# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  Help with Shrimp tank setup.

## 3inone

hi. im totally new on tanks and so on. i need a few questions answered.

1. If i am keen on setting up a shrimp tank, what is needed with regards to the following:

Tank Size, Filter type, Light type. Basically what is necessary?  :Very Happy: 

2. I do not understand some terms. Such as the following:

GH:11
KH: 4
Ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 25-30

Can explain? 

3. I do not understand the gradings of CRS. What does the following mean?

A = ?
S - SSS = ?
B = ?
C = ?

4. Roughly, how much budget must I have, to start a Shrimp tank?

Considering I do not wish to upgrade constantly, or in near future.

5. Can I keep shrimps with fish?


Please feel free to comment, or if there's anyone willing to guide me on my shrimp tank setup in Singapore, do SMS me at 8.222.58.nine.eight.

thanks.

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## rascal

i dont think its a good idea too mix shrimps and fish!! the fishes will eat your lovely shrimps!! if you are keeping CRS, you need a chiller!!! A must in Singapore!!! you need the right soil to bring down ph and stable your water parameter!! if you want to keep sakura, yellows and etc, the no need cool temperature and more forgiving :Smile:  by the way you can visit my blog to see the different CRS grades :Smile:  hope this will help you

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## tofubox

Hi bro, i just started a setup myself, can share with u my experience.

Tank size, any tank will do, depends on how many shrimps u plan on keeping. Even a small tank is fine. Filter, depending on tank size, considering this is just a shrimp tank, with little plants, a small flowrate is sufficient. U can choose from canister filters, internal filters or hang on board filter system. Just make sure the intake of the filter is covered with a sponge or small size mesh to prevent the shrimps from being sucked in. Light type, any will do, depending on your plant needs basically. 

These are water parameters. An ideal shrimps tank is :
GH:4-6
KH: 2-4
Ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: <25

Basically, GH and KH is amount of minerals such as calcium and magnesium in your water. Tap water should be around GH3. So u shouldnt face much problem unless u dose more minerals in. 
As for Ammonia and nitrite, this is given off during the cycling of the tank, the cycle works such that a new tank: ammonia rises > ammonia drops > nitrite rises> nitrite drops > nitrate rises. U need to wait awhile for the cycle to take place and end. A larger tank = a longer cycle. Ammonia must be introduced in order for cycle to begin. Read up more on cycling tank before u begin. 

For grades of shrimps refer to www.planetinverts.com they have a good grading guide. Alternatively, u can also search the web for grading guides. 

As for budget, really depends on the size of your tank and what u plan on putting in there (what substrate u wan to use? what size tank, what filter size?) Shrimps do require a cool temperature to live it. So a chiller is needed if ur water temperature is too high. Alternatively, for a small tank, u can use a fan to cool the water, just remember to top up the evaporated water with RO water or distilled water to prevent any increase in your GH and KH. 

u can keep shrimps with fishes. But only certain type of fishes. mainly small non aggressive fishes. U can search fishes that are compatible with shrimps online. However, it is not recommanded u keep fishes and shrimps in the same tank. Shrimps will not breed so eaily. 

I hope this helps. 

Tofubox.

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## 3inone

As such, can i ask the following:

1. What are the popular choices for:

-tank size/brand/model?
-substrate (i suppose is the sand/soil?)
-chiller model
-prawn type
-any other equipments that i would need. (eg, how to introduce ammonia?)

basically, this will help me to reduce my scope, so i can focus more on what i need.

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## tofubox

Depends on how much u willing to spend = Your size of tank. For shrimp tanks, usually a 2ft is more den sufficient. Brand and model doesn't matter. If u wan to go for the looks, u can try those crystal glass tanks. Will cost abit more, but clearity is better. 

Substrate depends if u wanna grow planted or not. Usually Ada amazonia or GEX soils are recommanded for shrimp tanks.

Chiller will depend on size of tank. A small 2 ft will not require a chiller with a high Horsepower. A small sized chiller will be good.

Prawn type? Not prawn la brother, its shrimps. Anyway, many to choose from. But its not advisable to mix them as they might cross breed. Do a research on which breeeds are compatible with each other. Crystal Red Shrimp, Black Diamond Shrimp, Snow White Shrimp, Suluwasi Shrimp, Cherry shrimps, Yamato shrimps <-----Just to name a few. There are plenty of types out there. 

