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A planted shrimp tank is one of the most rewarding small aquariums you can keep. Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina) are colourful, busy and breed readily, and a well set up nano tank needs very little maintenance.
Shrimp tank basics
| Tank size | 20 litres or more (larger is more stable) |
| Temperature | 18–26°C (around 22–24°C is ideal) |
| pH | 6.5–8.0 for cherry shrimp |
| Water | Stable, clean, no copper |
| Starting group | 10 or more |
1. Choose the tank
A 20–60 litre tank is ideal. Kits such as the Aquael Shrimp Set or Fluval Flex 34L make a great start. Browse all nano tanks.
2. Make the filter shrimp-safe
Baby shrimp are tiny and can be sucked into filter intakes. Cover the intake with a fine sponge pre-filter, or use a gentle filter such as the Eheim Mini Up. See our filter sponges and pads.
3. Add substrate, plants and moss
- A plant substrate such as Fluval Stratum or a planted substrate works well, and dark colours make red shrimp stand out.
- Moss is a shrimp favourite: they graze biofilm from it constantly. Try Bogor moss or Taiwan moss.
- Add hardy plants such as Java fern 'Windelov' and anubias, plus shrimp hides and catappa leaves.
4. Cycle the tank fully
Shrimp are more sensitive than most fish to ammonia, nitrite and sudden changes. Cycle the tank for four to six weeks and let biofilm build up before adding shrimp. A bacteria starter such as Seachem Stability helps. Read How to Cycle Your Aquarium.
5. Add shrimp slowly
Acclimatise shrimp over 30–60 minutes by slowly adding tank water to their bag or a container. Sudden changes in water hardness are a common cause of losses.
Feeding
Shrimp graze all day on biofilm and algae. Feed small amounts of a specialist shrimp food such as Hikari Shrimp Cuisine every day or two, removing anything uneaten after a few hours. Overfeeding is the biggest mistake.
Maintenance
- Change 10–20% weekly with dechlorinated water at the same temperature.
- Never use treatments containing copper. Many fish medicines and some plant fertilisers contain it.
- Test regularly with a kit such as the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.
Breeding
In a stable tank cherry shrimp breed on their own. Females carry yellow or green eggs under their tails for around three weeks, and tiny shrimplets hide in moss. Keep fish out, or choose only tiny peaceful species, if you want the colony to grow.
Shrimp-safe tankmates
Snails, pygmy corydoras and otocinclus are safe. Most fish will eat baby shrimp. Read 10 Best Freshwater Shrimp for Beginners for other species to try.
