Hi everyone gearing up for my first planted shrimp tank

[yulongtang]

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]

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]

Hi welcome to FishLore!

 

[fishywoo]

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]

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

 

[MattPothOCarry]

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.

 

[Mudminnow]

Welcome to Fishlore.

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