New to the forum

[JefFrH]

Hello to everyone! I'm Jeff. I am just starting with shrimp keeping, but I have 3 years of experience fishkeeping. Joined to understand where to start. 

[sdlTBfanUK]

Welcome to the forum and I hope you find lot of valuable information here, and of coarse feel free to ask any questions etc.

[JefFrH]

Thanks!

Where should I start? Should I buy a tank (which size?) or choose a place in my house? Or something else?

[sdlTBfanUK]

It may sound a bit odd but you need to start depending on where you want to end up, ie decide whether you want to get caridina or neocaridina (or other) shrimp as they have different requirements and need different water parameters. Neocaridina are the easier shrimps and probably the best place to start. They are also cheaper to buy and set up as they don't need the buffering soil substrate, just sand or gravel etc.

You can get the tank at any time as that won't be affected by the type of shrimps, shrimps don't need depth of water so most people get shallower tanks, and there are a wide variety made specially for this purpose, though they cann be a bit more expensive. Size will depend on how much space you have but most are around 30 litres which seems to be the best all round setup for just shrimps!

The tank will need to be well run-in before getting shrimps, the normal cycle and enough time for enough biofilm to grow in the tank so even once set up you will need to run it without shrimps for very minimum of a month, preferably more though!

If you let us know what shrimps you want to get we can give you more specific advice!

[Crabby]

3 hours ago, JefFrH said:

Thanks!

Where should I start? Should I buy a tank (which size?) or choose a place in my house? Or something else?

Start where you’re drawn. Use passion to guide you and you’ll be successful. 

[jayc]

5 hours ago, JefFrH said:

Hello to everyone! I'm Jeff. I am just starting with shrimp keeping, but I have 3 years of experience fishkeeping. Joined to understand where to start. 

Hi Jeff! Welcome to SKFA.

A good size tank to start with is a 2 footer for shrimps.

Simon and Crabby has already mentioned some good tips. I'll add another....

Like with starting a fishtank, starting a shrimp tank properly by cycling it is very important. Shrimp can be even less tolerant to ammonia than fish. So make sure you have a fully cycled tank before adding any shrimp.

[JefFrH]

Thanks to everyone

[S3 Aquatics]

I agree with everyone that has posted. Follow your passion. The easiest is most definitely neocaridina. Insure your tank is completely cycled and won't have set-backs. However, with that said, the prettier ones (in my humble opinion) are the caridina. Sooo many unusual patterns and colors.

I would recommend (and I am proven wrong all the time) that anyone really interested in shrimp keeping consider an RODI water system. Yes, they set you back $150 for a small one on Amazon, but it allows you to start with true zero water and work from there. My breeding success is built on consistency of the water (temp, pH, TDS). I only occasionally concern myself with GH or KH when I use the proper remineralizer for the shrimp.

It's an amazing hobby that grows rapidly. Good luck!

Edited April 15, 2022 by S3 Aquatics
missed an "e"

[jayc]

4 hours ago, S3 Aquatics said:

I would recommend (and I am proven wrong all the time) that anyone really interested in shrimp keeping consider an RODI water system. Yes, they set you back $150 for a small one on Amazon

I use rain water.

Many houses in Aus have rainwater tanks now. It's perfect for shrimp, no additional water wastage like you get with RO and its free.