Substrate??

What substrate would be best for a non-planted (may plant later) shrimp only tank?

Hey!

I've had positive experiences with Pool Filter Sand, (50 lbs bag for like 25$ or less).
Playground sand, and fluval Ebi.

I've also used carib-sea eco complete but that's for a planted tank. 
and flourite as well.


But for a nonplanted (may plant later) I'd say even the black sand from petco is good enough, Anderson_P_R has a good experience with it and his shrimp are thriving, but we also get our shrimp from the same breeder.

Thank you...I am looking for a good shrimp breeder as well to get my starters...

I would love to show off some amazing shrimp in the future...looking at producing some show tanks as well...

Lane mountain silica sand at hardware stores for $8.

Does any of those come in black...or any other color then tan/white/clear...I am looking for dark...perhaps some red, orange would be cool...but that probably would be for glass or tigers...

WAshrimp wrote:Thank you...I am looking for a good shrimp breeder as well to get my starters...

I would love to show off some amazing shrimp in the future...looking at producing some show tanks as well...

PbMax.
Just got chocolate shrimp
and has a plethora of shrimp.

Shango.
Real nice quality shrimp, Feeds them O natural foods, and has an unlimited supply of gigi's wonder food lol. Also has really nice looking snowball shrimp!

He'll also be at the swap meet this month!

Gofish, aka my friend tanya, I just got an email on her pricelist today.
We'll also be at the swap meet.

"Super Red Adults $1.00 each
Shrimplets 1/4 inch
20 for $15.00
50 for $25.00
Neon Red Adults $5.00 each
 
Cherry Yellow Adults $3.00 each
Shrimplets 1/4 inch
20 for $35.00
50 for $75.00
Neon Yellow Adults $5.00 each
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

 [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Culls: Extra males, lighter colored adults and shrimplets - a mix.
25 for $10.00 (my choice)
 "Cull Quality" - [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Note to Billy. The BIG log in the 130 gal is $50.00 with no plants, just the log. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks!
Tanya"




Sorry for thread jack, thought you'd like to see how shrimpies look in planted tanks, all of us usually have densely planted tanks, if you ever want some free clippings, and ur by the jblm area, or going to the swap meet this month, hit me up. 

I really will try to get to the swap meet as it's just a short jaunt...

am looking at getting some 10-20 gallon tanks...am checking out the goodwill and thrift stores for supplies...well except the substrate...unless I can let it sit in the rain for a while...might do that...

I will definately be looking at getting shrimp soon...after cycling...hmmm...am thinking a month or so for the water to get to perfect...hmmmm....reading everything I can...also am so thinking of getting a rain barrel...that would be so cool to get and set up for my shrimp water changes...

Sand is definitely the most trouble-free substrate I've used. It doesn't affect water parameters and gunk tends to stay on top better than with gravel. It's not great for plants at first, but a mature tank generally has enough nutrient migration to support plant roots and you can always use root tabs.

Pool filter sand is nice because of its larger grain size and round edges. It's usually a tan color, so not terribly ornamental. Tahitian moon sand is a gorgeous shiny black color, but pricey. It looks great in any tank, as long as you have something like shrimp to keep the surface tidy.

I have used a specialty sand that is used for sandblasting, it's pre-washed and graded to a specific size, so it's very consistent. At first, my plants weren't doing so well, but the more and more the tank matures, the better the plants are doing. Aquarium Co-Op in Edmonds carries it for a fair price.

What you could do, if you really aren't going to disturb the bottom, is go with about a half inch of soil along the very bottom, then cap that with as much sand/gravel as you think will hold it down. This is what I am thinking of doing with my next tank, then you have the wonderful growth of dirt while still being able to move the top layer without stirring up a ton of nasty dirt.

WAshrimp wrote:What substrate would be best for a non-planted (may plant later) shrimp only tank?

I did this in my 140 gallon. Picked a substrate that IF I chose to plant later it would be suitable. It does well with some shrimp but I have not grown specialty shrimp in this tank just whisker shrimp, amano, and cherry. The substrate is a mix of Fourite sand & gravel, roughly 200 lbs of it + another 30 lbs of normal aquarium black gravel. The substrate was perfect when I was raising big fish, and does good now that its fully planted...

I am not raising shrimp but I have converted to sand recently. The big change out in the 210g was a lot of work but I really love the look of it. Have had sand in my smaller upstairs tank for a while now. Really cool to see my hopplo cat root around searching for food in it, behavior you could miss if it were gravel. Also like others have said easier to keep clean. I use Carib Sea Peace River in the 210g and Lapis Lustre in my 72g bow.

WAshrimp wrote:am looking at getting some 10-20 gallon tanks...

I got a 20 gallon reg that I will be bringing to the swap, comes with florescent light and hood

Lamental Jester wrote:

WAshrimp wrote:am looking at getting some 10-20 gallon tanks...

I got a 20 gallon reg that I will be bringing to the swap, comes with florescent light and hood

Cool...PM me how much and we can figure it out...

Just so you know, petco also has their $1/gallon sale on right now, so if you need more than just Jester's 20, you should try there. Can't beat $10 for a 10 gallon (even though they are usually $13.99, I think, so not much difference but still... SALE!)

edit: It's really too bad they don't extend that below 10 gallons, I would be in there buying 5 gallons all day

LuminousAphid wrote:Just so you know, petco also has their $1/gallon sale on right now, so if you need more than just Jester's 20, you should try there. Can't beat $10 for a 10 gallon (even though they are usually $13.99, I think, so not much difference but still... SALE!)

edit: It's really too bad they don't extend that below 10 gallons, I would be in there buying 5 gallons all day

Remember, the sale is for the tank only. Hoods, lights, ECT are sold separately . Alot of fish enthusiasts nail these sales for the 40 gallon breeder tanks because they are harder to find used...

Not to mention that the 40 breeders are normally like $100. Now thats a deal, I bought 3 of them on the last sale.

Yeah, I really should start one of those up, but I need to concentrate on looking for a job first. That would be the first logical step, I believe. Any leads on that front would be greatly appreciated (and to those who have helped already, thanks again!)