I have kept cherry shrimp in my aquarium without a filter for several months. When I added cherry shrimp to the tank, the first question that popped into my mind was if my cherry shrimp would survive without a filter or not. If you have the same question, this article is for you.
Cherry Shrimps can live or thrive without a filter only if the tank is densely planted and the bioload is extremely low. However, having a filter will provide better water quality for cherry shrimp which will ensure proper growth.
Many beginner shrimp keepers, in my experience, prefer to avoid buying a filter for their shrimp tank. Because shrimps are so little, they believe the filter is not essential.
Let’s clear up all the confusion, shall we?
Can You Keep Cherry Shrimp Without a Filter?
It is not recommended to keep shrimp without a filter. Keeping cherry shrimp without a filter can cause various trouble for the shrimp. The water quality of the shrimp tank might drastically become poor due to a lack of proper filtration.
Filters keep the water clean for the cherry shrimp tank, and having good biomedia in a filter helps to break down ammonia and nitrites.
So, in the absence of a filter, the ammonia level might spike, and this will ultimately cause various diseases to the cherry shrimp living in the tank.
In extreme cases, you might start losing all your cherry shrimp. That’s why I don’t recommend anyone to keep cherry shrimp in a tank without a filter.
Why Should You Get a Filter for Cherry Shrimps?
Regardless of the fishes, it contains, filters are required for all types of aquariums. Even if the tank is solely for shrimps, you will need a filter.
Many people believe that the filter’s duty is to purify the water. Filter does a lot more for a shrimp than that.
For the shrimps, the filter serves as a food source. In their shrimp tank, most shrimp keepers utilize a huge sponge filter. The sponge is an excellent filtering medium. Water is filtered both mechanically and biologically through the sponge.
Bacteria begin to develop their colony on the sponge’s surface. These are all helpful microorganisms that are essential in every aquarium.
The beneficial bacteria colony aids in-tank cycling and water quality stabilization. These bacteria are also enjoyed by shrimp.
Thus a sponge filter will provide your aquarium with:
- Food for the shrimps
- Maintain a healthy environment inside the tank
- Filtration (mechanical and biological)
Which Filter Should You Get for Your Cherry Shrimps?
For a cherry shrimp tank, there are a variety of filters to choose from. But you should get Sponge filters because they are excellent, inexpensive and they work just fine.
They are also good for shrimp because they create a safe environment for young shrimp to graze on biofilm. With a sand vacuum and regular water changes, you can keep the shrimp poop under control.
The pros of Sponge Filters are:
- Cheap
- Simple and easy to clean.
- Safely intense current
- Can be easily repaired
- Operates quietly
- Do well with other filter types as well
- Can be used in any aquariums
- Keeps up during power outages
The filter also has the advantage of requiring the least amount of maintenance. To filter the aquarium water, all you have to do is rinse and squeeze the sponge.
Choose a HOB filter (Hang On Back Filter) if you want to upgrade your system. HOBs are slightly more expensive than sponge filters. These filters, on the other hand, are well worth the money. If you can get an excellent HOB filter, it will serve you for years.
The fact that HOB has a separate chamber for placing the filter material is one of the reasons I prefer them. I can use any filter medium I like in the chamber. As a result, the HOB will have the ability to filter mechanically, biologically, and chemically.
Can Shrimp Survive without a Filter/Filtration?
Shrimp will survive without a filter if the aquarium is densely planted and the water is regularly changed to keep the ammonia level low.
Biofiltration allows you to keep the fish in the same tank for an extended period of time. It also cleans the water and increases the amount of oxygen in it. Both are beneficial to the health and color of cherry shrimp.
Furthermore, employing filters will save you time by eliminating the need to replace the tank water on a regular basis.
Is it Possible To Keep Shrimp Without a Filter?
Many shrimpers may advise that you change aquarium water on a regular basis rather than investing in a filter, but I respectfully disagree.
Honestly speaking, replacing fish tank water with tap water instead of biological filtration is a poor technique to care for your shrimps.
If you don’t have a filter, you’ll have to do massive water changes regularly, which will hamper water stability to a great extent.
It causes the shrimp to become more anxious and stressed. As a result, you’ll notice a slower pace of development and breeding. It also has a negative impact on their health.
Additionally, employing filters will save you time by eliminating the need to replace the tank water on a regular basis.
Do Cherry Shrimp Need a Sponge Filter?
Yes, cherry shrimp need sponge filters more than anything. Sponge filters is the most popular type of filter for shrimp tanks.
Sponge filters are the most popular ones out there. It’s because sponge filters are cheap and effective. Sponge filters are just big sponges with an airlift or a water pump sucking water through them.
If you have a sponge filter in your shrimp tank, you will see that shrimps will always stick around the filter and eat sucked-in foods and biofilms that grow in the filter.
Sponge filters won’t let shrimp fries get sucked in, like most other types of filters might.
Related Questions
Can Cherry Shrimp Survive Without A Heater?
Cherry Shrimps may live without one as they can survive temperatures as low as 50 degrees F. But at lower temperatures, they will not breed.
If the temperature in your room does not fall below 68 degrees Fahrenheit that is ok. You also don’t want temperatures to vary too much.
Can You Keep Cherry Shrimp In A Bowl?
Shrimp, unlike fish, can coexist safely in an unheated fishbowl. Of course, the water should be monitored closely, since it can rapidly get dirty if it isn’t changed on a regular basis if the shrimp are overfed.
Do Cherry Shrimp Need Oxygen?
Cherry shrimp does require oxygen like any other living organism. However, if your tank is not adequately planted, you can add an aerator or air pump for adequate oxygen supply.
Will Ghost Shrimp Require A Filter As Well?
Ghost shrimps are famous for their cleanliness and hygiene. Even so, we propose using a biofiltration system to improve water hygiene and speed up the ghost shrimp’s self-cleaning process.
Final Thoughts:
I don’t believe you need the most expensive filter for a cherry shrimp tank but you do need one for keeping them healthy.
I’ve used just a sponge filter for many years and have had good results. So, don’t limit yourself by assuming that a filter must cost at least a good hundred dollars.
A filtration system improves the cherry shrimp water tank’s hygiene, and it’s straight from the middle of a bat. As a result, a biological filtration system for the cherry shrimp tank is recommended.
