EASY Shrimp Tank Setup Anyone Can Do!

The beauty of a shrimp tank is how simple and affordable it is to set up. You don’t need complicated gear, expensive filters, or special lighting. All you really need is a small aquarium, a sponge filter, some inert substrate that won’t affect your water parameters, and a few live plants.

Most beginners start with a 5 to 10 gallon tank, although I usually recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon instead. Smaller tanks are perfectly fine, but their water parameters can fluctuate more easily. These three sizes are all great for learning the basics while still being easy to manage.

Start with a layer of substrate — or go bare-bottom if you prefer. If your goal is to keep the tank heavily planted, make sure the substrate is deep enough for roots to grow. Then add in some stones, driftwood, and plants or moss. These not only provide shelter but also increase surface area for biofilm, one of the main foods shrimp feed on.

For filtration, you can use a sponge filter or a hang-on-back filter, but you can also rely on your plants for natural filtration. In that case, a simple air stone works well to keep the surface gently agitated for gas exchange — where carbon dioxide leaves the water and oxygen enters.

If you really know what you’re doing, you can even go filterless and skip the air stone entirely, as long as the tank is heavily planted and stable. Shrimp produce very little waste, which makes them perfect for this kind of setup. Just keep your colony small until your plants are well-established.

The only thing left is a basic light to help your plants grow and make it easier to enjoy the view. You can also choose to use a heater, but it isn’t always necessary. Neocaridina Shrimp can tolerate a fairly wide temperature range — anywhere from the mid 60s to around 80°F (roughly 18°C to 27°C). However, if your room temperature tends to fluctuate a lot throughout the day, it’s a good idea to add a heater to keep things stable. Consistency and stability are what matter most.

With all of this in place, you’ve got the foundation of a thriving little ecosystem.

What’s great about shrimp is that they don’t want a sterile environment. They actually do better in tanks that look a little aged — with biofilm and algae on the glass, and plenty of natural surfaces to graze on. Over time, the tank develops a living layer of microorganisms that shrimp depend on for food. It’s the kind of setup that only gets better the longer you let it mature.

Once your tank is cycled and balanced, it becomes one of the easiest aquariums you’ll ever maintain. The shrimp handle most of the cleanup by eating leftover food, algae, and detritus — all while keeping the ecosystem active and alive.

All you really have to do is scrape algae off the front glass every so often, trim plants once in a while, and perform a 10–20% water change every couple of weeks — or simply top off evaporated water if you don’t do water changes.

So if you’ve ever wanted a peaceful, low-maintenance aquarium that still feels alive and dynamic — this is it. Shrimp tanks are about as “plug-and-play” as it gets. A little patience in the beginning goes a long way, and once your ecosystem settles in, you’ll quickly see why so many aquarists fall in love with this kind of setup.

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