# Lost world! Shrimp tank! NO BETTA!



## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

This is my shrimp tank that has been running for nearly a year.  No bettas . Just about 40 shrimp. Adults and shrimplets. Its a 4 gallon. No filter or heater just stuffed with plants.

It started like this!









Then it ended up like this!


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

your water is green .....


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

yeah i was gonna point that out...looks kinda dirty...


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

no there is dirty and there is filthy.
You wouldnt let your betta live in these conditions yet you force it upon your shrimp? they should be entitled to the same treatment as your bettas


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## Nutt007 (Sep 22, 2009)

Sheesh, you guys really like to be rude and pounce on people...
I think it's a beautiful tank! It makes me think of a desolate, abandoned Betta pond. Plus, you used sand. And sand= A very happy me. But why no filter?


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

@Nutt: i wasnt trying to be rude...i just said it looked kinda dirty...i have no idea if its good or not =/


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## Nutt007 (Sep 22, 2009)

I was talking to Abby. She was getting angry at weluvbettas before he/she even got the chance to explain why the tank is like this. I agree it looks cloudy and green, but weluvbettas has an explanation I'm sure.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

its my opinon you all have opinions on everything else and noone steps in and says squat to you. ive had planted shrimp tanks and even with no filter ive kept them clean because all animals deserve clean water. if you saw a betta in this you would all have heart failures.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Well, I certainly think it's a gorgeous tank and if I were a shrimp I'd love to live in it. So many plants!


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

- no comment -


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Abby said:


> - no comment -


Then why did you post? ;-) Lol.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

this is what you people rant about. You all go into walmart and ill kept pet stores complain about the way bettas are kept but then a tank like this is posted and everyone loves it. as long as theres no betta there people think its a fine way to keep something but i think all animals deserve CLEAN water. if you cant see your *Aquatic* animal through filthy water you need to do something about it.


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

yeah thats kinda where I was going? again i know nothing about shrimp...and i know there are brackish fish that prefer more pondlike water and such...but arent shrimp more clean water animals?


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

I dont see the big deal. The water isnt mud brown, its green. Algae isnt a bad thing, just like plants, they add oxygen to the water and absorb ammonia and other harmful substances. Environments in nature aren't sterile. Besides, shrimp are rather delicate when it comes to water params. If this setup was truly "filthy" and unsuitable, they would be dead - think about that. Just because the water is green does not mean it's filthy. Im perfectly sure that plants and algae can keep up with the relatively low bio-load of shrimp.


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

^see i never knew that...i always thought algae was bad bad bad...learned something new o.o


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## Crazykat (Nov 23, 2010)

Ahem...
http://www.otocinclus.com/articles/greenwater.html

Alex09 is right. Shrimp are very sensitive to water parameters and there would not be so many thriving shrimp in here if this was an issue. This is more of an aesthetic issue.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Well, I just don't want to jump the gun and assume it's dirty water. Especially since I don't see any filth like I would in a dirty petstore cup. Everything in the tank seems fine too, so I'm assuming the water quality is okay.

Could be BWE. Could be that the sand made the water murky. Could be some other reason. We don't know since the OP hasn't actually told us, so I'm just going to wait on that before I complain about dirty tanks. ;-)

Not to mention OP is quite good at taking care of his/her fish so I highly doubt s/he'd leave a tank dirty, or even show it to us if it were.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

well excuse me but from MY experience my shrimp preferred CLEANER water.


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

hey Abby? I know youre frustrated, but try to understand what everyone is saying. Yes, they generally complain about dirty water...but i think you and i both jumped to conclusions a little. I say let the OP tell us whats up...


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## Crazykat (Nov 23, 2010)

It's really not fair to start picking before you get the OP's side of the story. To me, it looks like algae which is not something to flip out over. It looks like a gorgeous planted tank with lots of nooks and crannys that shrimp love. .
If you want some help with the algae, you might get some fast growing plants like hornwort or java fern. They'll outcompete the algae. I have some hornwort in my tank and my ghost shrimp think it's pretty much the most awesome thing ever.


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## Abby (Jan 13, 2011)

but you would ALL freak if there were Bettas in it...hell you would all jump the gun if i said i had one male betta in a tank full of female bettas


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

Saying shrimp are equal to bettas is like saying bugs are equal to dogs though. And I wouldnt freak out if there is a betta in there. Not until I hear the OP's explanation. I have had algae issues as well. Green water is completely harmless to fish. In fact, a betta may even like it as they prefer murky water to crystal clear water.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Um, no, I wouldn't...for the same reasons I mentioned in my previous post.

And keeping male bettas together with female bettas is pretty irrelevant. If s/he had posted that, then yes, knowing 100% that it's harmful I would advise them against it.

