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Beginner guide 101

Starting out with Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS)

Small Wide Red Cherry Shrimp Grading 2 1 3159369

Starting out with Red Cherry Shrimp

Whether you are looking to just have some algae eaters or create a massive colony of RCS and start selling them for profit, you will need the basics. This can range anywhere from bare minimum to “state of the art” equipment. Below, we detail the basic essential parts needed to start your Red Cherry Shrimp tank.

Aquarium Tank

Example Of A Starter Aquarium Tank For Red Cherry Shrimp Red Cherry ShrimpAn aquarium tank is one the basic items you will need in this hobby. For starters, you can buy a standard rim aquarium for dirt cheap (Petco usually has a $1 per gallon sale every once in a while). It’s always nice to be able to view your little guys. Also when filling your aquarium, leave at least about an inch of space between the top and your water. This helps with the problem of missing shrimp which is usually the shrimp crawling out of the tank and dying on the floor.

Substrate

Close Up Substrate For Aquarium Tanks Red Cherry ShrimpSubstrate is a vital part of any shrimp tank. RCS’s, much like all other shrimp, love to sift through the soil for food. Substrate is all about personal preference and budget, because everyone has their own opinion about what works and what doesn’t. The only true fact is that RCS, and other types of shrimp, are more visible and vibrant in darker types of substrates. Check out a few substrate reviews and pick out what you find is visually appealing. Remember that substrate over time will break down, especially with live plants pulling nutrients from it.

HOB or Canister Filter

Example Of A Starter Aquarium HOB Filter For Red Cherry Shrimp Red Cherry ShrimpFiltration filtration filtration – If you want to keep your little shrimps happy, you’re going to need some sort of filtration to keep the water quality up. If starting out in the hobby, I would definitely recommend just a HOB (hang on back) filter. I say this because it’s a nice feature for when you upgrade to a canister, you can simply keep the HOB in place for additional filtration. Or it can be used for a separate tank. I use my HOB, which is now a back-up, for a quarantine tank, but I do throw it back on my main tank once in awhile when I do a big clean or a rescape. Check out our filter reviews for either hang on back filters or canister filters for your best bet.

Another option is sponge filters. They are becoming a huge trend for shrimp keeping tanks. Why? because sponge filters gives a place for the shrimp to graze on as well as it’s easy to clean.

Aquarium Lighting (optional)

Let there be light! – Well, unless you don’t want there to be! Aquarium lighting has multiple uses in many tanks.

  1. Growing algae (which is good and bad)
  2. Growing plants (photosynthesis)
  3. Ability to see your shrimps better

Now you have to balance your light with your shrimps because too much light will keep your RCS from ever coming out and also bloom algae like there’s no tomorrow. There are some reviews you can check out to find the perfect aquarium lighting for your tank. You want to make sure that your lights are set on a timer as well (general rule is around 6-8 hours a day). This gives that day/night cycle which will let your red cherry shrimps be more productive, which usually happens at night. Check out our aquarium light reviews for a rundown on which is best for you.

These are the basic parts of what you would need to get started with RCS or any of its adorable shrimp buddies. Next, you will need to set up the tank and then cycle your shrimp tank – check out Shrimp Tank Cycling

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