I wouldn't get the fake moss ball. I would just get some real moss like Java moss or xmas moss.
Look into shrimp specific substrate, I have not used it but many people recommend it.
Also look into floaters to soak up all those nutrients. (like duckweed and frogbit)

Good luck man, sorry about your loss.

 

the shrimp subtrate depends on what kind of shirmp you want and if you have kept shrimp before. any of the neos do fine on sand and gravel

 

I don't have any kind of substrate on my shrimp tank and it does well.

I also second not getting the fake ball. I wouldn't even really get a real marimo ball they're just a touch useless. A swath of java moss can be found at most petcos/petsmarts for around $5-8, and they're much more useful than a marimo ball.

 

Gravel is fine, especially since you're keeping neos that aren't picky about parameters. Maybe consider dark sand or flourite as other options, depending what is availible to you.

+1 to not getting the fake ball. +1 to getting moss. Babies like to hide in moss, so if you want higher survivability of newborns buy a ton of moss.

 

Sorry for your loss. Bettas always have a special place in their owner's hearts.

Have you kept shrimp before? A 2.5g is pretty small for a first attempt at shrimp, even RCS, IMHO. Did you cycle the betta's tank? Was the tank heated and filtered for the betta or did you just do a 100% WC? You will need to cycle the shrimp tank. Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

I recommend the Penn Plax Small World filter for a tank that small. They're small and they work well, IME. Get two so you can change one cartridge without losing your cycle.

You can get a small bag of Tahitian Moon Sand at Petsmart or Petco's store brand of sand for really cheap. Go with either of those.

I hate marimo balls. They collect schmutz and also fall apart. h4n here has a great selection of mosses. I've bought at least two kinds from him and have been very pleased.

The more stuff you can put in a tank, the better. Shrimp eat mostly biofilm and you need surface area for that. Get a little piece of driftwood and two lava rocks; one for moss and one for just plain biofilm. Plus lava rocks are great places for the beneficial bacteria to live. And you can never have too much beneficial bacteria.

If you'd like to do more research on shrimp keeping, go to planetinverts.com. It's really comprehensive.

If you're looking for regular RCS and not the fire reds, find Epicfish. He sells RCS for $1 each.

-Lisa

 

Thanks for all of your advice on not getting the balls guys. i have a few java fern in the tank and it's currently empty with a sponge filter running. i already pm'd johnny313's 30 for $20 cherry shrimp post (WHAT A DEAL!) so i might be getting that fairly soon. I hope it all goes well!

 

moss balls actually catch a ton of gunk floating around the tank and the shrimp enjoy grazing on it just like java moss or any other moss.