# Stocking a small tank! Please help!!!



## Dozzem (Oct 1, 2012)

*Hello! I'm new here!*​I have an one gallon tank that I want to stock it with a very small amount of snails and/or shrimp! I have a moss ball, and its little baby, a bamboo, and a blubber I want to add to the one gallon corner tank. I think it would look very wonderful!

I have a few ideas in mind that some very nice people in chat gave me:
- three red cherry shrimp
- a ghost shrimp and a nerite snail

I am very open to any ideas! I under stand that small tanks are not very popular due to over crowding and some other things. I do have a 2.5 gal ready for stocking but I would rather not go large. I just want a small decorative tank. If you can, give a little information on you suggestion like water changes and food and the works that would be very helpful! I would hate to hurt anything, even a small 10cent shrimp... 

:fish-in-bowl:
Thank you very much for taking your time to read this!​


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## Miss Vicky (Jul 6, 2012)

I think the ghost shrimp and snail combo would be good (provided it's only one of each).
Unless you manage to get all of one sex, the cherry shrimp idea wouldn't last long before you had way more than you want. They mature quickly and can breed very rapidly.


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## Dozzem (Oct 1, 2012)

That is what I was thinking as well! One ghost shrimp and a snail. Do they need the bubbler, and how often should I do a water change? I think I'm going to throw in some waffers.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I really only have expierence with cherries, so here's me blabbering on. Cherry shrimp are hardy enough to handle pretty dense stocking. A nice looking pair of cherries (or try sakura or fire reds or any of the other neocardinias) picking over a marimo sounds pretty darn cute. Once the babies are about .25" (or about 1cm) you can add them to your larger tank and just keep the adults. 

Cherries are also unbelievably hardy. I had a pair in a planted 1 gallon bowl that I kinda forgot about for over a month without water changes. I knew at least one of the shrimp had died, so I assumed the other shrimp had gone as well. Well it turns out that this one cherry managed to survive over a month in a 1 gallon bowl without water changes, the water getting dangerously low, and me not feeding it for 2 months (I thought it was dead, honest!) 

Now I'm not saying do as I did, regular weekly water changes, and feeding every 2-3 days is the best, but even if you happen to unintentionally neglect your tank, they could probably handle it. I would just add a few more true aquatic plants (keep the stem and leaves of that bamboo out of the water!) Feed lightly, and clean up leftovers after food has been in the water for about 4-6 hours.


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## Knotyoureality (Sep 4, 2012)

You won't need the bubbler with such tiny bioloads--plants and surface exchange will be enough. Water changes will depend on water quality, but most of mine get a 20-25% wc 1x week--unless I've been over-feeding or replanting and stirring up the substrate, which gets them a mid-week wc. 

My smallest stocked tank holds just over 1 cup of water and has 3 cherry culls and a couple small pond snails (I switch out for smaller ones when they get too big). It's been up and running for almost three months, the shrimp have all molted successfully at least once and I've pruned the baby tears twice now. 

My 1g bowl has 6 black bar endler males and 2 nerites (previously held 6x orange neos and the nerites). Several other 1g vases have 2x ghost shrimp each along with pond, ramshorn and MTS snails, and a nerite each. 

Biggest things to avoid are direct sunlight or putting them directly in the path of an AC unit and overfeeding--most folks drastically overestimate how much shrimp actually eat and underestimate how much naturally occurring food exists for them in a planted tank.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

Knotyoureality said:


> My 1g bowl has 6 black bar endler males and 2 nerites (previously held 6x orange neos and the nerites). Several other 1g vases have 2x ghost shrimp each along with pond, ramshorn and MTS snails, and a nerite each.


No offence, but that sounds seriously overstocked. I know endlers are small, but I've had them before, and they're so active I wouldn't put them in anything less than a 10, much less that many in a 1 gallon. Maybe a single male in 1 gallon, but not 6.


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## Knotyoureality (Sep 4, 2012)

Kehy said:


> No offence, but that sounds seriously overstocked. I know endlers are small, but I've had them before, and they're so active I wouldn't put them in anything less than a 10, much less that many in a 1 gallon. Maybe a single male in 1 gallon, but not 6.


These are males still growing out and right now there's tons of room for 'em. The shape of the bowl in question can make a lot of difference--tall, narrow vases provide too little length, even cubes restrict as they seldom swim on a diagonal. If these start looking crowded, I'll pull a couple--but the bioload for now is fine.


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## Dozzem (Oct 1, 2012)

*You guys are helping out, thanks!*

Hmm, okay, I'm trying to put together something here. I do not want to over stock anything or even come close to it because if the shrimp/snail has more room it would be less stressed and healthier. I cannot stand letting something be stressed, hurt and much less not killed by my hand or carelessness! (I'm not saying any of you do, of course)

I have my one gal tank set up (In the picture) and it ends up that my moss ball, Bob, has split in two! I thought he was dying but it turns out this is healthy. I rolled one up in a ball, Bob1, and sowed the other to a rock, Bob2! (Yes, they have names and yes they are boys ) My lucky bamboo it well, too. I think the tank looks really nice so far! 
:fish-in-a-bag:


I like the idea of two shrimp and a nerite snail. I would hate to have the shrimp breed though, I think it would be very hard to get two of the same gender! Would it be possible to have a red cherry and a ghost together? Would they fight or make a terrible monster fish baby? 

:betta:



How do you like it so far?


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## Miss Vicky (Jul 6, 2012)

I've no personal experience with ghost shrimp, but I've read that they will sometimes kill other shrimp species.


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## Aeten (Aug 4, 2012)

Just get shrimps that can only successfully breed in saltwater like amano shrimp then the genders won't matter


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## Miss Vicky (Jul 6, 2012)

Aeten said:


> Just get shrimps that can only successfully breed in saltwater like amano shrimp then the genders won't matter


I wouldn't suggest it. Amano shrimp require a covered tank, otherwise they'll escape.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I had mine uncovered, and if it hadn't been for a meddling fish it would never have been a problem...Anyways, long story short, fish like shrimp. Shrimp don't like fish. Your milage may vary


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## Miss Vicky (Jul 6, 2012)

:animated_fish_swimm


Kehy said:


> I had mine uncovered, and if it hadn't been for a meddling fish it would never have been a problem...Anyways, long story short, fish like shrimp. Shrimp don't like fish. Your milage may vary


I think whether or not a fish + shrimp combo would work (though not in this particular tank, obv) really depends on what fish and what shrimp. My amanos and neons do just fine together. When the amanos are crawling on the plants and substrate, the neons ignore them. When the shrimp start swimming around, the neons swim the other way.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

I think a couple of amano shrimp would work fine.


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## ironklad (Apr 14, 2013)

Good point, my Amano escaped through only a small 1/2" gap, and I found him on the other side of the room!


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