5 Reasons New Shrimp Keepers Fail With Their Shrimp!

[@inquisitorinluzifera3406]

Shrimp are also super happy with no/low-tech low maintenance tanks. I setup a Walstad Nano Tank (no tech, except plant light) with an ecosystem on its own, tons of plants and don't interfere at all with it and my shrimps are happy doing shrimp-stuff and multiplying. The only thing I do with it is staring at it and cutting back the plants once they crowd the surface :D

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thanks for sharing 🫶🏻

[@stringer1818]

i didnt know if i would like watching and listening to you. the more i have watched this video. you are right thanks for your help

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thanks (I think 🤔)

[@IanGreenPiano]

Patience is so important! Great video!

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@petermcpherson5242]

I have neos in soft water and no issues. I got them free from when buying some corys. I do add in a bit cuttlebone and calcium blocks. Started with 7 in March and have god knows how many.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Nice. 👍🏻

[@pillsnpiegaming]

as a person who only started keeping fish and shrimp this past December i can honestly say that the easiest thing to get wrong with shrimp is the tank itself 5 gallons can work for shrimp but really i recommend 15 gallons and up in a at least 2 month old aged tank. I was too impatient added shrimp they died in a 5 gallon yet all the guppies/endlers survived the second batch got slaughtered by the guppies except for 1 large female shrimp shes still with me 6 months later, but i did manage to keep them alive in the 5 gallon quite easily once i had experience with them and keeping them. after these 6 months i feel ready to actually move on from the shrimp i have and comfortable in spending a bit more for some higher quality shrimp. Pro tip look for someone selling culls to start off with as it will be much more affordable on your pocket, you can follow all the guides and yet something will go wrong thats just murphys law, dont get discouraged and learn from your mistake and dont change too much water.

[@Yosh-doesnt-understand]

Depending on how many fish you had in that 5 gallon, you could have to high of a bio load. I keep shrimp in planted 3 gallon nano tanks with no issues. They breed just fine

[@knabdank]

i do agree that larger tanks like 15gal are better, you get more breathing room with your peramiters and can require less water changes and more surface for biofilm growth in the 2 months of setup

[@weezypeezy1725]

I agree with @joshuahudson here, I too run a small tank (2.5 gal) and have no issues. That being said, it does swing parameters quicker and the margin of error is smaller but it can be done, especially once you’ve been doing it for years. My success comes from stable parameters, chock full of moss and plants, floaters etc while relying on biofilm as the main food source.

[@pillsnpiegaming]

@joshuahuson1409 4 guppy endler hybrids. The tank was just not seasoned enough and i messed with it alot thats why the first batch died the second batch i saw the fish eating most of the shrimp. I sold the guppies got white clouds instead and has been smooth sailing. If you read my original post i did say i kept shrimp in that same 5 gallon just fine eventually but for a beginner i dont recommend a 5 gallon that was the whole point of my original post

[@unsocialbutterfly5760]

I’m preparing a shrimp only nano tank right now. I’m doing tons of research and plan to wait at least 3 months before adding shrimp, to allow for cycling and for biofilm to grow and my plants to establish. The challenge I’m having is space for all the things I want to give them like shelters, almond leaves, moss plates, heater, filter and moss domes 😂 I have to step back and decide what they really truly need. I did find the smallest sponge filter I have ever seen, it’s adorable, it’s like a little miniature world for miniature shrimp. I will continue my way through all your videos. Thank you so much for sharing this incredibly helpful knowledge. I’m planning on cherry shrimp as they seem the easiest and cheapest. If I can manage to keep them alive and healthy, then I will start on the slippery slope of getting more tanks, for more expensive and challenging shrimp. My first tank that I planned to add shrimp to, ended up with multiplying guppies, so I decided to do a shrimp only home because I feel their needs won’t be the same as the guppies, and they need their own specific environment for a novice like me. Wish me luck!

[@StarlightGoodnight]

Thanks!

[@rohanpani622]

Love your videos! All of them have new facts that are actually helpful

[@gingerbreadserbia]

great advices and know how 2 explain thx a lot

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Glad it was helpful! 🤜🏻

[@GarFieldSnakes]

Thx for all the informative video's. I'm looking to get myself a nice shrimp tank and learning a lot. Thx. Hope i'm not failing btw :D

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Pleasure 🫶🏻

[@ziejekz2290]

This is how I do it. Started with a lot of mistakes and shrimps dying. First one I've noticed was too many water changes. Just leave the thing be. Use plants, all sorts. Moss for hiding paces, fast growing for nutrient removal, floating for shadow to stop algae but also for their fast growing abilities. Observe the plants, it's better indicator than tests. If they stop growing something is off. In my case it was always zero ammonia, zero nitrites, zero nitrates but some levels of phosphates. Simple injection of nitrates solves all the problems. Plants are growing again, shrimps are happy. Feed more, results in the same outcome.

