OpenTube

BEST Plants for Shrimp Keepers (BOOST Colony Growth) - Reaction

Old School Aquatics

7,322 views

Clickbait aquarium advice is exchanging misinformation to get internet views - and I think that is wrong.

I am reacting to this video by DALUA Fishroom titled: Best Plants for Shrimp Keepers (BOOST Colony Growth) to explain the actual science behind this clickbait nonsense.

Find the original video here:
BEST Plants for Shrimp Keepers (BOOST Colo...

In a world of content smothered in AI Slop and clickbait companies selling fear, I believe it will take other real people in this hobby to show the actual science.

The science of shrimp keeping shows us that success does not boil down to aquatic plant species selection - that is absurd.

Videos that are this misleading should be tarred and feathered publicly - and by keeping our heads down in silence we are contributing to this garbage being spread to new hobbyists.

About Old School Aquatics:

Our mission is to disrupt the freshwater aquarium supply chain by challenging the industry’s dependence on imported livestock.

We are building a domestic alternative capable of competing head-on with imports in price, scale, selection, and quality—while delivering healthier animals, greater transparency, and a more reliable supply chain.

Our goal is not to carve out a small niche in the aquarium industry. It is to change where freshwater aquarium livestock comes from.

We intend to make domestically produced fish the new standard.

If you make it all the way down here you should subscribe :P

20 Comments

@IchibanDan 1 month ago (edited) Pinned

The way people talk about shrimp on youtube youd think theyre were some mythical beast with alien requirements to breed

Shrimp is bugs 😂

Another great video man. And it was cool to meet you the other day at [redacted] fish store lol

Edit: didnt get to the end before commenting my god the last 3 tips were awful. Capping aquasoil with gravel should be illegal lol

@DrClare 1 month ago

Thank you for being a voice of reason and logic in the YouTube world. I found you via Shrimply Explained a couple of months ago. I made initial mistakes with shrimp myself, and did not fully appreciate the extent to which stable water chemistry was paramount to long-term shrimp health. So much YouTube content is either endless corporate-sponsored advertising, or egomaniacal self-promotion, and it can be difficult for many to navigate, especially when new to keeping shrimp. I am setting up two new shrimp tanks at the moment, and looking forward to having significantly more success this time around. I really appreciate that you (and Rick) cut through the fluff and misinformation, and provide the scientific resources and reasoning for the information you present. Keep doing what you're doing. This platform needs less snake-oil salesman, and more creators like you.

@valeleaccount1680 1 month ago (edited)

Would love a series explaining some of the different types of plants out there!

@ScholarsRetreat 1 month ago

Wow, I really found this whole video helpful. You, sir, are my kind of nerd! In my own shrimp keeping journey, it took me four years and four startovers to learn how to keep a breeding colony alive and thriving.

@user-gd1bf4fz8h 3 weeks ago

If it's just about surface area and protection, you'd get more benefit by buying a few packs of green scrub pads and just throwing them into the tank in a big pile. Hell, plant some bottle brushes and they'd work just as well.

On the topic of surface area, ceramic media honestly has terrible surface area/volume ratio. For any filters I have that need loose media of some sort, I stuff them with a combination of green scrub pads and k1 media (usually used for fluidized beds but works fine for static). The large holes and grooves encourage lots of flow so they don't clog up, but still get very slimy.

The biggest and most successful shrimp colony I ever saw lived in the canister filter for my friend's goldfish aquarium. Those were the biggest, healthiest neocaridina I've ever seen.

@engdog2 1 month ago

Dude I love these videos your doing.please keep doing these so much mis information out there.keep it up!!

@fobinc 1 month ago

The hardest thing about shrimp tanks is the level of filthy you can tolerate. A biofilm eater like shrimp normally struggle in a heavily planted tank that gets very frequent water changes.

@ClimberSeth 1 month ago

Just got some red cherries to start a breeder colony along with some chili rasboras that live in the cull tank. Love this video though, I have been doing a lot of research in the last month on these little creatures and I definitely appreciate your takes here. Also appreciate you just being "normal" rather than the performative clickbait we all absolutely love lol

@landonbryant2087 1 month ago

Great video. I like these reaction vids always good takes!
It is unfortunate that media is filled with overhyped videos with imposing opinions I think it’s in every hobby though

Also Adam ! Could you do a video on the different variations of shrimp ?

@burlymugg 1 month ago

very knowledgable, tell em how it is!

@ishowworkout 1 month ago (edited)

I kinda agree plants help producing more shrimps but the reason for it being the oxygen produced by plants completely dissolves in the water and helps the shrimp while even a big sponge filter that doesn't dissolve the oxygen correctly is basically less effective than a bubbling plant

@Plus_UltraAnime 1 month ago

5:14 I want a second that plants do not dictate whether or not your colony will succeed. If anything having too many plans could reduce the amount of algae that’s grown. Many successful tanks have green walls, which is hard to achieve with a heavily planted tank.

@Plus_UltraAnime 1 month ago

IMO the number one thing that builds and sustains a colony is green walls. That constant food source is crucial.

You could make an argument that lighting and lightning schedule is more important because it grows the green walls.

I suppose his video is targeted towards people keeping shrimp in a community tank. Which yes then you need hiding spots and plants and cover just to prevent predation. But I’d also argue that you probably wouldn’t build a colony this way. Especially if you’re keeping fish.

@heidipingu 1 month ago

I have 2 tanks with shrimp in. Different plants in each. As long as there is some cover for the shrimpies they seam to survive. Thanks ❤❤❤

@Rum_n_Bass 1 month ago

The dude’s click bait rolls over into his advertising on FB too. The ad will show some obscure contraption (probably something for saltwater since I never seem to know what it is), so I go hunting in the comments to see what it is out of curiosity. I eventually get to someone asking what it is and he chimes in to say he doesn’t know cause it gets auto generated and he can’t even see it in his end.

@destwong 1 month ago

Nop I been add coral stone in all my shrimp tank. It will solve some of the issue but not all. I got do test before if I didn't add any coral stone all of the shrimp will dead in a few week. I didn't use any minaral salt in my water. So a few coral stone in a shrimp tank will help. I also feed quite a lot of left over vegi to them it also might help. I understand u seen the issue from a breeders stand point. So that might be issue.

@Plus_UltraAnime 1 month ago (edited)

25:16 use aquasoil to buffer your kh (terrible for neocaridina and unnecessary) and also at the same time. Use seiryu stone. (While calcium is good for neos, ratio is important and these rocks are typically magnesium deficient). But what a confusing message. I always just remineralize.

Who caps aquasoil?!?

@AnaFolkenstal 4 weeks ago

I hate java moss… It's just everywhere and doesn't have a nice shape.
Christmas moss on the other hand looks fantastic.

@aquaskeptic 4 weeks ago

So many snake oil salesmen and naive true believers in this industry. Glad to see a new channel demonstrating critical thinking.

@miguelitoooooooooo 1 month ago

i find lots of fishtubers that make products will heavily turn to product placement. dalua, cory, kfs but i can’t blame em. i get where you’re coming from but i don’t think they are thinking deeper than “what should we make for the next video”