Do shrimp need a heater?

**DylanisHawttt** · 03-07-2012, 04:15 AM

I recently acquired a little tank from some hallmates and I was wondering, do shrimp need a heated tank? They tossed in a little filter which I was thankful for but I was planning on making it a plant heaven with moss everywhere and tons of Crypts.

**genocidex** · 03-07-2012, 04:40 AM

intuitively i would say yes they do, less change in temp would be less stress on anything. thus if you keep the tank with a heater you can hope there is no temp swings. but it seems the shrimp arent too particular about their temp. not sure tho... again just what im thinking

**hpt84** · 03-07-2012, 02:23 PM

Yes, shrimp are tropical and will require a heater. How big is your tank?

**DylanisHawttt** · 03-07-2012, 03:04 PM

It's a little 5.5g tank. I was asking because I've seen shrimp tanks with and without heaters. I knew they were tropical but I was unsure.

**sailor** · 03-07-2012, 03:22 PM

A lot of it depends on species of shrimp and how warm your house will keep the tank. I have an 8 gal tank I just started a week or so ago. The temp is staying a steady 76ish during the day and dropping to 74 at night. Depending on the species they can do well as low as 68. The Ideal temp for red cherry shrimp is 75

**hpt84** · 03-07-2012, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by sailor

A lot of it depends on species of shrimp and how warm your house will keep the tank. I have an 8 gal tank I just started a week or so ago. The temp is staying a steady 76ish during the day and dropping to 74 at night. Depending on the species they can do well as low as 68. The Ideal temp for red cherry shrimp is 75

Very true. If your house is warm, you may not need a heater, but my major concern is that your tank is very small. The smaller the tank the more the temperature will change due to the environment.

**korith** · 03-07-2012, 05:43 PM

I keep all my shrimp tanks at room temperature. I keep the apt around 74F which seems to be fine. If it gets too cold shrimp just won't be breeding as often or be that active.

**DylanisHawttt** · 03-07-2012, 06:18 PM

I'll probably just grab a little heater and toss it in because it's slowly changing from winter to spring and my roommate likes to open the window so I think the temperature would fluctuate a lot, thanks for the advice guys!