How to introduce ammonia? There are 2 methods, by introducing fishes which will produce waste(containing ammonia) or by fishless cycling where ammonia can be bought off the shelf from shops and dosed into your tank. I encourange the use of fishless cycling as this is a more humane method. Go search more on fishless cycling to understand the process and amount of ammonia required to dose. 

Tofubox

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## 3inone

ok. lets say i got a 2 feet tank. exact model i am not sure. but its by a brand called Colourful (i have it now, but returned to shop over some defect. collecting when stock come)

its less than 2 feet. top filter. can i use that?

i want planted tank.

how much are the ADA amazonia or Gex? and how much for a typical small chiller?
(just need a rough idea on total costs)

how effective is using Fan to cool water?

im keen on crystal red shrimp.

1. what is softwater?

2. how much are equipments to measure kh gh ph etc? 

3. what is Kh,gh in simple simple english? 

4. so how much would u expect my budget should be?

note:

its not that i never research, i do research myself until 2-3am, but i dont know what they mean...

eg, about GH, some general hardness level. i am ... duno what to say. blur liao.

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## tofubox

Ok, persuming u have a 2ft tank. Top filter is ok. Just make sure before u put your shrimps, the intake of your filter is covered with sponge or small wire mesh. Also, since its a new tank, make sure the cycling of tank is completed before u put your shrimps in. shrimps cannot tolorate any amount of nitrite or ammonia. 

For planted tank, depends on the type of plants u wan to keep. I encourange u to go for less demanding plants. Shrimps love moss, and these are low demanding. Flame moss, xmas moss, taiwan moss Etc. These do not require alot of lighting and co2. If u wan to have other plants, co2 might be needed, which will cost more. 

Ada amazonia and gex, i cant recall the price. But depends on your aquascape and what u wan to do, a few packs of soil might be needed. 

As a chiller, there are different brands, depends on your budget. Higher budget, u can go for brands such as Artica or teco (korean or japan not sure). For a smaller budget, can consider Hailea or Resun(China). Cost wise u can go find out from Local fish shops (LFS), or alternatively just wait for someone to sell 2nd hand. For a 2ft tank, small chiller will be enough.

Effectiveness of using fan will depend alot on the ambient temperature around your tank. Get a fan and test it out, if it cannot reach your desired temperature, go for a chiller. 

Softwater refers to your PH. Ph <7 should be considered softwater if i am not mistaken. Shrimps will do well in PH 6.4 - 6.8. but it really depends, some people may keep shrimps in lower or higer ph and the shrimps still do fine. 

Equipments to meausre KH GH and PH are relatively cheap. I sugguest u go for the API test kits. They have the package kind, for all test in one kit box i think around 50 odd, good to test for ammonia and nitrite during cycling too. I highly encourage u to use liquid test instead of test strips. 

I dunno what is the simple english for KH and GH but it refers to the minerals in the water basically. 

Budget like i said will depend on the grade of your equipments. For example, ADA will cost much more than GEX soil or Artica will cost more than Hailea. Better grade, higher cost.

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## rascal

ADA soil are better than gex, i using gex last time, it cannot keep the right pH that well for long

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## tofubox

For otos, im not really sure, because my tank is large, i had 7 of them. But cant see much a difference, i only saw results with algae issue when i decrease the dose of my ferts. 

Otos however as i have research on the net, is 100% safe with shrimps. Many people do keep them and also find them a good solution to algae issues. 

Im selling my otos cause i have extra from my bigger tank.

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## 3inone

1. can i set up a tank, to become a shrimp tank, then use the same setup to rear fish instead? (meaning i change my mind halfway) in other words, can shrimp setup be suitable/good/any difference from a fish setup?

2. what is HC?

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## tofubox

1. Sure u can! Fishes are easier to keep then shrimps. They can tolerate more water conditions as compared to shrimps which are more sensitive. No issue, u can change it to a fish tank anytime.

2. Hc = Hemianthus callitrichoides . Its a foreground plant. Very demanding plant. Requires cool water, high lighting. Have seen people grow these with shrimps, but not everyone had success. Either shrimps die cuz of high co2 or plants die. Go research on it. Its forms a beautiful foreground plant. One of the best in my opinion.

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## 3inone

3. how can i remember all the scientific names used by people here? instead of calling them by common names, scientific names are used, which confuses a noob like me. anywhere i can view a mindmap/flowchart on the genus/species classification etc?

4. what is a sump tank? and its function?

