# Matching Shrimp to Substrate Color



## micakkid (Sep 3, 2014)

Fishly said:


> Let's assume there are four main substrate colors: white, black, grey (or black and white mixed), and brown. Which shrimp colors go best with each one?


Personally, I believe that the darker the substrate the more the colors in the shrimp/plants will pop. While most in the shrimp business are purchasing based on if the substrate is active or not for PH reasons (i.e. ADA Amazonia), I think that black substrate is the way to go.


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

Do you find that dark colors (wine red, royal blue, chocolate, etc) also pop on black sand?


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## bostoneric (Sep 7, 2011)

well if you are doing TB you really only have 1 or 2 choices for buffering substrate.

ada aqua soil amazonia or if you want something different malaya or africana


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## mcdonnellv (Jul 6, 2014)

In the setup im building. I will have the ADA substrate in a sump and inert substrate in the display tanks. That way i can have white sand for my TBs.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

Logic says that most shrimp will change to match the shade of their substrate. Therefore, white sand = paler shrimp, dark sand = darker shrimp. I've seen this happen with various kinds of fish, too.


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## Linwood (Jun 19, 2014)

Fishly said:


> Do you find that dark colors (wine red, royal blue, chocolate, etc) also pop on black sand?


I've just done my first tank in glossy black sand.

Everything looks bright against it, fish, shrimp, plants, rocks. 

Oh... and poop, leftover food, leaves, algae.

It's kind of like a black car -- everything shows.

I still like it though.


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## Groovy Jeff (Oct 5, 2013)

Here is what mine looks like with Black Diamond blasting sand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV_lNnHo9PM


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## Oceangirl (Feb 5, 2013)

I am thinking of switching to a paler sand, I have blue dream rilis and the darn thing are black on black!


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## westerlies (Mar 16, 2014)

Yeah, I had this question too bc my carbon rili were basically invisible against a tank with black substrate and a black background lol

It was a single stowaway and I haven't seen it in a couple months though, so he might be dead... or just hiding somewhere blending into everything in my tank


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## Oceangirl (Feb 5, 2013)

I think I am going to switch them to a tan substrate. Like a darker brown. But I don't want to risk a mini cycle! So, I keep it.


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## popimac (Jun 3, 2014)

mcdonnellv said:


> In the setup im building. I will have the ADA substrate in a sump and inert substrate in the display tanks. That way i can have white sand for my TBs.


This is a good suggestion, provided using sump which is not common in shrimp keeping set up.


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