Hi,

I was wondering if I can keep shrimp in my old 17 litre tank.

I have looked some up and like the sound of them, but not sure if this is big enough.

Is it big enough for anything??

My mum said she might like to just plant it up and see how she gets on, but I do like the idea of shrimps.

If I can't hace them in here, can I have any with the guppies [when I finally get them!]?

Thanks,

JB x 2.

Mum realised last night that JellyBean is also JB, and as she was here first - by a long way - I thought I'd put 'x 2'!!

JB x 2

PS.

It's the Rainbow Shrimp I like the look of, at the moment. They are supposed to live longer than the Ghost Shrimp, and they grow to about 2 inches, tops.

Thanks,

JB x 2

Ooh, 17 litres is pretty tiny! Shrimp are sensitive about water quality so you'd be looking at several water changes a week I think. You could just go for a planted tank and use it to grow cuttings etc, or use it to raise live food. There's still plenty of options for a 17 litre tank!

Thanks FF,

I know it's VERY small....mum gets upset when she thinks about it!

Is there anywhere I can look to see what I can do with the tiny tank please?

Can I have shrimp in with Guppies?

Thanks,

JB x2

Oh sorry, I forgot that part yes, shrimp should be fine with guppies.

Not sure if there are any sites that have ideas for pico-type freshwater tanks, TBH I suspect a lot of other sites will suggest putting fish in a 17 litre tank so I would be careful which sites you look on.

There are loads of other things you can do with it other than fill it with water, I've been meaning to do a mini-jungle with carnivorous plants in an old 4 gallon tank I've got.

Wow!!

What sort of plants are carnivorous -apart fom The Venus Fly Trap?

Do you mean aquatic plants, or ordinary plants?

Don't worry, I'll never put fish in it again, I just wondered if I could use it for anything else and I fancy having some shrimps.

My Aunty told my mum to put it on e-bay, but she won't. She says she'd never forgive herself if someone put fish in it!!

What are 'pico-type freshwater tanks' please?

Thanks,

JB x2

Oh yeah, there are a few carnivorous plants like pitcher plants and sundews. Lots of them live in boggy, humid areas so a glass tank is a good way to keep them.

Pico tanks are just very very small marine tanks (smaller than nano!) that people just keep corals in. They are pretty much just vases with something more interesting than cut flowers in! You could do something along the same lines in freshwater, a nice bit of wood with a bit of anubias on it would look good, and you could let it grow out of the water if you didn't have the level too high. You could have other marginal plants as well.

Hello again!

Right - my mum is now looking on good old e-bay for a bigger tank so that I can have shrimp! [She's a good mum ]

So....what's the smallest tank size she should be looking for please?

At the moment there's a 36'ish litre and a 70, but I've got to be careful of the size - it's going in my playroom and there's not much room!!

Thanks,

JB x2

I'm on my mums' log-in by the way!!

Hi JB2,

I kept my tiny tank in case of emergencies and it is currently doing fantastic work as a nursery tank for my four goldfish fry until they are big enough to go back in with their parents (or move on to a new home!). And well worth keeping hold of for emergencies - which always seem to happen when the LFS is closed.

C

Hi - I'm new to all this fish keeping, I'm going for a 23 litre shrimp only tank.

I've got the Fluval Edge tank, if you want to check it out for comparison. It's not going to be populated until I've run a full cycle as Fishy-Fishy says, they are sensitive to water quality.

Depends how long you're willing to wait - feel free to use me as a case study for small tanks.....

...fingers crossed for me now! lol!

PS - are 'rainbow shrimp' an actual species or a group of species / unidentified shrimp? Have you checked out Cherry Red or Crystal Red (with gradings that = big $$$?!)