No, no shrimp in the tank. I've kept away from buying a pleco as they can be destructive. I've got a 65watt PC and a 36watt T5 light fixtures on the tank. I'm not using CO2 yet as I figured I could get the tank started with some plants without it. I dose Flourish about every other week. I was just using tap water for the tank and with my last water change I went ahead and used some RO/DI water I had made up for my saltwater tank. I know that RO/DI water needs some elements added back to it for freshwater use, but I figured maybe it would help with the algae.