Red Cherry Shrimp Nano Aquarium

[KCNM]

I have a 5 gallon aquarium sitting empty right now and I've decided that one day I would like to turn it into a nano aquarium for red cherry shrimp and maybe a few micro crabs. Before I start setting anything up and cycling I'd like to do a month or two of research so I can make the happiest and healthiest nano aquarium I can.
I'd like to to have it heavily planted for the inhabitants but I'm not quite sure what plants to get and what substrate to use.
I'm also curious about what types if decorations to use in with the shrimp. Is driftwood okay with shrimp? I sanitize my own driftwood that I find and put it in my other tanks and all my fish have been fine. Will shrimp be okay with that? I bake it and boil it before exposing it to fish. The time it takes depends on the size of the wood.
Are rocks good in an aquarium with them? If so what kinds are best?
Also, what (Sponge) filter would you guys recommend for a 5 gallon heavily planted nano tank?
What's the best type of food for red cherry shrimp and micro crabs? Would I need to add special shrimp/crab foods or would the plants in the aquarium be enough?
I know shrimp and crabs won't eat the algae growing on the walls of the tank so would it hurt if I put one or two pond snails in the aquarium to help keep the walls free of algae?

Sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to get as much info as I can. Any and all info and tips are appreciated!

 

[Fishfur]

Might want to think twice about micro crabs. They are very hard to keep alive. Too little is known about them as yet. In habitat they have adapted to feed and live in the roots of water hyacinths, which are not native to their areas, but have taken over in many bodies of water. Hyacinths aren't suitable for aquariums and there are few other plants with similar roots. Maybe Floating Water Sprite might do.. but it might not. I've tried twice to keep them and failed both times so now I'm waiting until there's more info about them. They seem to be very awkward feeders.. they have bristles on the legs and may use those in a way similar to filter feeders, but they may also grab things. As I said not much is known about them.

But cherry shrimp and most of the colour forms now available are pretty hardy and easy to keep. They don't need heat, don't need a lot of feeding. You might also keep a few other species with them, such as Babaulti or Sunkist shrimp. Sunkist won't have babies.. they have larvae and I'm not sure how easy it is to raise their larvae as they may need brackish water to survive, like Amano shrimp do. Babaulti have babies like cherry shrimp do and they can't cross breed with Cherries, so you'd get some colour variety. Sunkists, are orange, btw. Babaultis' are often green, can be several colours.

Shrimp sure like plants.. they graze on them and find hiding places in them. Shrimp are prey for many things in the wild so their instinct is to hide. Having a decent size group of shrimp makes them feel safer and having lots of places to hide makes them feel safer too. So plants are good, as are rocks and wood pieces. Wood's nice for tying ferns or mosses or anubias to as well and you can tie moss and ferns to some rocks too.

Food is easy.. you can, if you wish, buy shrimp food. But they are not fussy. They'll eat algae, fish food, and most sinking pellets. Mine like shrimp pellets, which are actually made OF shrimp, for fish, but shrimp are scavengers, so they are happy to eat their dead comrades and any other dead thing they come across too.

They do best in harder alkaline water, as they need the calcium to moult properly. Crystal shrimp, otoh, need soft, acidic water, and are a bit more of a challenge to keep.

Shrimp are able to breed when the females show a saddle.. a lighter coloured patch behind the head, on the back. It's their ovaries. Once the saddle appears, they will moult, send out mating pheromones, and the males will come running. Once mated, it takes about four weeks for babies to be born. Pregnant shrimp are said to be berried, and you can easily see the eggs inside most of them. They drop down lower on the legs as they mature, and near hatching you can see their eyes if you look closely.

New borns won't have much colour for a day or two, often enough. Females nearly always have much deeper colour than males do though, and are larger and rounder and fuller in the underline. Almost impossible to sex until the females saddle, though with practice you may be able to tell sooner than that.

 

[Fish king]

Get ghost shrimp they eat the dying plant matter so you could have a self sustaining tank just if you don't add any food


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[ScotJudd]

If you keep RCS then having Moss is almost an essential plant (IMO). Also shrimp usually do better in a well established tank, too new and the bio film on which they graze has not developed. They will eat most foods, mine eat algae wafers, the catfish pellets and fish flakes. Any dead fish (I keep tetras) will also be eaten overnight if you have a large colony. Bit macabre, but I have only ever found a skull.
Juvenile RCS seem to adapt better to a new environment than fully grown adults.
I would not get pond snails, you'll be plagued by them, and they eat plants. My choice would be Malayan Trumpet Snails. They do breed pretty well but can be controlled. They eat algae but don't damage plants. They burrow into the substrate during the day and help to keep it aerated.
I have found the combination of RCS and MTS have contributed to a well balanced tank.


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