How many freshwater shrimp per gallon

I think between 5 and 10 shrimp per gallon is a nice number, but it really depends more on the surface area of your substrate than the gallons of water as long as you keep up with water changes. I agree, IMO the shrimp don't contribute anything to the bioload. Click to expand A little off topic - but how do you manage to not suck up shrimp when you're siphoning the water for a water change? Oooh, I always though about shrimp, but thought I wouldn't be able to have many.

Thanks for this thread, I am now seriously considering now Again, slightly off topic, but related in a way, any recommendation as to the "best" types of shrimps to get? Anyone have a preference I mean lol?! Any neocaridina shrimp red cherry, blue pearl, snowball would be a good choice. They are very hardy, adapt to most water parameters , and are quite prolific. However, do not mix two or more kinds of neocaridina shrimp as they will interbreed.

Dark green shrimp I've heard are about the same as neocaridina shrimp as far as care, and they will not interbreed so are safe to keep in the same tank. Other shrimp like Amano and ghost shrimp are also good choices, although they require somewhat more specific water parameters, can grow larger, and are not as easy to breed. Ah, yes. Amano shrimp are voracious algae AND aquarium plant eaters I speak from experience. First, they polish all the algae in your tank.

Then, since their hunger is not satiated, they start making Mandagascar lace plants out of your Java ferns and stuff. I now feed them a constant diet of blanched zucchinI to prevent this from happening. But once the females grow large, Amano shrimp are quite impressive to have in your tank.

Shrimp stocking is a very vague subject. I could have RCS in a 10 gallon tank, yet only 2 or 3 bamboo shrimp , or only 1 vampire shrimp. It all depends. I'd say that for smaller Neocaridina species, it's shrimp per gallon, for Caridina species, it's 3 per gallon, for medium filter feeders bamboo shrimp , it's 1 for every 5 gallons, for large filter feeders vampire shrimp, giant African fan shrimp , its 1 per gallons.

It could prove deadly. Remember that they are omnivorous with a taste for veggies, but they would eat pretty much any waste or leftovers found on the bottom of the tank. While they could do a great job keeping your tank clean of algae, giving them a lot of food could alter the water conditions. They are so tiny, and they are so cute and adorable that it will break your heart when they perish. Unfortunately, they can die after being taken from one tank to another.

The transition period is very stressful for them. They are quite hardy and will survive in a lot of water conditions but changing their environment quickly can prove fatal to these little invertebrates. They reach maturity at months. The female is larger and usually more colorful than the male.

Male cherry shrimps are thinner and slender than females. They have smaller abdomens. Female cherry shrimps curved thick abdomens, and when they are ready to breed, they will form a yellow patch on their stomach where they will saddle the unfertilized eggs. Cherry Shrimps are easy to breed. If you follow it closely, you will find there are 3 breeding stages:. Please take note that cherry shrimps need about 3 to 5 months to get used to a new aquarium and habitat before they start mating.

She will be ready to fertilize after her first molt. Once she molts, her body will start to produce pheromones that will attract the males in the tank. The mating process is very fast. Once they have mated, you will notice the female carrying the eggs underneath her tail. When developing, the eggs are bright yellow, like a bunch of grapes. She will also fan her tail often to ensure that the eggs receive enough oxygen to develop.

The third stage, the hatching, will occur about 30 days after the mating. Do not place the baby shrimps in a newly-cycled aquarium, for they rely heavily on the minute organisms that matured aquariums contain. Baby shrimps need a lot of nutrients to grow up. You could amp up their food intake by planting some more leaves in the aquarium. The Cherry Shrimp appearance resembles a lot the one of its much bigger relative, the Gulf Shrimp.

Cherry Shrimp have four antennae in front of their heads. They have a rostrum kind of body shape associated with many shrimps, lobsters, or crayfish. Their eyes are placed on either side of their pointy little heads, nested in eyestalks. They can move these eyestalks to scan the environment without moving their heads.

Both their head and chest are shielded inside a carapace. The ideal number of shrimp to put in your aquarium will vary depending on the kind of aquarium setup you want in your home. This is not without reason since fish are known to feast on small shrimp. However, you can definitely keep some fish and shrimp varieties together in an aquarium.

You will simply have to follow these two basic rules if you want your fish and shrimp to live together:. The aquarium that you choose should have ample coverage room for your shrimp species; the ideal aquarium for shrimp is one that is decorated with plants and has small hiding spots made by intricate adornments.

Small schooling fish species such as Neon tetra and Harlequin rasbora are the perfect companions to keep with your shrimp species in the same aquarium. So are passive bottom inhabitants such as Kuhli loaches and Cory Catfish. Fish such as Zebrafish and Rummy-nose tetra will also work well with shrimp species.

Even the ever-popular Siamese fighting fish, commonly known as Betta, can live peacefully with larger shrimp varieties. As for your shrimp varieties, you should avoid putting the smallest types, such as Dwarf Shrimp, with large fish varieties; large fish will eat shrimp that can fit into their mouths.

You can keep Cherry Shrimp with small schooling fish. Amano Shrimp, on the other hand, are tough and large, so they are perfect to add to a community aquarium. Ghost Shrimp, although smaller, can live with fish varieties such as Guppies. Guppies will eat the small baby shrimp but will leave the adult shrimp alone.

So, make sure you have hiding spots in your aquarium for your baby Ghost Shrimp. Though I love shrimp, in this case too many would diminish the overall scene you are trying to create. If there is such a thing as too many shrimp, this you can debate.

If your population is exploding, congratulations, you are doing something right, and your little freshwater invertebrates are happy.

Shrimp have a very small bioload, but when it gets too crowded in the tank something has to be done. One thing you can do is Move to a bigger tank. Maybe it is also a great time to make that new aquascape that has been on your mind. I know I have more ideas of designs I like than I ever have room or time for, especially with all the beautiful pictures of aquaria you can find on the web inspiring you.

An overcrowded aquarium can give you that reason you needed to justify to yourself to get that new setup. Just make sure you take the time to properly cycle the tank before you move your shrimp to their new dwelling. If you have a large population, you have the numbers to be selective more selective with your breeding. It will help a lot if you have another aquarium where you can put your different species or your less desirable colors of shrimp. This way you can try to breed a better quality or a more beautiful color of shrimp.

Remember, females tend to have more color than males. If you are breeding for color, make sure you are not removing all of the males by selecting only the most colorful shrimp. These can also be you. You could sell off some of your shrimp and make a little extra money to finance your hobby. If it goes very well and you have some sweet quality shrimp you can even consider making a living off it.

When you sell them, make sure you got the logistics figured out, shipping live animals require special care. Give them to Friends and Family.