Foxtail or hornwort is an amazing plant! It's one of the essential plants, in my opinion. Grows fast without high light, really helps with reducing nitrates and phosphates. It's also very common in the wild, you can see it in every water body here in Ukraine
@@MarksShrimpTanks so that means things like crushed oyster shell should work just as well. I realized watching this video that just using the shrimp minerals and wood in my tanks may not be sufficient so I added some oyster shell and fir or alder cones.
@@MarksShrimpTanks already done. Source water has unmeasurable GH/KH, very low EC. Why I have to add back the minerals, usually done during water changes.
@@forresterpaige7767obviously. I think hes just trying to say the care for different types of shrimp is different. So specifying that this is for neos and not all would be helpful for beginners. Wouldn't it? Lol
@@MissAlissaxX yeah the care is a little different but not crazy it’s like 3 different steps . Most people are not breeding crs or bee shrimp anyways they all get pet shop neos
Great tips! As far as water quality, I recommend that anyone getting into shrimp get a GH and KH test kit with the liquid drops, and a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and pH meter in one, then test your tap water and see if it is within parameters or not. If it is within parameters, then that's great, if not, then get an RO unit from ebay for $120 bucks and then add the shrimp minerals and re-test to get your recipe dialed in before adding to the tank. With your sponge filter, make sure your tank is at least a month old (cycled tank) so that a healthy system is stable and ready to accept shrimp. A drip acclimation may help with transfer stress, as well as asking your shrimp supplier what their water parameters are, TDS, GH, KH, pH, Temp. Some like tanks with no gravel, but there is also shrimp specific gravel that helps to maintain the slightly acidic water that some shrimp prefer.
Hey Nick, just asking. I have had multiple tries at keeping shrimp in my 150 litre tank but after a week or two after I added them they all slowly died. I thought it might be the osmocote root tabs because that was the only thing that could’ve been wrong because I think I hear they have a bit of copper in them, it could also be not having coral but I have kept shrimp and bred them without it but had none of the root tabs that time. I did everything right, acclimation, parameters. So just asking for some opinions. Thanks a lot! Also love your videos ❤️❤️
Excellent video thank you for sharing my biggest concern is the temperature range I find that if the temperature increases in the aquarium it shortens the lifespan of the shrimp. I need so much help in wanting to get rid of bba. Rudolph shrimp might be the only one to get rid of it.
The only way I've found to get rid of BBA reliably is controlling the light until it dies off. Adding floating plants can help soak up the extra nutrients too. Good luck
One of Nick best suggestions is, keeping the shrimps which match with your water. Soft = caridina Hard = neocaridina And Nick, about lighting, that's because shrimps is cold blooded animals, they're rally on the light and heat energy surrounding them and keep it as energy for their metabolism and mating activities
@@oimeunomeevitorr yes, since years ago, many do the same, and we can see with some caridina with high grade crystal shrimps variants, some of them still have "high" Price since years ago, till now, that, one of signs from their "high" Demand, and not all hobbyist, especially new, can accept the fact, their high price shrimps dying, after all that cost and anything they do, so, based from my years experience, for new shrimps keeper, better start with shrimps which match with your water
Random question Nick…Is what you call foxtail in Australia the same as hornwort? Because your plant looks exactly the same as mine but It’s called hornwort here in the UK. 🤔I float it in all my tanks and tubs outside. It’s great for my fish, snails and Amano shrimp. 😃
They're similar, but in different genuses Hornwort is Ceratophyllum demersum Foxtail is Myriophyllum pinnatum I also like Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and you'll also see Myriophyllum aquaticum also called Parrot's Feather in the hobby The main difference between Ceratophyllum and Myriophyllum is Ceratophyllum won't grow roots, so if you want to treat it as a stem plant it must be anchored into the substrate. Of course both genuses can also be treated as floating plants.
Thanks for all the good videos. Very educational. One question are those detritus worms in some of the tanks? I have one now in my shrimp tank and not sure if I should remove it.
There are some scientific studies about breeding with ans without light in the tank, same with temperature, worth to take a look, ots about their metabolism, could be a really nice video comparing them in like 6 months
I’m thinking of trying a 30L tub with soil in bottom lots of moss, coral rocks scattered around, moss balls, mature sponge filter. And adding shrimp. The tank will be at room temp, without a heater, and it’s staying at around 20C. Think the shrimp would be ok in here?
