I never seem to have enough tank space. I hear of aquarists that have tanks setting empty with plans, to at some unspecified date, setup a new aquarium. Not me! If I don't already have plans when I purchase a new tank, I'll have something cooked up by the time I get it home. An empty tank is like a wasted opportunity.

  Now for those of you who don't know, baby shrimp are tiny and will be eaten by most fish. This is the problem at the root of this article. Not only do I not have empty tanks setting about, but also I like to get maximum use out of each and every tank I've got. That's what this article is all about, getting double duty from your shrimp tank.

  Let me say right off, after being in the aquarium hobby for 40+ years, just keeping aquatic critters alive doesn't do it for me any more. I like to create an atmosphere where my pets are healthy, happy and feel secure enough to produce offspring. Now granted, this is easier to do with some species than with others. With that in mind, here are two examples of how I get double duty from my shrimp tanks.

  As I stated earlier, almost all fish will eat baby shrimp. Even my tiny Celestial Pearl Danio. I though for a long time that they were just too small to eat shrimp, but I watched as a trio hunted down and ate their fill of Red Cherry shrimp babies one afternoon. Needless to say, I was very disappointed. Not only was I not going to be getting double duty out of this tank by keeping CPD with the shrimp, now I also needed another tank for the fish.

  Well it's true the adults didn't work out as I would have liked, but keeping CPD fry with shrimp is a match made in heaven! CPD fry are so small they require the tiniest of food. Java moss and other plants, like what I have in my shrimp tank, serve as a home for all sorts of tiny aquatic food. It's a virtual smorgasbord for the tiny fish. It is amazing how quick fish will grow when the majority of their diet is live food. Another concern when you are rearing fry is the water quality. Feed just a little too much commercial food, and water quality will suffer. Well that's not a worry when the tank contains shrimp to clean up.

  My second double duty tank is a work in progress. You see I love Otocinclus catfish. I keep them in almost all my shrimp tanks. After pretty much mastering keeping these delicate little fish happy and healthy, getting them to spawn was the next logical step. Through my research I found that a 20-gallon long, heavily planted, soft water shrimp tank, is also a great environment for spawning Otos. This tank is just coming together, but with a little luck, I'll have baby Otos by late spring.

  I might also add that I keep juvenile shrimp in my CPD breeding tanks. I've read accounts that shrimp are notorious egg eaters, but I haven't noticed that in my tanks. The shrimp are great for general clean-up duties and keeping the algae in check.