# Best tank size for shrimp



## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

In your opinion what do you think is the best sized tank for a heavily planted shrimp farm?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I sure you will get a lot of different answers, but I like the 20G long. It's not to small or large and has less depth/more length then some other tanks.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

A stand 10 gallon tank will probably do the trick for most shrimp. But I think one could go as small as 3 gallon without may problems. I'm currently housing my green shrimp in a 3 gallon. They seem to be doing fine.

-John N.


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## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Thanks for the replies guys  I got a 10 gal setup already but id have to rescape it since it looks like a jungle right now lol and id like to change my substrate to a darker one and personally i think 10 gal looks so small  ill prob keep that one and keep my kribenses in there or something  but im planning on buying a 29 gal since it looks like a nice size and would look better once i have it fully planted. I must say John.N my first time seeing your 29 gal with the shrimps really got me wanting to have a setup like that of my own i still go back sometimes and look at it i think you did a awesome job! and I got a spot for it right next to my computer  so i can whatch them whenever im here cant wait to get started! one question i have tho would it be dumb to put algae eaters in there with them? like the chinese algae eaters 
cus i know they dont go well with kribenses!  i had a couple cherry reds and few days later they dissapeared..well let me know what you guys think thanks! oh and John do you still remember how much your 29 gal and light cost? and how many bags of onyx or eco-complete would i need for 3" or so in a 29 gal?


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

I have to say that the 20G long is very nice for shrimp as well as the 15G tank.

Cheers,
Pedro


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## kangshiang (Apr 27, 2005)

My suggestion will be 20G either long or high...I think both of them are great to be shrimp tank......


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Hehe, thanks Mike. I've very proud of how the shrimp farm is turning out. 

I think chinese algae eaters would be perfect for your shrimp project. In fact, I personally have 3 otos, 2 juli cory cats, and 6 dwarf cories in my 29 shrimp farm. I just stick an extra quarter of an algae wafer for the fish and shrimp to munch on. 

A 20 gallon long would look nice, now that I think of it. But I started witha 10 gallon, and that was good enough for me to start breeding shrimp for my other tanks.

-John N.


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## Mikee (May 8, 2006)

Thanks guys, well lucky me i dont have to buy a 29 gallon tank after all! i forgot my brother was using a 25-29 gal its 30 x 12 1/2 or 13 x 18 ish i think thats about the size of a 29 gal or 25 anyways it was the perfect size i was looking for! (he was using it for salterwater) and now no longer needs it  now itll be the home to my first and very own shrimp farm  

before i go buying a few questions 1. what substrate? we only have onyx and flourite here as far as i know ( im looking for a darker substrate ) 2. light? im thinking of using a 65w that similar to John.N 3. Filter? ill prob be using my Fluval canister filter and putting a sponge on intake 4. Heater? not quite sure if i need one since my temp usually stays around 24-25 but i might use one just in case. 5. Plants?! what plants would look nice? i have a perfect driftwood piece im going to use that i have in my 10 gal currently. oh and i almost forgot i could make a DIY C02 
not quite sure if its necessary? did you use one on yours John.N ?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

That's so awesome. I love to receive free or used tanks too. 

1. Substrate, I would go with the darkest you can get and afford. Ecocomplete from aquariumplants.com is dark and allows you to showcase your shrimp and plant colors better. ADA aquasoil is another good bet if you are keeping shrimp that require low pH. 

2. Light, definately 65 watt fixture, or even better buy a 55 watt kit from ahsupply.com. In a shrimp only tank, keep it low tech, so you don't have to add ferts as much, that reduces the possibility of overdosing ferts and killing shrimp. Hellolights.com offers good deals on the coralife 65w fixture.

3. Fluval canister sounds fine. Sponge filter covering is good idea. I'm waiting on one from kensfish.com. Someone recommended it in a tread somewhere in the shrimp forum, that I've decided to get.

4. Heater, your temperature sounds good, so maybe no heater needed. But I personally like the Vis-therm Stealth heater 100wats or so. or even better an external Hydor inline heater for your canister filter to keep equipment out of the tank.

5. I like the plants in my tank. But if I were to do it again, and change up a few plants. I would do weeping moss on driftwood, HC for ground cover since glosso grows to fast and I try to keep maintenance as low as possible, so I don't stir up the water quality with replanting. Java fern paired with anubias work great around driftwood pieces. I would stick to H.micromatheses (sp?..babytears) as primary stems. 

6. I use pressurized CO2 with mine, to keep the pH low for the Crystal Red shrimp. But if you are doing Cherries or other shrimp that don't require as low a pH then no CO2 is needed, but a little DIY CO2 never really hurts and I would just add it for the plants.

-John N.


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I would keep an eye on those chinese algae eaters....they can become aggressive when they get older.

If you're after an algae eater I would buy a nerite snail or an Otto for a smaller tank or a bn plec (if the tank is over 10g).


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