Live plants and moss for shrimp tanks

The short answer

Plants are not required for keeping shrimp, but they make a tank easier. Their leaves and moss collect biofilm that shrimp graze on all day, they offer cover when shrimp molt, and they take up some ammonia and nitrate from the water.

Good plants to start with

Mosses

Java moss and Christmas moss are classic shrimp plants. Their dense strands trap food and biofilm, and baby shrimp can hide and feed in them. Tie or glue a small clump to a rock or wood and let it spread.

Java fern and anubias

Both are slow-growing, tolerate low light, and are attached to hardscape rather than planted in the substrate. Keep the thick horizontal stem, the rhizome, above the substrate, because burying it can make it rot.

Floating and stem plants

Hornwort, water sprite and guppy grass grow quickly and soak up nutrients, which helps keep a new tank steady. Floating plants also soften the light, which many shrimp prefer.

Before the plants go in

Plants sold in stores may have been grown with pesticides, and pesticides that are harmless to fish can kill shrimp. Rinse new plants well under running water, and if you can, hold them in a separate container for a couple of weeks before adding them to the shrimp tank. Treat the water in that container with a chloramine-neutralizing conditioner just as you would for the tank. Ask us in store about how a plant was grown.

Fertilizer and copper

Shrimp are very sensitive to copper, and some fertilizers and plant products contain it in small amounts. Choose products that say they are safe for shrimp, dose lightly, and stop if you see shrimp behaving oddly. Hardy plants like the ones above rarely need much, since shrimp waste and fish food already supply some nutrients.

Neocaridina and Caridina

The same plants work for both. Neocaridina in dechlorinated San Diego tap water have the most room for error. Caridina tanks are soft, acidic and low in buffer, so go lighter on fertilizer and add plants gradually. See shrimp tank setup and water parameters for the tank itself, and cycling a shrimp tank for when to add shrimp.

Questions we get asked

What are the best plants for a shrimp tank?

Hardy, low-light plants are the best place to start: java moss, Christmas moss, java fern, anubias, hornwort and water sprite. They are easy to keep, give shrimp surfaces to graze biofilm from, and do not need special lighting or CO2.

Do shrimp tanks need live plants?

They are not strictly required, but they help. Plants and moss give shrimp places to graze and hide, especially after a molt, and they take up some ammonia and nitrate. Most keepers find shrimp settle in faster in a planted tank.

Are live plants safe for shrimp?

The plants themselves are safe, but plants sold in stores are sometimes grown with pesticides, and some fertilizers contain copper. Rinse new plants well, quarantine them in a separate container for a couple of weeks if you can, and choose fertilizers that say they are shrimp-safe.

How do I plant anubias and java fern?

Attach them to rock or driftwood with thread or a dab of aquarium-safe gel glue. Their rhizome, the thick horizontal stem, should stay above the substrate, because burying it can make it rot.

Can I keep plants in a Caridina tank?

Yes. Many easy plants, including anubias, java fern and mosses, do well in the soft, acidic water Caridina need. Keep fertilizing light and check that anything you dose is shrimp-safe, since Caridina tanks have little buffer to absorb mistakes.

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