# A Planted Shrimp Vase



## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

I currently started a new project with a vase I had laying around. Being in college they limit the size of aquarium we can have and since I already have a betta tank I decided I wanted something small and cheap. Currently I have what was once a vase (2 gallons), some HC, Rock, and Eco Complete substrate. The problem I am running in to is that the vase is relatively small and ,being that I would like to keep shrimp in it, I am wondering if I will need a heater and filter. Currently the light I am using provides enough heat to keep the tank at 75*F. I am very new to the shrimp game and know very little about them so I have been treating them like normal fish. So my question is do the shrimp need any heating, filtering? if so what filter/heater do you recommend for such a small space. I have seen many nano tank setups but the ones I have seen do not have rounded sides. Any help is appreciated.


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

So long as you don't have any big temperature swings and you do weekly water changes, you won't need either a heater or filter for the vase. 

Looks like the exact same 2g vase I ran for almost two years with a mix of 1-2 ghost shrimp, 8-15 cherry culls, a pair of breeding endlers (fry were removed as they showed up to feed to my angelfish) and several dozen pond snails.  No heater, no filter, and an average of weekly 25% water changes.


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

I've kept shrimp (and endlers) in unheated, unfiltered vases and they did just fine. So long as the temps stay fairly steady, a heater isn't needed (especially cherry shrimp just don't need it as warm as a betta). All my vases have been *very* heavily planted, think jungle. Between the plants and the microbes in the gravel my vases were self filtered, just did water changes once a week (25%) or so. Had lots of happy shrimp and endler babies. 

A temperature swing *is* bad however. So if you light is really heating the water you may need to light in a way that doesn't raise water temp. Otherwise the temp swings between day and night (light on and off) may cause issues.


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

In a dorm, where the temp is always the same (and reasonable), like the others have said, you will be fine. 

Just don't let the roommate open a window and leave town in December. :icon_mrgr


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

So I had a tank similar to yours. My cherries in there are quite fine and 1 is pregnant! 
Adding floating plants can be additional filters. My water lettuce saved my 2 gal as all the shrimps are dying. there is only one left(the pregnant) and when I added the water lettuce and did a partial water change everything seems to go back again in normal. I now added 5 more to accompany her. They are doing fine now.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

I had a little bit of a problem yesterday and found half of the shrimp laying motionless near the surface on some plants I added. They wouldn't move and appeared to be dead on their side. When bumped they would swim away. The tank is new but I have never really had to worry much about cycling when I had plants in the tank. I kind of assumed it was in their nature and that they were just laying there considering that 4 others were still moving around the tank happily. About 30min later one of the shrimps died and I made an emergency run to Walmart (because it is the closest thing) for some test strips and some stuff to reduce ammonia. Only to realize when I got home the test strips test for everything but ammonia. The weird thing is all of my levels are spot on (I have been using Tetra Safe Start along with the plants) but yet two of them died. At that point I did a water change with water from my established tank. Still they were acting funny. 4 of them survived the night and I know have them out of the tank and in a 1 gallon pitcher with water from my other tank and a few plants in there. They are normal again. I have been reading and reading but cannot figure out why they would act that way. I would think of it was the tank they wouldn't have been fine for as long as they were. I have heard that it might be a lack of oxygen in the water but I am unsure. After my classes today I plan to run and get a breeder net and keep them in my other tank until this is sorted out. I have been looking for a filter (being the water is now really cloudy) but I can't seem to find one that will fit the outside of my bowl and is small enough for the inside.


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

Hmm. So you'd *just* added some plants? Could there have been something on the plants, any sort of chemical residue?

I haven't had issues with lack of O2, since plants outgas O2 that shouldn't be an issue. But adding a air stone would solve the issue if that was the problem.

Be careful of those test strips. They are notoriously inaccurate. You are way better with the Master Test Kit (liquid tests).


