Art Of Shrimp Tank Design: 32 Inspiring Setup Ideas

Who doesn’t want to give their shrimp the best home? Artistic people always want to create shrimp tanks with unique designs. Hence, shrimp enthusiasts look for shrimp tank setup ideas.

In this article, I’ve shared 32 shrimp tank design ideas. You can pick any of them and start working on the tank setup. So, let’s go through the details.

1. Simple And Natural Shrimp Tank Design With Plants

MaterialsTank, aquatic plants, filter, lighting, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

If you’re a beginner, you can choose this simple shrimp tank set-up design. For this, you will need a 5-10 gallon tank, plant growth substrate, aquatic plants, a gentle filtration system, lighting, and light fixtures. You can add additional items that are required for your pet shrimp.

In this natural shrimp tank design, you need to keep the plant growth substrate of a 1-2 cm thick layer. The aquarium plants will receive proper nutrition from the bottom layer. Besides, you can add Anacharis, Hairgrass dwarf, hornwort, Red root floater, etc.

2. Dutch Style Shrimp Tank Design

MaterialsTank, plants, lighting, CO2 system, filtration system with a gentle current, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

If you want to create an underwater garden in your shrimp tank, you can choose this Dutch-style tank design. The main focus of this tank design is to encourage the growth of aquatic plants. You can make your shrimp tank unique by making the arrangements of aquatic plants simple.

In addition, you will require to inject CO2 and heavy fertilization in this tank setup. Also, you should add strong aquarium lighting to boost the growth of stem plants.

3. Cliff And Beach-Looking Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, sand, substrate, nano plants, rocks, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy going

Another art of shrimp tank design can be portrayed by this cliff and beach-looking tank. In one corner of the tank, you should pile up the substrate and rocks. Then, you can make cliffs by arranging some lava rocks.

It’ll create a mountain view with cliffs in your shrimp tank. Lock small holes in this section with right-sized rocks. In the mountain section, you can keep some nano aquarium plants.

The other empty side will be the beach area. You need to put medium-grained sand in the beach part. Your shrimp may love this beachy shrimp tank with a mountain and cliffs in one corner.

4. Low Tech Planted Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, rocks, filter, aquarium cooling fan, bio-balance bacteria, hideouts, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

If you want to make a planted tank without injected CO2, it’ll be a low-tech tank. You can apply this tank design method to your shrimp.

After adding a layer of soil, you can keep other required things in the shrimp tank. Such as lava rocks, caves, plants, filtration-system, etc. In this tank set-up, the plants will grow without extra CO2.

This low-tech tank design looks simple. But, it’ll be low maintenance shrimp tank that can be readily handled by any beginners.

5. Floating Plants And Rock-Based Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, smooth-edged rocks, aquatic plants, floating plants, CO2 equipment, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate.

If you do not want to add much stuff, you can go for this tank setup. You will require some big rocks, plant growth substrate, a few aquatic and floating plants, lighting, etc. Installing filter and CO2 equipment will bring the entire thing together.

Also, this tank design doesn’t encourage heavy plant growth. So, you should choose small aquatic plants. Such as Cryptocoryne parva, Hemianthus callitrichoides, S. repens. etc.

Lastly, you need to add some floating plants on the top layer of the water level. In the final look, you can enjoy the clear view of the tank where the shrimp are swimming around the rocks.

6. Dark Forest Vibed No Filter Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, rocks, plants, moss, generic lighting, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

The specialty of this special tank design is it is having no filter and no heater. We’ll show you how to create a dark forest vibe in your shrimp tank.

Firstly, you need to add the hardscape materials into the tank. Make a layer of a substrate at the bottom of the tank.

Afterward, you need to place some lava rocks that’ll be a good habitat for beneficial bacteria. Do not forget to keep one side of the tank as a black background.

The next thing that you can do is to keep some moss over the rocks. To increase the natural look, you can add some plants and wood. When the plants and moss grow a bit, it’ll give you a dark and wild vibe.

7. Mini Shrimp Aquascape On Bowl

MaterialsBowl, substrate, pebbles, nano plants, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

Do you want to try something new for your shrimp? Then, you can set up your shrimp tank in a bowl instead of a square tank. It’ll look like a mini shrimp aquascape.

See also  How Many Shrimps Does It Take To Start A Colony?

