Keeping freshwater shrimp has become a popular part of the aquarium hobby. They are small, colorful, and easy to care for when started correctly. Whether you are a beginner or more experienced, it's important to create stable conditions from the start so you can build a long-term sustainable shrimp colony.
Aquarium
A good foundation is to choose an aquarium of about 50 liters. This provides more stable water parameters and makes mistakes less impactful. Smaller tanks also work but react more quickly to changes. A 50-liter aquarium offers plenty of space for shrimp, plants, and filtration.
Sand or soil?
The choice of substrate depends on the species you want to keep. Neocaridina, such as Cherry, Blue Dream, and Yellow, thrive best in neutral water. Therefore, sand is the best choice. It does not affect pH or hardness, is easy to keep clean, and provides good surfaces for shrimp to graze biofilm from. Caridina, such as Crystal Red, Crystal Black, Blue Bolt, and Taiwan Bee, require entirely different conditions. They do best in soft and slightly acidic water, where active soil is essential. Soil helps to lower and stabilize pH and provides an environment where Caridina can thrive. For soil to work optimally, RO water is usually used and mineralized to the correct level of 100-150 ppm/TDS, but most Swedish tap water often works well as long as you have soil that lowers the pH.
Filter
Filtration is also important. A sponge filter is the best choice because it is gentle, produces a lot of biofilm, and poses no risk of sucking in small fry. Together with plants, moss, roots, and leaves, the shrimp get natural hiding places and more surfaces to graze on. It is important that the aquarium has time to stabilize before shrimp are introduced. A newly set up aquarium should run for three to six weeks so that bacterial cultures can establish themselves. Values should be stable and nitrites should be at zero before shrimp are moved in. Since shrimp are sensitive to nitrites and ammonium, patience during this phase is absolutely crucial.
Food
When it comes to feeding, shrimp need far less than you might think. They primarily eat biofilm and algae that are naturally present in the aquarium. Supplemental food is good, but in small quantities, a few times a week. Uneaten food should be removed. Leaves and mineral stones can be used as a supplement. Common beginner mistakes include starting too quickly, overfeeding, using the wrong substrate, or having fish that eat shrimp. When everything is set up correctly from the start, the hobby becomes significantly easier and more enjoyable.
Summary
- An aquarium around 30-50 liters provides stable water parameters.
- Sand or gravel is suitable for Neocaridina.
- Active soil is needed for Caridina.
- Sponge filter is the safest filter.
- Let the aquarium run for 3–6 weeks before introducing shrimp.
- Feed sparingly and remove leftover food.
- Avoid fish that eat shrimp.
- Neocaridina thrive in regular tap water, Caridina often thrive in tap water with soil but do best with RO water and minerals.