5. anyone willing to guide me step by step in setting up a new tank? 

- my worry is that i am new and inexperienced, im willing to learn slowly, yet, im anxious to get things started since its holidays now. i can devote time. 
-i scared that i spend unnecessary $$ buying unneeded stuffs/buying wrong items. so need guidance since im a student.
- basically need a mentor.

6. tell me if what i plan to do is correct:
1. hunt for driftwood/bogwood that i like - wanna spend time searching for my "focus" of tank. + heard of long sinking time.
2. research on moss,plants,prices of equipments.
3. try/wait to get good deals buying secondhand - as such, need advice which equipments are best bought 1st hand, which ones can be bought as 2nd hand to cut costs.
4. learn more about set-ups before actually starting mine, to minimise damage/wastage of $$.
5. save money in mean time.
6. finalise my tank decor plan.
7. hand built a cabinet myself/buy from cheap sources (since custom built very costly for me) - advisable? heard of heavy weight of tank+water.

7. what are a list of recommended/must-haves in a tank? with reference to fish/prawns?

-to maintain a good, healthy tank.
-i have in mind, Oto, some SAE, assasin snail? and suckerfish. (from all my readings on forum thus far).
-are these correct?

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## eviltrain

1. can i set up a tank, to become a shrimp tank, then use the same setup to rear fish instead? (meaning i change my mind halfway) in other words, can shrimp setup be suitable/good/any difference from a fish setup?
yes you can change a shrimp tank to fish tank. but you might face some problem if you wants to change a fish tank into shrimp tank.

2. what is HC?
Hemianthus Callitrichoides

3. how can i remember all the scientific names used by people here? instead of calling them by common names, scientific names are used, which confuses a noob like me. anywhere i can view a mindmap/flowchart on the genus/species classification etc?

if you have been reading hard enough and learn how to use google to find out what they means, you will soon learn them by heart.

4. what is a sump tank? and its function?

sump tank works like a canister filter. you place both bio-filtration and mechnical filtration in it. and from a submerged pump to pump water back into the tank. its normally used for tanks with overflow. 

5. anyone willing to guide me step by step in setting up a new tank? 

- my worry is that i am new and inexperienced, im willing to learn slowly, yet, im anxious to get things started since its holidays now. i can devote time. 
-i scared that i spend unnecessary $$ buying unneeded stuffs/buying wrong items. so need guidance since im a student.
- basically need a mentor.

there's alot of setup in this site for you to follow. READ and PLAN more before you start buying things to prevent buying unneeded stuffs

6. tell me if what i plan to do is correct:
1. hunt for driftwood/bogwood that i like - wanna spend time searching for my "focus" of tank. + heard of long sinking time.
2. research on moss,plants,prices of equipments.
3. try/wait to get good deals buying secondhand - as such, need advice which equipments are best bought 1st hand, which ones can be bought as 2nd hand to cut costs.
4. learn more about set-ups before actually starting mine, to minimise damage/wastage of $$.
5. save money in mean time.
6. finalise my tank decor plan.
7. hand built a cabinet myself/buy from cheap sources (since custom built very costly for me) - advisable? heard of heavy weight of tank+water.

you do not have to buy everything in one go. just READ and PLAN well more to know what you wants for your setup from respective threads. it took me almost 4 months to plan my shrimp rack to getting different parts like rack to tanks to soil. 

7. what are a list of recommended/must-haves in a tank? with reference to fish/prawns?

-to maintain a good, healthy tank.
-i have in mind, Oto, some SAE, assasin snail? and suckerfish. (from all my readings on forum thus far).
-are these correct? 

to maintain a good, healthy tank is to balance the bioload. once the bioload goes haywire, the rest will start crumbling down.

my suggestions to you is to READ UP MORE and PLAN on a piece of paper. if you are not sure of something, just google. if you still cannot find the answer, then ask.

-good luck-

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## 3inone

Went to LFS, told that GEX do not cloud water as much. And that GEX is just as good as any other brand, if not better. ADA, branded soil, clouds water for months. But heard from "rascal" that ADA maintains water well. 

choice: GEX since quality about same, yet doesn't cloud much. What you guys think?

Collected my 1.5 ft tank today. Will shorten top filter water intake piece before adding any shrimps. Good idea?

Will get the soil by this Friday, after hearing your inputs. Then gonna let it cycle. 

Will cycle it until I find the bogwood/driftwood of my choice. Hopefully within 1 month. 

