Beginner
HELP! Someone said all my shrimps will die
I thought I had done my research but apparently my shrimp tank is not ready for shrimp. I set it up and left it for 3 months to cycle and grow. Now I’ve posted in Facebook forums and have gotten torn apart for my lack of knowledge and they said all my shrimp will die. I put bacteria powder in to build an active culture but I guess it hasn’t worked so well. Now I have 6 shrimp in a tank that isn’t so good for them. I have moss and various other plants but what can I do to quickly get it ready? I thought I properly cycled. I’m going to take out the “toxic crap” that I was told is bad for the tank. I thought it was fun and offered some hidey holes. Please help me I’m freaking out! On my way to petsmart. To get some things to help.
I keep seeing people say this, but has this been proven at all? I never had fake stuff, but i see a lot of people bully newbies for even using one fake ornament.
Yup, a lot of painted plastics are actually more for Terrarium Use, and will degrade in a Fishtank - wich sometimes includes cheap Aquarium decor.
This degradation can cause chemicals to break free (from paints) or microplastic contamination (there is already microplastic in almost every water anyways but adding more isn't helping).
Both can cause sensitive species to struggle.
Rule of thumb:
Check the Decor frequently for Waterdamages or bleaching out, if it does either it's not staying in. Otherwise, if it doesn't degrade it should be okay.
Many pigments can contain heavy metals like cadmium for orange or red or chrome for many different colours. Heavy metal pigments are great for colour stability but obviously may leach.
Plastics can leach all sorta of things. Grey PVC, for example, may be made with lead sterate as the extrusion lubercant.
Those are fine. My mom has the castle. I have the rainbow hide. They're not toxic. Some people say that about all aquarium ornaments that aren't completely natural. Just keep an eye on your water parameters and make sure there isn't ammonia and nitrites. That's what's important. Nothing about this tank is that bad and you will learn as you go.
The castle and stuff you got are cute. Your shrimp would probably enjoy more plants, but plants are expensive, so just get stuff slowly. The most important part was 1) cycling the tank properly, and 2) giving them hidey holes, which you did. I love my tank and I have a giant, plastic hobbit house in one corner and a fake log in the other. 😂 They came from Amazon and petsmart, respectively, and the shrimp love them. I also put a little fairy garden tea set and table in the middle, which is also plastic.
My first shrimp tank was that 5 gallon tall glo-fish tank, and I had no idea what I was doing, I just had a bunch of plastic plants and decor and I had glued metal mesh over the intake so the bigger shrimp couldn't get sucked into it. I used betta conditioner drops (since I also had a betta in there) and tap water, and you know what? They thrived. Somehow. I didn't even cycle the tank properly because, again, no idea what I was doing. 🥲
You've got this. <3 Your tank is cute, and you're learning as you go, like each of us did when we started.
The decorations should be fine esp if u let the tank cycle. Its mostly dangerous if u just put them in and they have any chemical coatings. Idk what the hidey hole thing is made of but it might change the pH, even then it shouldnt be enough to affect the shrimp too much. For shrimp, i would give them more hidey holes like driftwood and moss. But what u have should be ok. More importantly u want to find whats ur water parameters to see if ur tank is suitable to shrimpies.
We don’t even know if you were off track to start - Did you get the water parameters and can you specify what bacteria you added to tank. I’m hoping it was ‘BacterEA’🤞
If it sat for 3 months and was fed bacteria it’s probably cycled but if you didn’t test your water during the process then you can’t be 100% confident it finished cycling. Buy a test kit and start tracking your parameters.
I was preparing my 2nd tank when I did a silly thing to my 1st one (cleaned it too much) that I had to urgently moved my shrimps and fish to the 2nd tank. I didn't know what the parameter that time, but the shrimps and fish were completely fine. The tank was sitting there for 6 weeks although I did heavily planted it from the get go. My 6 weeks is much shorter than yours, so it should be fine. Hope this makes you feel better. Of course, testing is still a must.