If they had posted saying, "oh btw, I haven't cleaned this tank for (insert long amount of time here)" then yes, I would also advise them.


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

Thanks everyone that has said good words. The was *IS NOT *green. My camera does not take good pictures. So the plants make it look green. My shrimp are happy and healthy and breeding in numbers. So dont jump on me guys I know what im doing. And by the way do you all think water is the wild is crystal clear? Its not everywere.
Thanks,
Weluvbettas.


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## Kestrel (Jan 17, 2011)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure rivers and creeks are nothing like the tanks we keep fish in, because we want to see them. A crawdad could live fine in a clean well-kept tank or a dirty little creek. Of course I'm sure that's not true with all aquatic (even non) creatures. It just seems like I've seen too many forums where some people jump to berating and insulting others before they have any chance to explain.

And maybe some people would jump at my throat on here for saying this, but it's just fish and shrimp, no I don't want them to be mistreated or abused but it's not the end of the world or worth fighting about.


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## baylee767 (Nov 5, 2010)

See? Why are we all being so quick to jump? The water only looked like algae to me, and that's nothing worth arguements. And as it turns out it wasn't even that, just camera quality. Shrimp are even more sensative then Bettas, so if over 40 live in there as well as a bunch of snails, I'm sure that tank is just fine.

Beautiful tank weluvbettas! GJ with it, and hopefully it stays that succesfull!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Got any close-up pictures of your shrimp? I find them so fascinating to watch. I'm thinking of getting a few later in the year once I have all my tanks sorted. We have a few native species available down here along with the usual ghost and cherrys, but I'm afraid the poor things would end up as betta snacks. 

Very... expensive betta snacks haha.


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

Thanks guys.  This forum has changed since I joined people jump to conclusions now.

Littlebettafish : I will try to get some pics of the shrimp. I love watching them dive for there food. Its so funny


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## fishman12 (Sep 1, 2010)

And anyway, if there even was algae, it would be good for the shrimp right?


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

I vote for a video! I've never really had the opportunity to watch shrimp o.o


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

Abby said:


> but you would ALL freak if there were Bettas in it...hell you would all jump the gun if i said i had one male betta in a tank full of female bettas


Abby when I first saw the Original Post I was pretty certain that the green water is due to algae.

So no I would not flip out if a betta was in there. I might start lecturing if there were moderate-highlight plants in there that could have their light blocked out because of the algae but so far all I saw was a bucnh of anubias (low light plant) and a plant I couldn't really Identify. Possibly Creeping Jenny.

I'd lecture because I have almost no money and I don't like seeing people waste a ton of money on plants if they're going to let them all die. That's money that could've been donated to a charity.

The creeping Jenny (if that's what it is) will likely die off but that's no big deal because all it would take is a water change, adjusting the light schedule or strength, and if they want to try their hand at it again, getting another couple of stems.

I'm not sure why you keep on with this even though you've clearly given your opinion.

You only needed to say it once.

I'm pretty sure that you're incorrect.

All you're doing right now is starting a fight and accusing the OP of animal abuse, and making generalizations about every member on this forum by saying we'd all judge from one picture that the OP was abusing their fish if there was a betta in there.

To me it seems like you're the one having a heart failure here although it's over what you perceive to be shrimp abuse as opposed to betta abuse.

I don't take kindly to accusations like that, ESPECIALLY when I know the OP takes good care of their fish.

I suggest you contribute something new to the thread.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

LOL WHOOPS.! XD My post is old news now! :'D Thankfully the situation has already been taken care of! =]

The post still remains as a warning though.

_*I report cyber bullies.*_ (After warning them with a post like the previous one and through PM as well I don't report right off the bat! XD) If you start harassing people on a thread expect to be reported by me personally. ;]

I also vote for a video!  <3 I want shrimp so bad but I just don't have the room! ;_; I really want either RCS,Yellow Shrimp, or Blue Pearl Shrimp! <3


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

whooooooooah....blue pearls look AWESOME


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

I KNOW RIGHT?!?!?! 8D

They look just like the shrimp version of the second Blue Beetle! <3 Ted Kord! <3 

Plus they're just plain pretty!  XD

Don't mind me fangirling over in my corner of obscurity! :'D


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

yay obscurity!!!

I just love the color blue O.O


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

I want shrimp now... Which species would be the hardiest? I like RCS...


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

i really wanna get one too but...i only have a 2gal ;_;


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## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

Wow abby. I know for a fact that weluvbettas takes excellent care of all of his tanks and to have a shrimp tank is easily 10X harder than having a betta tank. He wouldnt be so stupid to throw them in a dirty tank... 

And Alex. RCS are super easy. I have about..... 50 in my tank right now with 4 females pregnant... so in about a month i'll have like 100 haha. They breed like mad and thrive if you give them RO water or Distilled if you cant find anywhere that sells RO water.