At first, you should take a one-fifth portion to the bowl to fill up with substrate. You can use gravel, sand, or plant growth substrate. Then, you can add small aquatic plants to the bowl. Such as hornworts, Anubias Nana Petite, Java moss, etc.

If you want a grass-like carpet in your shrimp tank, you can add dwarf hair grass. Lastly, adding water and shrimp will make the mini shrimp tank complete.

8. No Filter Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, woods, light, aquatic plants, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

Do you want to try something unique for your shrimp tank setup? Then, what about a no-filter shrimp tank design?

Firstly, you can place some wood and rocks. For this no-filter tank design, you need to choose slow-growing plants. Such as Anubias, Umbrella Hairgrass, Dwarf Hairgrass, Juncus repens, Crypt Walkeri, etc. Add some weeping moss to the woods.

Since there should be no filter in the tank, you need not inject CO2. Fulfill this tank setup by adding shrimp at the end.

9. Shrimp Heaven With Separate Food Corner & Bucephalandra

MaterialsTank, soil, bacteria powder, rocks, under gravel filter, Bucephalandra, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

This tank style is known as shrimp heaven where you should not place soil all over the bottom layer. The tank is unique for its small separate corner. You can keep a small empty box or a section with a barricade.

This corner is placed to keep food for your shrimp. As a result, the food will not get mixed with the soil. 

Finally, you should add some moss, rocks, and colorful aquatic plants. Last but not least, several types of Bucephalandra will steal the show of this tank design. After completing the cycle, you can add a colony of high-grade shrimp of your choice.

10. Dirt-Planted Walstad Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, organic soil, cave, plants, lighting, etc.
Difficulty LevelEasy

Do you want your shrimp tank to be ecologically balanced? Then, you can choose the Walstad shrimp tank. It’ll be mainly a dirt-planted aquarium.

So, you need to make a 3-4 cm layer of organic topsoil, normal soil, or aquarium soil at the bottom. Then, you should add a layer of gravel or sand over the layer of soil.

Further, you can add some aquatic plants, caves, rocks, and light. This shrimp tank can run without any regular water changes or filtration system. So, adding a filter and heater will be your optional choice.

11. Glass Bubble Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, glass bubbles, aqua soil, nano plants, light, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate.

The glass bubble shrimp tank is a cute and unique tank design. Here, the main hero of this tank setup is glass bubbles. Firstly, you need to place different-sized hollow glass bubbles.

Then, you should pour aqua soil into those glass bubbles. Keep some moss balls, hideouts, and woods in the tank. Besides, you can implant some nano plants into the soil of those glass bubbles.

Glass bubble tank setup brings another dimension to the art of shrimp tank design. After adding water, the glass bubbles with plants will look like small floating gardens in the shrimp tank.

12. Heavily Planted Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, grass, aquatic plants, CO2 system, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

The main hero of this tank design is aquatic plants. This tank setup almost looks like dutch style tank setup. In this tank setup, you will not need any rocks or wood.

You can maintain leaf size and color variation. Instead of making a messy design, you should keep a specific space for specific plants. Making a contrast design with aquatic plants will increase the beauty of your shrimp aquarium.

13. Epic Planted Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, light, rocks, soil, plant growth stimulating powder, aquatic plants, filter, CO2 equipment, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

If you plan to set up a planted tank, you can customize your ideas in several ways. After making a base layer with soil, you should add the crushed powder of some growth-stimulating tablets for plant roots. Then, you can decorate your shrimp tank by placing some medium-sized rocks and pebbles.

This tank design looks different due to keeping some room for sand in the soil. The sand area will help you separate multiple types of carpeting plants. Finally, you can put aquatic plants of your choice.

Within a few weeks, you’ll find a stunning tank. It’ll have carpet-like grass, lightly dense plants, and a sand area in the middle. Unlike densely planted tanks, epic planted shrimp tanks will make the shrimp activity visible to you.

14. Natural Nano Tank Setup By Driftwood

MaterialsTank, driftwood, substrate, aquatic plants, filter, lighting, light fixture, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

You can try another shrimp tank design by prioritizing driftwood. The design can be created over a layer of substrate at the bottom of the tank. Mini hair grass can add a carpet-like look to the shrimp tank.

