How to catch shrimp in a tank: nets, traps and baby shrimp
Shrimp are easy to watch and surprisingly hard to catch. In a planted tank they dart backward into moss, wood and gravel, and chasing them around with a net mostly stresses everything in the tank. Whether you're selling extras, culling for color, moving a colony or rescuing a shrimp from a fish tank, patience and the right tool do most of the work.
Pick the right net
Practical Fishkeeping notes that tiny nets of about 5–7.5 cm (2–3 inches) are good for shrimp and slow-moving fry, and its shrimp feature advises a shrimp-safe net because coarse nets can cause entanglement. Its advice on catching fry is the same: only the finest-textured nets, never coarse ones. Many shrimp nets sold online are simply small, very fine-mesh aquarium nets (fine mesh shrimp net). A square or flat-edged net works better than a round one, because you can hold it flush against the glass or the substrate.
The two-net method
The method most often recommended for fish works for shrimp too. Practical Fishkeeping calls it the sheep pen and sheep dog: hold one net still, and use the other to gently herd the animal toward it, then close the gap. A finger or a plant tong can be the "dog" for shrimp.
- Wait until feeding time, when shrimp gather in the open.
- Set the "pen" net flat against the glass or substrate, near where the shrimp are.
- Guide slowly with the second net or a finger. Shrimp flick backward when startled, so approach from the front and let them back into the net.
- Lift straight up and move the shrimp into a container of tank water right away.
Avoid fast, striking movements. They rarely work, and they knock into plants and equipment. Practical Fishkeeping also cautions that leaving the net in the tank first doesn't make fish less wary of it.
Use a bait trap
For catching lots of shrimp, or any in a heavily planted tank, a trap is often easier than a net. Practical Fishkeeping describes a simple bottle trap for fish: cut the top third off a clean plastic bottle, turn it around and push it back in to make a cone-shaped entrance, drop some food in the bottom and submerge it. Shrimp keepers use the same idea with shrimp food or a blanched vegetable, and commercial shrimp traps (shrimp trap) work the same way.
- Feed lightly the day before so the colony is interested in the bait.
- Leave it for an hour or two and check often. Tie a bit of line or airline tubing to the bottle so you can lift it out without disturbing the tank.
- Don't leave bait overnight in a small tank. Uneaten food fouls the water quickly; see what shrimp eat and how much.
- A plain dish works too. A shallow dish with food in it, lifted out slowly when shrimp are feeding, is a common no-cost version.
Catching baby shrimp
Shrimplets are only a few millimeters long and are easily hurt by a net. Many keepers instead use a large pipette, a turkey baster or a length of airline tubing as a slow siphon into a container. Point it near the shrimplet and draw gently; the water carries it in. This is also the easiest way to rescue shrimplets from a filter sponge or a water-change bucket. See baby shrimp care.
Catching a berried female
Moving a berried female is stressful and one of the most commonly reported reasons for dropped eggs, so the best option is usually to leave her where she is. If you must move her, a trap or a cup is gentler than chasing her with a net. See berried shrimp care.
Moving shrimp to another tank
- Hold them in their own tank water in a clean container while you catch the rest.
- Acclimate before releasing. If the new tank's water differs in temperature, GH or TDS, drip acclimate; see how to drip acclimate shrimp. Compare the two tanks against our shrimp water parameters chart.
- Use separate nets for a quarantine tank, and don't move water between tanks; see how to quarantine shrimp.
- Bag for travel. For selling or shipping, many keepers use a bag about one third tank water and two thirds air, kept warm and out of the light.
Catching all of them: tearing down a tank
If you're moving the whole colony, lower the water level first. Less water means less room to hide. Take out hardscape and plants one piece at a time over a container, because shrimp ride along on moss and leaves. Expect to find stragglers in the substrate and filter for a day or two; leave a little bait in the old tank and check it again.
Never release shrimp
Don't put unwanted shrimp, or tank water and plants, into ponds, streams or drains. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's risk screening for cherry shrimp records self-sustaining populations outside their native range, and UF/IFAS says populations found in Hawaii are believed to have come from the aquarium trade through accidental or intentional release. Give extras to another keeper or a store instead.
Track it
If you're culling or selling, note how many you move and from which tank on the free Maintenance Schedule printable, so you can see the colony recover.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to catch shrimp in a planted tank?
A bait trap. Put shrimp food in a bottle trap or shallow dish, wait for shrimp to gather and lift it out. It is gentler and faster than chasing them with a net.
What kind of net should I use for shrimp?
A small, very fine-mesh net, ideally square. Coarse nets can tangle shrimp legs; Practical Fishkeeping suggests tiny nets of about 5–7.5 cm for shrimp.
How do you catch baby shrimp?
Use a large pipette, a turkey baster or airline tubing as a gentle siphon into a container. Nets are too rough for shrimplets.
How do I catch shrimp without catching the fish?
Use a trap with a small entrance and shrimp food, or net shrimp at feeding time when they gather on the bottom. Release any fish that wander in.
Should I move a berried shrimp?
Usually not. Moving her is stressful and a common reason eggs are dropped. If you must, use a cup or trap rather than chasing her.
Do I need to acclimate shrimp when moving them between my own tanks?
Yes, if the water differs. Match temperature first and drip acclimate if GH, TDS or pH are different.
Sources: Practical Fishkeeping, Travels with your fish (tiny nets of 5–7.5 cm for fry or shrimps; the two-net "sheep pen and sheep dog" method; patience over fast, striking motions); Practical Fishkeeping, How to solve a problem like trapping fish (two nets; leaving a net in the tank doesn't make fish less wary; how to make a baited bottle trap and attach a line); Practical Fishkeeping, An introduction to shrimp (use a shrimp-safe net, as coarse nets can cause entanglement); Practical Fishkeeping, How to solve a problem like unexpected fry (catching fry delicately with only the finest nets); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) Ecological Risk Screening Summary, June 2025 (PDF) (self-sustaining cherry shrimp populations outside the native range); Cherry Shrimp Neocaridina davidi (UF/IFAS EDIS IN1301) (Hawaii populations believed introduced through the aquarium trade). Pipette, baster, dish and travel-bag methods are common hobby practice and recurring owner reports.