I don't really want crabs anymore, BUT...

I'm putting a lot of consideration into getting a few shrimp as a Christmas present for my mom! I'm thinking about getting Fluval's 2.6 gallon tank or whatever and adding some plants to make the setup all nice and aquascape-y for the two or three cherry shrimp I plan on (maybe) getting. Can any experienced shrimpers help me out with this, maybe give me some tips and tricks and stuff? I want to make it really nice, but at the same time I don't want to spend a buttload of money on this. Any help would be GREAT!