Peachsona's shrimp jar attempt. guidance appreciated!

Hi friends,

I've decided on a whim to start a new project. I had a mason jar lying around unused, and decided to make it a home for some shrimp at some point. Knowing the nature of shrimp and that they can be delicate to change and lack of stability, I'm making sure my jar is nicely established before I even think about buying any. That being said, I have rinsed the jar, added some sand, a quarter of a root tab since the jar isn't super big, and planted my plants. I currently have two italian vals, one with a fast growing runner sprouting from it, and an anubias lanceolata. I have it under a 50w led light currently (not good at lighting, help) , and I took 80% of the water from my established 10g tank. It's a bit tannin stained, which from research I've read that it won't be detrimental to shrimp, but please correct me if that's incorrect.

Questions I have (many!)

- Do I need more plants to sustain a filterless habitat? (btw, I bought a turkey baster that was marketed as a 'waste remover' for bettas specifically so i can do water changes on the jar.)
- As for cycling this thing, should I go through the whole motions of adding liquid ammonia and letting that bacteria strengthen and build up in there?
- The plants I have are moderate to low light, so how much time should I keep that light on for a day?

and finally, although more questions will definitely arise from me,

there's some orange-ish flaky film all over my plants and the substrate since i've set up the jar not even two hours ago. It looks like cheeto dust. What is that? Is it a result of the tannins, being under light too long or something else?

Thanks and I will provide pictures and updates as I'm determined to learn and have fun with this project!

 

I'm making sure my jar is nicely established before I even think about buying any.

Just to throw a wrench into things, that is what I used to think also.
A couple people here told me Cherry Shrimp could be added to new tanks that aren't that established.

Maybe there are other factors they did not mention, but it surprised me.

 

Your questions answered:
1. Because Mason Jars are small and don't have a lot of space for a filter, you are going to have to either do very frequent (3 or 4 times a week) water changes or you will have to do tons of live plants to provide the shrimp with what they need to reduce filtration
2. You should cycle it the same as you would any tank for Cherry Shrimp
3. I would do 8-12 hours

A few other things: I would probably do some sort of small snails instead of shrimp because it will probably be able to last for years sealed if you want to do that and snails will breed.
You probably don't need a special light for this, natural sunlight or just a bright LED could work for something this small
If the shrimp you want need a heater, get them a heater

 

Just to throw a wrench into things, that is what I used to think also.
A couple people here told me Cherry Shrimp could be added to new tanks that aren't that established.

Maybe there are other factors they did not mention, but it surprised me.

A well established tank is always best because it is less likely to have large changes unlike new tanks. So I would get it established and get some algae growing or be prepared to feed the shrimp. Algae would be preferred because too much food in a jar could cause an ammonia spike which can kill the shrimp faster than most think. I speak all of this from experience.

 

SnookusFish has experience I believe.

 

Here’s the jar with the orange stuff… I think it’s brown algae?? Can someone confirm? Also, thank you everyone who’s been chiming in with advice, I’m taking notes!

 

A well established tank is always best because it is less likely to have large changes unlike new tanks. So I would get it established and get some algae growing or be prepared to feed the shrimp. Algae would be preferred because too much food in a jar could cause an ammonia spike which can kill the shrimp faster than most think. I speak all of this from experience.

Yup. Used to think the same thing.
But I have not put all of my faith into those saying differently either

 

Found out that they are diatoms! Got most of them out and tomorrow I will test the water and go from there.

 

The issue with shrimp is, they are excellent waste processors. Hence, I always recommend them to almost any tank; their processing capacity versus bioload is just excellent.

People recommend adding shrimp only to well established tanks that have algae, diatoms (...), all sorts of biofilms. But take a look at shrimp breeder tanks on the internet (or mine) and notice how clean these tanks and substrates are. I welcome algae and biofilms but rely mostly on (powder) foods, because more sooner than later, any shrimp-only tank will look ridiculously clean.

Hence, whenever I start another vase/wabi-kusa project with shrimp, I don't wait on establishing; I simply take some substrate, a small piece of driftwood, one or two dry leaves, and -in proportion to that vase- a large plant out from one of my main tanks (that has shrimp in it) and put these in the tank. And also instantly add shrimp to this tank. No cycling, no establishing.

I assume we are talking about neocaridina species...

I top off water every now and then and do irregular water changes.

Lastly, I am keeping and breeding shrimp forever, or at least that's how it feels like. Since joining this forum I've become more aware of the fact that there might be subtleties in my approaches, simply based on experience, that are not top of mind. For instance, taking a look at the image you shared, I would never use a vase with that limited surface area to water volume ratio. But I'm not saying it cannot be done! It is just something I would never do (there is some rationale to it, but primarily my habit).

I do like to stress to add a way bigger plant; e.g. a large java fern. No need to attach it to anything, just put it in.

 

• I've tried adding shrimp to a new tank two or three times. It's never gone well.
• It's certainly possible to have a shrimp tank without filtration or frequent water changes, but you need a lot of plants.
• As long as the tank is in a room where people are reasonably comfortable it doesn't need a heater for just shrimp and/or snails.

 

But take a look at shrimp breeder tanks on the internet (or mine) and notice how clean these tanks and substrates are.

This 100%. I have half a dozen shrimp tanks right now, primarily aimed at breeding. Please be advised - this is from a Neo perspective at this time. I would have a little caution with the below if you are aiming for Caridinas.

If you just want to add some shrimp to a tank - not do any work on them, and have a nice little colony going, then yes, a seasoned tank that's been running a few months will be your ticket.

However, if you want to just set up new shrimp colonies aimed at high populations/breeding and multiple tanks, the cleaner the tank set up is, the easier it is to run and maintain in my experience. The only difference between these sets ups and the hands off seasoned display tank is adding supplemental food sources and making sure you keep the tank and water clean.

