Raising shrimp outside

[Tdog]

Has anyone tried raising colonies of cherry shrimp or blue shrimp outside in large tubs? I live in SanDiego so it never gets too cold but winter time definitely will get into 30’s at times. I know people have them in aquariums without heaters just not sure if outdoors full time is potential option.

[nabokovfan87]

I've got some research studies that advise against it. In the garage or something might be fine most of the time (insulation on the bottom to keep the floor from freezing it out).

One thing to keep in mind is de-icing and surface movement as well as the layers of temp on the tank. Even in your aquarium the bottom is going to be cooler than the top. Taller tanks can work a little better when it's warmer because they have a chance to hold in the cold a little easier than something like a shallow tank.

A lot of those concepts you can use and apply to keep that pond as stable as possible long term. Getting into the mid-low 50s though is about as far as I can recommend taking neocaridina shrimp though.

A lot of the ability to do so questions are going to tie into the construction of that pond.

[JettsPapa]

I've been doing it for about two years.  I have above ground tubs with shrimp and guppies that are approximately 24" tall and across (so roughly 20 gallons).  I'm in southeast Texas, so they are of course in the shade.  I bring the guppies in when the temperature starts getting down to the mid-50's, but the shrimp stay out all year along.  In winter it occasionally gets cold enough for the top to ice over for a day or two, but the shrimp seem to do okay.

None of the tubs have mechanical filtration or air movement; just plenty of live plants.  Most of the tubs have hornwort or guppy grass, but I'm giving anacharis a try this year in one tub.

[Tdog]

Thank you both for the feedback. I think I may start in garage as suggested since temps stay relatively mild and see how they do there first 

[mynameisnobody]

@Tdog I’m in Florida and I’ve kept shrimp outdoors for years. On the nights that go into the 40’s, I toss a 100 watt heater in the 110 gallon totes and all is well with the world. If there were any deaths from the cold, I didn’t notice it. According to LRB, Neo’s can go down to the 30’s and up into the 90’s albeit not for a long period of time. I would definitely suggest going ahead with said project. 

[lefty o]

i cant see an issue with sandiego's climate. temps dont tend to be extreme, and even the chill in the middle of the night is only for a couple hours. that wont drop your water temps too much.