Your Shrimp Deserve Better: Embrace This Simple Habit Today

[@calvite100]

I definitely understand where you’re coming from since the tanks you have are breeders and do not maximise plant growth. But from another perspective, I have currently kept a community tank of cherry shrimp and now PRLs with fish and snails but in a tank so planted you don’t see half the livestock. I don’t change water, but I do trim my plants once every 2 weeks and throw out floaters every few days. The nitrates are not 0, but never creep up. They are all steady and I feel that is another way you could enjoy the aquarium hobby. Especially since water changes can be quite the pain to perform depending on where the aquarium is placed as well. Obviously my shrimps will never be as beautiful as I can never cull properly considering majority of my shrimp are hidden. But I feel nature can handle it, but in a closed system, us handlers simply have to intervene when something is going wrong. Otherwise, let the bacteria and plants do their job. Many people I meet always refuse to join this wonderful hobby because “i don’t like changing water every week” I feel that promoting this other method can be an effective way to bring people in while still being responsible keepers!

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

@@calvite100 👍👍

[@A-10-Wook]

Aww was hoping this would have been in 4k. Perfect subject matter for that higher quality of video.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

Thanks for the kind words

[@Bkshrimpkeeping]

I don’t change water in my Caradina tanks and they explode in population.. I lose more shrimp when I was doing water changes. I only change water in my Neo tanks. When you change water in a low PH tank, you’re replacing it was a normal or high PH water until it buffers. In the mean time the shrimp is experiencing the fluctuation and they can die. You just have to be careful with the feeding.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

In the beginning, we too hesitated when it came to water changes. Every time we performed one, some shrimp would die. This led us to avoid water changes altogether, and the deaths stopped. However, as the years went by and we managed hundreds of tanks, we realized the truth: it wasn’t the water changes causing the shrimp to die, but rather the shrimp themselves-those that were already weak or predisposed to issues like failed molts. Nature thrives on change; it brings both life and death. If we allow fear to hold us back, we risk missing the opportunity to break through to the next level. This applies not just to water changes but also to pH concerns. We’ve visited over ten global breeders, collectively managing thousands of tanks and hundreds of thousands of shrimp. Many of their reverse osmosis systems operate with a pH as low as 5.0, with their tanks maintaining a pH around 5.3. Does it matter? Again, it’s not about the specific metrics but what they represent: an optimized environment for healthier, thriving shrimp. To draw a parallel, think of exercise: it’s not an instant solution, but with consistent effort over years, it significantly improves health. That said, many people live without exercising and seem fine-but do they truly experience the vitality and benefits that come from regular exercise over time? Likely not. This concept applies directly to water changes. The goal isn’t simply to increase the number of shrimp but to foster a healthier environment that yields observable benefits over time. This consistent effort is what enabled us to achieve the prestigious *Best in Show 2024*. Water changes are not just routine maintenance-they’re an investment in the long-term health and vitality of your shrimp.

[@meegssan5716]

So would you say that the weak shrimp would have lived had there been no water change?

[@meegssan5716]

I agree with original comment changing water “changes” the water.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

@@meegssan5716 Nature’s relentless hand ensures that everything succumbs to its will. Through the years, one truth remains: nature always prevails. In the end, all living things perish-be it you, me, or anything that breathes. The sooner you accept that natural selection occurs as inevitably as rain-washing away the old in a torrent, leaving fish and shrimp lifeless in its wake-the better you’ll understand this is simply the way of nature.

[@Bkshrimpkeeping]

@@ShrimpSanctuary I agree and I was totally against not changing water. However, I simply cannot argue with the results. I check my water parameters weekly all of my shrimp are thriving. The results speaks from themselves. I never had this kind of breeding when I did water changes. It's night and day.

