Hey there! I’ve been keeping freshwater shrimp for over 5 years now, and let me tell you – these little creatures are absolutely fascinating! The short answer is: Yes, many shrimp species can live and thrive in freshwater. But hold up, there’s way more you need to know before diving into shrimp keeping.
The Different Types of Freshwater Shrimp
Not all shrimp are created equal! Here are the most common freshwater shrimp you’ll encounter
For Beginners
- Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi)
- Ghost Shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.)
- Amano Shrimp (Caridina multidentata)
- Blue Velvet Shrimp
- Crystal Red Shrimp
Setting Up Your Freshwater Shrimp Tank
I’ve learned through trial and error that getting the setup right is crucial. Here’s what you’ll need:
Tank Size
- Minimum 5 gallons for beginners
- 10-20 gallons ideal for breeding
- Rule of thumb: 10-15 shrimp per 5 gallons
Essential Equipment
- Sponge filter (prevent baby shrimp from getting sucked in)
- Heater with thermometer
- Water testing kit
- Fine substrate (sand or aquasoil)
- Plants (especially moss)
Perfect Water Parameters for Happy Shrimp
Listen up! This is super important Your shrimp will only thrive if these parameters are right
Neocaridina Species (Cherry Shrimp):
- Temperature: 65-84°F
- pH: 6.5-8.0
- GH: 4-8 dGH
- KH: 3-15 dKH
- TDS: 200-300 ppm
Caridina Species:
- Temperature: 64-76°F
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 4-6 dGH
- KH: 0-2 dKH
- TDS: 100-200 ppm
Feeding Your Freshwater Shrimp
Here’s what I feed my shrimp:
- Algae wafers
- Blanched vegetables
- Commercial shrimp food
- Biofilm (they’ll eat this naturally from your tank)
Pro tip: Don’t overfeed! One small feeding per day is plenty.
Compatible Tank Mates
Not every fish plays nice with shrimp! Here are some safe options:
- Ember tetras
- Pygmy corydoras
- Otocinclus
- Nerite snails
- Other peaceful nano fish
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Trust me, I’ve made these mistakes so you don’t have to:
- Adding shrimp to a new tank (cycle it first!)
- Mixing different Neocaridina colors (they’ll revert to wild coloring)
- Using copper-based medications (deadly for shrimp)
- Sudden water parameter changes
- Overfeeding
Breeding Freshwater Shrimp
If you’re doing everything right, your shrimp will breed naturally. Here’s what you need to know:
- Sexual maturity: 3-5 months
- Breeding temperature: 70-76°F
- Clutch size: 10-30 babies
- Breeding cycle: Every few weeks
- No special breeding setup needed
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes things go wrong. Here’s what to watch for:
Shrimp Swimming Erratically
- Usually means poor water quality
- Check ammonia and nitrite levels
- Do a small water change
Deaths After Water Change
- Match new water parameters exactly
- Use dechlorinator
- Drip acclimate new shrimp
Keeping freshwater shrimp isn’t rocket science, but it does require attention to detail. Start with hardy species like Cherry Shrimp, get your parameters right, and you’ll be rewarded with a thriving colony of these fascinating creatures.
Remember, every shrimp keeper was once a beginner. Take your time do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions in the community. Your shrimpy friends will thank you for it!
Happy shrimp keeping!
Would you like me to explain any part of this guide in more detail? Drop a comment below!
Types of Freshwater Shrimp For Sale
They come in all shapes and sizes. They can be see through like the ghost shrimp to neon tined like the striking blue color of blue velvet shrimp. These dwarf shrimp live in harmony with live plants, snails, and Nano Freshwater Fish. Take a look for yourself on our wide selection to choose from of high quality shrimp.
Freshwater Shrimp Water Requirements
Aquarium keepers often dream of baby shrimp hiding among their aquarium plants inside of their perfectly aquascaped planted aquarium. Having these beautiful female shrimp give birth to tiny shrimp babies is most certainly within reach!
Water conditions needed for Freshwater Shrimp are not much different than that of freshwater nano fish. They can be broken down into two main categories of shrimp, Neocaridina and Caridina.
Do you now understand the physical differences between the types? If yes, now you need to understand the water requirements between them.
Caridina shrimp are softwater shrimp that demand a little more than neocairidna shrimp. Caridina shrimp like the crystal red shrimp require PH of below 7.0. You do this by using a buffering substrate that lowers the PH below 7.0.
This is done due to their cation exchange ability. It remove hardeners from the water. It also reduce carbonate hardness and lowers the pH value. This might sound complex, but truly you dont have to do much on your end as the freshwater shrimp keeper.
Additionally they also want the General hardness (GH) of the shrimp to be on the softer side. In your aquarium you will measure hardness by degrees of hardness. You want to be between 3-5 GH for live shrimp like caridina shrimp.
Making your water soft is generally done by using RODI water and add back in minerals with shrimp specific minerals. This is done with products like Salty Shrimp Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+.
To recap caridina shrimp will want PH below 7.0 and water with a hardness of 3-5 GH. This is to ensure they breed and thrive in your home aquarium.
A harder water type of freshwater shrimp species is the Neocaridina Shrimp. Neocaridina shrimp are often considered the easier shrimp to keep. They are well adapted to thrive in the largest range of most tap water in the United States of America.
They can be drip acclimated to even live with your caridina shrimp in caridina shrimp parameters. This is a very slow process to adjust them. Often it is simply best to keep any shrimp in the same or similar parameters as it was born into.
Neocaridina Freshwater Shrimp do have preferred range of water conditions. This is optimal if you truly want them to breed and thrive in your shrimp tank. The ideal range is a PH of 7.0-7.8 and GH of 8-12.
Do your water parameters dont fall in this range? If you dont looking at RODI water and adding back in good minerals might be a good choice for you. Using RODI water is stripping the water of all minerals good and bad. Then only adding back in the good minerals!
This eliminates many issues with new shrimp keepers as you are taking most of the bad variables out of play!
5 Easiest Shrimp Species To Keep In A Freshwater Aquarium!
FAQ
Can you put shrimp in a fresh water tank?
Housing Requirements for Freshwater Shrimp
Larger species such as ghost, Amano and bamboo shrimp can be kept in aquariums of 10 to 55 gallons, while red cherry, crystal and bee shrimp are better suited to aquariums of 10 gallons or less.
Can shrimp be raised in fresh water?
Ponds used for raising freshwater prawns have similar characteristics to ponds used for producing channel catfish and other warm-water aquaculture species. Using a pond designed and constructed specifically for culturing freshwater shrimp, however, will increase the chance of success.
Can shrimp live in a cold water tank?
Neocaridina species are often fairly tolerant and can handle a wide range of water parameters. Although they can tolerate cooler temperatures down to about 65F and heated temps up to 84F, it has been said they do better in warm temperatures around the mid to upper 70s.