Best tank for shrimp

[Dead Can Dance]

Hiyas,

I love the look of the 12 gal long but what would be best for shrimp ?
Cube or long ?

[ravensgate]

Shrimp don't spend a ton of time high up so in my experience a taller aquarium has a lot of wasted space. The reason folks tend to like tanks like the Mr Aqua 12 long is because of the looooonnng footprint and shallow depth. I have one and I also have a regular 10 gallon and I have no doubt I could fit significantly more shrimp in the 12g just because of the long footprint. With the 10 gallon I'm losing a ton of usable space. Shrimp stay on the bottom or up with the floaters...but nobody hangs out in the 'in between' area. You can utilize the height better with something like a moss wall, or maybe some tall rocks or driftwood.

[acitydweller]

low and wide dimensions are ideal... though to keep things simple, the best tanks are those that keep water

[Dead Can Dance]

Ravensgate, do you have a journal / pics of your 12 long ?

[Soothing Shrimp]

"You can utilize the height better with something like a moss wall, or maybe some tall rocks or driftwood. "

Absolutely. Look, let's face it, if you have extra cash to spend, get the larger footprint in the 12L It looks great and allows more "elbow room" when walking. Plus, when planted, it's a real conversation piece!

However, 99% of the time I use tenners. Why? Cheap, and I can fit more tanks in the same space as a 12L takes up. My shrimp enjoy hanging out on the sponge filters and moss. Moss itself is a jungle gym with food and provides a really nice area for a shrimp "coffee lounge." Plus, it helps keep the shrimp contained for quick breeding when a fem molts.

As said though, the footprint of a 12L just cannot be beat!

[Dead Can Dance]

Sorry about my ignorance but what measurements are you calling the '10?'

[Soothing Shrimp]

This kind: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

[ravensgate]

Originally Posted by Dead Can Dance

Ravensgate, do you have a journal / pics of your 12 long ?

I *did* have one but I tore the tank down and rescaped it after dealing with a bacterial infection on some OEBTs. I never started a new tank journal on it after that.

I have a journal of it's inhabitants but not really of the tank itself. Here's a photo of it...yeah, kinda cluttered looking....I might do a background on it one day but for now I use it more for a breeding tank than a 'pretty' tank.

[ravensgate]

And Soothing is absolutely right on cost and space saving the 10 gallons can't be beat. A typical 'kit' with filter and hood is $40 for the system. The 12G is just the tank so you have to get lighting for it, filtration, and due to the length filtration and movement is key because dead spots can happen. I put moss on both ends and in the middle so I can check movement. Moss sways pretty easily and helps me know if I have any dead spots in the water. That 12 g for me is a money pit. LOL! $80 for the tank, $70-80 for the filter (Eheim 2213 with custom spraybar) and gosh, another $80 or so for the light. Then sponge filter, two airpumps....yeah, money pit. LOL. You can get by cheaper on it I'm sure, that's just what it wound up costing me. Probably close to $300 just to have it up and running.

[laqu]

my shrimp use all levels of the tank as i have lots of tall plants. their motto is: if i can climb it i will. so 10 is fine just use stuff that is vertical.