Acclimation Protocol Guide

The Drip Acclimation Protocol

Welcome to The Shrimp Cartel. Every specimen dispatched from our Salem, Connecticut breeding facility is 100% USA homebred, selectively conditioned, and shipped under strict environmental controls.

Because freshwater invertebrates maintain delicate osmotic balances, sudden changes in total dissolved solids, general hardness, or acidity can induce premature molting stress. To ensure your new colony thrives from day one, you must execute the following precision drip acclimation protocol.

Step 1: Package Inspection & Temperature Equalization

Inspect the shipping container immediately upon delivery. Confirm that the specimen bag remains sealed and intact.

Place the bag on a table near the tank where the shrimp are going to reside for twenty to thirty minutes. This allows the internal water temperature inside the bag to gradually match your room temperature without altering water chemistry.

Step 2: The Drip Acclimation Setup

Carefully open the transport bag and transfer the shrimp along with their transport water into a clean acclimation container or small bucket.

System Setup Details

Fasten standard airline tubing to your aquarium using a suction cup or clamp.
Attach an adjustable control valve to the lower end of the tubing, or tie a loose overhand knot in the line to control water flow.
Start a siphon from your display aquarium into the acclimation container.
Calibrate the flow to a steady rate of two to three drops per second.

Step 3: Volume and Parameter Matching

Allow the aquarium water to drip into the container until the total water volume has doubled or tripled. Use a calibrated digital meter to measure the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the container.

Shrimp Type	Acclimation Duration	Completion Metric
Neocaridina	60 to 90 minutes	Once the acclimation water closely aligns with your target aquarium TDS, the cycle is complete.
Caridina Lines	90 to 120 minutes

Step 4: Netting and Introduction

Gently net the shrimp out of the acclimation container and release them directly into your aquarium. Keep aquarium lights turned off for the first twelve hours following introduction. Dim conditions minimize stress, prevent disorientation, and allow your new livestock to explore biofilm surfaces safely.

Crucial Directive: Bio-Security

Never pour shipping water directly into your display tank. Always discard the transport water after the shrimp have been netted out.

Step 5: Feeding Your New Shrimp

Withhold feeding for the first 24 hours post-introduction. This allows the shrimp to consume existing biofilm and gives their digestive bacteria time to adjust to the new water parameters.

Over the next two days, feed snowflake and powder food, and avoid high-protein options.

Pro-Tip: Prepare the Tank Early

Add botanicals like Catappa leaves (Indian almond leaves) and mulberry leaves to your tank at least five days before your shrimp arrive. They will generate microfauna and biofilm, which are vital for your shrimp's immediate health and grazing instincts.

Download the Water Acclimation Guide (PDF)

The green demons and moss I received were top notch . Color was fantastic and they looked very healthy and active right after shipping. They were very well packaged as well w a cooling pack and a lot of packing fluff . They are the real deal. The transaction from start to finish was phenomenal. The dedication and passion shown was appreciated. Would highly recommend for anyone on the fence.

Great seller. Fast shipping. Excellent livestock!!!
Vibrant and active.

Received my shrimp! They’re beautiful, very active and very healthy! Packaged great, very caringly! Thank you!!!

Great communication, fast shipping, quality shrimp.

I live that I have found a high quality shrimp breaded here in the US. Care when packaging shrimp and great combination if needed. Thanks Marcos

I will certainly be a reg customer

Got my delivery today , I’m so excited, ordered the skittles and the plants and am so happy with the purchase. Going to wait for all to settle in and will sure be ordering more , it’s a 40 gal tank so it will be full of skittles and plants when all is said and done! Marco you do a great job ,looking very forward to doing more business with you !

Just got my delivery today , so excited ,they are so cute! When I let them loose they all took off finding their own spaces. I’m very happy with my purchase of the skittles and the grasses are beautiful!
Thank you Marco

I got to to meet the cartel boss himself, and I have to say not only are his shrimp quality top notch, but the man behind the business is a brilliant and passionate guy. Absolutely loved our interaction, love the shrimp and can't recommend his stock more for quality, over quantity. 10/10

The health and well being of the shrimp were an utmost concern of Shrimp Cartel as packaged so well

These are beautiful healthy shrimp. The utmost care was giving to package and ship these beauties

Excellent customer service

I first met Marcos, the owner of The Shrimp Cartel, back in January 2026 when I was searching for a local neo shrimp breeder. Whenever I found his website, and saw that he was in Salem, Connecticut, I was overjoyed, as I live in Connecticut as well. I reached out to him via his website to ask if this was for real. It was indeed for real, so the next question was, could I visit him. That visit to his home lasted 5 hours as he is a plethora of knowledge and information about raising and breeding shrimp successfully. His basement serves as the shrimp spectacular, and I promise you it is just that. The time, money, and passion he pours into his hobby of shrimp raising is like nothing I have ever seen before. He freely teaches, coaches and encourages you to enter into the shrimp keeping hobby, and his passion exudes from him each and every time he speaks about them. I have now purchased hundreds of shrimps from him with a very high success rate. He follows up with you to see how things are going, and he always answers your questions. I have also purchased mystery snails from him, and he has also taught me how to cultivate the snail egg sacks. He makes homemade food for the shrimp and snails; he grows plants himself and attaches them to tubes to give the shrimp a hiding place both inside the tubes and the plants. Everything he does is well thought out and strategically executed. I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with Marcos himself, but most importantly the livestock he cares so much about. If you are looking for shrimp, you have most definitely come to the right place. He will ship to you with his arrive alive guarantee, he will meet you somewhere equidistant if you are driving locally or you can visit him. Marcos is a kind and generous person, and I am thrilled that our paths in this life have crossed.

Jason Goulet

Beautiful caridina shrimp. Well packaged and arrived safely. Will do business with again

I ordered caridina shrimp from The Shrimp Cartel recently. I was very pleased with the way they arrived and the health of shrimp. I will order again !

I am so happy with my shrimp and the experience of getting them from the Shrimp Cartel. My Skittles pack was very healthy, a great mix of colors. They were packed with extreme care in a breather bag with a plant. It was clearly done by someone who cared about the animals and their safe arrival. I would 100% recommend to anyone trying to grow their own colony.