Hidey-holes for cherry shrimp - Any ideas?

BioHazard

Here and There
Mar 15, 2009
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I am going to be putting some cherry shrimp into my 5 gallon hex. This will be my first experience with them. I know they like to have little places to hide. The otocinclus I put in will also want a place to get away to. What are the best choices? I see some people use coconut halves, but I would prefer something even smaller, since I don't have much floor space in the tank. I'm just looking for ideas, DIY or things to buy... any help would be appreciated!
Thank you!

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pvc pipe chopped in halfso that you split the circle hole if you know what I mean, then cut into one inche segments to create little tiny semi circled caves. Then just put them on the gravel.
 
I don't see why drilling some holes in driftwood wouldn't hurt.
 
pvc pipe chopped in halfso that you split the circle hole if you know what I mean, then cut into one inche segments to create little tiny semi circled caves. Then just put them on the gravel.

no need to cut them in half IME... just burry them halfway in the sand.. Much easier ;-)
 
That's a great idea! I hadn't even though about using pvc... The tank is going to be in my dads office. He is a nuclear physicist and a professor. I think I'm goind to buy a couple pieces of tubing, and paint them up to look like little nuclear waste barrels (think of The Simpsons). That will be so funny!!!
 
Mine love java moss.
Not really a cave, but the crawl inside the "ball" of moss for shelter, more so than going into caves and such.
 
That sounds cute. I have skull heads in one of my tanks and it's pretty cool to see shrimp going in and out of the eyes. I also have a bridge and they hide out under that and under the stump decoration. In my other RCS tank they tend to hang in the moss more than in any of the decorations. That or they are hanging upsidedown from the duckweed or in the water sprite.

If your dad likes plants get him some mosses. I have java moss in all my tanks and fish and shrimp love the stuff. My poor cray (RIP) used to tuck the stuff it into the rocks, sand, gravel, other plants. LOL

I've seen PVC used just make sure if you paint it that there are no metals or other harmful chemicals in the paint that could kill the shrimp.
 
I plan on putting some fissidens moss in, planted on a piece of driftwood. I'm also going to get some black gravel, to really pop the colors of everything. I can't wait to get some stuff in there, but right now I'm cycling, and so I only have one snail. This is all pretty new for me, and this "cycling" thing is a pain!!! I had to do a 50% water change yesterday just to get my ammonia down to 2 ppm!!! I don't want to do any more than 50% at a time or risk killing any bacteria that may be starting to colonize, but I hate subjecting my snail to so much ammonia... :(
 
Personally, I use small clay pots turned upside down with the drain hole for the cherries to go in and out. Also, they really love mosses and plants, especially bushy ones like hornwort.
 
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