This is going to be fairly comprehensive and lengthy, so might be a good idea to grab a snack and turn up some chill lofi tunes while reading.
Now the fundamental ingredients for setting up a shrimp tank are as follows:
- Rack/ stand
- Tank
- Lighting
- Soil
- Filter
- Minerals (salts)
1. Rack / Stand
For me I opted for a racking system as I planned on keeping a plethora of varieties, all of which are Caridina because of the colours & challenge. I went and checked out the racks from Bunnings and had the dilemma between two options a cheaper version known as the Pinnacle shelving units or the Rack It brand which fetched a slight premium but my is it thicc. I of course tested it at the warehouse with my weight which is around 69-70kg to see how comfortable I was placing multiple tanks on top. The tanks I had planned on having were approximately 60 – 75L, I was fairly worried about bowing in the middle so I went with the Rack It racks for my tanks as I felt more comfortable standing on it than the Pinnacle which looked flimsy, and the support beams for the middle on the Rack It was much more reassuring. So, far it’s done great and holding up well; the quoted weight was 1000 kg per shelf evenly distributed. Now, just because I bought the Rack It racks doesn’t mean you have to, maybe you only want a couple shrimp tanks, a stand is perfectly fine. A lot of breeders custom build their own racks and stands, do a nice little paint job and it looks mint as. So depending on what you’re after opt for that holding system.
2. Tank
Now this can get fairly expensive, but I have found a decent supplier Absolute Aquariums in Yennora, sure the warehouse & location can be sketch but the prices were pretty competitive for what’s on the market. If you are going for multiple tanks this is a good start to consider, I also purchased a few custom tanks from Tank builder Steve (Western Sydney Aquariums), if you are eager to check them out, the prices are pretty decent too considering you get the dimensions that you’re after. Heck, it beats the prices from branded tanks for sure, although transporting it is sketch. I recommend having Styrofoam ready for the bottom and to wedge against the sides if you are buying multiple, plus it wouldn’t hurt to make multiple trips for safety reasons (plan ahead if you can though). Of course, if you find a better deal somewhere closer I would recommend that alternative, this is all based in the Sydney area. Just remember cheaper glass tanks don’t necessarily make for extravagant pictures, something about the ADA tanks just screams photogenic.
3. Lighting
For this a cheap eBay 3/4ft LED was not bad in the beginning for me, but after a couple of years the LEDs start failing and the transformers broke, but lighting and coverage was decent. I also tried the premium lights such as UP-Aqua (U/ Z series), Chihiros A ii Series as well, the PAR on those were definitely greater but the price difference might be too much. For me those UP-Aqua lights help with taking photos for Insta, making the soil and shrimp pop that much more from what I’ve found. But, the eBay LED were fairly close too, with more blue LED I found. I normally purchase a timer so its a set it and forget situation, reducing the risk of over or under lighting causing algae issues. The Chihiros has a mobile app that allows basic adjustment of light duration and intensity if you are interested in the brand. Anyways, these are the lights I opt for & again if you want to try a different brand or something better for you, full send.
4. Soil
This can be controversial as different hobbyist preach different soils, the one that has worked wonders for me so far is ADA Amazonia ver. 1 (gold label) & Akadama Double Hardline. I’d say if you can grab the original (ver. 1) then go for it, if not there are plenty of cheaper alternatives on the market, although I am not sure how good they are. From a survey conducted on Shrimp Enthusiasts Australia (FB Group), the top soils were ADA ver. 2, Fluval Stratum, ADA ver. 1, other alternatives include Mastersoil which I’m seeing various hobbyists use. The soil meta definitely varies depending on the location in Australia; different state different meta. I think most soils are decent, it just depends on how you use it. ADA is normally $50-70 per 9 litres, cheaper versions such as Mastersoil is around $42 per 8L at Aquaristic. Akadama around $41 per 14L at Enfield Petngardens. Now I am speaking for soft water shrimps, for hard water shrimps cheap inert Bunnings pebbles or Caribsea Eco Complete, Seachem Flourite etc. are all fine, so long as they are inert giving you wiggle room to add GH/KH+ salts to stabilise pH and create ideal conditions.
5. Filter
With the filter I just kept it simple, using just sponge filters that I ordered from AliExpress, now the con from ordering here is that consistency from the batches and the timing as it takes a couple months to reach you via shipping containers. So, if you are in a rush then buying local would also be good, usually only slightly higher priced. An analogy would be like purchasing from a vending machine, you are paying for convenience, its closer & already cold. You could also opt for a powerhead, but for me it gets clogged pretty fast if my tanks have a hundred shrimps. All the other variants such as Hang-on-the-back (HOB) filters, Cannisters, Under-gravel (UGF) are all decent as well, but if you want multiple tanks then a somewhat quiet air pump and sponge filters does wonders. The new mobile UGF is also solid, similar concept to the sponge except you pass water through the soil, so in theory aerating and feeding the bacteria colony, whilst also pushing the dust & poop towards the bottom to clean out monthly or quarterly depending on bio load.
6. Minerals
For minerals I have Salty Shrimp GH+ for Caridina and GH/KH+ for Neocaridina purchased in bulk from eBay at competitive rates, would last me for a few years depending on how much I water change which isn’t much. Most GH+ remineralisers do the same, so finding one at a better price might be the way to go too. Alan Hanzo I know has a liquid GH+ product offering on Facebook, other alternatives are available as well, although its harder for me to recommend unless I’ve used or seen it being used with a decent track record (aka shrimp colonies in person).
Overall, our goal is to get more bang for a buck, whilst maintaining aesthetics, functionality and creating ideal environments for our little crustaceans. I try to allocate a budget for the setup aspect and whatever that is triple it for a high end shrimp line, just cause I want multiple quality gene pools from specific breeders to fast track my selection process. Although, you may want just a simple display tank with fish which is also fine, perhaps a planted tank with some little shrimps with colours to add flavour. Whatever it is I hope you show it off on Shrimp Enthusiasts Australia (SEA) once you’re happy with the results so it can encourage others to post.