I prefer a tank wiht a dark substrate as it helps the shrimp's color really pop. I do like plants for several reasons: 1. they graze on the biofilm and infusoria which grows on them 2. they help filter the water by using up excess nutrients which shrimp are extremely sensitive to 3. they look nice and provide places for the fry/berried mamas to hide out should they feel insecure
I typically will use alot oflow light plants like anubias, ferns, mosses in my shrimp tank. I anchor these to wood or decoration. If you need to do a mass netting, you can easily remove them from the tank. I will also often put stem plants in the background. Leave an area (about 1/3 of the foreground) to target feed into a small dish or just on the substrate if you need to capture multiple shrimp easily. Feed sparingly, remember how small these critters are. Overfeeding is the number one new shrimp keeper mistake. I feed them every other day, about 1 pellet per 10-20 shrimp. Temps are variable, they do well in tropical temperatures. I would recommend a sponge filter as juvenile shrimp easily get sucked into an intake, even if its covered with a sponge. Excellent water quality is a must, so teh larger the tank the bigger the volume and more dilution. I prefer 10g tanks minimum. To vac, you can either use a small siphon, airline tubing, or a turkey baster over the substrate. If using a siphon, hold the discharge end in your hand so that you can pinch it off if you suck up shrimp and check the bucket when finished, they can tolerate a roller coaster ride. Best of luck and please post if you have any further questions or need clarification!
I typically will use alot oflow light plants like anubias, ferns, mosses in my shrimp tank. I anchor these to wood or decoration. If you need to do a mass netting, you can easily remove them from the tank. I will also often put stem plants in the background. Leave an area (about 1/3 of the foreground) to target feed into a small dish or just on the substrate if you need to capture multiple shrimp easily. Feed sparingly, remember how small these critters are. Overfeeding is the number one new shrimp keeper mistake. I feed them every other day, about 1 pellet per 10-20 shrimp. Temps are variable, they do well in tropical temperatures. I would recommend a sponge filter as juvenile shrimp easily get sucked into an intake, even if its covered with a sponge. Excellent water quality is a must, so teh larger the tank the bigger the volume and more dilution. I prefer 10g tanks minimum. To vac, you can either use a small siphon, airline tubing, or a turkey baster over the substrate. If using a siphon, hold the discharge end in your hand so that you can pinch it off if you suck up shrimp and check the bucket when finished, they can tolerate a roller coaster ride. Best of luck and please post if you have any further questions or need clarification!