[@1963patto]

Great video my friend and stability is the key that helps me with my fish keeping and I keep neocaradina and carradina shrimp in TDS between 300 and 400 and they're fine and breed well

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@derich1288]

One question have not seen anywhere is ‘how often, if ever, do you purchase or add new shrimp from a different line to your breeding tanks?’ My opinion would be that inbreeding over long periods of time is never a best case situation and without adding new stock you could end up with problems. Is that correct when it comes to shrimp or a I way off base?

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Hi. I should start by saying I am no expert on genetics or inbreeding. However, I have kept my colony of Red Cherry shrimp without introducing new blood for a number of years. The colony only improves in color year on year. Will there come a time I have to introduce new males? Maybe. But I am several years in and haven’t had any issues so 🤞🏻

[@treewitch666]

I got mine weeks ago and thought they’d got eaten by my fancy goldfish, but they started living in the water lettuce roots and collecting the flake food I fed to my calico platys. I use Thames water, which is hard, and use prime water conditioner so neos are lovin’ it. Great vids ❤

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Sounds like a great set up. Neos will love that water 😉

[@RWAquariumPages]

great video on topics i also mention to people. these 5 reasons are very accurate. love this video and can't wait for the next one!

[@pmnarendhar8407]

Lovely sir thanks for good lecture

[@shelbytaylor4634]

Not only is your information SUPER helpful, but I could listen to you talk all day. Such a calming voice! I got my (locally bred) blue dreams today. 😅 4wk cycled blackworm culture tank. And, I am obsessed with how interesting these neocaridina shrimp are. 🥹😍

[@shelbytaylor4634]

I am so glad I kept watching. I've been wondering what was considered a "mature" tank. (I thought cycled was the same thing.) 4wks ish. I nailed that timeframe without even realizing it. 😂 Thank you for sharing that timeframe so simply.

[@peacelily64]

Yes I truly believe if your shrimp don’t die with 2 weeks they like your tank biosphere 🦐💕🐌🐠

[@EuroGupper]

Don't run any filter. An airstone with enough plants to eat nitrites and nitrates is fine

[@lisahowe8951]

Hey my fish tank with green water is going well, it only has fast growing plants and java moss and I have only an air stone.... Well my shrimp has had babies and they are doing great!! Can't wait to get some more babies

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Glad it’s going well 😎

[@lisahowe8951]

@@FishKeepingAnswers thank you for the help you gave me.

[@andycarter4581]

Great information, thanks

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

🫶🏻

[@usmc187]

Thanks for the new upload sir!

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

No worries! 👍🏻

[@ericematey6073]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thanks for watching!

[@heartsonchannel]

Seems like I did everyting right except adding shrimp 5 days after filling the tank with water. But they seemed to eat fine and didnt show much interest in the food i put in. I assume theres enough biofilm already. So that kind of confuses me.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Truth be told, there are dozens of reasons shrimp don’t make it. Sometimes, even when we do everything correctly, the shrimp just don’t survive 😞

[@blooky102]

I watched this not because I'm failing in shrimp keeping but to know what to avoid with my shrimp tank, however I did have a rough start finding out my water was too soft for my cherry shrimp to moult correctly but I fixed that with crushed eggshells in an emergency and then bought specialised powdered water minerals for shrimp.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Glad to hear the video helped. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences

[@prowlerultra9619]

Thank you for the advice on shrimp keeping.🙏 Would appreciate if you could do an depth video on Sulawesi shrimps.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

For Sulawesi Shrimp info, check out @RWAquariumPages 👍🏻

[@prowlerultra9619]

@@FishKeepingAnswers Thank you...🙏

[@DelockFilmProduction]

hi guys I'm new to the the hobby my son got about 5 different colors one yellow 2 blues and 2 deep reds. now they have about 10 black ones and a very very light blue almost transparent. should I buy all blue and all red and just breed them to they own color? I'm really liking the shrimp scene

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Hi. So you have a better chance of breeding nice color shrimp if you stick to one color per tank. However, so called skittles tanks with multicoloured inhabitants can be very attractive too 👍🏻

[@DelockFilmProduction]

@@FishKeepingAnswers thanks for the info

[@Freedom_Fighter72]

I have a 6g with 10 neocaridina red cherry. I'd like to add a few more anubias to it ... will it stress the shrimp if I do?

