Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Hello PS.com,

I am new to the forums and new to shrimp keeping. I have a 10 gallon laying around so i thought id try this type of hobby.
I plan on keeping red cherry shrimps since they seem to be the best beginner shrimp to keep.
I read the articles and FAQ on this site like instructed but still have questions.

1. What substrate is best with Java fern and RCS?
2. Is a background required?
3. Do RCS or Java fern require any special type of lighting or lighting at all?
4. Are snails helpful to a shrimp tank in anyway? or harmful...
5. What filter specifically is recommended for a 10 or 20 gallon shrimp tank? (brand, model etc.)
6. How many RCS can be kept in a 20 and 10 gallon tank?

Thanks for all the info,

-Cal

1. Something relatively fine grained, say 3-4mm (see also http://www.planetinverts.com/Invert%20Tank%20Setup.html)
2. No but it will look a lot nicer
3. They do require lighting, the plants enough to grow. Lighting will also display your shrimp better.
4. Depends on the shrimp and the snail species. I've got malaysian trumpets, they do compete for food a bit but otherwise don't bother eachother.
5. Depends a bit on what you can get locally. Generally sponge filters are popular because they will not make mince out of baby shrimp. Something like this http://www.frogpondaquatics.com/c=Qtnu3 ... 0-gph.html looks enticing since it also allows a lot of bacteria to grow in the cartridge. http://www.dennerle.eu/global/index.php ... 82&lang=en is also very good.
Don't go overboard on the flow though, you don't need 30-40 gallon capacity filters for shrimp in a 10 gallon
6. A lot. In a 10 gallon I'd start with 10 or a dozen, nice enough population for them not to feel lonely and enough so you can see them. If they're happy you are going to get more shrimp.