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How many shrimps?


FrozenFins
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I'm looking to buy some pumpkin shrimp finally within the the next few days. I'm wondering how many a good number would be to start off a colony. The aquarium there going into is i beleive roughly 5 gallons. The company I am ordering on have a buy 10 get one free deal, should I get 11 then? Before I was thinking 8-10 would be a soild group, thoughts?

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Hi, in March 2021 I got 10 cherry shrimp, which I've had good luck with so far (however sadly there was some die off in the beginning). Personally I would take the extra shrimp since the tank is 5 gallons which can definitely handle the extra and it's a free shrimp. Cory's advice of however much food you have available is connected to how many shrimp/snails you have is definitely applicable here. Best of luck, dwarf shrimp are a ton of fun to watch!

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My thinking. If you happen to know for sure that you'll receive them old enough to breed, then they won't need to survive long to make babies, so you could risk purchasing a low number. But if they might need to last 4 months before they can breed, it'd make sense to have a few extra. 

My shrimp experience is low. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to put 20 adult neocaridina in a well-seasoned and well-filtered 5 gallon. They're surprisingly wispy little critters. If the 5 gallon isn't seasoned and filtered, I'd start near 10.

I actually put 2 juvenile neocaridina and 3 tiny endler fry in a 1 gallon fish bowl, half full of hornwort. Worked awesome for about 2 months, while the fry were still small enough for the water to stay clean. Point: Shrimp are basically no bioload at all. 

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Hi James! I'm going to be starting a 5 gal shrimp breeding tank and plan on getting 10. That's what I started with when I had yellow shrimp. A few didn't make it, and it took a few months to really see population growth - I'd have to search with a magnifying glass sometimes to find a single shrimp. Then suddenly it seemed everywhere you looked in the tank you could see shrimp of every age and size.

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If you have an established tank that is very seasoned I would do what everyone else has said and get ten, or as many as you think you can afford.

In a seasoned tank they should do well and begin breeding shortly. 
 

But in a fresh setup I would be a little more cautious. Buying ten may also be a great idea because if there are any issues you may have enough to insulate any losses. 
 

Hope you enjoy your new colony. I love to sit and watch my cherries in the big tank. 

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Just confirming that 10 should be plenty.  I wouldn't get fewer than 10 and if you can afford it I'd probably go with 20 to account for any die off you may experience in your tank.  If you're on a tight budget then 10 will be fine assuming the aquarium they'll be living in is seasoned and ready to go. 

Personally I started with 15 RCS and it was great to watch the colony increase over time.  I have around 150-200 in my 75gallon tank right now and as the tank changes that number may decreased or increase over time. Good luck!

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