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

CollegeKid said:


> I had a little bit of a problem yesterday and found half of the shrimp laying motionless near the surface on some plants I added. They wouldn't move and appeared to be dead on their side. When bumped they would swim away. The tank is new but I have never really had to worry much about cycling when I had plants in the tank. I kind of assumed it was in their nature and that they were just laying there considering that 4 others were still moving around the tank happily. About 30min later one of the shrimps died and I made an emergency run to Walmart (because it is the closest thing) for some test strips and some stuff to reduce ammonia. Only to realize when I got home the test strips test for everything but ammonia. The weird thing is all of my levels are spot on (I have been using Tetra Safe Start along with the plants) but yet two of them died. At that point I did a water change with water from my established tank. Still they were acting funny. 4 of them survived the night and I know have them out of the tank and in a 1 gallon pitcher with water from my other tank and a few plants in there. They are normal again. I have been reading and reading but cannot figure out why they would act that way. I would think of it was the tank they wouldn't have been fine for as long as they were. I have heard that it might be a lack of oxygen in the water but I am unsure. After my classes today I plan to run and get a breeder net and keep them in my other tank until this is sorted out. I have been looking for a filter (being the water is now really cloudy) but I can't seem to find one that will fit the outside of my bowl and is small enough for the inside.


I had that problem similar to yours. The water is stable and the ammonia is zero. BUT, you might check if your water has copper as it is very deadly to shrimps. Adding more plants will help. My x-mas moss pearls like a riccia that gives them a constant supply of oxygen and food as well. 

Try adding fast growing plants like hornwort. They are great filters and provides food and lots of oxygen for the shrimps. Remove it once the tank is established and stable. Also beware of what you feed to your shrimp. If you feed them with blanch veggies like spinach its fine. If you are using fish food, check if it contains copper. It can also poison the shrimps. I recently added a red long nose shrimp and its the most energetic of all shrimps. It going well (even though its very sensitive to ammonia, meaning my tank is stable). 

I guess its natural for cherries to hang out in the roots of water lettuce as they love its fluffy roots (they can find food easily in fluffy, feathery objects like moss). Just add more plants, get water from old established tanks and feed them with veggies (small amount only). GOOD LUCK!


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

*Update*

So far the shrimp are still alive. They seem to be doing okay in the water from my older tank. I am a little confused as to how this new "tank" is struggling. I have never really had to worry about leaving a tank to cycle with so many plants in it. They aren't in the vase right now but decided to check the water of the vase and compare it to my other tank. Tonight the vase is reading very high levels of Nitrates and Nitrites. I hope the shrimp can make it through the night in the pitcher. I have a fluval HOB box coming in tomorrow that I plan to put them in until I can sort out the vase. 

If it was copper in my water wouldn't my amano shrimp in my other tank be experiencing the same thing? Also the plants I am using are from my other older tank. 

Is it normal for them to stay so still at the surface of the water? A couple of them were attached in the same spot for an hour or so and didn't move until i touched the plant near them. Thanks so much for your help!


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

If nitrates and nitrites is the problem, then you may want to add some pennywort, hornwort or water lettuce. All of those are nitrate and nitrite sponges. My shrimps (cherries and the pregnant cherry) likes to stay all day in the water lettuce, occasionally swimming away to eat some spinach or to graze on moss. And then it stays back again at the roots of the water lettuce. I don't know why, but she's been always like that. In contrast to my rhino shrimp, it does move around alot and rarely stays still (it still moves even feeding time, carrying the spinach while swimming). Guess your shrimp's behavior is normal. Establishing a tank can take quite a while. I rely heavily on floating plants as they are the main filters of my 2 gal tank. Just leave the floating plants there for a week or 2 and the should be fine. It will be faster if you will add some old aquarium water. I will post a pic of my tank so you can have an idea on how it looks like.

By the way, are you a college student, because I am as well.


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## naich (Mar 25, 2014)

make sure you measure water temp at the bottom too. Could be a big difference in temp between the water layers.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Thanks so much for the advice! Yes I am a college student. That is kinda what started this whole "nano tank adventure". I brought my betta that I have had since he was the size of my pinky nail and I could part with him. I sold off my bigger tanks and invested in a fluval spec V. I love it but I still wanted more tanks and the limit of 10 gallons my dorms placed made me get a little creative. I knew I wanted shrimp and I wanted something simple.
How long do you think it will take the tank to get to a point where it filters itself? Is there any tips to growing plants without water movement. Should I do water changes? The water is currently getting cloudier every day in the vase and does not resemble the water of many vases I have seen.