I would rethink the soil given the only plants you have planned are moss so the soil will just add unnecessary nutrients to the water and make the tub harder to maintain. I would use inert gravel or sand. Everything else sounds fine and the temp won't be a problem. Many people have reported shrimp surviving outside with a frozen layer on top of the tub.
There certainly is waste from the shrimp. They produce ammonia when they eat and ammonia will also be produced from rotting food or plant material in the tank. Obviously plants need more than ammonia to grow so you certainly can add fertilizer, just make sure it is shrimp safe.
I have fluval stratum in my tank full of amanos and Neocaridinas. My well water comes out at 8.2 to 8.4 and had only dropped to 7.8 with the stratum. It doesn't lower it as much as one would think. It's a heavily planted 40 gallon with 3 inches of stratum and I have zero issues
I have fluval stratum in my tank full of amanos and Neocaridinas. My well water comes out at 8.2 to 8.4 and had only dropped to 7.8 with the stratum. It doesn't lower it as much as one would think. It's a heavily planted 40 gallon with 3 inches of stratum and I have zero issues
Can you do a video on, what you need or can do if you find a pregnant shrimp to make sure the babies live. Just found my first pregnant blue dream and I have no idea what to do 😅or should I just do nothing it’s been working so far ? Just add hiding places ?
There is no really special thing you need to do to a pregnant shrimp. If your shrimp grow healthy, they will breed on their own. Make sure to add hiding places too
When I add coral to my shrimp tanks it drives the males nuts- they scurry around looking for females to breed with. I'll leave it in for a few months then take it out for a month, add the coral back in getting more breeding going again.
Wew, too much hot. I suggest you keep your aquarium under some shades, and make sure if you're using lamp as lighting, position it far from the aquarium, not too close or even touching/in contact with aquarium, and make sure the window at that room opened regularly
Anyone had any experience using Eurasian watermilfoil with shrimp? I grabbed some and put some mosquitofish with them. I wouldn’t try to fish with the shrimp, but curious about the plant
I've got gravel in mine. Hornwort, Elodea and Java moss with a bit of driftwood. As a beginner I had shrimp dying for about 2 months, so I put 2 seashells in, changed to a sponge filter and I feed them Aquacare colour granules, blanched spinach or stinging nettle leaves, or frozen bloodworm. I top up the water with de-ionised water every 2-3 months due to evaporation loss and the shrimp breed very prolific. It seems I see new babies every week! In my main fish tank of 450 litres they are breeding but not so prolific as I suspect some are being eaten by the community fish.
In my experience sand is not good for growing plants as the roots don't spread well. A sand cap is ok but not all sand. Although anytime I have a sand cap, the tank inhabitants disturb it and it ends up mixing. I use gravel, fish poop and root tabs but you can also use aquasoil etc as well.
As often as needed to maintain water quality. It really depends how big the tanks is, how much is living in there, how many and what type of plants you have and how much you are feeding the tank. But be aware they don't like sudden changes in water temp or parameters so don't do massive water changes.
Letting you know your theory about light is not correct. I have a tank with only natural filtered light and about 200 shrimp. You're right they like hornwort and foxtail. I also supplement brocolli and spinach when I want them to leave my plants alone. Thanks for the awesome videos!
I'm gonna throw guppy grass into the mix as well. It grows fast and my shrimp load up in it. When I pass the net through it to catch out larger shrimp, the net ends up full of super tiny ones as well. Just a thought. And also KEEP IT SIMPLE! People tend to over-complicat teh fuck out of it! MTC Cheers! ~Ron
I wish I could get bags of large coral pieces. I can only find tiny fragments, and the containers often contain quite a bit of dust and debris. Is the foxtail stuff Ceratophyllum demersum or Myriophyllum mattogrossense?
Hornwort is Ceratophyllum demersum Foxtail is Myriophyllum pinnatum I also like Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and you'll also see Myriophyllum aquaticum also called Parrot's Feather in the hobby The main difference between Ceratophyllum and Myriophyllum is Ceratophyllum won't grow roots, so if you want to treat it as a stem plant it must be anchored into the substrate. Of course both genuses can also be treated as floating plants.
