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Ashley87

AC Members
Jan 28, 2009
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San Pedro, CA
Hello all,

Not new to aquaria but I am looking to get into shrimps and snails. I had some ghost shrimp in an old community set up but I just got them because I thought they were cool. I kinda want to try my hand at keeping snails and shrimp and possibly breeding them. I just have some noob questions about general tank set up. I will probably go with a standard-shape 5 gallon tank. For filtration, I was thinking a simple sponge filter would be sufficient. What are the best ways to heat a small tank? A small standard tank heater? Or is there another way? I am not anywhere particularly cold, but the house is a bit drafty. I also have cats so I would want to cover the tank. Do they even make hoods/glass covers for such a small tank? Also, what light requirements are there, if any? I would want some simple, low-light plants in the tank, as well. Sorry for all the questions! Any DIY tips are gladly welcome, as well! I am researching this while I (im)patiently wait for my future (separate) dwarf puffer tank to finish cycling, haha. Thanks in advance, all!

-Ash
 

Jacob928

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Jan 8, 2012
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http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Submers...X8QG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329082675&sr=8-1
A small 25w heater would work fine for a 5 gallon tank. As far as a top, i'm sure they make tops that size, just look up your dimensions and search the web. Or you could probably find some sort of metal screen to put on top. All you would need for lighting is a simple lowlight lamp. If you want something cheap, just buy like a clip-on light that uses CFL bulbs or like a desk lamp. Something along the lines of this: http://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Clip-Table-Lamp-Black/dp/B003NZSLHS/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

All depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Also depends on what type of shrimp you are looking to breed. The most common and popular are red cherry shrimp and are faily simple to breed.
 

TL1000RSquid

AC Members
Apr 6, 2011
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NY
I'd go with small 5g rated heater for heating, they do make glass tops for 5g tanks you may have to buy online I don't see those often in local stores. Simple sponge filter is good, lighting if you have extra desktop light around a 6500k-10000k bulb in it will support java moss which I would i use for shrimp breeding. Also don't know if your aware or what shrimps you were planning to breed but ghost's are difficult to raise young because they have a larval stage.
 

Ashley87

AC Members
Jan 28, 2009
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36
San Pedro, CA
Awesome, thanks for the replies!

TL1000RSquid, I am thinking either red cherries or pearl blue. I only mentioned ghosts because I did have them in a tank once, but I am going for more color this time.

EDIT: I do currently have a crap ton of java moss, haha. :)
 

Jacob928

AC Members
Jan 8, 2012
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Both are pretty simple to care for. I don't have experience with blue pearl shrimp, but i believe they are about the same as red cherries. If you have lots of java moss then you are good to go! :) Shrimp love it. Especially if you plan on breeding, the fry will spend most of their time on the java
 

Jacob928

AC Members
Jan 8, 2012
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Both are fine. Shrimp love to sift through the gravel looking for food. I would probably say small gravel is better because it gives them more to grab onto, but sand is also good too!
 

pixl8r

MacroShrimpBreeder
May 11, 2007
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Utah
I recommend that you start with a 10g tank vs. a 5g, for anyone new to shrimp keeping. Shrimp are much more delicate than most fish, when it comes to water quality. With a 10g tank you have more of a margin for error, and time to address water condition issues. Newly cycled small volume tanks can be problematic.

If you do stick with a 5g tank, and it is kept in a room that has a consistent temperature ~75 to ~80F, then you shouldn't need a heater.
 

Ashley87

AC Members
Jan 28, 2009
15
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36
San Pedro, CA
I recommend that you start with a 10g tank vs. a 5g, for anyone new to shrimp keeping. Shrimp are much more delicate than most fish, when it comes to water quality. With a 10g tank you have more of a margin for error, and time to address water condition issues. Newly cycled small volume tanks can be problematic.

If you do stick with a 5g tank, and it is kept in a room that has a consistent temperature ~75 to ~80F, then you shouldn't need a heater.
Funny you mentioned this, but I went shopping for tanks tonight and found 10 gallons to be a better bang for my buck and easier to find hoods/covers for them. So now I have a second tank cycling, hooray... :)
 
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