After two years of debating the idea, I finally took the plunge and got myself a small shrimp tank for Christmas. As a beginner, I’ve found shrimp care to be trickier than I expected, but it’s been a fun learning experience so far. Here’s how it’s been going.

Ernest & The Beauties v1.0

The Initial Setup

First, I had to figure out the tank setup. I went with an 8-liter cube-shaped tank—compact enough to fit nicely in my living room without taking over the space. I’m also planning to build a custom bookshelf that’ll double as a tank stand, but more on that in a future post.

For the equipment, I mostly stuck with the Gex brand (except for the heater):

  • Gex Glassterior FL200 Tank
  • Gex Slim Filter DC-X SS1
  • Safe Cover Auto Heater 20

Inside the tank, I added a layer of black substrate, a few rocks, and a piece of driftwood for a natural look. I also threw in some aquatic plants and mosses (no idea what they’re called, but they look great). They not only make the tank look nice but also give the shrimps plenty of hiding spots.

After kickstarting the tank with a bacteria solution, I waited about two weeks for the water parameters to stabilize. Once everything was ready, I brought home 6 Yellow Dream Neocaridina shrimps and a single water snail from my local DIY shop.

Welcome Home, Shrimps!

The shrimps and snail settled in pretty well. The plants and moss grew nicely, and I even got to see the shrimps molt (shed their shells) as they grew. Everything was going smoothly… until it wasn’t.

First, I struggled with feeding. Some people say shrimps don’t need extra food because they’ll munch on algae and debris in the tank. Others insist that a shrimp colony won’t thrive without proper feeding. I ended up going with a middle ground—feeding them sparingly every few days.

Then, I think I waited too long to change the filter. About a month after introducing the shrimps, the tank walls, heater, and filter started looking a bit grimy, even after a 10% water change. Online forums warned against changing the filter too often to avoid disrupting the tank’s bacterial balance, but after one of the shrimps died, I decided to replace it anyway. Things improved for a while after that.

Next up: overgrown plants. They started blocking light, and some leaves turned yellow. I suspect the decaying leaves were affecting the water quality, even though my test strips showed everything was fine. I ended up removing about half the plants, and they’ve since bounced back.

The Survivors

Unfortunately, after all these hiccups, I’ve lost 4 of the 6 shrimps. It’s been a bummer, but I’m doing my best to keep the remaining two alive. Fingers crossed they’re a male and female so they can eventually repopulate the tank.

On a brighter note, I managed to film a relaxing video of the tank when there were still 5 shrimps swimming around. If you’re into chill vibes, check it out on my YouTube channel!

Shrimp-keeping has been a mix of rewarding and challenging, but I’m hooked. Here’s to hoping the next update will be a happier one! 🦐