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I should also state I am relatively new to shrimp keeping but planted tanks I do have a bit experience with. I also know shrimp prefer O2 enriched water and injected Co2 can deplete O2 levels. One thing people do get misinformed about with Co2 is it been a nutrient for plants. Unfortunately it's not the case. Easy way to explain it is Co2 for plants is like air for us. Air and Co2 have no nutrimental value that's why fertilizers are used to boost nutrient levels. Decaying plants, food, fish waste do release small amounts of Co2 but isn't usually enough to sustain a balanced amount released. I found Low tec plants like java fern/java and pelia moss and some crypts are the preferred plants for shrimp tanks. And don't need the extra Co2 injection or ferts to flourish. Liquid carbons (what I like to call liquid fake form of Co2) like flourish excel has micro traces of copper which is deadly to any shrimp. Not to mention can raise TDS levels through the roof. Other macros/micros like iron can also contain copper. Phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium all contain chemicals that will affect shrimp coloring, molting, breeding and life span. Common basic chemicals in aquarium fertilizers that are not naturally found in shrimps natural environments can include Rexolin APN a Micro Mix containing (Fe+) Iron DTPA Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) Potassium Sulphate (K2SO4) Mono Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4) Magnesium Sulphate (MgSO4) in unbalanced portions can be a toxic mix for any fish or invertebrates. I have probably gone overboard but I believe to much info is better than not enough.hahaha.

@Tricky, pick the right low light plants, and your tank won't need CO2. Saves you money and time from having another piece of equipment or three. My shrimp tanks all have mosses of various varieties, subwassertangs and java ferns. These low light plants are all thriving and constantly need pruning. Which is another added hassle. Pruning means that my hands will need to go into the water, and that's an added risk of introducing contaminants into a tank. Avoid if possible. CO2 shrimp tanks are not taboo and can be done, as long as you know the risks & disadvantages, which is what Brent and Merv are trying to say. Many people have done it successfully. You can always supplement O2 with oxydators, like the one from Sochting. Go ahead if you still like to try it. But do it properly. If you add CO2, plant the heck out of the tank - don't do it in halves and let the shrimp suffer from too much CO2.

+1 @Brentwillmers. Good for shrimp, not so good for plants. Good for plants, not so good for shrimp.

Jealous @revolutionhope. I've managed to breed my reds back to almost native clear. My cull tank is now full and my show tank is almost empty with a big reset. My culling will be bi-weekly now and a lot more attention will be paid to the small males.. Lol

Thanks@madmerv ! I was talking to the breeder -@gbang whom I got this line from originally and he was considering crossing his back to chocolates or maybe it was black cherries he said; to obtain a darker hue. I've noticed they can range from very bright red just like a nice red cherry right through to a deep dark reddish brown colour but ive decided this particular one is what I am going to aim for this year. [emoji173] [emoji111] [emoji444] Will

Thanks Damien. The first shrimplets continue growing ;) They are now 4/5 millimeters big, so I can identify them as the ones from the chocolate shrimps with a cream stripe on the back, the one on the left on 1st picture. I have yet to see the black & white beauty eggs hatching. I'm very impatient about that. At least they are still alive, and still berried Damien, time to swap to water & soil from south?

Hi@AquaLars these are most certainly bloody mary shrimp :-) They are derived from the chocolate/dark variant of wild cherry. Depending on the lighting it is possible to see that the colour shows from more depth than the red cherries.. (despite being a darker hue of course as well) [emoji173] [emoji111] [emoji444] Will