Hey there! I’m Jeff, and today I’m gonna share everything I’ve learned about introducing shrimp to an aquarium after keeping these little guys for over 8 years Trust me, I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to!
Quick Overview
Before diving deep, here’s what you absolutely need to know
- Temperature should be 72-78°F
- pH between 6.5-8.0
- Hardness around 6-8 dGH
- Tank must be fully cycled
- Drip acclimation is crucial
- Never add store water to your tank
Getting Your Tank Ready
1. Tank Preparation (Do This First!)
Before you even think about getting those shrimpies, make sure your tank is properly set up:
- Cycled Tank: Your tank needs to be fully cycled for at least 3-7 days
- Water Parameters: Test everything! Here’s what you need:
- Temperature: 72-78°F
- pH: 6.5-8.0
- GH: 6-8 dGH
- Ammonia: 0 ppm
- Nitrites: 0 ppm
2. Create the Perfect Shrimp Home
We wanna make our new friends comfy! Here’s what they need
- Substrate: Use soft substrate like sand or fine gravel
- Plants: Add live plants like Java moss or Anubias
- Hiding Spots: Include:
- Caves
- Driftwood
- Dense plants
- Rock formations
Choosing Your Shrimp
Best Beginner-Friendly Shrimp
I always recommend these for newbies:
- Cherry Shrimp
- Ghost Shrimp
- Amano Shrimp
- Blue Dream Shrimp
Pro tip: Start with Cherry Shrimp – they’re like the Honda Civic of the shrimp world… reliable and hard to mess up!
1. Transport Tips
Listen up, this is important!
- Keep temperature stable during transport
- Use a small cooler if traveling more than 15 minutes
- Ask for moss or filter floss in the bag (gives shrimp something to hold)
2. The Drip Acclimation Method (The Right Way!)
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Airline tubing
- Control valve
- Clean bucket
- Shrimp net
Steps:
- Put shrimp and their water in bucket
- Set up drip system (2-3 drops per second)
- Let it run for 1.5-2.5 hours
- Net shrimp into tank (NEVER pour bag water in!)
First 24 hours are super important:
- Keep lights OFF
- Don’t feed them (I know you want to, but trust me!)
- Don’t mess with the tank
- Watch for unusual behavior
Common Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve made these mistakes so you don’t have to:
❌ Rushing the acclimation process
❌ Adding store water to your tank
❌ Forgetting to match temperatures
❌ Feeding immediately
❌ Having bright lights during introduction
Monitoring Your New Shrimp
Keep an eye out for these behaviors:
- Active exploration
- Regular molting
- Eating when fed (after 24 hours)
- Using hiding spots
- Normal coloration
Troubleshooting
If your shrimp seem stressed (hiding too much or floating), check:
- Water parameters
- Temperature stability
- Filter flow strength
- Presence of predators
- Water quality
Final Thoughts
Introducing shrimp ain’t rocket science, but it does need patience and attention to detail. Take your time with the acclimation process – it’s better to spend an extra hour now than lose your shrimp later!
Remember, every tank is different, and sometimes you’ll need to adjust these guidelines slightly. Trust your gut, and don’t be afraid to ask for help in shrimp keeping communities!
Got any questions about introducing shrimp to your tank? Drop them in the comments below! I love helping fellow shrimp enthusiasts succeed in this awesome hobby.
Happy shrimping!
Update: This guide was last revised in January 2025 based on the latest successful shrimp-keeping practices.
Plan and prepare acclimation:
When first arriving home check the temp in the bag vs the temperature in your tank. If it is not the same, float the shrimp in a bowl or something that won’t let water in. If using a regular bag from the fish store you can float that. If using a Breather Bag DO NOT FLOAT THE BAG! The bags are designed to promote gas exchange, in floating them in water they cannot exchange gas and this can suffocate your shrimp!
Once the temperature is close to the same then proceed to acclimating the shrimp. Acclimating shrimp should always be done with the drip method. Drip acclimating shrimp can help reduce shock, as shock will affect shrimp and can lead to a shorter life expectancy, can cause death, cause unneeded stress. So acclimating shrimp by the drip method is essential to giving your shrimp a chance to survive in their new environment.
The drip method can be done very simply with airline tubing, a control nozzle, bucket/bowl, and a shrimp net. There are also products you can buy out there that are designed to do the drip method. They are cool and all… but I mean spending $5 vs spending $10-$20 and getting the same result… I would stick with the basic airline tubing one we stated above.
Plan your day of purchase:
When buying shrimp online this step counts, make sure your home when they arrive. Plan your day ahead! When buying from a store plan your day around the purchase leaving plenty of time before and after you get them and bring them home. When buying shrimp you spend a good amount of money, do not let this money go to waste because you didn’t plan your day to have enough time for your little shrimpies!
Research your type of shrimp that you plan to purchase. Find out the recommend pH, GH, KH, and temp for your type. Have the tank set to these levels at least 3-7 days before you get your shrimp. This allows your tank to adjust and gives you time to fix anything if it were to go wrong before your shrimp arrived. Have a TDS reading that fits your shrimp as well (See “Understanding Total Dissolved Solids” for information).
How to Acclimate Freshwater Shrimp [Beginner Shrimp Keeping]
FAQ
How to acclimate shrimp without drip?
To acclimate shrimp without a drip system, you can gradually introduce tank water to the bag or container holding the shrimp, slowly replacing the original water. This can be done by adding small amounts of tank water every few minutes, gradually increasing the volume and frequency over a period of one to two hours.
How do you transfer shrimp to a new tank?
Remove plants and decorations from old tank to temporary container. Then move shrimp to another small temporary container with a little water from old tank. Then move substrate and plants and filter and everything else to the new tank, icluding old water. Then move shrimp to new tank.
How to tell if shrimp are happy in a tank?
Happy shrimps are grazing most of the time. If your shrimps are standing still for a longer period of time, they might be unhappy. Sometimes shrimps just don’t like the food you give them and won’t come for it. What kind of pellets are those?
Should I add shrimp to my Aquarium?
Adding shrimp to an aquarium can be a good way to keep your aquarium clean and add some color and diversity to your tank. I have always added shrimp to my tank to help with the cleaning and have always felt that the tanks with most shrimp in them stayed the cleanest and the water quality was always very good.
When should I add shrimp to my fish tank?
The fish tank water cycle can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks and once you see an ammonia spike and it goes back down to zero it is safe to add your shrimp. If you are using aged aquarium water or aged filter media in your new aquarium you can add the shrimp as soon as they are ready and acclimated to the aquarium water. 1.
How do you add water to a shrimp tank?
With the drip method the idea is to add water into from your aquarium into the container that your shrimp are in to get them acclimated to the new water parameters of your tank. Take container that will hold twice as much water as the what is in the bag that the shrimp came in and add the shrimp and the water to the container.
How long does it take to add shrimp to an aquarium?
This can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks if it is a brand new tank. While some species of shrimp are hardier than others if you add any of them to an uncycled aquarium there is good chance that they will get sick and potentially die. You do not need to wait to add shrimp to an aquarium if your tank is already cycled.
How do you prepare an aquarium for shrimp?
To prepare an aquarium for shrimp, first ensure that the tank is properly cycled, cleaned and maintained with regular water changes and equipment cleaning. Additionally, test the water to make sure that pH and ammonia levels are in the acceptable range for shrimp.
How to make a shrimp tank feel at home?
To start, your tank has to be set up properly! You want to have your new tank on hand. And you should have any necessary aquarium supplies ready. At this point, decorations, substrate, tank devices, and your plants should be bought. One of the easiest ways to make your shrimp feel at home is by adding java moss. Just like on the picture below.