For shrimp, coral is used because it contains calcium carbonate, so you could also directly buy calcium carbonate in bulk and mix accordingly (lots of online calculators for desired gh and kh). I’ve also seen people buy crushed oyster shells that are usually for chickens. Make sure to have magnesium in there as well because the shrimp need that to facilitate the molting process. You can readily get magnesium from epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) which will modify gh.
@@MarksShrimpTanks I happen to live on an island with a lot of oyster beds. Maybe I'll collect a bag of shells and see how they fare compared to crushed coral. I like the idea of the huge surface area of the coral pieces, but I've got so many plants and high surface area substrate already so I can't imagine it'll matter much.
There’s a girl at work that says she seals crushed oysyer shells for her chickens, and if it would work she’d give me some for my shrimp. Has anyone tried this?
@@forresterpaige7767 my only “local fish store” is a local pet store. While they do have a decent selection of fresh and saltwater fish and supplies, they are not really geared up for the hobbiest. If I had the means I would definitely invest in a fish only store in this area. I think it would be dope to have a LFS that host a club as well. I pretty mean “lone wolf” it with TH-cam and forums(reading only).
@@hydrocooledcarrot not every water need coral for keeping neocaridina, if your water already have ph about 7 or slightly above, then no need to add it, except, maybe, for aesthetic inside aquarium
Who are you talking too, some guy at the other side of the room? Stop copying that nonsense, you don't know why you are pretending to talk to a third party, you've just seen someone else do it. Talk to camera, we are here.
Foxtail or hornwort is an amazing plant!
It's one of the essential plants, in my opinion. Grows fast without high light, really helps with reducing nitrates and phosphates. It's also very common in the wild, you can see it in every water body here in Ukraine
I got some from a local pond in Michigan and propagated it thrpugh all my tanks. Wild variety grows much slower, but is very hardy
I think the coral helps the shrimp by providing them with calcium if the water supply happens to be low on it.
It help stabalise the tank more than anything.
@@MarksShrimpTanks so that means things like crushed oyster shell should work just as well. I realized watching this video that just using the shrimp minerals and wood in my tanks may not be sufficient so I added some oyster shell and fir or alder cones.
@@aniram95665 your best testing the gh and kh of your water and seeing where you stand first before adding stuff.
@@aniram95665 and yes oyster shell work great.
@@MarksShrimpTanks already done. Source water has unmeasurable GH/KH, very low EC. Why I have to add back the minerals, usually done during water changes.
Great advice mate for neos the only thing I would change is the title to reflect this. 👍
People should not be going off one video they should be doing a little more research .
@@forresterpaige7767obviously. I think hes just trying to say the care for different types of shrimp is different. So specifying that this is for neos and not all would be helpful for beginners. Wouldn't it? Lol
@@MissAlissaxX yeah the care is a little different but not crazy it’s like 3 different steps . Most people are not breeding crs or bee shrimp anyways they all get pet shop neos
Great tips! As far as water quality, I recommend that anyone getting into shrimp get a GH and KH test kit with the liquid drops, and a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and pH meter in one, then test your tap water and see if it is within parameters or not. If it is within parameters, then that's great, if not, then get an RO unit from ebay for $120 bucks and then add the shrimp minerals and re-test to get your recipe dialed in before adding to the tank. With your sponge filter, make sure your tank is at least a month old (cycled tank) so that a healthy system is stable and ready to accept shrimp. A drip acclimation may help with transfer stress, as well as asking your shrimp supplier what their water parameters are, TDS, GH, KH, pH, Temp. Some like tanks with no gravel, but there is also shrimp specific gravel that helps to maintain the slightly acidic water that some shrimp prefer.
I agree about the GH and KH liquid test kits but be aware they only have a limited shelf life, especially the GH.
Calciumcarbonat für Neocaridina. Kann auch für Caridina helfen wenn der PH Wert unter 5.5 geht. Aber nie Zuviel auf einmal.
I'm always glad when I see Nick has a new video up!
Glas Garten Bacter AE improved my breeding success by a lot. The powder means the babies don’t have to compete with the adults for food.