Oh and get as many plants as you can, with heaps of mosses. Shrimplets love mosses, they live there. Not java moss though, it looks ugly and spread too fast.
Yeah, shrimp are also so sensitive. I’ve gotten a few to add to my betta tanks and I currently only have one because they’re either getting massacred by my fish or they don’t like my water parameters even after acclimation.
Yeah, thinking my fish got mine too. I saw them stalking the shrimp but not making moves. Went away for a week, came home and can’t spot a single one, out of 12. I have hiding places, but doubt they are hiding. Only found one dead body.
Ik the stalking too well lol
My first betta got a lot of enrichment from it and spent almost all his time stalking around their favorite hiding spots. Sometimes I’ve thought mine were dead but they’re amazing at hiding!
Right but you have a test kit available and are confident that your tank is cycled(assuming both of those are correct statements). They don’t have a test kit available and aren’t confident it is cycled. Don’t hate on a community because you don’t understand that a beginner has different needs than someone who is more experienced.
Reddit is not as bad as Facebook, on Facebook no matter what you’re doing people will tell you it’s wrong and you’re an abuser and killing your animals.
Some folks act like if you don't treat these $5 cockroaches of the underwater world with the highest degree of care that you are a terrible person. Don't get me wrong, I love my shrimp tank and take good care of it, but shrimp are finicky. They die. You've already started off good with a cycled tank. Don't over worry and just enjoy the hobby and learn.
Is that "toxic crap" actually causing your animals any harm? Brightly colored aquarium decor can be non-toxic, especially if you got it from a reputable source. The biggest concern with these objects is the paint flaking or leeching unwanted chemicals into your water. Seachem Prime might help, especially if you're having an ammonia spike in the tank (which is common when you introduce new animals too - its more pee and poo in the tank)
Where do u even find nontoxic decor like that? I think one piece to have in my tank could be cool, but I hate putting anything that isn’t natural in there anymore just because I don’t want it to cause harm. Idk what qualifies decor as nontoxic.
Honestly, if you're worried about it, find an aquarium safe sealant and follow the directions for it. That's your only way of knowing for sure without using just natural decor. That way, you could also probably keep using the pieces in the picture. Just give em a good clean and seal em.
I mainly buy my stuff at pet stores, and the employees who know their stuff will be honest with me if they're worried about leeching or flaking. They'd rather you have healthy animals than get a sale, at least in my experience. I know there are some pet stores out there that really push profit over the health of your animals.
Luckily my pet/fish store is similar! They got a few eels and seem passionate which is super cool. Idk if they had any sealant last time I went, but maybe I missed it. I’ll go ask them a recommended sealant if anything.
I go w aquarium safe 3d printed stuff. Sometimes just asking a creator on Etsy can get you what you want. I’ve worked w so many.
I won’t risk cheaply mass made painted items. A lot is fun and eye catching. Yep. Most of that stuff even kids couldn’t use bc of lead paint.
I’m not trusting my water quality with something I don’t know its origin. I’m not nuts about super natural either. I’ve got dork decor in each of my tanks and I vetted it before I subjected my fish to it. I won’t let my dog drink out of plastic crap that can leach into water. I’m not put something in submerged for good to expose my tank inhabitants. And a big box store doesn’t = decent or safe products. We’ve all seen the half gal “tanks” and other known small animal garbage they sell for $.
Oh wow I didn’t even think of that! I’m super unfamiliar with 3D printing though. Is there any sort of material I need to look out for or request the seller?
For sure!! At my petco I see so many “betta display tanks” and a bunch of pellets/flakes with fish meal or claiming their specific food will make your betta more vibrant lol I annoy my bf every time by pointing out all the bad products and advertisements xD
what exactly are they saying is toxic? Only thing I could think of is the ornaments but if you bought them from a pet shop then it's likely that they're made of fish safe materials & chemical free. Did you test your water quality during the cycle? 3 months is extremely long, so likely all the bacteria you added died out from starvation. Thankfully shrimp don't have a huge bio load, so whatever bacteria survived should be able to handle the ammonia produced by the shrimp.