 

The issue with shrimp is, they are excellent waste processors. Hence, I always recommend them to almost any tank; their processing capacity versus bioload is just excellent.

People recommend adding shrimp only to well established tanks that have algae, diatoms (...), all sorts of biofilms. But take a look at shrimp breeder tanks on the internet (or mine) and notice how clean these tanks and substrates are. I welcome algae and biofilms but rely mostly on (powder) foods, because more sooner than later, any shrimp-only tank will look ridiculously clean.

Hence, whenever I start another vase/wabi-kusa project with shrimp, I don't wait on establishing; I simply take some substrate, a small piece of driftwood, one or two dry leaves, and -in proportion to that vase- a large plant out from one of my main tanks (that has shrimp in it) and put these in the tank. And also instantly add shrimp to this tank. No cycling, no establishing.

I assume we are talking about neocaridina species...

I top off water every now and then and do irregular water changes.

Lastly, I am keeping and breeding shrimp forever, or at least that's how it feels like. Since joining this forum I've become more aware of the fact that there might be subtleties in my approaches, simply based on experience, that are not top of mind. For instance, taking a look at the image you shared, I would never use a vase with that limited surface area to water volume ratio. But I'm not saying it cannot be done! It is just something I would never do (there is some rationale to it, but primarily my habit).

I do like to stress to add a way bigger plant; e.g. a large java fern. No need to attach it to anything, just put it in.

Thank you for this! If it doesn’t work out I’ll do a bigger jar for shrimp and just use this one to grow only plants. But we’ll see how it turns out and I’ll grab a Java fern from my LFS today!

 

Okay, I bought a bigger jar and set everything up. Used water from my betta’s tank, re planted everything added a root tab and now it’s under the light. I tested the water and it’s at 0ppm ammonia so I’ll be dosing 1ppm to get everything rolling. I’ll be buying more plants later on this week.

 

I have started 3 successful shrimp jars by taking substrate, plants, and water from a well established tank so there was no need to wait for them to cycle. They are a fun and interesting project. You may just find yourself needing to start another, like I did, when family and friends see yours.

 

View attachment 827358Okay, I bought a bigger jar and set everything up. Used water from my betta’s tank, re planted everything added a root tab and now it’s under the light. I tested the water and it’s at 0ppm ammonia so I’ll be dosing 1ppm to get everything rolling. I’ll be buying more plants later on this week.

I would add one or two dry (Catappa) leaves asap. It will color your water, but over time this will get less. Along with a bigger plant you'll be ready in no time. 'Perhaps your LFS has ferns or other epiphytes attached to a small piece of driftwood; that would be great.
All in all it is gonna look crowded from a fish view perspective, but you'll only increase the surface area for shrimp to graze on dramatically - which is great.

 

I would add one or two dry (Catappa) leaves asap. It will color your water, but over time this will get less. Along with a bigger plant you'll be ready in no time. 'Perhaps your LFS has ferns or other epiphytes attached to a small piece of driftwood; that would be great.
All in all it is gonna look crowded from a fish view perspective, but you'll only increase the surface area for shrimp to graze on dramatically - which is great.

Yup! I’m gonna go to the LFS soon and get some java fern. I’ll look into the Indian almond leaves too. Maybe even some floaters. I’ll definitely load it up with more plants!

 

I can’t wait to see how this turns out !! How big is the new jar? Floaters and ial sound a great idea , maybe a cinnamon stick too ?

 

I can’t wait to see how this turns out !! How big is the new jar? Floaters and ial sound a great idea , maybe a cinnamon stick too ?

It’s 101oz, so just shy of one gallon. I’ve never heard of a cinnamon stick in a tank till I looked it up, I didn’t realize it had antibacterial properties. Cool! And I’ll definitely update this thread as I fill it up with plants and leaves

 

It’s something I recently found out too !!! Look forward to the updates

 

Hello friends, I’m pleased to provide you with an update


Since my last posts, all but two of my jungle Vals perished but the remaining ones had some strong, and long sprouts! The Anubias persevered. I left some bits of decayed plant matter in there and diatoms, did a hearty water change and grabbed three Bloody Mary shrimps and two big Amazon swords. In the mail the world’s tiniest sponge filter came for me so I set that up with a bleed and check valve and bam! Shrimp jar. They have been bustling around ever since.
I have named them Popcorn, Coconut and Scampi.

 

It looks great! However,......I feel the question must be asked. Were you hungry when you named them?

 

It looks great! However,......I feel the question must be asked. Were you hungry when you named them?

My boyfriend must’ve been, cause he named them for me! Lol

 

Scampi is either ironic or dark either way I like it !

 

Scampi is either ironic or dark either way I like it !

Thank you! And the answer is both

 

Hah ! Even better

 

Just an update - the shrimp seem to be doing great! They eat and flit around as shrimp normally do. I’m learning a lot about their behaviors and they are so fun to observe! Currently I feed them some algae from my other tank, finely crushed algae wafer, shrimp bug bites and blanched cucumber. They really enjoy the cucumber! They also snack on dying leaves that I left in there, the sponge filter and biofilm. On Thursday I’m supposed to be getting the BacterAE powder in the mail so I’ll supplement their diets with that too. Yay for more biofilm!
I did a very careful 20% water change/top off yesterday and they’re doing fine. Tonight or tomorrow I’ll drop in a catappa leaf for them

 

496d9e9aeba4485ca125188c60c6b281.mov

small update video - one of my shrimps is berried

Edit - I dunno if that link will work..I’ll make it so anybody can access the video if it doesn’t work?

Edit II - link updated

 

No it says you need access. Congrats on the berried shrimp.