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## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

Will definitely be following along! I'm a college student as well. Due to the limitations on my dorm as well, I have multiple small tanks set up. I have a vase lying around and I might attempt what you're doing after a while! Good luck!


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Shrimp are safe and here is a picture of the vase. It's looking bad any suggestions


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

More plants!

Really though, get some more greenery in there and let the tank cycle for a bit. Anything fast growing would be good- mosses, wisteria, water lettuce, etc. It'll keep the water clean and oxygenated, which might be a problem considering how deep your vase is compared to its mouth. Let it become a jungle, and everything will be better for it!


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Well I took everyones advice and went all out on the plants and scaping! I picked up some stuff I have experience with growing fast and some of the new suggestions. I now have Anachris, Java moss, chainsword, water lettuce, HC ( slow plant) and one other plant from my 5 gal. I am really enjoying the look. The guy threw in the water lettuce because he says it doesn't do well indoors. But I think I may have some hitchhikers. I washed everything I got but yet still have them. These are not the normal snails but instead look like microscopic shrimp that are smaller than a peice of gravel. I will try to get a picture of them. But here are some update pictures.


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## Anders247 (Oct 16, 2014)

Pretty cool!


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

CollegeKid said:


> Shrimp are safe and here is a picture of the vase. It's looking bad any suggestions


ADD MORE PLANTS!
More floating plants will give food and protection for shrimps. A few more water lettuce won't hurt. You can trim their roots too.
Scape looks fine, wait till the plants grow and it will fill up nicely. And also add more moss, shrimps will love it .

GOOD LUCK!


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

The tank seems to be doing a bit better. Right now I think it needs water movement. The shrimp are doing amazing in the HOB. I have been feeding them and they are very active. One of them molted and before I left for class the male who had been swimming crazy around the tank was on the back of the female! Hopefully a good sign. I will post some pictures tonight. In the vase I cleaned it up a bit and replanted the plants deeper into the substrate and they are showing signs of growth. I can see what looks like pearling in the moss and microscopic bubbles rising up to the surface. 
My levels are:
Ammonia (no test for it yet) 
Nitrates: .5
Nitrites: 40
Ph: 6.4
My water is soft.
The vase is full of plants now and there is no space left to plant.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

*Bad signs!*

So with that addition of a filter the tank reached perfect levels. I performed a 20% water change to remove tannins from the wood and waited for the levels to go back down. once they all hit 0 again I decided to move them back into their home. After being in the HOB container for several days one mysteriously died. So I figured i would just move them over since the parameters are better in my vase than 5g (Nitrates = 0 vs. .5)...... But now the problem starts again....

After an hour or so the shrimp have gone from racing around the tank to laying on their sides near the surface clinging to floating plants (or anything near the surface). At first it was just the female doing it so I hooked up the hose to the filter so it aerates the water. Then after checking back the male is now doing the same thing and the female began to put more than half her body out of the water. I angled the jet from the filter to try and disturb the surface...


Thinking it might be that the surface area of the tank isn't large enough to allow proper o2 levels I lowered the water level to increase surface area.
Can someone please help me?

Bump: So with that addition of a filter the tank reached perfect levels. I performed a 20% water change to remove tannins from the wood and waited for the levels to go back down. once they all hit 0 again I decided to move them back into their home. After being in the HOB container for several days one mysteriously died. So I figured i would just move them over since the parameters are better in my vase than 5g (Nitrates = 0 vs. .5)...... But now the problem starts again....

After an hour or so the shrimp have gone from racing around the tank to laying on their sides near the surface clinging to floating plants (or anything near the surface). At first it was just the female doing it so I hooked up the hose to the filter so it aerates the water. Then after checking back the male is now doing the same thing and the female began to put more than half her body out of the water. I angled the jet from the filter to try and disturb the surface...


Thinking it might be that the surface area of the tank isn't large enough to allow proper o2 levels I lowered the water level to increase surface area.
Can someone please help me?