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Should be fine 👍🏻

[@Smalltimetanks]

Iam doing pretty good 👍🏻 I did fail completely on my first go tho lol I don't sell them or anything but I do trade ha ha I had sacrifice vary small babies last month to kill the scuds I got from plants! So far no more scuds I ran everything in hot water everything even plants for a few seconds! Gravel everything lol couldn't save vary small babies unfortunately, but Iam scud free completely for 2 months now 💪🏻

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

😎

[@illgrooves]

A little shells or holey rock to make water harder

[@Freedom_Fighter72]

I noticed one of my Neocaridina blue dreams has red on his head...my lfs called it rust disease and to remove it...any insight to this?

[@Pengu1nEl1teMa5ter3]

I have a question like when using bigger branches or rocks from outside. Is it safe to use branches from trees that might have fell out during a storm? And is it okay to use cement like rocks, such as something that might have been hammer out of an old cement sidewalk years ago? Should I heat these branches and rocks up? I'm about to dabble in shrimp keeping, I just thought using these things wouldn't be horrible to try, but just wanted some thoughts.

[@docjahra]

Hi Richard! I've found your videos very useful. I have a question I hope you can help. Can I speed up the process of making biofilms if I mixed up the water that the shrimp came from? I ordered some live plants and they happen to come with red cherry shrimps but my tank is relatively new. I was planning to mix my water current water with the one that came with the plants and the shrimp.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Hi. That won’t hurt, but probably won’t help much either. Bio film tends to form on surfaces rather than in the water column 👍🏻

[@docjahra]

@@FishKeepingAnswers thank you for your reply! I'm hoping this one won't fail me but I'm glad I found your channel. You really helped me! Cheers from the PH 🇵🇭

[@Smalltimetanks]

My ! Mark rasbora are not eating detritus worm's might have stick guppies fry in there lol

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Don’t feed them for a week. Those detritus worms will start to look pretty tasty 😆

[@BIBLE-UNBUTCHERED]

Is there a natural way to harden water for neocaradina?

[@naimac2744]

I just bought my shrimp. Seller had good reviews on ebay. Colour was great but half died within the first couple of days. I kept them in the water they came with and put them in a separate container. Surely they shouldn't be dying that quick? I'm too scared to put them in the actual fish tank as they seem so fragile.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

It’s hard to say why they might have died. Transporting shrimp can be very stressful for the shrimp. I would however imagine they would be better off in the aquarium rather than the tub/bag they were shipped in (if that’s how you mean about keeping them in the water they arrived in).

[@naimac2744]

@FishKeepingAnswers I think you might be right. Thanks for a speedy response

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Pleasure. Would love to hear how you get on 🤞🏻

[@RoyaleButterflyCreations]

Is there GH that is too high? my GH stays around 17dGH. my tap water is 6 dGH.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

GH of 17dGH 😳😳😳 I believe somewhere between about 4 and 10 is ideal. I suppose the question is, how are yours doing? I don’t know of any actual experiments people are carrying out to see if there is a max dGH. Question, if it comes out your tap at 6, how is it getting up to 17 in the tank?

[@RoyaleButterflyCreations]

My water evaporates quite a bit is the only thing I can figure out. I bought a water softener pillow. My tank is doing great. I had lost quite a few shrimp from funky molts but now I have a stable 15 to 25 shrimp (hard to count them all at once I can count 15 at almost any given time) and I have females that are showing the golden saddles but none of them have berries. I just solved a planaria problem. So I am hoping maybe they will breed? 🤔 that’s my hopes anyway. I’ve been trying to figure out my GH for 2 months or more now. I’m trying a 30% water change tomorrow to see if that helps it.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

In my experience, it is very hard to reduce GH through chemical means. Certainly, I have never had much joy. Can I suggest testing you tap water and your tank water on the same day to compare the results. Just out of interest and to rule out any disparity. Thinking about it, I would let the shrimp be your guide. If they are doing well, just go with it. Maybe they are happy enough. 🤔

[@nightlite9009]

I love your channel. I'd really love to buy shrimp from you in the UK, but the link is US. Are you based in the US then? Maybe I jumped to a conclusion based on the accent. Is there anywhere in the UK you would recommend?

