tanks at the moment.
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
5,893
Anyone have shrimp tanks they'd like to share?
I just got out of them from the previous 3 years. The only pictures I had of mine were wiped out from my phone before I could transfer them over to my computer.
I only kept ghost shrimp due to the price my LFS was asking for any others, but they were a joy to watch. I had them in a 29 gallon originally, but downsized to a 5 gallon for awhile until something went wrong with the quality of my water.
I've always wanted a Peacock mantis shrimp. I've just never bit the bullet and got one due to them marine and requiring live crabs.
 

Andee

Arachnobaron
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
Messages
411
Ghost shrimp are technically "lower maintenance" but they will never successfully breed in freshwater. They need brackish water to hatch out the babies (though the females may carry berries). What I enjoy are the ornamental freshwater shrimp. But most species besides the really simple ones like cherry shrimp need larger and completely planted tanks. I easily bred crystals of the black and red variety in a 25 gallon high because it was immensely planted (I didn't even do regular water changes once a week like is recommended with them to keep them happy, I did every other week). I also have done several other species of ornamentals that do well in the crystal parametes. Various colors morphs of cherries (which always end up blending in a weird way, was not the smartest thing I did) I did some other stranger type of shrimp. I know if I ever got into keeping aquariums again I would get a larger tank and just go all out with my dream shrimp tank. But the shrimp I would be seeding it with would cost 200+ dollars.
 

spotropaicsav

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
431
Ghost shrimp are technically "lower maintenance" but they will never successfully breed in freshwater. They need brackish water to hatch out the babies (though the females may carry berries). What I enjoy are the ornamental freshwater shrimp. But most species besides the really simple ones like cherry shrimp need larger and completely planted tanks. I easily bred crystals of the black and red variety in a 25 gallon high because it was immensely planted (I didn't even do regular water changes once a week like is recommended with them to keep them happy, I did every other week). I also have done several other species of ornamentals that do well in the crystal parametes. Various colors morphs of cherries (which always end up blending in a weird way, was not the smartest thing I did) I did some other stranger type of shrimp. I know if I ever got into keeping aquariums again I would get a larger tank and just go all out with my dream shrimp tank. But the shrimp I would be seeding it with would cost 200+ dollars.

Thanks for the info. Yea I'm not there yet. Maybe one day, the dream shrimp tank sounds fantastic. I loved my aquariums when I had them, but the maintenance and $$ became difficult
 

Xafron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Messages
82
In my experience ghost shrimp are not typically long lived. Cherry and Amano shrimp however are great. Cherry are apparently very easy to breed too (if you could get them going, could potentially use some as live food for fish as a treat).

With the proper set up, the filter feeders shouldn't be too difficult either. And, they are much larger than most freshwater shrimp. Some supposedly can reach six inches, and they won't bother even the smallest fish. If anything, be more concerned about some fish species bothering it.

 

Spidermolt

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 29, 2015
Messages
203
I cant keep ghost shrimp to save my live but I've had huge success with cherry and Amano shrimp.

Cherry shrimp are also really easy to breed as long as you keep them in warm planted tanks... This comes from the guy who doesn't go out of his way at all for his shrimp because they've been thriving and breeding outstandingly in their planted fish tanks for years. ;)
 
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Andee

Arachnobaron
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
Messages
411
I honestly recommend heavily planted tanks for shrimp tanks because it makes shrimp healthier and more happy, but also cuts down A LOT on maintenance. the thing is with my dream shrimp tank, all my shrimp I had chosen would breed in the conditions I had made and would easily make me twice the money I spent on them within the first generation of babies XD.
 

Xafron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Messages
82
Some shrimp are also good for cleaning algae off plants and other surfaces, and will feed on decaying plant matter. I have seen one or two species eat really small snails too.
 

Andee

Arachnobaron
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
Messages
411
Crystals I have realized and amanos are some of the species more inclined to eat some of the more nasty types of algae like hairgrass. My amanos were always obsessed with snails and when I kept a very strange but amazing multi-species tank I had issues getting the fish I was trying to feed the snails to enough snails because the amanos loved them so much.

I did something really weird that is a huge no no in the aquarium world. I kept 4 indian dwarf puffers in a 29 high, with some dwarf petricola catfish, and a small school of otto catfish. I also kept several species of ornamental shrimp in there, cherries, amanos, two bamboo, and two types of crystals. The amazing thing is, that's when I first bred crystals successfully (without even trying XD). That aquarium was one of my first super planted ones, and it got me hooked quickly. My puffers were kept constantly busy by growing plants and changing aquascape, while they could hunt random snails that when I put a handful in, a couple would escape and sometimes breed or I would add more every so often. I sometimes fed live brine shrimp that I had bloomed. I also fed live blood worms. The thing is if they went too long without food (usually the puffers needed fresh food items every couple days) they would get nippy with the tank mates. But once you learn that it's easy to keep on top of. I would assume if the other shrimp or fish were really stressed I wouldn't have breeding shrimp and baby shrimp everywhere like I did and I would assume the fish would hide a lot more than they did. I loved that tank so hardcore <3
 

Tenodera

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
486
I'm missing my cherry shrimp, had a tank of them for a few years and am looking forward to getting more one day. Those Atya are beautiful, Xafron!

I bred ghost shrimp once, but the larvae got stuck in the filter I thought would be safe...
 

Xafron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
Messages
82
Oh that picture isnt mine :embarrassed: was just sharing it because I dont think they are common knowledge for many.
 
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