freshwater shrimp

J

jadefoodog

AC Members
Dec 15, 2005
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ok im gettng a 5 gallon tank kit for xmass (its kinda thing and long) and im gonna do a whole mini aquarium thing. i know im gonna get like 3 nanus corydoras for it and some type of small fish. like danios or guppies, im leaning twards guppies cause they look cool. and i was gonna put like 4 in there but i was also considering getting 2 smallish shrimp. glass shimp are easy to find but borring compared to some of the cherry shrimp i seen on the site. also i heard amano are cool to. im really open to sugestions. oh and dont worry bout overcrowding cause if that becoems a problem i have 2 empty 10 gallons i could hook up (right now they are being used to hold my crickets for my praying mantises)


give me any and all input you can think up on shrimps (also i want something that might reach about 2 - 2:1/2 inches. i hear glash shrimp only get about 1
 
the glass shrimp are not famous for their survival rates.. i would go with amanos or cherry shrimp if you can find them. you don't want them to be too large for such a little tank. also, i don't know if either of them will reach 2.5 inches. they're called "shrimp" for a reason. :)

once they are in, you have to pay attention to every medication, plant fertilizer, etc. you even think about adding to the tank, to make sure it is invertebrate safe.

i would advise against danios, they are temperamental and nippy towards pretty much any other fish, and many people would argue that they need much more room (i've been told that a school of danios should not be in anything smaller than 40g. that may be a stretch... but 5g just seems too small for fish that are so zippy and active.)

to be perfectly honest, i think you should forgo the 5 gal kit altogether and just use one of those ten gallons you've got lying around right away. three corydoras nanus in a 5 gallon is almost overstocking, let alone trying to add guppies in that little tank. (plus how crazy it will get when the guppies start breeding!)

instead of the 5 gallon setup, spend that money on a good filter and heater for one of your ten gallon tanks. or if your heart is set on the 5gal, get a pair cories and a solitary community fish, like a betta or dwarf gourami.

however, you shouldn't go crazy with buying fish until your tank is cycled. Fishless cycling is the best method, because your fish will not have to endure any toxic levels of ammonia or nitrite if you've completed a nitrogen cycle and established your bio-bacteria before you add any critters.
 
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yeah i know about cycling . im just new to these forums not fish altogether.

anyhow i ruled out danios a while back i as just useing them as an example (i also ruled out tigerbarbs cause they are nippy). and 4 was a typo i wasthinkign of something else i ment 2 guppies.

i dont think with the nanus cories and the guppies it will be overstocked yeah it may just go slightly above the 1 inch per gallon rule but the rule was intended for larger fish with a much larger girth and produce much more waste . when you get down to tiny fish it can be bent a bit. as long as the chemical range stays balenced it will be fine.

i understand where your comming from though most people with huge tanks would be mortified at the idea
 
Personally I am not fond of smaller tanks because keeping conditions stable is very difficult. Not only are waste buildups faster but keeping a stable temperature is an art in itself. I am sure you will be successful since you seem to know the basics but I agree that if you want to have a small tank go with a 10 gallon.
 
I have actually had nothing but luck with small tanks. I'm not refuting the accepted canon, but if I were to give advice based purely on personal experience, I'd say small tanks are just as stable as large tanks. This could be because I took a lot of time to understand this science before diving in, but still...I've had 5, 10 gallons tanks thrive under a minimal amount of care.

I'm sure many people are probably going to make posts in disagreement with me, and I accept that. But I stand by my assertion - in the general sense of a community freshwater aquarium, small tanks are just as easy to keep as large tanks. Period.
 
I've had everything from small 2 gallon tanks to fishbowls to larger 10 gallon all the way up the ranks with 250 gallons ect. My favorites have always been the bigger tanks simply because you can do more with it. One of the benifits of a smaller tank is the ability to keep it on your office desk and allow you to glance at your fish when you get overly stressed with work allowing you to relax. Something you can't do with a 55 gallon.
 
Just for consideration, Cherry shrimp are small, and top out at 3/4" max. I have them with guppies and no issues have arisen. Amono's get bigger the females will get to about 1 1/4" I believe but that is still about the limit. There are only a couple of types of peaceful shrimp that are going to get that large for you. Here is one site with general info and pictures (retail type not informational) http://www.azgardens.com/shrimpfactory.php

HTH
Dave
 
I too started out with smaller tanks and really enjoyed them. Will you be adding live plants? The extra filtration they provide can really help out in a tank that small. Not to mention that a bunch of great looking plants gives the fish things to swim around and through. Real plants can turn the tiniest aquarium into a work of art!
 
i havent looked into too many plants but im thinkign bout it
but would make sense since one of my other hobbies in horticulture

i heard java fern only gets to 8 inches but whats some other short low light plants i dont want to fill my tank with just 1 plant. im really interested in some kinda very short moss that kinda woudl give a grassy look thats no more than an inch tall . any sugestions??
 
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