Would like to know how to start a shrimp tank

Here is a web site I found that has everything about dwarf shrimps.
http://www.planetinverts.com

On the right hand side of this site has everything to help you get started.
On the left hand side is the different shrimp species. I noticed that you did not mention what kind you wanted to raise. Red cherry shrimp, yellow shrimp, green shrimp, tiger shrimp are really easy to start up a nice colony. Ghost shrimps are the cheapest as fish stores sell them as food for other bigger fish. I like the ones I listed as they are easy and have a nice color. If you need to buy some and can't find them try http://www.aquabid.com
I bought my yellow shrimp from here from a seller named Missfish.

Shrimp Compatibility chart

I forgot to mention that the shrimps that I have listed are from the same family and should not be put together. They will interbreed and the color will be a ugly brown color which you do not want. The shrimps that are from the different familys can go in the same tank together as long as the family is not the same. I keep all my different shrimps seperate in their own tanks. These dwarf shrimps do well in small tanks as small as 2.5 gal. as long as it has a good filter and you do water changes weekly and check the water parameters with a API freshwater test kit. You must also cover up the intake to your filter as the tiny baby shrimps will get sucked up in the filter. I use a panty hose type netting with a tie wrap or you can use a rubber band to hold it or get a sponge filter for the intake vavle.These dwarf shrimps are great for small kids as you can get them in a small desk top tank. They can be with endlers. Like 3 small male black bar endlers or other types. I keep mine with Tiger endlers and I have 1 bushy nosed pleco in with them in a 5gal. and a 6 gal tank.
Here is a good chart that I keep in my favorites:

http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/dwarf_shrimp_compatibility_chart.shtml

My tanks ph is on the hard side 7.6-7.8 the water temp is at 72 degrees.but some shrimp like the water warmer. Some shrimps like the softer water like Cyrstal red shrimps in that case use RO water- reverse osmosis water. This is 6.0 coming out of my RO I have soft water for my home. Some local fish stores sells this water cheap also. You would just need to get water for water changes and adding water when it gets low. I have not tryed Cyrstal shrimps yet. They are a bid more sensitive then the ones I listed. I like the easier dwarf shrimps. Remember to check out http://aquabid.com search inverts/shrimps Some sellers have free shipping. Have a set price you want to pay with the shipping and if the bid goes higher watch another seller. The $ auctions are a good starting point.That's how I got my Yellow shrimps I payed $14 for 10 extra were shipped and about $11 I payed for shipping. I did send for some from someone and every shrimp died but I got refunded. The water leaked out of the bag and the box was ruined, I took a picture and sent that to the seller. Check their policy for DOAs. I think it was a bad packing job and they got banged around in the bag. I like breather bags to ship fish no air in the bag and they do not get the stress of being tossed about. Aquabid has good prices on shrimps. Try to buy from someone that is not to far from you as the longer the distance the longer it will take to get them priority is 2-3 days. Most good seller put a plant in the shippment so the shrimps have something to hold on to. Ask the seller questions. Their is a place to ask questions and look at their feedback from other buyers. It's like e-bay for aquatic stuff. I found out that it is free to sell stuff on Aquabid unlike e-bay. I told a few people about it and they are selling their excess fish and babies. Remember to check the http://www.planetinverts.com to get them used to your tank water slowly they have a write up on the right hand side for this. I got my Tiger shrimp used to the ph water I have and the water temp. without any losses.

I'm not really breeding them. They just seem to have babies. They must like my tanks water conditions. I have had Red Cherry babies, Yellow shrimp babies and I discovered a tiny baby from my Tiger shrimps the other day and I only started with 4 Tiger shrimps. They are safer if kept my themselves. I like keeping them with my Tiger/hybrid endlers and my 1 bushy nosed pleco. I have floating Hornwart plants for them and alot of plant cover in my tanks. The females are a brighter color then the males and are bigger in size. The females have a saddle with undeveloped eggs that they will carry underneath when they start to develop. If you want to get them I think that Aquabid is a good place unless you find someone in the forum that is selling them. You can also try craigslist as I typed in shrimps in the pet section and in the general section in my area and was able to find some people selling some red cherrys for really cheap, and Cyrstal red shrimp for $3 each as in the fish stores they sell for $6 each here in San Diego. Fish stores sometimes do not carry the certain species type. I have noticed that the Plantinvert site has high prices. This site is a really good site for the information and they have some amazing pictures of the shrimps. Red Cherrys, green, yellow, are easy to breed if you start with 8-10 of them. If you can tell females from males then 2 female/2 males would be a good start.