New nano shrimp colony

[Tacos377]

Hey everyone!
I'm looking into starting my first shrimp colony! I have tons of leftover equipment from my last beta tank so the filter, lights, and the plants are all taken care of. What is the best substrate for RCS? I'm open to other shrimp species but RCS seem so easy and beautiful. I want a tank in the range of 2.5-8 gallons because my beta tank is sooooooo ugly. Do most shrimp need a heater? Do they need special food? Are sponge filters substantially better? Any other suggestions are appreciated and welcome!

 

[Islayedgoliath]

Im not much of an expert but I'm also looking into a shrimp tank so I've done some research. Sponge filters are the best for shrimp. As for food I've seen shrimp pellets at my lfs. But Algae pellets or wafers will do the job. Leaving the lights on for a long time and getting algae on the back glass is good for the shrimp.

If I'm wrong can some one correct me

 

[Jev12]

I would use a small sized substrate or sand....and you don't need to feed them anything to special but a lot of plants especially java moss will be appreciated by them...and really they are quite easy to take care of...and would be good to have a heater in there with them if you can...and the bigger the tank the better...are you planning on having the shrimp in with the betta?

 

[Tacos377]

No I was just going to remove the betta and make it a full on shrimp tank. Thanks for the replies everyone. Would diy co2 be okay on a shrimp tank?

 

[Jev12]

Yeah it should be fine

 

[ScotJudd]

Just watch the co2 levels. I don't take mine over 15ppm because of the shrimp I have been told they don't like high co2.