In this nano tank, the star of the show is driftwood. You can add 7-10 driftwoods which maintain the ecosystem, pH, buffer, and natural look of the shrimp tank. To make the tank homier, you can also add some aquatic plants to your shrimp tank.

15. Nano Shrimp Aquascape

Materials50-55 gallon tank, substrate, large rocks, plants, lighting, and filtration system.
Difficulty levelEasy

If you have a hobby of aquascaping, you can try this for your shrimp tank. Firstly, you should take a 50-55 gallon glass tank. Afterward, you can fill the bottom layer of the tank with a mineral-rich substrate. You can also add small pebbles, sand, and aquarium gravel.

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Since it is a low-budget setup, you need not do too much stuff. After adding substrate, you can place large rocks and a few plants. These will help your shrimp hide in the tank.

To increase the beauty of the tank, you can add some floating plants over the water layer. After adding shrimp, you’ll finally get a fascinating nano aquascape as your shrimp tank.

16. Simple Ecosystem Bowl

MaterialsBowl, topsoil, pebbles, nano plants, lighting, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

You might have heard about the ecosystem tank. Now, you can modify this idea into a bowl. There will be a beautiful balance between abiotic and biotic components.

You will require a mixture of pebbles, topsoil, and aquatic pond compost. In addition, you can add dragon stone, fern, anubias, etc. Add some colorful, slow-growing nano plants.

These plants will work as a filter in this ecosystem bowl. So, it is a no-filter shrimp bowl. Finally, complete the tank setup with water and shrimp.

17. Shrimp Cave Tank Design

MaterialsTank, aqua soil, filter, heater, lighting, aquarium plants, cave, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

Another fascinating idea is to create caves in your shrimp tank. It’ll make a simple environment with soil, caves, and nano plants.

The first step is to make a 2-3 inched layer of aqua soil. Do not forget to add the required equipment. Such as a filter, heater, lighting, etc. Now, you need to add the main show of the tank.

You can make a cave with different-sized mineral rocks. Besides, you can add some coconut hides. To increase the aesthetics, you can implant some fern, java moss, Hygrophila Difformis, and other nano plants. 

Now, it seems like you’ve created the habitation for your shrimp in an underwater cave. Also, you should leave some alder cones, Catappa leaves, Catappa barks, etc. These will enrich the quality of the water by adding tannins.

18. Iwgumi Style Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, stones, lighting, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

One of the most popular aquascaping is the Iwgumi style. If you want to create a stone-structured formation in the tank, you can choose the Iwagumi landscape.

In this tank design, stones play the main role. So, you need to focus on the number, size, height, color, and texture of the stones. You can arrange the rocks in your way.

To highlight the rock formation, you should keep the plants minimal. Some popular selections for plants are carpet flora, dwarf hair grass, etc. The entire tank setup will give you a vibe of minimalism and simplicity.

19. Budget-Friendly Shrimp Dragon Aquarium

MaterialsTank, dragon stones, pebbles, plants, LED light, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

Shrimp tank setup is all about manifesting your ideas. Shrimp dragon aquarium will give you the appearance of dragons’ passing on. To keep the tank budget-friendly, we’ll keep the shrimp tank simple.

The main attraction of this tank design is dragon stones. You can arrange the dragon stones in such a way as to look like a fort. At the bottom, you should keep piles of pebbles and substrate.

Since it’s a low-budget tank, you should keep the planting low. That’s why, you should choose some low-maintenance plants.

20. Porous Hiding Caves Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, aqua soil, porous hiding caves, ceramic rings, lighting, plants, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

You can focus on hiding caves while designing your shrimp tank. It’ll create a simple outlook with a few ceramic rings, porous hideouts, and plants. This stuff should be available in any pet store. Also, you can keep some porous driftwood too.

To make the tank lucrative, you can separate the space into two layers. On the one side, you can add aqua soil and fertilizer. You can implant some aquarium plants in that section.

in the middle, you can arrange the tank ornaments. Your shrimp can hide and play in the pores of the caves. Not to mention, the beneficial bacteria can find proper spaces in these ceramic rings.

21. Planted Shrimp Jar

MaterialsJar, soil, fertilizer, filter, lighting, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

You might have familiar with shrimp tank setup in an aquarium or a bowl. Shrimp tank design can go into another dimension if you choose a jar as the tank. In this tank design, your focus should be making an eco-friendly planted shrimp jar.

