5 Best Substrates for Aquarium Shrimp

If you're considering a shrimp tank as your next aquarium project, selecting an appropriate substrate will be an important decision. Substrates can give an aquarium a unique aesthetic, but they also harbor beneficial bacteria and play an important role in the overall health of your tank. In this post, we're going to recommend 5 of the best substrates for aquarium shrimp.

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Our Top 5

Hobbyists new to plant keeping should be looking for key ingredients, Potassium Nitrate, Monopotassium phosphate, and Micronutrients (CSM). These are the organic compounds that fuel plant growth, which is throttled by light intensity. In the wild, these nutrients are readily available in an aquatic plant's native habitat, but in an aquarium, it's up to you to recreate these conditions.

Eco-Complete

CaribSea is known for its wide variety of substrate offerings, and planted tank hobbyists may already be familiar with Eco-Complete, a volcanic soil that contains many of the nutrients needed for aquatic plant growth. While this substrate is often recommended for planted tanks, we love the look of the dark-colored gravel in a shrimp tank. Best of all, it gives hobbyists some flexibility if they plan on adding live aquatic plants in the future.

Flourite Red

Hobbyists looking to create a unique tank with a desert-like aesthetic should consider Flourite Red. This substrate's gravel is slightly larger than the previously mentioned Eco-Complete, and we love the look of this substrate with dark-colored aquarium shrimp, such as blue dream shrimp, or the more rare black-colored neocaridina color morph.

CaribSea Super Naturals

Hobbyists keeping corydoras in their shrimp tanks may want to consider CaribSea Super Naturals River Sand. This light-colored sand goes great with virtually any type of aquarium shrimp, as their coloration contrasts nicely with this substrate's granules. Some hobbyists may be interested in using the sand to create unique tank designs, such as "artificial roads" that cut through darker-colored gravel substrates.

Play Sand

If you live close to a Home Depot or Lowe's home improvement store, you may be surprised to know that Play Sand is a viable substrate for shrimp aquariums. This type of sand is very cost-effective, but hobbyists should be aware that not all play sands are suitable for aquariums. We cover the topic in more detail in our related post Best Aquarium-Safe Play Sand.

Pool Filter Sand

Wrapping up our list is Pool Filter Sand. This type of sand is often recommended as one of the best substrates for discus due to its granule size, but it is also suitable for aquarium shrimp. Similar to the previously mentioned CaribSea Super Naturals, we love the look of this sand with dark-colored shrimp, which creates an eye-catching contrast of color for folks observing your aquarium.

Conclusion

That concludes our list of 5 of the best substrates for aquarium shrimp, as you can see, most aquarium-safe substrates are perfect for shrimp keeping. We tend to pick substrates that contrast with our shrimp's colors, so that they can easily stand out in our tanks, but ultimately the substrate you choose is whatever you think looks best. Do you have any experience with the substrates on this? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to visit our marketplace, where you can find unique shrimp color morphs for your next aquarium.