Keeping Fish Shrimple 🙌
Hey Nick, just asking. I have had multiple tries at keeping shrimp in my 150 litre tank but after a week or two after I added them they all slowly died. I thought it might be the osmocote root tabs because that was the only thing that could’ve been wrong because I think I hear they have a bit of copper in them, it could also be not having coral but I have kept shrimp and bred them without it but had none of the root tabs that time. I did everything right, acclimation, parameters. So just asking for some opinions. Thanks a lot! Also love your videos ❤️❤️
I love neocaridina, but I am a newbie, doing good so far. your videos have been great!
Excellent video thank you for sharing my biggest concern is the temperature range I find that if the temperature increases in the aquarium it shortens the lifespan of the shrimp. I need so much help in wanting to get rid of bba. Rudolph shrimp might be the only one to get rid of it.
The only way I've found to get rid of BBA reliably is controlling the light until it dies off. Adding floating plants can help soak up the extra nutrients too. Good luck
One of Nick best suggestions is, keeping the shrimps which match with your water.
Soft = caridina
Hard = neocaridina
And Nick, about lighting, that's because shrimps is cold blooded animals, they're rally on the light and heat energy surrounding them and keep it as energy for their metabolism and mating activities
In Brasil it's different, usually we always adapt the water to whatever is the animal parameters, it's not difficulty at all
@@oimeunomeevitorr yes, since years ago, many do the same, and we can see with some caridina with high grade crystal shrimps variants, some of them still have "high" Price since years ago, till now, that, one of signs from their "high" Demand, and not all hobbyist, especially new, can accept the fact, their high price shrimps dying, after all that cost and anything they do, so, based from my years experience, for new shrimps keeper, better start with shrimps which match with your water
What are the worm things on the coral at 2.58?
They are Australian black worms. The equivalent to California black worms. Fish love them and they are great for getting fish ready to breed.
@@shaunneal9981 did he add them or they just developed there?
Random question Nick…Is what you call foxtail in Australia the same as hornwort? Because your plant looks exactly the same as mine but It’s called hornwort here in the UK. 🤔I float it in all my tanks and tubs outside. It’s great for my fish, snails and Amano shrimp. 😃
They're similar, but in different genuses
Hornwort is Ceratophyllum demersum
Foxtail is Myriophyllum pinnatum
I also like Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and you'll also see Myriophyllum aquaticum also called Parrot's Feather in the hobby
The main difference between Ceratophyllum and Myriophyllum is Ceratophyllum won't grow roots, so if you want to treat it as a stem plant it must be anchored into the substrate. Of course both genuses can also be treated as floating plants.
The one in this video looks like Bronze Milfoil (Myriophyllum)
Ive seen in a few videos that you keep bristlenose catfish in with the shrimp, do the bristlesnose not eat the shrimp eggs?
Really good information for beginners so what is your advice on water changes on shrimp tanks TIA. Thanks for sharing
Damn just in time!!! I bought 30+ shrimp and needed to see a video like this.
Thanks for all the good videos.
Very educational.
One question are those detritus worms in some of the tanks? I have one now in my shrimp tank and not sure if I should remove it.
I think light helps with algae regeneration and bio film.
There are some scientific studies about breeding with ans without light in the tank, same with temperature, worth to take a look, ots about their metabolism, could be a really nice video comparing them in like 6 months
I’m thinking of trying a 30L tub with soil in bottom lots of moss, coral rocks scattered around, moss balls, mature sponge filter. And adding shrimp. The tank will be at room temp, without a heater, and it’s staying at around 20C. Think the shrimp would be ok in here?
I would rethink the soil given the only plants you have planned are moss so the soil will just add unnecessary nutrients to the water and make the tub harder to maintain. I would use inert gravel or sand. Everything else sounds fine and the temp won't be a problem. Many people have reported shrimp surviving outside with a frozen layer on top of the tub.
What are the plants in those pots in your tank
With the plants in the tank do you ever add fertilizers since there is basically no waste from the shrimp for the plants to feed off of?
