Having a Shrimp Tank is not something you see often when it comes to fish keeping. It's not common to see pet shops selling aquarium Shrimps and also people see it's really hard to maintain a Shrimp aquarium. But truth is it's really easy once you have setup the tank properly.
In natural habitats they are at the bottom of food chain, hunted and eaten by everyone. So even when it comes to a tank it's better keep them alone rather than mixing up with other fish. It's highly recommended to have only shrimp if you plan to set up a shrimp aquarium.
They don't need lot's of space so it's common to have 10 gallon tanks for them. But that doesn't mean you can house 100 shrimp in a 10 gallon tank. These guys are very sensitive to water quality, PH value etc so make sure you only few if it's a smaller tank. Also there is a good chance soon you will find there are loads of shrimp babies in your tank.
This reminds something else. If you are setting up an aquarium for Shrimp then make sure you have a Sponge Filter. Shrimp babies are so tiny they usually get sucked into power filters. Sometimes even adult shrimp ended up sucked into these. If it's a big tank and need a power filter then make sure to cover in-take with a sponge.
Choosing substrate of the aquarium is a tricky business. But whatever the type of substrate you use make sure to rinse it before adding into tank. Make sure it covers the bottom at least 1 inch high. Shrimps like flat undulating terrain and also sometimes enjoy digging and bury themselves. So Choose something like fine-grained aquarium gravel or river sand. You can find substrate specially made for shrimp in pet shops or even by online.
It's really important to have some kind of vegetation in your shrimp tank. Moss is the most popular one since it holds microorganisms which is eaten by both Shrimp and babies. Aqua Stem plants and Rhizome plants recommend. Make sure to pick slow growing plants since you don't want your tank to covered in plants. A planted tank would require more maintenance but you will feel it's totally worth when you see how beautiful a planted shrimp tank.
Before adding shrimp to the tank it has to be recycled. This can take upto 2-4 weeks. You should test water weekly it will gives optimum water condition suitable for Shrimp. Nitrite and Ammonia reading should be 0 ppm. Nitrate value has to keep as low as possible.
Once you Add Shrimp into the tank turn off lights and wait around 10-12 hours before feeding them. Feed them very little at begin since they won't show big interest in food before get used to the tank.