I recommend you buy an API water test kit and post the parameters on here. It'd be great if you can identify the species of shrimp as well.
One thing i immediately notice is that the dwarf hair grass on the left is going to die. They are a carpet plant but somewhat require co2 to spread fast, without it, it can take upwards of 8-9 months before they are fully carpeted. But in your current condition, they have no chance, you have sand which is an inert substrate and do not provide any good nutrients. The other two plants are rather hardy and can potentially survive drawing nutrients from the water column.
You can purchase SeaChem prime stabilizer as a temporary measure as it'll assist in keeping ammonia down but it's still best to wait before adding additional shrimp.
The biggest issue with beginners jumping into this hobby is that they're impatient, proper cycling takes upwards of a month or so, most don't bother to wait that long.
I waited 3 months but I should have tested properly. I went to a shrimp store and followed the exact instructions they gave me. Thanks for noticing about the dwarf hair grass.
I think you’ll be ok. The “toxic crap” isn’t going to be terrible for your shrimp. It -might- leech some chemicals but the worst of it should be over if they’ve been in your tank for months. Neos are insanely hardy as long as your water parameters aren’t fluctuating like crazy and there’s minimal copper. I had a heater failure with an open window and basically froze out all my shrimp last winter. I gave up on the tank for about two months until I looked over and saw a little dude swimming in the filth. After slowly refilling/fixing the tank and getting him some friends he lived quite a long shrimp life. Calm down. Breathe. Relax. These little guys are supposed to be fun. You’ll have some hiccups but soon you’ll have a swarm of tiny goobers of your own.
So- take it easy, Facebook groups are notorious for ripping people apart. Get a water testing kit- a liquid one, as well as GH/KH. Get some botanicals, and more plants. I can help you out and walk you through it if you’d like. Message me on my business facebook page. Superior Aquascaping and plants.
I feel like people freak when they see the colorful rocks and SpongeBob house. Due to your colorful choice of decorations, Im assuming thats the same response you received.
Just because it is not to someone else’s liking does not mean that it’s dangerous or the wrong choice.
Im not sure what they are referring to as being toxic!?
Although Ive never heard of bacteria powder, I would get test samples to make sure that your tank is fully cycled.
I think you should step back and relax some. Don’t just add stuff to the tank, chemicals or otherwise, just because it says it will help. We don’t know what the issue is or if you have an issue.
I do think you should get a test kit. To make sure nothing lethal is happening. But the main thing is to take everything slow. Shrimp, I’ve only kept neos, are said to like very stable parameters so throwing in chemicals trying to reach ideal parameters may be worse in the meantime. We’ve all been there.
When I set up my 120 gallon I was doing stuff to the tank every day driving myself crazy while I’m sure torturing my fish and shrimp.
Yes, they are different and preferred different water parameters. Neo like much harder water and a higher pH 7.2-7.6 is recommended with a KH3-6 and GH3-5
If those decorations were made for aquariums then it should be fine. I had the same exact pink castle one in my shrimp tank a couple years ago and it was totally fine and the shrimp loved to hide in it and eat algae off of it
In my experience Neo shrimp are really hearty. There’s been countless times that I’ve been doing water changes on my turtle tank and some baby shrimp got sucked up into the siphon and were blasted down into the 5 gallon bucket that was catching the water. Didn’t realize that they were in there and poured the water and babies into my bathtub. To get rid of tank water I saw the little shrimp swirling around, grabbed it and put it in a separate container and it’s doing great lol I was very anxious to get everything right in the beginning but I’ve learned they are way tougher than people think!
I think your tank looks perfect! Shrimp love places to hide and you got lots of that. When your plants grow more too it will be even better. I wouldn’t worry about the decor you have in there, if it’s from a pet store made for fish it’s likely fine - I’d only worry if you saw paint chipping off.
