# What do you REALLY need for a low-tech shrimp tank?



## Sophie and Mom

Hey all,

I want to start a low-tech, filterless small tank (5 gallons?) for shrimp. What are the minimum requirements to get something like this going?

Thanks!


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## vicky

Tank, dirt, gravel or sand, plants, water, shrimp, maybe a light.

RCS (red cherry shrimp) are hardy at normal household temps. I have unheated, unfiltered shrimp tanks that are very low maintenance. I top of the water about once a week, and usually go a few months between water changes, as long as everything looks OK. In the beginning I did frequent water changes, sometimes daily. But after a few weeks, they settled in beautifully. RCS are charming and have a low bioload. I feed fish food to the plants, not the shrimp. See this for an example of a low maintenance shrimp bowl: http://www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf If you want to be extra safe, don't add the shrimp until the ammonia cycle is complete.


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## Sophie and Mom

Thank you, Vicky. 

How big is your tank/bowl?


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## carolhu

It's always good add a sponge filter in shrimp tank.


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## Sophie and Mom

carolhu said:


> It's always good add a sponge filter in shrimp tank.


Why do you recommend having a filter?


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## vicky

The only one that is shrimp only right now is a four gallon baby biorb that I got for $8 at a Salvation Army thrift store. I plugged off the airline, replaced the original substrate with dirt and gravel, and put a small clamp light with a cfl bulb directly on the top. Very carefree. I have a five gallon acrylic mini bow, with a small heater and an air driven sponge filter, that currently hold white clouds, Endlers, and RCS. I also have a 7 gallon glass mini bow with a small heater, no filter and baby plecos in addition to shrimp. I have a 2.5 gallon plastic animal cookie jar that previously held rcs and java moss with no heat, filter or light, other than window light. And I have several larger tanks, up to 55 gallon, with a variety of community fish. Most were purchased 2nd hand, and I think two came from petco's buck a gallon sale. I could afford pricier tanks, but these give me just as much joy and the critters don't seem to care. 

Here are some quick snaps, taken a year or two ago, of the four and seven gallon tanks.


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## Sophie and Mom

vicky said:


> Here are some quick snaps, taken a year or two ago, of the four and seven gallon tanks.


Those both look great. It's so funny to see regular sized aquarium plants in there...they look massive! I'm hoping to get one set up over the weekend, or during next week. Also hoping that craigslist will come through for me for a small tank. I hate to spend a small fortune on something so little!


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## vicky

I do have to prune the swords regularly, but they seem to be growing smaller leaves now. I just threw in extras from my other tanks. I like the wild jungle look. Well, truthfully I like the low maintenance, but I don't mind the wild jungle look, either. I prune them a bit more when I have free swimming fish in there, but otos, plecos and shrimp don't mind it crowded with plants. Endlers and white clouds need a bit more open space. I used to have aquatic frogs in the 7 gal, but moved them into a 30 with my dojo loaches. The shrimp act differently when there are no predatory fish in the tank. They hide less and so are much more visible. Again, when I get too many shrimp I might put in a pair of Endlers or white clouds for a while to fatten them up a bit. With no fish, the copepods become more numerous, but they are great food for fish fry. Have you tried a wanted ad on craigslist? Someone might have one they intend to get rid of, but haven't posted yet.


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## aquaman555

I have a 2.5 glass aquarium(cheap at petsmart) with sand, sponge filter, small heater & CFL light. Some easy to keep plants and that's it. No ferts or anything, just feed the shrimp every 1-3 days. I house blue pearls, much the same as RCS. Easy shrimp either one.


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## Sophie and Mom

Okay, I've got my --urp--shrimp tank...Does anybody want any pickles??


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## Big_Fish

I would never EVER say anything like this without first making it clear that I'm joking: 

WOW... those are some UGLY Shrimp ya got there Sophie  
tank (jar) is a bit crowded too....

 good luck on your new 'tank' ... (it'll work perfectly for you, I'm sure.)


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## Sophie and Mom

Big_Fish said:


> WOW... those are some UGLY Shrimp ya got there Sophie
> tank (jar) is a bit crowded too....
> 
> good luck on your new 'tank' ... (it'll work perfectly for you, I'm sure.)


Those would be uuuuuugly shrimp, indeed! And disconcertingly large....*shudder*

I've never bought a whole gallon of pickles before. This will be a daunting task, but my daughter is willing to help, and hopefully, none of us will barf.


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## Sophie and Mom

I wanted to add that I wouldn't have considered one gallon large enough until I read Diana Walstad's PDF on shrimp bowls (thank you, Vicky). If she can do this in a fish bowl, I should be able to do it in a gallon, right?


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## Big_Fish

oh, yeah one gallon should be fine... heck, I've got roughly 200 Taiwanese fire reds happily rummaging about in a 4 gallon finnex rimless tank. they just keep multiplying.


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## vicky

Shrimp that big would belong on the barbie not in a jar. Hmm, grilled pickles? Maybe not. 