During the cycling period, will take time to read on type of plants I want inside my tank. Will also put in some fish after 1 week of cycling maybe. 

Currently thinking of bogwood+lava stone with US fissiden. 

My first shrimps will be cherry shrimps, unless I find some sponsor for lower grade CRS. 

will add in Oto, SAE and cory dory(I think its spelt like that) to maintain tank. 



For now, let me take things step by step, and give me views on my soil type. As said earlier, currently considering GEX - shrimp/plant.

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## 3inone

1. what is lapis?

2. anyone used aqua concept soul by aquaticstyle? how is it compared to GEX/ADA?

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## eviltrain

I guess google will be faster for your questions

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## 3inone

latest update: my tank is 1.25ft(L) x 1ft(B) x 1.25ft(H)

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## Avant-Garde

quite a tall tank. you using a overhead filter or hang on filter? shrimps are delicate creatures so heavy amount of water falling in can throw your shrimps around, but for that height it should be fine.

*7. what are a list of recommended/must-haves in a tank? with reference to fish/prawns?

-to maintain a good, healthy tank.
-i have in mind, Oto, some SAE, assasin snail? and suckerfish. (from all my readings on forum thus far).
-are these correct?*
oto are definitely 100% shrimp-safe as they are herbivores. but i won't recommend having both oto and SAE in the tank because both of them simply does the same job. and for oto, they like to be in groups of 3 or more, so try to keep to one kind only, else your tank's attraction will become algae cleaners and also cause a food fight. assassin snails are meant for clearing pest snails. so unless you have a snail infestation, i will again recommend you not to add them in. else if there's no food source, they end up dying too. think about it first before buying so you don't starve those poor guys. as for 'suckerfish' or pleco, don't. they are carnivores and shrimps are on their menu. just my 2cents worth.  :Smile:

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## 3inone

thanks for your input. great thing to know that Oto is herbivore lol. the stores simply didnt say it.

how many would tank of my size need? 2/3?


im using top filter. and the flow from top is good. weak yet sufficient. however, its the pump im worried about. it creates waves. 




Uploaded with ImageShack.us

as seen in the picture, the top flow can be controlled, higher water lvl = smaller splash/wave. vice versa. quite good IMO.

what to do with the "thrust" from the pump? how can i reduce it? is it better if i just change to a more decent pump?

its a tall tank indeed. i felt was good for sticking those mini cages on the sides if i need to, in future.


however, i got a more pressing problem, to choose between:

ADA - was told it clouds water for months. $36 a big pack.
GEX - was told to buy this. $44 a big pack.
Concept Soil by aquatic style - saw fellow forumers buying it, say not bad. should be about $30 a big pack.


if soil is a 1 time application, i dont mind pay slightly more to get something good for the long run. then again, i need opinions of those who tried these to recommend my first soil type  :Very Happy:

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## 3inone

update: read up on KH, GH and nitro cycle overnight.

felt knowledgeable about nitro cycle (didnt know so much science behind a simple tank setup) reference to NTS (new tank syndrome)

felt more knowledgeable about kh and gh, but nonetheless felt blur.
probably need some instruments to test kh and gh personally, experience it first.

its really hard to picture something is messing about in the water, when you basically have not known its existence for the past 19 years lol.

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## Avant-Garde

you might want to use my tank as a reference, its slightly larger in base area but shorter than yours. its 44x29x30cm = 10gallon/38litres. i have 3 otos and they are doing fine swimming and looking for food together often. the interesting part is i have a plant with 3 leaves and they each rest on one.

as expected, the water flow from the rainbar creates alot of waves. but for a tall tank like yours, it should be fine and like you said the height could be adjusted to reduce the splash.

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## 3inone

where can i view your tank as reference?

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## Avant-Garde

ohh.. i mean the size.. haven't really taken a nice photo of it as its still under renovation. just changed my rainbar to a HOF so i had to rearrange the moss. will let you have a look when i'm about done

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## equidorz

I would go for ADA. Currently using gex but i still prefer ADA as ADA has better nutrients that your plants require and also the PH will be just nice for your shrimps (if you are planning to go for CRS in future).
I saw in your previous post that cory is in your buy list, read up more on cory before getting them as they like to dig into the soil which could cause ammonia spike and also dig up plants. Also i dont think they are as efficient as sae and ottos.

JUst my 2 cents worth.

