Keeping Shrimp

Find an aquarium that will fit your space. The great thing about neos is that you can have a lot shrimp even in a small tank. Their impact on the water quality and waste produced is so low that they have very little bioload. Even a small 5 gallon tank can hold a lot of neos. 

Substrate (the material on the bottom of your tank) can take a lot of forms. Here are some of the common options:

Aquarium gravel: this is the common gravel that people use in all kinds of aquariums. If you plan to keep live plants in the aquarium you may want to add a layer of fertilizing substrate under your gravel to provide nutrients for the plants. 

Decorative sand: this is a popular choice for people who keep neocaridina shrimp. Some keepers love the look of black sand against the bright colors like yellow, orange, and red. 

Clay-based substrates: these are great if you plan to keep a good amount of plants in your aquarium. They store and release nutrients for the plants to keep the plants healthy. 

Lava rock: this can be used and may provide a lot of surface area for helpful bacteria to grow. It can also be used underneath other forms of substrate to help build up the base or create unique aquascape features. Just make sure you grind down any sharp edges before you add this type of rock.

For neocaridina shrimp, any of these substrates would work. Make sure you plan out your tank and use the type of substrate that gives you the look you want and provides for any plants that you plan to keep in the tank.

The type of filter you use will depend on multiple factors including the size of your tank. I do not cover saltwater filters or setups in this guide. 

There are multiple types of filters, but for most smaller freshwater tanks, you can use something simple like a sponge filter or HOB (hang on back) filter. These two types of filters fall into the mechanical filters category.

Sponge filter: this type of filter is a basic filter that uses a sponge and air pump to filter the water. As the air bubbles rise, water is pulled into the filter trapping larger particles in the sponge. It also provides a space for beneficial bacteria to grow (more details in the ammonia cycle section). 

HOB filter: this is the filter many people are used to seeing hanging off of the back of the tank. They pull water in and filter it through some type of material before the water is pushed back into the tank. These filters can provide mechanical and chemical filtration with some even providing space for biological filtration. These are probably the most common sort of filter for a freshwater shrimp tank. One note with these is to add a sponge or some kind of mesh that will keep your shrimp from getting sucked into the filter. 

Canister filters: these are typically used with larger aquariums and include an external canister that pushes water through filter media for thorough filtration. 

Undergravel filters: these are not as popular as they once were, but pull water through the gravel substrate to create a biological filter. These filters can be problematic with plants and are difficult to get to if you have any issues. I do not recommend them for shrimp tanks.

Light is important for your aquarium. First, you want to be able to see your shrimp. Having the right light helps you ensure that you can enjoy your colorful shrimp. Probably the most popular choice for lights today are LED. They provide a great amount of light without heating the water and last for a long time. They also use a relatively small amount of energy. 

It is important to have a light cycle that includes both day and night times for the tank. The shrimp you keep will be used to a cycle that likely includes around 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness (give or take). Use a timer to make the cycle easy to manage. 

What about at night? 

For my tank, I have a dim blue light ("moonlight") that I keep on for a couple of hours towards the end of my light cycle. This allows for a darker period for my shrimp (and fish), but still allows me to see them for a while at night. It is not recommended to keep even blue light on all night because it can cause an algae bloom and disrupt the resting cycles of your shrimp and/or fish.

This is one of the most fun parts of setting up your aquarium. Some prefer a more natural feel with plants, wood, and rock. Others love random or themed decorations. It's your aquarium so make it your own.

Some tips to remember here:

1. Do not use plastic plants. These can leak chemicals into the water that can harm your shrimp.
2. Be aware of the type of wood and rocks that you're using. For beginners it is best to use wood that has been treated for aquariums. Be careful of the type of wood you use because it can release chemicals into the water. Cholla wood is a popluar choice for shrimp. 

Shrimp love plants. If you can keep live plants in your tank it will help you maintain a stable environment, places for the shrimp to hide, and a source of food for the shrimp. Popular plant sources for shrimp are:

• java moss
• anubias nana
• water wisteria
• Amazon frogbit
• java fern

There are many more so do some research into what will work in your tank and fits your desired look.

Not all plants are created equal. Pay attention to how much light they need and if they need additional care like added carbon dioxide. For beginners, the easier plants like java moss are a great addition to the aquarium. 

If you need to use fertilizer, make sure it is shrimp safe as I have seen some shrimp keepers report that some fertilizers caused massive deaths in their tanks. Just be careful and do your research.

I cannot stress this enough...you will absolutely need a water testing kit. This is not the test strips that you dip into the water. 

The most accurate way to test water is with a digital checker like the Hanna Checkers. These are very expensive, but if you have an issue like color blindness, they are a great option. 

The most common way to properly test the water is with a test kit that uses a chemical reagent like API's Freshwater Master Test Kit to check each of the parameters. The Master Test Kit will give you what you need to check pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. 

I also recommend getting additional tests for GH (general hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness). These are important measures for shrimp and good to track.

Some experienced keepers will also recommend a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter. This can be helpful as well, but I do not use this as much as my parameters generally stay fairly steady. 

Whichever route you go...make sure you get your testing supplies before you add any live animals to your tank. You will want to be able to keep track of the water quality. 

Now that you have what you need to set up your tank, you're ready for water. 

There are multiple sources of water. Some people have success just using their tap water. Others use reverse osmosis (RO) water. This water has been filtered to remove most of the biological and chemical substances in the water. You can often purchase RO water from aquarium and pet stores, but I do not recommend the pre-bottled water that is sold on the shelf as it can get very expensive with little to no added value. Check with your local pet or fish store to see if they offer RO water. You can also purchase an RO filter for your home. 

Regardless of what water you choose to use, the first thing you want to do is test the water before you put it in the aquarium. You need to know what the parameters of the water are before it mixes with your aquarium water. In my area, we have extremely hard water that has a very high pH. If I were to use my tap water, my pH and GH would be way too high. I have two local stores that sell RO water. One of them has a pH of around 7.5 with a GH and KH of 8 which is pretty high for RO water. I have to be careful using this water so I don't drive my KH too high.

When you find the right water (or combination as you can use both RO and tap to get the right parameters), you're ready to fill your tank.