Ready to set up your shrimp tank the right way — without missing anything important? Download our free checklist or follow the full setup guide below.
Equipment
- Tank (10–20 gallons recommended)
- Sponge filter or HOB filter with guard
- Heater (if room temp is below 70°F)
- LED lighting (low-medium PAR)
- Thermometer
Substrate & Decor
- Active substrate (ADA Amazonia, SL-Aqua, etc. for Caridina)
- Inert substrate (for Neocaridina)
- Driftwood or cholla wood
- Live plants or moss
Water Setup
- RO/DI water system or distilled water
- GH+ remineralizer (Salty Shrimp, SL-Aqua, etc.)
- TDS Pen
- GH test kit
- Optional: pH, KH test kits
Cycle & Prep
- Cycle tank 4–6 weeks or use seeded filter media
- Monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
- Add botanicals (IAL leaves, alder cones)
- Check TDS, GH, pH before adding shrimp
Final Prep
- Drip acclimate shrimp
- Check temperature match
- Feed sparingly (every other day at first)
- Track TDS & GH weekly for the first month
📝 Download the printable checklist below:
Download Shrimp Setup Checklist (PDF)Need help setting up your shrimp tank? Drop your water parameters in the comments and we’ll help troubleshoot your setup.
How to use this shrimp checklist
A shrimp tank succeeds when the boring setup work is finished before the shrimp arrive. Use the checklist as a gate: if one item is missing, slow down and fix it before adding livestock.
- Cycle the tank first. Ammonia and nitrite should read 0 ppm for several days in a row before shrimp go in.
- Stabilize the water. Neocaridina usually tolerate typical tap water better, while Caridina often need remineralized RO water and a buffering substrate.
- Prepare the filter safely. A sponge filter or guarded intake protects young shrimp from being pulled in.
- Add cover and biofilm. Moss, leaf litter, botanicals, and mature hardscape give shrimp constant grazing surfaces.
- Acclimate slowly. Match temperature first, then drip acclimate so the shrimp are not shocked by TDS, GH, KH, or pH changes.
The checklist is not just a shopping list. It is a sequence: build the bacteria, stabilize the water, add grazing surfaces, then introduce shrimp only when the tank is predictable.
Before you buy shrimp
Before buying shrimp, decide which water system you are keeping. Neocaridina are usually the better first shrimp because they tolerate a wider range of tap water. Caridina can be beautiful, but they often need specialized water and substrate. Mixing those expectations is how many first shrimp tanks fail.
Ask what water the seller keeps them in. Shrimp raised in water close to yours usually adapt better than shrimp shipped from very different parameters. If the seller can share TDS, GH, KH, pH, and temperature, write those numbers down and compare them with your tank before ordering.
Do not add shrimp to a spotless brand-new tank just because the cycle is complete. A mature shrimp tank has biofilm and grazing surfaces. If the tank is newly cycled, give it extra time with plants, moss, leaf litter, or botanicals so the shrimp arrive to a system that already has food and cover.
Shrimp checklist follow-through
After the shrimp arrive, keep using the checklist for the first month. Watch for normal grazing, clean molts, steady color, and active movement. Test after feeding changes, plant additions, or water changes. If shrimp hide constantly, fail molts, or die one at a time, compare the current tank against the original setup checklist. The answer is often a stability issue that started small.
What a ready shrimp tank looks like
A ready shrimp tank looks active but calm. Shrimp should graze on sponge filters, moss, leaves, wood, glass, and plant surfaces instead of constantly swimming in panic. The filter should run gently, the intake should be safe, and the tank should have enough cover that newly molted shrimp can hide. Water tests should be boring: ammonia 0, nitrite 0, stable temperature, and mineral readings that match the shrimp you chose. The tank does not need to look spotless. In fact, a little mature biofilm is one of the best signs for shrimp. The setup checklist should therefore be judged by function, not by a polished photo. If the tank has stable water, gentle filtration, mature grazing surfaces, safe cover, and a slow acclimation plan, it is far more ready than a brand-new tank that merely looks clean.