# Thinking about CRS



## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Hey everybody! 
So I was thinking about starting up a little desk tank for my bedroom! 
And I love the colours of CRS. I have kept RCS for awhile now, and thought it would be interesting for something new! 

So I was thinking about getting a 3g-5g tank, with a slim 10 HOB filter, and maybe a small sponge filter. It would be fairly heavly planted ( java moss, and perhaps pelia) with a small peice of driftwood. I would use the normal sized ADA( Ithink theres a normal gravel size?), I have read that it works well with the pH for CRS. 

Also, as a side note! I was thinking of adding a few Heterandria formosa as well(I know they would slow down the growth of the colony, but since it is planted, i was thinking that would help?)? Seeing how the would be tiny, and only the females would be big enough to eat the shrimplets. =]

So thats kinda what i had in mind... Any suggestions?  
Should i go with out the Heterandria formosa? 
Thank you for your time! 
-curtis


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Sounds like a solid plan. I wouldn't add the fish though IMO.


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## Tn23 (Apr 21, 2010)

I recently setup a 5 gallon on my window ledge with CRS as well, they are doing great and I was thinking about adding in Chili's just 2-3. I found I really needed a heater as when night time came and the light was off the temp. dropped like crazy, one morning I woke up and the temp was 68. Surprisingly the CRS all haven't died yet, not to mention I didn't cycle the tank =\ too eager haha.


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

The sponge filter I am thinking of adding will be coming from my other fish tank back home during christmas, I am hoping that it will shorten the cycling time  
And yah... Ijust love livebearers though..  I know it is a risk, but would the plants be able to save most of the shrimplets?
Aha, yah, I dont plan on using a heater, but my room is kept fairly warm.. so i think im good!


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

mixing cherry shrimp and hets works fine. not so much with crystal reds. the water parameters don't come close to matching, and crystal reds have fewer offspring than cherries. The hets would get most, if not all, the babies.


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Hmm... well i could put in green shrimp and cherries yes? Because they wont crossbreed. This way I can do with out the ADA substrate and just go for flourite? (Flourite doesnt lower the pH like ADA does, right? )


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## Tn23 (Apr 21, 2010)

Here is my newly setup 5 gallon with my culled CRS/CBS. They seem to be happy its the 4th day the tanks been running. Unfortunately I found 2 casualties so far.

Just wanted to share with you guys!
YouTube - Mixed Crystal Red Srhimp


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Oooo, thats a nice set up! And all the shrimp are so active! ^.^

But I thought CRS and CBS should not go together cause they interbreed?


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thomas has too many shrimps and not enough tanks.... if you mix they can interbreed!


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## Tn23 (Apr 21, 2010)

curtisonrad19 said:


> Oooo, thats a nice set up! And all the shrimp are so active! ^.^
> 
> But I thought CRS and CBS should not go together cause they interbreed?


They can interbreed, and it depends what your trying to achieve. In this tank they are mostly my rejects and the ones that I've picked out from my CBS only or CRS only tanks . This is just a very small and simple tank I just setup on my window ledge for fun. Just showing everyone CRS/CBS don't actually require much and aren't hard to keep at all.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Curtis,

I have no experience with that little livebearer, but I have cherry shrimp and endlers together.

While my endlers were all juveniles or small adults, the shrimp produced lots and lots of babies.

Once I had a number of adult endlers in the tank, as well as juvenile endlers, the endlers started to eat the baby shrimp. My tanks are very well planted, like a jungle from substrate to surface. But those endlers are wicked fast.

Unless you already have the livebearers and no other place to put them, why not get your shrimp colony established and then try just adding a few juveniles (if you have your heart set on fish, too) or just 2 or 3 males. I think that pregnant females are always hungry!

Good luck! I"m very interested in what you do, because I'm planning to create a desk tank for shrimp, too. 
-Maureen



curtisonrad19 said:


> Hey everybody!
> 
> Also, as a side note! I was thinking of adding a few Heterandria formosa as well(I know they would slow down the growth of the colony, but since it is planted, i was thinking that would help?)? Seeing how the would be tiny, and only the females would be big enough to eat the shrimplets. =]
> 
> ...


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## clintgv (May 6, 2010)

Tn23 said:


> Here is my newly setup 5 gallon with my culled CRS/CBS. They seem to be happy its the 4th day the tanks been running. Unfortunately I found 2 casualties so far.
> 
> Just wanted to share with you guys!
> YouTube - Mixed Crystal Red Srhimp


Nice tank. There so active haha. Just wondering if your using a co2 tank for your tank?


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## Tn23 (Apr 21, 2010)

clintgv said:


> Nice tank. There so active haha. Just wondering if your using a co2 tank for your tank?


Thanks and nope no co2 is being used.


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Hi Curtis,
> 
> I have no experience with that little livebearer, but I have cherry shrimp and endlers together.
> 
> ...


That is a good idea, perhaps if i get greens and cherries, let them settle in. And then would I be able to put CRS whith them? or is that to many shrimp for this size of tank?


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## curtisonrad19 (Oct 31, 2010)

Wait... that wouldnt work well CRS prefer softer water, whereas cherries and greens like harder and higher pH =/

Darn xD


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

I have yellow and green shrimp in ADA substrate and they breed and are even more coloured up then when they were in eco...

I think neocardinia species can adapt to a wider range of ph than other species of shrimp.

so yes you can have both living in the same tank, even if the ph is lower.... crs can live in a ph of 7 aswell.


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