The glass is for our benefit. The critters would do fine in an opaque container. So use what pleases you, whether that is a recycled pickle jar or a very expensive work of art. It should be fun, as well as within our budgets, or we will just give up. So have fun with your shrimp. As for the pickles, I love them whole, but also cut up in potato salad. Mmmmm!


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## Sophie and Mom

I like them chopped up in tuna salad, too. I think we'll be having burgers for dinner tomorrow, and maybe sammiches on Sunday, all accompanied by big honkin' pickles, of course.

Good lord, the pickles....


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## Sophie and Mom

I'm thinking about starting with blue rilis. I can get them for a good price, and the reviews are good. My daughter has a couple of red cherries in her tank now, and they're doing well, too.

Any opinions?


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## Sophie and Mom

Another question.....

I had planned on putting an amazon sword, some water lettuce and another floating plant that I can't remember the name of in there (I know it is also called **** tail), along with a little bit of moss from my daughter's tank.

Does this sound appropriate for a one gallon bowl?

ETA: How many times do you typically rinse /skim/pour off when prepping MGOCPS for a shrimp bowl/tank?

Thanks!


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## vicky

The sword will require a *lot *of pruning to keep it small, and it still might just be too big for a one gallon. But you can try it and see how it goes. I think a smaller crypt might be a better choice, but I have swords in my 4 and 7 gallon and they have learned to stay fairly small.

I am always impatient, it seems, with my soil. I would at least soak it overnight, skim off the floating bits, and let it dry once. My oven has a dehydrate setting that speeds the drying along a bit. Some people prefer to do this several times, but I think even once provides a large benefit.

I don't have any Rilis, but they are neos and will cross with your rcs if they have a chance. So if you get another type of neo, be careful when sharing nets, moving plants, etc.


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## Sophie and Mom

Okay, I didn't wait for an answer. I just followed Diana's instructions with the addition of giving the potting mix a rinse/skim/drain.

I've got an inch of soil, 3/4 inch of black gravel, and an amazon sword (and its ramshead snail) in there. I'll add the "**** tail" tomorrow.

The water is a little murky, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to do a water change. It'll need one anyway! I have it in a spot that gets afternoon sun, with the option of closing the blinds.

Once I'm sure the water is stable, I'll order my shrimp!


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## Sophie and Mom

vicky said:


> The sword will require a *lot *of pruning to keep it small, and it still might just be too big for a one gallon. But you can try it and see how it goes. I think a smaller crypt might be a better choice, but I have swords in my 4 and 7 gallon and they have learned to stay fairly small.
> 
> I am always impatient, it seems, with my soil. I would at least soak it overnight, skim off the floating bits, and let it dry once. My oven has a dehydrate setting that speeds the drying along a bit. Some people prefer to do this several times, but I think even once provides a large benefit.


If only I'd waited just a little longer for a reply!! Also, I feel like I'm committed with the sword, now. He's in there, and was available (harvested from The Big Tank).

I rinsed and skimmed the soil, and waited for the water the clear before I poured it off (into a couple of plants), then used it. *shrug* All Ms. Walstad does is pick out the big stuff and throw it in there dry, and her shrimp bowls seem to be doing fine.


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## Sophie and Mom

vicky said:


> I don't have any Rilis, but they are neos and will cross with your rcs if they have a chance. So if you get another type of neo, be careful when sharing nets, moving plants, etc.


For now I'll stick with one kind of shrimp. I don't want to endanger any more life than I need to while I get the hang of this!


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## MagicalAlpha

Clean water, sponge filter , some moss.


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## Sophie and Mom

My 50 gallon took almost 7 weeks to cycle. Any idea how long a bowl this little will take?


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## vicky

I find them hard to predict. Each bag of soil seems a bit different. The good thing here is that a 50% water change is easy, compared to a 50 gallon tank. Maybe you could add a bit of gravel from the 50 gallon to your bowl, to seed the good bacteria.


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## Virc003

It's only a couple weeks old, but the hygrophila seems to love my pickle jar for a home. Next to that you can see that I gave some pothos the cookie jar too.


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## Sophie and Mom

I did think of gravel seeding, really, I did, but I'm so picky... You see, the gravel in my jar is black, and the gravel in my tank, well, _isn't_. Can i put some in a mesh bag and lay it on the bottom of my jar? That way i can remove it an not mar my lovely black surface upon which to view my shrimp.


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## Sophie and Mom

Virc003 said:


> It's only a couple weeks old, but the hygrophila seems to love my pickle jar for a home. Next to that you can see that I gave some pothos the cookie jar too.


Oy, fellow pickle jar-er!

How did your cycling go?


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## Virc003

As long as any part of your old tank makes it into your new tank, you will be fine. 

My pickle jar is an emersed setup right now, so there was no cycling. I'm still trying to decide on whether I will fill it up or not.


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## Sophie and Mom

I've started my pickle jar bowl! I have a journal started, too. I want to document this so I can remember what went right, what not to do again, etc. Wish me luck, my shrimp get here on Monday!


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## Sophie and Mom

Does anyone have any idea how many shrimp Diana started her bowls with, and if she removes extraneous population? These two items of information are left out of the attaced article.


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