Small Planted Tanks for Pet Shrimp (8 pages) was written for people wanting to keep planted tanks. I show how to set up 1-gal bowls with small shrimp, which is an easy, inexpensive way to get started. Bowls shown at 1 month in photo were off to a good start and continued to do well. For hobbyists who want to try something a little different, I describe setting up small tanks with the Dry Start Method (DSM). With DSM, aquarium plants are grown emergent (in air) for the first 2-3 months before adding the water and the shrimp to the tank. Both methods involve using ordinary soil as a planting medium and keeping Red Cherry Shrimp, which are hardy, colorful, and cute.
Diana Walstad's Books and Articles 
After watching several popular YouTube videos about natural aquatic closed ecospheres, to look into making one of my own. Some commenters on those videos referred to your impressively researched aquarium-ecology book, which I have now finished and thoroughly enjoyed over the past several days.
But, being both itinerant in my career and new to the aquarium hobby, I cannot afford to invest many resources in large tanks. This introductory-level article about small (and relatively portable) shrimp tanks is perfect for my situation. Thank you for writing both the book and this article.
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To clarify my incomplete first sentence: I was initially inspired by watching YouTube videos about closed aquatic ecospheres before I found your book, but my intention now is to first try one of these low-maintenance shrimp tanks, which of course is not a closed system, receiving food and being open to the atmosphere. Although closed aquatic ecospheres are interesting in their own right…and of course they technically also not completely closed systems, since they receive environmental light.
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Thanks for comments. I started my shrimp bowls up again recently because they are so entertaining and trouble-free.
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Diana, thank you for all your writings! I’m reading through your book, and started a 1 gallon planted bowl following the video you made, using dwarf sag, hornwort and bacopa. 68-72degs. I’m waiting 1 month before I make the leap of adding shrimps, it makes me nervous! Plants look very good, getting indirect window light and fluorescent light in siesta mode. 3 weeks in, a few leaves on bacopa are melting on the bottom of stem, while the top is almost emergent. There’s been some gassing from substrate, which in your book says maybe CO2, maybe sulfur. Can’t smell anything. Doing weekly water change about 50%. Nitrates and nitrites have remained at zero. My test kit doesn’t do ammonia levels. pH 7.8, mod hard well water. Yesterday I saw a scud! It must have made its way in with the plants. From my reading, they should not be kept with shrimp as they can attack shrimp while molting, and attack any babies. Should I be concerned about gas bubbles from substrate? Do you think bacopa is just adjusting and losing a few leaves? And finally, should I avoid adding shrimp as long as scuds are present? Thank you
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I can understand your concern about scuds, as apparently they do not mix with shrimp.
You might consider just enjoying him, the plants, and whatever other critter pops up in the bowl. A 1-gal bowl may be too small to breed shrimp. I have had only one colony of RCS that ever bred in the bowl. The more delicate Blue Neocaridina died out within a few months. Shrimp seem to need a bigger population size than the 5-7 shrimp that will fit in a 1-gal bowl. Most shrimp breeders recommend at least 5-gal for breeding them. Of course, you might get lucky and/or maintain yours better than I did. If you do get shrimp, consider doing small partial (20-30%) water changes weekly. (I didn’t do this.)
Since it has been a month, I would scale back on the water changes. The soil layer should have settled down enough by now. Good to hear that your plants are doing well.
Scuds might be interesting in their own right. I have a thriving colony of large Daphnia (Daphnia magna) in one of my bowls that is easy to maintain and fun to watch.
Good luck!
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Thank you! I’m thinking the scud(s) will be fun. I’ll reduce water changes and see what magic happens 🙂
Angie
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HELLO, DIANA WALSTAD I HAVE 5 GAL AQUARIUM WHICH WAS SET UP ABOUT A 4 MONTHHS AGO MY SHRIIMP WERE ADDED A MONTH AGO AND THEY HAVE THANKFULLY. LATELY I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GAS BIULDUP AND I WANTED TO KNOW IIF IT WAS TOXIC FOR THE SHRIMP.
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