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## pannyx (May 30, 2014)

Did you get the nitrites down to 0? I would move them until you get an ammonia test or do another water change.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

All of the levels in the tank are at 0 and have been that way for 24 hours.
Ammonia: 0 
Nitrites: 0 
Nitrates: 0
Ph: 6.6
GH: 4
KH: 3

No copper in the water. There is nothing I put in the tank that adds large amounts of copper. 

This morning the female is at the surface still and the male is running around the tank. Could it be that because there is so few left they might be "shy".... I know that some fish require groups to reduce stress levels.


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## leemacnyc (Dec 28, 2005)

Hey CK not sure what's going on...but i would rule out oxygen as a factor. I've kept cherries in a 1-G for years (http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=652034&highlight=) with out any added 02/turbulence. Just plants and 25% wc's once a month. Almost zero maintenance!

I've never seen a "shy" shrimp either One suggestion that i think always makes the nanos look nicer is to fill them up all the way to the rim.

Best of luck!


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

And yet again my favorite shrimp passes away in perfect water parameters. Her friend watches trying to figure out why she has fallen from the water letuce she clung to all day.... He is perfectly fine! I don't understand what's going on!!!


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## pannyx (May 30, 2014)

I'm sorry about your shrimp. I don't keep shrimp yet but I do keep snails and if I see them hanging near the surface then I know something is off with my water. Again, I would pull him out until you figure out what's going on there. I don't know if he's necessarily fine.

This is probably a ridiculous question and maybe I missed a comment about it but you did treat the water, didn't you?

How about the wood and rock? Are you sure they're aquarium safe?


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

Mine too died suddenly collegekid . All my cherries died too, even the pregnant. My water parameters are perfect and ammonia is zero too. But what makes me bother is that the somewhat more sensitive red long nose shrimp is still alive. They are perfectly happy, and even molt (a sign of a healthy shrimp). Maybe cherry shrimps aren't just my luck. Have the same problem with you collegekid.


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

Here are the pics of my 2 gal shrimp tank .
But now all the cherries are gone :icon_frow

Bump: Its been neglected though, the x-mas moss looks messy  and algae are growing everywhere.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

My last guy is doing fantastic and seemed to have a good day today. He has now discovered all kinds of hiding places inside the moss wood and under it. I really enjoy the xmas moss and I am looking to pick some up for my specV I really wanna setup a wall in the back with it. But being a college kid money is not easy to come by so 6$ for a clump isn't gonna work too well. I need to find some fish tank friends.


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

Yeah, you can try RAOK here, where they donate plants and trimmings and stuff. You should visit that forum. You might get some mosses for a lower price


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Well since the last shrimp did really well over the last 4 days I decided the tank was good to go. I picked up some shrimp from a local TPT member and ,after properly acclimating them, they seem to be doing really well! There is 6 fry and 5 adults. They are loving the tank and all the mosses. 
Next step:
Learn how to do a WC that won't shock the shrimp.


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

CollegeKid said:


> Well since the last shrimp did really well over the last 4 days I decided the tank was good to go. I picked up some shrimp from a local TPT member and ,after properly acclimating them, they seem to be doing really well! There is 6 fry and 5 adults. They are loving the tank and all the mosses.
> Next step:
> Learn how to do a WC that won't shock the shrimp.


I find the best way to do a water change with a small tank and shrimp is this:

1. Airline tubing (IE small tubing)
2. 4 cup measuring cup (glass). What I use but use what works for you.

First: I scoop out the amount of water I want to change. Or if the container opening is too small I siphon out the amount of water I want to change with the airline tubing.
Second: Dump old water, fill measuring cup with *room temperature* water! (Or tank temp if you use a heater, I don't). This is important. Match those temps, though I find a skin test is good enough. My shrimp haven't needed me to use a thermometer. Treat the water as needed.
Finally: Using the airline tube as a siphon add the new water into the tank. The airline tubing is small enough that it adds the water fairly slowly, therefore no shock to the shrimp and no disturbing the plants or substrate. End of water change!