There certainly is waste from the shrimp. They produce ammonia when they eat and ammonia will also be produced from rotting food or plant material in the tank. Obviously plants need more than ammonia to grow so you certainly can add fertilizer, just make sure it is shrimp safe.
the light grows the algae and biofilm for sure
Since neocaridina like more alkaline water, how do US products like Fluval Stratum (active substrates) keep shrimp tanks safe?
Make sure you only use it with small portion when keeping neocaridina or just add rocks, yes that rocks will keep your kh water in high/hard
I have fluval stratum in my tank full of amanos and Neocaridinas. My well water comes out at 8.2 to 8.4 and had only dropped to 7.8 with the stratum. It doesn't lower it as much as one would think. It's a heavily planted 40 gallon with 3 inches of stratum and I have zero issues
I have fluval stratum in my tank full of amanos and Neocaridinas. My well water comes out at 8.2 to 8.4 and had only dropped to 7.8 with the stratum. It doesn't lower it as much as one would think. It's a heavily planted 40 gallon with 3 inches of stratum and I have zero issues
@@jodip719 wow sir, you have very hard tap water with that ph
@@Cleeonseriyu stone should help
Can you do a video on, what you need or can do if you find a pregnant shrimp to make sure the babies live.
Just found my first pregnant blue dream and I have no idea what to do 😅or should I just do nothing it’s been working so far ? Just add hiding places ?
There is no really special thing you need to do to a pregnant shrimp. If your shrimp grow healthy, they will breed on their own. Make sure to add hiding places too
Been watching u for years didn’t no your shop was 8 minutes from me what are your open hours
When I add coral to my shrimp tanks it drives the males nuts- they scurry around looking for females to breed with. I'll leave it in for a few months then take it out for a month, add the coral back in getting more breeding going again.
Nice video Nick.
I put snail shells in instead of coral.
You should come to aquashella Dallas next yr. We ❤️ your stuff!
Good one!
How important is the temperature for neocaridina shrimp, I'm struggling with them in Puerto Rico, My fish room is around 80 to 88 degrees.??
Wew, too much hot.
I suggest you keep your aquarium under some shades, and make sure if you're using lamp as lighting, position it far from the aquarium, not too close or even touching/in contact with aquarium, and make sure the window at that room opened regularly
Anyone had any experience using Eurasian watermilfoil with shrimp? I grabbed some and put some mosquitofish with them. I wouldn’t try to fish with the shrimp, but curious about the plant
Nick whats your tap kH and gH? Beacause mine is kinda extreme (14gH / 22kH)
What kind of substrate do you recommend for planted tanks?
Aqua soil, sand with root tabs and ferts, or Topsoil with sand cap
I've got gravel in mine. Hornwort, Elodea and Java moss with a bit of driftwood. As a beginner I had shrimp dying for about 2 months, so I put 2 seashells in, changed to a sponge filter and I feed them Aquacare colour granules, blanched spinach or stinging nettle leaves, or frozen bloodworm. I top up the water with de-ionised water every 2-3 months due to evaporation loss and the shrimp breed very prolific. It seems I see new babies every week! In my main fish tank of 450 litres they are breeding but not so prolific as I suspect some are being eaten by the community fish.
Personally sand with a fairly thin layer of aquasoil underneath works great for me.
In my experience sand is not good for growing plants as the roots don't spread well. A sand cap is ok but not all sand. Although anytime I have a sand cap, the tank inhabitants disturb it and it ends up mixing. I use gravel, fish poop and root tabs but you can also use aquasoil etc as well.
I love your videos keep it up
how often to do water changes for shrimps?
As often as needed to maintain water quality. It really depends how big the tanks is, how much is living in there, how many and what type of plants you have and how much you are feeding the tank. But be aware they don't like sudden changes in water temp or parameters so don't do massive water changes.
Letting you know your theory about light is not correct. I have a tank with only natural filtered light and about 200 shrimp. You're right they like hornwort and foxtail. I also supplement brocolli and spinach when I want them to leave my plants alone. Thanks for the awesome videos!
Light helps with the breeding because shrimp recognize that it’s breeding season.
