Acclimating new shrimp

Shrimp are sensitive to changes in TDS and pH. Rushing this is the most common way to lose a new batch, and it's entirely avoidable.

1. Float the sealed bag for 20 minutes to equalise temperature.
2. Drip acclimate for 2-3 hours. Airline tubing with a knot in it, 2-3 drops per second, until the volume has roughly tripled.
3. Net the shrimp into your tank. Do not pour the shipping water in. It's ammonia-laden from transit.
4. Lights off, no food, leave them alone for 24 hours.

The bigger the gap between our parameters and yours, the slower you should go. That's why we print ours on every listing and on a card in the box.

What's normal in the first week

• Hiding for a day or two. They're fine.
• A molt within the first few days. It looks like a translucent, hollow shrimp shape, usually split at the neck. That's a good sign. Leave it in the tank, they eat it back for the minerals.
• Little interest in food while they graze biofilm instead.

A molt is translucent and hollow. A dead shrimp is opaque and pink-white. Learn the difference in week one. Mistaking molts for deaths causes a lot of unnecessary panic.