A shrimp aquarium is one of the most fulfilling tank builds. If done correctly, your shrimp only-tank should be low-maintenance and low-tech.
To see how you can properly build this aquarium, you can take a look at this guide from Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
When it comes to building a low-maintenance and low-tech shrimp tank, we recommend getting as big of an aquarium as possible.
Having an aquarium top, heater, deep substrate and live plants are essential as well.
We also recommend that you add Ramshron Snails as these will keep your shrimp tank clean. You shouldn’t have to worry about the snail population rapidly increasing in the aquarium as long as you limit how much you feed your shrimps.
Tank Size
Although you could easily fit multiple shrimps per gallon of tank water, we recommend that you go with as big of a tank as possible. This is because bigger tank volume will give you more leeway when it comes to water quality issues, which should result is less frequent maintenance as you don’t need to do water changes often in a shrimp-only tank.
Not to mention that, if you keep male and female shrimps of the same kind together, then these shrimps can easily multiply within months. By having a big fish tank, you will give plenty of room for your shrimp colony to expand.
Aquarium Top Cover
We also recommend that you get a top cover for your fish tank as doing so will prevent water evaporation, help regulate the temperature as well as prevent potential invaders from harming your pet inverts.
Filter
Because shrimps produce very little waste, a filter isn’t really needed. The substrate, rocks and decors in your fish tank should also provide more than enough beneficial bacteria to keep the toxic ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in check.
If you want to get a filter anyway, then we recommend that you pick up a sponge filter. This is because canister and hang-on-back filters may have too strong of a water flow and may suck up smaller shrimplets.
Heater
Although shrimps can survive in lower temperatures, it won’t be the most optimal range for them to thrive. Therefore, we recommend adding a heater if your room temperature falls below 60°F.
Substrate
Shrimps will do well on non-slippery surfaces. If you want to bring out the colorations of your pet inverts, then we recommend using a light-color substrate if you are keeping darker shrimps or a dark-colored substrate if you have lighter looking shrimps.
Either way, we recommend that you add at least 2 inches of substrate in your fish tank. The deeper the substrate is, the better it will be for keeping the tank water pristine.
This is because the substrate will provide plenty of surface area for the beneficial bacteria colonies that consume ammonia and nitrates. The deeper areas of the substrate are also devoid of oxygen, providing plenty of surface area for nitrate-consuming bacteria.
Live Plants
We highly recommend that you get live plants. One of the many benefits of plants is that they will help consume ammonia and nitrates in your tank water. They will provide surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on as well.
Furthermore, plants will provide shade and hiding spaces for your shrimps, which should make them more comfortable.
In terms of what types of plants to get, we recommend getting Java Fern and Java Moss as both do not need aquarium lights to grow. Instead, the ambient room lighting should provide more than enough lighting for these plants to thrive in your fish tank.
Rocks
As long as the rocks you are trying to add to your shrimp tank are inert, then it should be safe to use with shrimps.
For rock types, we suggest adding lava rocks as their porous structure should house plenty of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate eating bacteria colonies.
We recommend that you create rock piles with many openings as these will provide small caves where your shrimps can hide and feel more comfortable.
Other Objects
One helpful object that you want to add to your low-maintenance and low-tech shrimp tank is cholla wood. These woods will grow a biofilm containing bacteria that your shrimps would love to feast on.
We also recommend adding cuttlebones, as these will dissolve in the tank if it gets too soft. Therefore, it will help stabilize the pH, GH and KH levels in your aquarium.
Tank Mates
The only tank waters we recommend adding to your shrimp tank are snails.
Snails are slow and docile, which should make them harmless to your shrimps. Not to mention that snails will also keep your glass, substrate and plants clean.
One of the main complaints against snails in the aquarium hobby is that they will quickly take over your tank. With that said, you can easily keep their population under control by limiting how much food you put in your aquarium.
In terms of what species you should get, we have great success with Ramshorn Snails in our shrimp tank.