Thought I would share some of my shrimp too! I have a mixture or RCS and CRS. They will be transferred to my 20 gal in about a month! I just had about 14 Little babies of these CRS. woop!


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

Thanks Hadouken! I love my tanks. I take great care in them all! I have spent over 250 pounds on this tank . I love it to bits! I even get upset when a shrimp dies! hahah


@Alex : Red cherry shrimp are the easiest shrimp to have. They breed like crazy! I started off with 6 ! Look at them now!


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## HayrideHaunter (Dec 20, 2010)

oh the CRS are so cool!!!


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

CRS=Crystal Red Shrimp?

Great tanks though! I just love shrimp.


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## ChicagoPete (Dec 27, 2010)

Wow for ther to be over 40 shrimp in there they shure do hide well. o.o


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## Crazykat (Nov 23, 2010)

Ooh, I want some CRS! So pretty! You've inspired me to start a shrimp only walstad tank. Thank you!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ooh I want a just-shrimp tank now. I can't seem to find a reliable source of good Cherry Shrimp info, can someone recommend one? I have an extra 5.5 gallon I could use. How many water changes do you do with no filter?


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## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

Plantedtank.net Invertabrates section
PlanetInverts.com

And I dont reccomend doing a shrimp tank without a LOT of plants. They need the hiding places and the babies need the bio film to munch on.

And dont add shrinp unless the tank is cycled then after that you only need to do.... 20 Percent wanter changes if your tank is heavily planted


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Ok cool, thanks so much. Hopefully this will be a possibility in the near future!


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## ilovebunnies (Oct 11, 2010)

I love the shrimpies! I need to ask, what are the specs of your tank? I know you had a thread on plantedtank.net but I can't find it. I had anubias and it died so quickly  Do you use CO2 and ferts? What kind of light do you use?

Just curious


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## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

Whoops thought this was my thread lol. Edit


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## windfire (May 25, 2010)

well done on the breeding i had about 30 from 6 and then the parameters in my tank went abit funky and even doing a water change every 2nd day i still lost them all :-( thankfully i have a few in my fry tank so i will be adding them to my new setup as soon as its had about a month to run. just to be on the safe side. cherries are great! but i'd love to get my hands on some blue berry shrimp!


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

ChicagoPete said:


> Wow for ther to be over 40 shrimp in there they shure do hide well. o.o


I had just let them back out after a rescape  So they swam into hiding. There patrolling te tank now!!

@ Iluvbunnies  I dont use co2 of ferts because shrimp are very sensitive to water parameters and too much of co2 can kill them.  The anubis grows very well . Its one of my favourite plants!


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## Crazykat (Nov 23, 2010)

The Petco college kid just told me that having quick growing plants in a shrimp tank will kill the shrimp. Is this true? Google can neither confirm nor deny. Is that why you've mostly got anubias in there weluvbettas?


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

No I have some fast growing plants and there fine. I think that petco person is just a bit dumb and does not know much. I have a lot of Anubias because I bought a big box


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## LucyLoofa (May 30, 2010)

That tank is gorgeous!!!! I'm dying to find a store that isn't sold out of anubias!


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

All my tanks have mean Bettas in them so I cannot get shrimp. 
Love your tank! It looks like you are looking into a pond.


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## tsoto80 (Nov 26, 2010)

I for one think your tank is beautiful. Looks like a pond....
All I have is those crazy ol ghost shrimp I want some pretty ones but the pet store dont have any


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## BlueHaven (Jul 17, 2010)

That is a pretty tank!!
But for 40 shrimp....4 gallons is a bit small. 
Please correct me if I am wrong ( I know you said you know what you are doing!), but I have been studying about them and though not much, they need space too. 
With 40 shrimp, even though they are small, they crawl on the bottom of the tank, so that sounds like theres not much space. 
But they are healthy, and there home is healthy, so that's great!

What kind of Shrimp do you have?


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## weluvbettas (May 29, 2010)

Your allowed about 10 to 15 per gallon  Im going to be ok as about 35 are shrimplets Lol  Just found a berried female! More shrimp!!!  And btw thanks for the nice comments. They are not in this tank anymore. I hated the tank. I could not get the scape right. The shrimp are now in a tank by my bed. I now have natural gravel .  Also there red cherry shrimp! I have one female who is fire red!


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## BlueHaven (Jul 17, 2010)

Oh, that's cool,
Okay! 
Cherry Shrimp are cute. 
I've only had ghost shrimp and unortunately for 3 days and then died. It wasn't my fault though, at least I don't think so because I took good care of them, I believe they might have already been unhealthy from the store. 
I haven't gotten any since because I ended up with a cute Mystery Snail!
But I do miss the one's I had, they were cool and I had already named them. 
Haha


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