# Marine Shrimp-only Tank Project



## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

May be off topic but cannot seem to find a Marine Shrimp forum anywhere....Just wondering if anyone here knows or has experience on setting up a shrimp-only marine tank? How small the tank can one go with such setup? Do marine shrimps breed in the tank? How difficult/easy is this compare to FW shrimp setup? What are the common shrimp species availabe at LFS?

I have been sucessful in keeping FW Tiger shrimps reported here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...196-tiger-shrimp-non-stop-breeding-photo.html

Now I am toying with the idea of setting up a marine shrimp tank!!! However, the overwhelming technical requirements for setting up a marine tank simply prevents me from starting the project....

Any information/guidence/ links to forums or webpages would be greatly appreciated indeed!!


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

Sorry for the double post, there was a problem in posting it so I refreshed browser to submit thread but ended up with 2 posts!

Could moderators please remove it?


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Don't feel overwhelmed with a salt tank, because it is no harder than a higher tech planted tank, IMO.
I just started up my first 12 gallon nano cube salt tank in January, and aside from the algae being a nuisance, things have been rolling along the way they said it would.

I would suggest using live rock and maybe live sand in your shrimp setup, since it really helps cycle the tank.

I have a blood red fire shrimp and he's the coolest thing in the world to me. 

I have heard they aren't a huge problem to breed, but I don't have any experience with it either. I really doubt they are as easy as something like a FW Cherry red, though.

If you're thinking about a smaller tank, here's one good resource for info on setting up a new tank and all of the other things you might want to know.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?act=idx


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I don't keep marine but have heard a couple of shrimp to avoid are the Mantis and Pistol shrimp.

Good luck with the new project.


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## azn_fishy55 (Jan 6, 2006)

Actually Pistol Shrimp can be interesting shrimp when kept with shrimp gobies.They develop a bond which is very interesting to watch.Just avoid mantis shrimp.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

JanS: Thanks for the sound advice!! I will have to do lots of research and reading on this project...

S&S, Andrew: Thanks for the warning, I am not there yet to choose which shrimp to have but good to know that certain species are to be aware of.


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## Veneer (Jun 12, 2005)

azn_fishy55 said:


> Just avoid mantis shrimp.


There exist mantis shrimp to suit every taste, from jewel-bedecked pygmies to foot-long thumb-splitters. In my view, they rank amongst the most intelligent and personable of all crustaceans; but nonetheless, as stomatopods, mantis "shrimp" are anything but.


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I heard pistol and mantis shrimp can break the tank glass and mantis shrimp also will eat all the tank occupants when they get bigger if they haven't cracked the tank by then, or sliced your thumb (depending on the type). The pistol shrimp was quoted as having the same power as a .22 rifle. 

I'm in no way experienced with these shrimp at all.....just what i've heard.

Cute fellas though.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

The pistol/mantis shrimps sound pretty dangerous indeed!!


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

There are a few good threads regarding mantis shrimp on www.nano-reef.com That site is definately the first place I recommend you check!!!


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## windsurfer (Apr 5, 2006)

reef central has a mantis shrimp forum
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=37

-jd


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

Thank you all for the replies. I think it is too difficult and expensive, after having a quick research on keeping marine creatures in general....

I don't have room to install an RO unit!!! Can one use tapwater?


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

By all accounts I have heard from folks experienced in both salt and planted, planted is the hardest. 

Some LFS carry RO or premixed salt water. I don't know the cost or anything but it is something to consider.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

Thanks for the encouragements! The problem is I do not own a car so buying RO from LFS on a regular basis is impossible and that my nearest LFS is a good 1hr journey by public transport (underground/train). This is the price to pay living in a metropolitan city...


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I don't use RO water with mine, and even though I have a bit of algae (which is getting better by the day), everything else is doing just fine without it (including my corals).
I bought a 100gpd RO unit way back in January just for that purpose, but never got around to hooking it up (yet).

Like Dennis said, if you can do a planted tank, you can do a salt tank.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

Why must one use RO? After removing chlorine and chloramines, what else (other than NO3) is present in the tap water that harms marine life?


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

RO also removes things like silicates, copper, phosphates, heavy metals, and nitrates from your tap water. It all depends on how much of these things your water source has in it.
Those things don't necessarily harm marine life, but they can create problems with undesirable algae and diatoms in the tank.

They also sell media like Purigen, Chemi-Pure, etc. that will remove those things for the most part, even if you don't use RO water.


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## Gumby (Aug 1, 2005)

As Jan said, use RO water because of all the other "nasties" in tap water. The main thing to be concerned with in a salt/reef environment are phosphates and silicates. Higher levels of these will give you enormous algae problems. 

As far as shimp go, I've kept all kinds before. My favorite is really the mantis shrimp. If you don't touch them, you won't have any problems. I trained my mantis to eat frozen food. Yes, it is possible for some large ones to break glass, but that is rare. If you use an acrylic tank, it's not really a problem. 

Pistol shrimp are cool too. They can NOT break the glass, or hurt you (much) for that matter. They have a modified claw that closes incredibly fast to create a popping sound. This popping sound produces enough of a shockwave underwater to stun/kill small animals. One cool thing about pistol shrimps is they come in a lot of colors and they will live symbioticly with many species of Watchman Gobies (a fish). 

If you're going to keeping this tank near your bed, don't do mantis or pistol shrimp... they can get very noisy at night. The pistol shrimps pop their claws and the mantis shrimps work out boring though rock.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

JanS/Gumby: Thanks for the details on RO! Those Pistol/mantis shrimps sound very interesting but dangerous! I am more fond of smaller species of shrimps such as the bumble bee (oh so cute!!) shrimp:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1969

The smaller the better!! What are the smallest marine shrimps available in the hobby?


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

nano-reef.com is definitly a friendly place to start.

the best advice i can give you is to either get a tank and stock it as is possible (meaning you may have to deal with being disappointed b/c your tank size is not large enough for a fish you really want -- this happens a lot) or plan what animals you want to keep and get a tank accordingly.

The best start will be 20 plus gallons. On N-R there are a lot of 10g, but as you'll see, very little success with those long term. 

Otherwise coral tanks are very similar to FW plant tanks. You need certain lighting for certain species as well as additives. Just remember corals are animals, not plants  (sounds obvious, but many people mix them up.)

GL!

BTW i'm "six" on n-r. see you there!


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

Six, thanks for the link, will take a good look later. I do realise that small tank is going to cause problem in the long run...
I thought corels are inverts...just like shrimps...


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

they are, they're animals w/o a backbone. many people on reef boards think corals are plants. that's what i meant [smilie=h:


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