Great video
I'm gonna throw guppy grass into the mix as well. It grows fast and my shrimp load up in it. When I pass the net through it to catch out larger shrimp, the net ends up full of super tiny ones as well. Just a thought. And also KEEP IT SIMPLE! People tend to over-complicat teh fuck out of it! MTC Cheers! ~Ron
My tank always infested with scuds 😢😢 No luck in breeding, fry keeps dying
I have a squillion Daphnia in my shrimp tank :)
This is saltwater, right? I believe I saw an anemone at 2:55 and would love if there's such thing for sweet water aquariums...
It's black worms/tubiflex worms on a crushed coral
Fresh water, not salt water.
@@Tino_V So what's the creature next to the shrimps at 2:55??
@@internetenjoyers But thats another creature living there? Doesn't look like food
@@Dane411 the worm? Well, shrimps barely eating worms.
But who could have know? Maybe there's a fish on there
I wish I could get bags of large coral pieces. I can only find tiny fragments, and the containers often contain quite a bit of dust and debris.
Is the foxtail stuff Ceratophyllum demersum or Myriophyllum mattogrossense?
Hornwort is Ceratophyllum demersum
Foxtail is Myriophyllum pinnatum
I also like Myriophyllum mattogrossense, and you'll also see Myriophyllum aquaticum also called Parrot's Feather in the hobby
The main difference between Ceratophyllum and Myriophyllum is Ceratophyllum won't grow roots, so if you want to treat it as a stem plant it must be anchored into the substrate. Of course both genuses can also be treated as floating plants.
For shrimp, coral is used because it contains calcium carbonate, so you could also directly buy calcium carbonate in bulk and mix accordingly (lots of online calculators for desired gh and kh). I’ve also seen people buy crushed oyster shells that are usually for chickens. Make sure to have magnesium in there as well because the shrimp need that to facilitate the molting process. You can readily get magnesium from epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) which will modify gh.
You can also use Oyster shell which is often sold as chicken grit 👍
@@MarksShrimpTanks I happen to live on an island with a lot of oyster beds. Maybe I'll collect a bag of shells and see how they fare compared to crushed coral.
I like the idea of the huge surface area of the coral pieces, but I've got so many plants and high surface area substrate already so I can't imagine it'll matter much.
@@steve-adams just make sure you boil the oyster shells 👍
First ❤
Why can you not just add any leave
Why?
every time it rains i can get about 200 kilos of foxtail from the drain near me :D
What are those worms
i think it are tubifex worms, but i'm not sure
Blackworms.
Do you mean at 2:10? If so those are Australian black worms, essentially the Australian version of California black worms. Fish absolutely love them!
@@shaunneal9981 i thought its a sea creature or something never saw something like that before
There’s a girl at work that says she seals crushed oysyer shells for her chickens, and if it would work she’d give me some for my shrimp. Has anyone tried this?
I would work but I get coral for a dollar at my lfs
@@forresterpaige7767yess coral is better for aquarium
@@forresterpaige7767 my only “local fish store” is a local pet store. While they do have a decent selection of fresh and saltwater fish and supplies, they are not really geared up for the hobbiest. If I had the means I would definitely invest in a fish only store in this area. I think it would be dope to have a LFS that host a club as well. I pretty mean “lone wolf” it with TH-cam and forums(reading only).
Yes that also works
You can also use egg shells. Wash them out, dry them in a low oven and then crush and add to the tank. Good source of calcium.
I put coral in my shrimp tank and the kH shot up to 8. I think people need to know that not EVERY shrimp tank needs added coral
@@hydrocooledcarrot not every water need coral for keeping neocaridina, if your water already have ph about 7 or slightly above, then no need to add it, except, maybe, for aesthetic inside aquarium
I haven't done a water change on my 2 gallon caridina tank, and the shrimp are thriving and breeding
@@SimplyJade2024do you have substrate in there? My ph and alkalinity are way too low and idk what’s doing that except for maybe the substrate.
So fucking good 😂😂😂
Love the video to bad shrimp are banned in my country.
Which kind of shrimps?
What country would that be?
@@Lisa.Sparkman New Zealand
@@Cleeon all caridina and neocaridina
@@Ishan.patel. thank you
ماشاء الله
Who are you talking too, some guy at the other side of the room? Stop copying that nonsense, you don't know why you are pretending to talk to a third party, you've just seen someone else do it. Talk to camera, we are here.
Come on mate no need to be rude, he is helping people.