You should fill the bottom layer of the jar with the substrate, aqua soil, and fertilizer. Besides, you should keep some décor items in the tank. Such as coconut caves, rocks, driftwood, pebbles, etc. These hideouts will give your shrimp spaces to take shelter.

The main highlight of this jarrarium should be planted. You can start with rapidly growing plants. Such as Spagittaria grass, Vallisneria, etc.

Also, you can add some pompous and showy plants like Hornwort, Tiger Lilies, Water Wisteria, Amazon swords, java fern, Asian Ambulia, large Anubias, etc. Since it is a planted jar, you should remain concerned with the fertilizer, lighting, CO2 injector, etc.

Keep some extra focus on pH fluctuations due to excess CO2 injection. Moreover, you might experience algae blooming in your shrimp jar. But, the planted shrimp jar will replicate the natural underwater environment.

22. Shrimp Mountain Tank Design

MaterialsTank, soil, sand, aquarium grass, different-sized rocks, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

The art of shrimp design is mainly based on your ideas. You can create a mountain in your shrimp tank instead of having a contemporary look. So, it’ll be an Iwagumi tank formation due to its rock-based idea.

Firstly, you need to cover a three-fourth portion of the tank with sand. The next thing to do is to arrange different-sized rocks. Arrange the rocks in such a way that pull off the look of the mountain scale.

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You can fill the rest of the aquarium with aqua soil and fertilizer. Afterward, you can implant some nano plants. Such as Hairgrass, Cryptocoryne Parva, Monte Carlo, etc. You should not choose fast-growing or larger plants.

Since you need to follow the Iwagumi tank style, you should keep it simple. Your shrimp will find an underwater mountain in their captivity.

23. Shrimp Sanctuary With Driftwood

MaterialsTank, sand, pebbles, elderly rocks, Redmoor wood, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

Driftwood is a natural coral décor item that can be the main focus of your shrimp tank. If you are a minimalistic lover, you can go for this tank design. The popular choice can be Redmoor wood driftwood.

The first step is to place the driftwood in the bare tank. To fix the position of driftwood, you need to place some elderly stones. These stones will help your driftwood not to float up after adding water into the tank.

If you want to add more aesthesis, you can place the driftwood over a pile of pebbles and sand. Another unique thing about this tank is not adding any fertilizers. The tank design will promote a driftwood-based tank that works as a shrimp sanctuary.

To keep the tank look simple, you should not add fast-growing plants. Lastly, you can add almond leaves, filters, lighting, and other required equipment.

24. Simple Décor-Based Shrimp Tank

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/monster_cichlids/
MaterialsTank, cave, hollow log, driftwood, lighting, floating plants, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

If you want to keep your shrimp tank simple, you can choose only décors to set up the tank. In this tank design, there will be no soil or fertilizer. Besides, you can keep the number of plants low.

The main focus of this shrimp tank is décor items. You can include large rocks, driftwood, pebbles, porous caves, hollow-hole logs, etc. Also, you can add some floating plants to this shrimp tank setup.

25. Low Tech Overgrown Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, fertilizer, plants, lighting, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelHard

If you are a maximalist, an overgrown tank will be accurate for your shrimp. This tank design will readily attract attention due to its overgrown plants, bright coloration, and textures of plants.

Since your intend to make the tank heavily planted, you should make a good layer of the substrate. Add substrate, organic soil, fertilizers, and other helpful components for plant growth. Afterward, you need to choose fast-growing plants.

You can go for showy plants like Amazon sword, Green Myrio Foxtail, java fern, Asian Ambulia, Jungle Vallisneria, etc. Make sure to create an optimal environment for these plants. Although it’s an overgrown shrimp, you need not keep any CO2 injection.

26. New Shrimp Tank Setup With S. Repens

MaterialsTank, aqua soil, substrate, lighting, S. repens, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

You can create a natural shrimp tank by highlighting S. repens plants. These plants are freshwater aquatic plants that can grow up to 10 cm. Because of low-maintenance plants, you will not have much hassles to set up this tank design.

The tank set up with S. repens will give your shrimp the vibe of an underwater garden. You can also add branches, driftwood, décors, etc. But, you must keep S. repens as the main show of the tank.