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Hi. I am UK based, but I no longer sell shrimp. Sorry 😞

[@nightlite9009]

@@FishKeepingAnswers That's a damn shame. I wish you well in all that you do sir.

[@TomLi-br3yc]

Hi, my red cheery shrimp is dying, I think my water is to soft for them and they can not successfully change their shell. They will stack in their shell and dye. I think case what should I do? Many thanks for your advice.

[@BGN_Aquariums]

Your video’s are so helpful mate. They really are. Such great advice. I wish i had your shrimp skills, i have more luck reviving a frozen prawn 😂 Forever grateful Russ

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Thank you mate. I am really enjoying putting them together at the moment. Hopefully exciting times are ahead 🤞🏻

[@BGN_Aquariums]

@@FishKeepingAnswers lets hope buddy 🤞🏻

[@dalock6]

Great video! I have been running a 10 gallon shrimp tank for almost two months and have had great success with the Neo's that I have...One thing though, I have had two berried females die after about 2 weeks of being berried...any thoughts as to why? I currently have 4 other females berried now and am hoping that I will finally have babies but time will tell.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Honestly, sometimes shrimp just die. We (believe) we have everything spot on, but they still pass away. I don’t think we always know why. If the rest of the shrimp are doing well, I would focus on them. Would love to hear how you get on 🤞🏻

[@dalock6]

@FishKeepingAnswers thank you for the response and insight, fingers crossed they will hatch one day, I'll follow up in the future.

[@dalock6]

Well, it finally happened, I have babies! One of the things I have heard you and others say about shrimp is to have patience. Seems to be the best bit of advice when it comes to these little ones. On top of that, I now have 7 berried females. I am thinking the 10 gallon will soon be too small of a tank, fortunately I have a 20 tall with nothing in it. Thanks, Richard, for your comments and videos, I really enjoy the content!

[@Tlangvalputar-a]

👍

[@soccreyes4647]

Ah.. At first I just bought 2 of this creatures. One already has eggs. I just put them in my established community planted fish tank anf now they're many. Just put them in an established planted tank and they'll thrive. Easy to feed too.

[@tomb4014]

I can’t find your shrimp on ebay what is your selling name

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Unfortunately, we stopped breeding and selling shrimp in favor of creating KZbin videos!

[@Shleeeemp]

@@FishKeepingAnswersliving the dream eh!

[@Yosh-doesnt-understand]

There's ways to buffer your water without RO water

[@MAR_10-x5w]

Lmao i dont even feed my shrimp 😅 just my platies

[@Nigelaquaticsfish]

Dude I need help where can I buy this book I’m fucked got gifted 700 neos on my birthday and I’m so confused

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Neocaridina-shrimp-handbook.com 👍🏻

[@Nigelaquaticsfish]

@@FishKeepingAnswers there doing okay thanks for the video help bro they are looking chill like you’re video no deaths yet and they seem like they are sluggish because they were exited at first but I get lasGarten Bacter AE Shrimp Tank Treatment (35g) do you trust this food

[@komodo54]

I got orange Sunkist neocaridina shrimp yesterday, I saw 2 berried females and some mating behavior from the males

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

🥳🥳🥳

[@CoreyPelletier86]

"Mucking about the tank" Its the same with plants! Some people become helicopter parents with their houseplants and they either drown or stress them unnecessarily.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

I love the expression ‘helicopter parents’. Never heard it before. Had to look it up 😂

[@Luncher100]

Oh dear 😔. Much harder to listen to than usual Richard. There's musak playing over your voice. PLEASE don't do that any more. I really enjoy your videos, but playing musak while you talk (though often done by American KZbinrs) is VERY distracting. It achieves the opposite of what I think you're trying to achieve: coherent instructions, clear explanations.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

Ah, sorry to hear to hear that. My analytics show background music improves retention rate. Clearly in this video I have left it too loud 😞

[@evergreen8965]

That music was 👎🏻.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

@@evergreen8965😢

[@AquaTerra77]

I prefer the music. Thanks for adding it. 👍

[@coffeeguy2000]

Music is fine just the volume

[@Nigelaquaticsfish]

I own guppies not shrimp 🤔

[@ericmehaffey7425]

Maybe you missed something over there but in America everyone knows you can reduce the hardness of your water by diluting it with distilled water.

[@FishKeepingAnswers]

For Neocaridina Shrimp, I have never found the need to reduce hardness so never tried it.