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## brandon429 (Mar 29, 2003)

What I do is this 


Drain out 100% of the water and put All new back in slowly to not kick up the bed 

There are different dynamics one can employ to make animals adapt and this is one. Cherry red shrimp no problem flopping around on the sand I have vid of 100 doing it im sure they cuss me each time upon refill...but they keep having babies and reproducing so I'll take that no prob 

The full water changes are great for the system and the shrimp it also exports anything dangerous should, I adapt all my tanks early on to that rough handling it makes keeping easier. Even the crs I have don't mind.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

I was actually thinking of doing the airline tubing trick. Do you have a recommendation for an amount to remove? I feel as though taking 100% out would be a little dangerous.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Wel the new shrimp are doing very well! The last two days have been such a joy and made all the struggle worth it. The babies have taken up shelter in the driftwood which seems to be where they all sleep at night. Performed a small 25% water change with a small amount of seachem products for the plants. I also added a small mystery snail from the tank at home. Out of the hundreds that have been bred they have mixed into some cool colors. The one I selected is black with red spots and a white shell. About how long does it take for the baby shrimp to grow?


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

CollegeKid said:


> I was actually thinking of doing the airline tubing trick. Do you have a recommendation for an amount to remove? I feel as though taking 100% out would be a little dangerous.


Others may do differently but I have never done more than a 25% water change on any tank. If the tank is cycled and healthy you should *not* need mroe than that. Usually I'm just doing a 10% change.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

While doing some homework at my desk I noticed something a little odd. It was a little white worm swimming around my tank. Tried to get some pictures but very difficult. Can anyone identify what this is or if it is dangerous. There seems to be a couple of them now.


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## KevinEdgar (Jun 5, 2014)

I had the same thing in my 10g, it's either planaria or leeches. I found a couple in my tank, took them out. Haven't seen any since? I took video of them if you want to see...


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

It could also be nematodes. My shrimp tank is filled with little weird bugs that crawl and swim in the water. And I also got quite a lot of those little worms. They don't seem to harm the shrimp though.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Well woke up this morning to check on my shrimp and found something depressing.After racing around the tank yesterday (like the old set of shrimp) I find them all hanging out at the surface of the water again! I do not get it!!! Parameters are perfect yet here we are again!! Two of them ran to the bottom corner when the surface got bumped.
Should I do a water change before I leave town today? Should I just leave the tank alone? Should I keep the lights off?


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

I guess its because you kept them in a vase. A rectangular tank that is horizontal is always much better than a rectangular tank that is vertical. The horizontal tank can acquire more co2 and is much better at exchange of gases. In the vertical tank, the gas exchange is poor so most of them stays on the top. I think its primarily because of lack of oxygen. My suggestion would be try adding a sponge filter instead. The airpump can provide enough oxygen for the shrimps.


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## CollegeKid (Oct 15, 2014)

Well I lost one shrimp back when I posted last but I removed the one rock that i thought was causing problems and the tank has been amazing ever since. The plants have exploded in growth and was forced to trim today just to get light into the tank. The babies seem to be growing up well and the colors of the shrimp have grown very very red.


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

Well it basically means that they are lacking of water to breathe. Removing that big rock can add a lot of water volume in the vase. Post some updates of the tank please. ^_^


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

Shrimp will routinely hang out at the surface of a tank, especially if there are floaters or moss (or roots/stems of emergent plants) in order to graze on the biofilm that collects there. If they're in good color and react strongly when disturbed--dashing back down to the bottom or otherwise scurrying away, they're fine. If they're lethargic or slow to react when you poke 'em, then you might have a problem. 

The only moss in my 20g high tank is tucked high up in the roots of some pothos plants growing at one corner--if I sneak in at night with a flashlight, there's generally a dozen or more shrimp tucked up on their sides, sometimes even partially out of the water, picking at the moss. There's really high competition for food in this tank so while there's always a bunch of shrimp scattered around the tank, once lights are out and the bettas and endlers are settled in for the evening, the shrimp fight for space up on the moss. In my 20g long, they spend the evening picking among the floaters---when I flip the lights on in the morning there's a veritable blizzard of shrimp dropping out of the floaters and scurrying for shelter in the bottom plants.


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