[@saler1423]

water change done today 😊

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

@@saler1423 shrimps thank you 😆😆♥️

[@DashDrones]

I have neocaridina and heavily planted tank. Shrimp thriving have hundreds, crystal clear water 10ppm nitrates (constantly), perfectly balanced, nearly two years old and have Normans killifish with them too. I do a 25% water change once annually.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

Yup works well for Neocaridina and heavily planted, if the shrimps are part of the entire ecosystem without the need to do selective breeding, and a controlled feeding routine will probably work. on a side note based on our experience most test kits (liquid) loses it's accuracy over 2-3 months once open, and it's a pain to keep buying them but what we realize that because it misfires so much (API/Sera/Columbo/etc) and the test results fluctuate so much between a 3 month 6 month 9 month 12 month test kit.

[@DashDrones]

@ShrimpSanctuary 👍

[@glpshrimp6301]

This is why competition should be done online only . Taking shrimp to competition is not what is best for welfare of shrimp

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

@@glpshrimp6301 how's your tanks going ?

[@glpshrimp6301]

@ shut them all down I lost interest in them to be honest.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

@@glpshrimp6301 thanks for still watching.

[@glpshrimp6301]

@ I’m still interested in it all and will no doubt set a tank up again soon

[@Cleeon]

I agree with you about this matter, they're sensitive animals, so shrimps competition is complicated

[@maravedi09]

I have tried the no water change method but i prefer the water change method. the reason is, I have notice that water changes promote females molting and breeding behavior even when temperature, ph, kh, gh and TDS of new water is the same of the old ater.

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

👍👍

[@garthantash]

I just assume competition shrimp are being sent there to die. A competition tank is not a thriving environment and the best looking shrimp tend to be frail. Rather than striving for clinical, consistent water conditions, it would be amazing if breeders took the care to breed hardier animals that could tolerate varying water conditions like what they would have come from in the wild and not sacrificing the overall health of the animals looking just at their colour and patterns. I used to be a religious water changer, 20% every Tuesday on all my tanks then after watching some KZbin videos tried not changing for a few months and then spoke to more keepers and now change about 20% every 2-3 weeks. If anything, doing water changes makes me stay with each tank for a while and get the chance to really study it, pay close attention to the animals and plants, look at how things are doing and what I might want to change to make the tank thrive more.

[@mariosshrimptanks]

@@garthantash 100% agree with ur method. Same works for me after so much experimenting so why change it? Best of luck to you bro

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

Yup that works 20% every 2-3 weeks.

[@grantmurphy7893]

This is a example of water changing... i had 4 tanks i was doing weekly 10% water changes i noticed my shrimps were not breeding as much and were not as active. I have been doing the non water change method for 6 months now and the tanks are booming shrimpslets every where and you can visible notice the shrimps far more active and look more healthy. Shrimp tanks are about stability and the weekly water changes was not stable effecting the good bacteria in my tanks every time i done a change. Whats your opinion on this Bene when i can visible see a positive change in the shrimp by not doing water changes?

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

We experience it too and we find that if a tank is cycled long till maturity before putting the shrimps in, and if the shrimps are from your own other tank, wc will work better vs not. If the tank were not fully mature and the shrimps imported, chances are stability is key and holding off wc for a period of time till the tank and shrimp eases in before wc happens will help. So it isn't about wc or no wc, it's about at which point are we at and the standards we hold to ourselves on things like tank maturity, and such. And that is one advantage of having more tanks to be able to see and experience quicker.

[@michaelmoreno7357]

Im a little confused if nitrwtes are so bad why do you not use plants? Shrimp bioload is not excessive i feel like 1 pothos stem per tank would tske care of it

[@ShrimpSanctuary]

I used to think that they don't contribute to a lot of bioload but I stand corrected. Also we use active soil which keep breaking down constantly into waste. When all of these come together Nitrate keeps going up.

[@pandugofast]

No science all feels

[@pandugofast]

Your argument boils down to "water changes make me feel good", with a bit of artistic and poetic spice thrown in. That's not science, and you shouldn't label it as such.