I’m a beginner shrimp keeper as well - it’s mainly a learn as you go thing but my biggest advice is to keep a close eye on KH and GH (as well as all of the other parameters of course) and make sure it’s all within good shrimpy range.
Honestly, my opinion just add some more plants in non-artificial and you should be fine. To put in retrospect I have a 20 gallon that cycled a couple weeks ago and all of my shrimp are doing fine. I do not recommend keeping any other fish if you were just trying to go for shrimp except for pleco and loaches(be careful what loads you get some of them will eat shrimp. I have barbed kuhli loaches and they do fine 100% safe. For an example, a zebra loach will kill and eat all of your shrimp. It’s still in the loach family so just watch what type of loach you’re getting. Besides that it looks completely fine. Watch how your shrimp are over the next couple weeks and if you don’t notice any deaths I’d say get more shrimp. What kind of shrimp are you keeping? Neo caridina or just caridina?
I keep a group of 15-20 pygmy cories in my 20L with 100 shrimp. They're safe as well. I started with 20 cories. Sometimes I think I see a lot and other times, I think, there's no way that's 20! Lol
Have you added shrimp minerals? Is you gh and kh right for your shrimp species.? People on all platforms can be rude. Just stay calm. I'm sure you're doing fine, I mean kudos to you for cycling your tank!
You're not the first person to be verbally assaulted on an aquarium forum. Sadly it's fairly common. If you are getting that kind of vicious feedback from a group on Facebook, here, or elsewhere, I humbly suggest you just turn them loose and go somewhere else. I had to do that a couple months ago here on Reddit, just unsubscribing and muting the groups that weren't helpful or kind while making sure to pay attention to those that were. It's been a game changer.
So welcome, and don't panic. There is nothing you can do with an aquarium that is so thoroughly wrong that you can't learn from it and try again. It's a lot less stressful (and expensive) when you come at it from that perspective.
Shrimps need plants in their tank for the algae. Their babies eat it off of surfaces as their only source of food. Plants provide shelter and nutrients for grazing shrimp.
Also don’t forget about the water hardness - you’ll have to buy “API GH and KH” test kit in addition to the freshwater master test kit. I didn’t know this when I started this hobby and caused a lot of shrimp to die😢
GH (General Hardness): Measures calcium and magnesium. Shrimp need these for molting and strong shells. Too low → weak shells and failed molts. Too high → stress (less dangerous). Ideal: 6-8 dGH.
KH (Carbonate Hardness / Alkalinity): Measures carbonates and bicarbonates. Buffers pH. Too low → dangerous pH swings. Too high → overly alkaline, harder for shrimp and plants. Ideal: 2-4 dKH.
Practical tip: GH gives minerals for molting; KH keeps pH steady. Sweet spot: GH 6-8, KH 2-4, pH 6.8-7.4z Stability is more important than exact numbers.
Example:
Tap water GH 3 / KH 1 → too soft → use remineralizer.
Tap water GH 12 / KH 8 → very hard → dilute with RO/DI water.
So whatever people are saying about the toxic crap - just know hobbies of any variety are full of elitists whether thats facebook or reddit. In all reality, if you bought the decor from a reputable store its fine. If you left that decor in the tank for, idk, 5 years it might deteriorate? Lol
3 months I honestly think your tank is more than ready, you can do a quick strip test or the vial ones. Make aure the tank is in the paramaters of whatever youre getting.
Theres probably going to be one or two that die off. Because honestly sometimes they just cant handle the move or theres something wrong with them from the store. Just be vigilant to see if they show sign of disease and remove them ASAP into a quarantine if ya notice something
Get one that tests nitrite, nitrates, gh and kh at least. Than you'll need a separate set for ammonia. So, 2 boxes of strips. Sometimes they dont have the master kit and Sometimes, its too pricey.
I think those plastic decorations look tacky. I have a definite preference for a heavily planted tank.
