It is important to make sure that your planted aquarium does not contain any other inhabitants that could have the potential of consuming your shrimp. Dwarf shrimp are small and range anywhere from 1” to 2” and if kept in the same aquarium with larger fish like oscars, arowanas, discus, angelfish, rams, etc., they will easily see the shrimp as food. If you do plan to keep shrimp with inhabitants that have potential of eating the shrimp, it is important to make sure that your planted aquarium is heavily planted to provide some kind of protection. As a planted aquarium hobbyist who also keeps shrimp, I recommend only keeping shrimp with smaller fish like tetras and rasboras, or simply have shrimp as the only inhabitant in your planted aquarium.
Another important thing to take into consideration is your water parameters. If you are able to maintain quality water, you will have better success with keeping shrimp alive. It is important to make sure that there is no ammonia in your water , otherwise you will end up with dead shrimp. High levels of copper can also cause shrimp deaths. Temperatures of about 74-78 degrees F and a pH level between 6.4 and 7.2 are suitable for most dwarf shrimp today with the exception of Sulawesi shrimp, which requires harder water and a higher temperature.
Here are a few species of shrimp that I recommend to those who are new to keeping dwarf shrimp.
1) Amano Shrimp (Caridina japonica)
2) Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda var. red)
3) Crystal Red Shrimp (Caridina cantonensis sp. red)
If you are able to understand and accommodate these basic needs of dwarf shrimp, you should have no problem keeping them in your planted aquarium with success. Shrimp are neat little creatures that give your planted aquarium color, help control algae, and help finish any left over fish food that made its way to the bottom .