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## rascal

ADA most breeders used. hmm the key is to cycle your tank. it last longer, in my opinion..
GEX is good, will stable your pH and water parameter faster than most brand.. clear water can be achieved in one day..

may be bro eviltrain can explain as he used them before :Smile: 

for me, when keeping shrimps, moss on wood or mess is good enough. Simple but beautiful :Smile:

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## 3inone

i bought something called Concept Soil by aquaticstyle or something.

i pour in water, i dare say less than 30 minutes later, water is clear. in fact, browny water only occured to minimal extent.

im planning for a 4ft now, which i will proceed on, after i successfully set up this 1.25ft tank.

hmm my soil is rather thick now, will it still be able to uproot them?

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## benedetto13

(1) not sure though, i just started using Gex
(2) Ghost shrimp or glass shrimp, i have them too. They always attack my guppies. 
(3) I read from somewhere that it needs brackish(correct spelling?) for them to turn into shrimplets, but if you're lucky, they might.

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## 3inone

yes you are right, according to this website. 

http://www.planetinverts.com/ghost_g...ss_shrimp.html

i got 4 with eggs already. green as the link says. 

its also cheap, as the link confirms too.

i have guppy and neon tetra and cherry barbs in same tank too, and they live well so far.


1. have u heard of sponge filters? 

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...147#post568147

is it recommended?

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## benedetto13

I think it wouldn't be recommended as it wouldn't be strong or good enough to keep your water clean. Get HOF? It's pretty good.

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## 3inone

what is HOF? ive been seeing it around and i googled it, but failed to get the definitions, only got links to people saying "HOF".

1. is keeping the ghost/glass shrimp okay? or should i start off with a more decent shrimp?

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## alvinchan80

> what is HOF? ive been seeing it around and i googled it, but failed to get the definitions, only got links to people saying "HOF".
> 
> 1. is keeping the ghost/glass shrimp okay? or should i start off with a more decent shrimp?


HOF = Hang On Filter
I bought quite a good one recently. Brand is GEX Hang On Filter... comes in 3 sizes from Small, Medium & Large..

Actually you should plan which is the shrimps you planning to keep before you put in... If you are going for CRS kind of shrimps, then I would suggest you check all perimeters with liquid test kits before you put in your CRS.. If you have ghost shrimps or any other kind of shrimps inside other then CRS, it might be a problem with them attacking each other or snatching food.. (anyway my CRS also snatches food from other CRS.. they pick and run... haha..)

As for the quote about ADA2 soil clouds water.. for my case, it doesnt really clouds water and is very clear even after i fill up my tank to the top..

You can try refer to my tank set up in AQUASCAPING section.
Have fun!!

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## k3nlim

it very much depends on how you introduce the water into a newly set up tank that will stir up the sediments. Both gex and ada are fine although i feel that ada tends to hold its shape better.

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## jiajuen900

hi ^^
regarding the setup, i would reccomend changing the filter to a canister filter if your pocket is deep enough ^^
1) Canister filters tend to be able to hold a larger media mass thus more area for bacteria to grow on
2) Your current filter is creating too much aeration caused by the filter output. (too much air circulation due to surface disturbance). Because of aeration, the rate of gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide increases, thus co2 is being driven out faster resulting in less co2 for plants, thus the current filter setup is not very suitable for plants. 
3)Canister filters take up very little space in the tank and can remain 'hidden' thus allowing more space for scaping and increasing aesthetics of the tank.

ADA and GEX both will cloud the water, but how long will depend on how much you disturb the soil at the beginning. I had a new set up where the ADA soil clouding sleared within a few hours. Personally i would reccomend ADA amazonia II. 

If you are concerned about the pros and cons of both soils. I think ADA would last longer in terms of its ph buffer ability and nutrient level. But both of these in both soils will run out eventually and will have to be replaced manually overtime. Cannot comment on aquatic concept soil.
Note: ADA has several types of soil and for different purposes. You could go with the entire ADA system which includes ADA power, Amazonia and maybe powder. Or just plan Amazonia. 

Uhmmm if you want someone to help you out. you could pm me. I am a student as well. ^^

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## 3inone

i changed to a canister filter liao. dam excited. splurged on it. now hunting for a tank with cabinet.

what should i be looking out for in such an item, especially when im fishing for 2nd hand ones.

if u dont mind, can sms me at 8 222 58 98. im 19  :Smile:

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## strategos

good luck w yr setup bro

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