Hi everyone gearing up for my first planted shrimp tank

yulongtang

New Member

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4

• Oct 10, 2026

• #1

After months of watching tank videos and reading way too much about the nitrogen cycle, I finally made an account here. Hi!
I'm planning my first real planted tank — a 20 gallon long, going light on stock and heavy on shrimp. Before I buy a single thing, I want to actually understand the water chemistry side: cycling, pH/KH/GH relationships, and how to read test numbers instead of guessing.
A bit about me: I'm the kind of person who spreadsheets everything, so fair warning — I'll probably show up with oddly detailed water test logs and questions about them.
Nice to meet you all, and thanks in advance for putting up with beginner questions!

 

Coradee

Resident Scouser

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22,002

• Oct 10, 2026

• #2

Hi and welcome to Fishlore, we were all beginners once so ask as many questions as you like, we’re all here to help

 

Lucy

Loiterer

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48,801

• Oct 10, 2026

• #3

Hi welcome to FishLore!

 

fishywoo

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1,946

• Oct 11, 2026

• #4

I'm always excited to hear about another Shrimp keeper! Looking forward to hearing more about it so I hope you stick around and share pictures.

There's a whole section on here about cycling your tank. My knowledge on ph/kh/gh is really basic, but there should be more info on here about that too.

 

ProudPapa

Fishlore Legend

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10,167

• Oct 12, 2026

• #5

Welcome. Assuming you plan to keep neocaridina shrimp, this article may be of interest.

 

M

MattPothOCarry

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4

• Oct 14, 2026

• #6

Welcome! A 20 long planted shrimp tank is a fantastic first setup. One thing worth building into your plan from the start: shrimp are more sensitive to nitrates than most fish, and emergent plants are the easiest safety net I know.

A pothos cutting with its roots in the water and leaves out will drink nitrates steadily without you dosing a thing, and shrimplets love grazing the biofilm that builds up on the roots. Just keep the stem bases above the waterline so they don't rot. It's about the lowest-maintenance filtration assist you can get, and it gives you a little buffer while you're dialing everything in.

 

M

Mudminnow

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2,730

• Oct 14, 2026

• #7

Welcome to Fishlore.

What kind(s) of shrimp do you plan to keep?