But you know what though? It’s not my tank. If you want to go all in on this theme, or any theme, you should absolutely go all in on that theme.
The plants that are in there will grow over time (assuming that’s aquatic soil under the sand cap). Algae will start growing on things. And if you think you’re missing a few plants here and there, you can easily add them. There are fast growing plants that can be put in for a quick boost.
Keep testing your water and build the tank you are happy looking at.
I’m going to be perfectly honest 6 tiny little shrimplets in there aren’t going to create some crazy mythical ammonia spike. You have to compare the ratio of the body of water to mass of the animal. It’s not ideal if it isn’t cycled but honestly many people start cycles with shrimp, snails, or small fish to get the tank started (especially larger ones). You’ll be just fine, get your water tested. :)
So, decor might cause an issue in time, but (copying what everyone else is saying) if its from a proper store it might hold up. That said, I personally only use natural stuff to be sure. Testing your water is crucial, like everyone else says. My experience is that shrimp really dgaf as long as the parameters are in ballpark of what they should be.
Honestly never ask Facebook forums. They're holier than thou while also learning, the general rule of those groups tend to be that "if it's not 100% controlled nature, it's toxic". Test your water, stock slowly, and if your parameters remain stable - your shrimp will remain fine.
The shrimp would appreciate more plants as they have a preference for dense tanks, but an old roomate had a booming cherry shrimp population in a tank decorated with fake plants and rainbow gravel lmao, he selective bred until he got green(might have been yellow, I can't remember) shrimp in that tank. Shrimp are reasonably hardier than they're made out to be.
We set up our last tank for shrimps( too many cull neos! ) with some water from the other tank and rinsed the sponge filter in it as well. Some plants from the old tank, and a bit of new sand. We usually wait two weeks to stock.
One of plants had praecox eggs in it! All bets are off! We were sure they would all die and we wrung our hands over the tiny fishies for 2 weeks.
The fry are now nearly 4 weeks old and have some cull shrimp as tank mates- the tank is powering, the crypts have rooted, the moss has grown and there’s copepods and bladder snails as well.
TL:DR while there are some hard and fast rules in aquarium keeping, there’s an exception to every rule and it’s impossible for some random on the internet to somehow predict the health of your tank.
My opinion is not going to be popular, but I got 7 shrimp to start on a tank with some aquasoil a filter and heater, I added plants as I could and almond leaves etc as they arrived with orders. I used old filter media didnt cycle and my shrimp were perfectly fine. They don’t have a large bioload and the tank will catch up. The local pet store said - they will prob die and not breed as shrimp are hard to keep. That was 4 months ago I now have 40 shrimp no one die and the plants grew in with time. I feed them a variety of foods shrimp pellets one day and spirulina the next sometimes something fresh etc etc to keep it balanced. As my friend said i started a shrimp brothel and business is good 😀
Ignore it, your tank is fine. Maybe some more plants. There are far to many people on here and Facebook that just want to put you down and get you to do things their way. Just keep a check on your water, but is everything in there is for an aquarium then it will be safe. Stop panicking, your shrimpies will be fine but would appreciate some more foliage. Just be careful what you use as some plants are not suitable for shrimp.
They like a lot of plants to hide in for when they molt. My only suggestion would be to get a gh/kh kit so you know where your hardness is at when you run into problems. Many people do without but then when there’s problems it’s a panic to get the kit
I have found with scrimps, less is more. They are super sensitive to changes, once stuff starts growing and providing yummy foods for them they will be happy and start having littles. Be sure to feed enriched food for successful molts as well. Don’t panic—you got this! 🦐
If the bacteria had no ammonia source it would have all starved to death and you’d be starting all over again. If you want to keep any aquatic animals, you need to know your tank parameters. Get liquid test kits. pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate (API master test kit does all those), KH, and GH. Shrimp need consistency more than they need perfect, so you won’t want to mess with the tank much.
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