Also, you must not forget to keep a layer of quality plant substrate with fertilizers. Since it’s a planted shrimp tank, you should remain concerned about the pH and other water parameters. In addition, you can provide supplementary nutrients for the aquarium plants.

27. Shrimp Nursery Tank

MaterialsTank, substrate, glass divider, aquarium plants, décor items, etc.
Difficulty levelHard

This tank setup is one of the most stunning aquarium designs. The entire shrimp tank will give you an appearance of a nursery due to the different types of arranged plants.

For this setup, you need to divide the tank into four or more parts. You can make the alignment of partitions as you wish. Then, you need to choose specific-sized aquarium plants for each section.

In addition, you can keep small plants in potted décor items. Besides, you can add some bridge of coconut shell. Also, you should keep some ferns over these bridges.

28. Low Budget Aquascape

MaterialsTank, locally collected rocks, soil, filter, plants, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

You’ll decorate your shrimp tank according to your budget. In a low-budget aquascape, you can keep the required items for your shrimp.

For this, you can keep some large rocks in the tank. In this tank design, we encourage you to select locally collected rocks. These rocks will occupy huge spaces in the tank. So, you will require less soil in this low-budget aquascape.

Then, you can add some low-maintenance plants to your shrimp tank. Besides, you can keep a few branches and décor items.

29. Reef And Stone Aquarium

MaterialsTank, live rocks, stones, sand, filter, lighting, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

Till now, you’ve got several types of ideas about planted aquariums. If you want to try something new, you can set up a reef aquarium. To create this tank, you can add live corals, large stones, and pebbles.

This tank design will give your shrimp a vibe of a tropical coral reef environment. You need to keep a layer of sand at the bottom of the tank. This sand will work as a filter.

But, you should keep a filter, heater, lighting, and other basic component. Regular water change can keep the water parameters ideal for your shrimp in this reef aquarium.

30. Simple Shrimp Playground With Cholla Wood

MaterialsTank, soil, cholla wood, plants, filter, etc.
Difficulty levelEasy

Let’s take a look at another simple shrimp tank for minimalistic lovers. In this tank design, you need not make the tank congested with too much stuff. Here, the highlights of this tank design are cholla woods.

After making a layer of substrate and soil, you can put the cholla wood in the middle of the tank. Also, you can place some large stones. To enhance the beauty of the tank, you can put some java fern over these stones.

When you add shrimp to the tank, you’ll find them playing in the middle of these woods and stones. These hardscapes will create a small playground for your shrimp. The excellent part of this tank design is getting clear views from this setup.

31. Shrimp Tank Tower With Rock Hardscape

MaterialsTank, sand, soil, large stones, pebbles, aquarium plants, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

The shrimp tank tower design will show you a nice way to set up the tank with a rock hardscape. To make a hardscape, you should arrange small to large-sized rocks. Afterward, you need to close the small nook and corner with pieces of cotton and pebbles.

Then, you can separate the tank into two areas. Keep sand on the outer side of the rock hardscape. On the contrary, you can add aqua soil and pebbles inside the rock tower.

Not to mention, you must keep a few plants in your shrimp tank. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult for your shrimp to survive. So, you can add Pogostemon Erectus, Rotala  Bonsai, Limnophila Sessiliflora, Hygrophila Polysperma, etc.

After completing the setup, it seems like your shrimp will inhabit the rock tower. Another feature of this tank design is adding no heater, no filter, and no CO2.

32. Buce And Driftwood Lowtech Shrimp Tank

MaterialsTank, soil, Bucephalandra, java fern, Anubias, chili rasbora, driftwood, etc.
Difficulty levelModerate

In this tank design, you can fill your shrimp tank with aquarium plants and driftwood. You can keep fast-growing plants in the tank. For example- Bucephalandra, Java fern, chili rasbora, Anubis, etc.

Due to making low-tech aquariums, you need not ingest any CO2. The higher texture of plants and woods can give a jungle vibe. Your shrimp can smoothly play and hide in those planted sections.

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Muntaseer Rahman

About Author

Hello, I’m Muntaseer Rahman, the owner of AcuarioPets.com. I’m passionate about aquarium pets like shrimps, snails, crabs, and crayfish. I’ve created this website to share my expertise and help you provide better care for these amazing pets.

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