I guess you could always just put the plants in your shrimp tank for now. They won't mind at all. In fact, they'll like the plants in there.

It does sound like you may have a bit of an issue with low DO John. That, or maybe temperature is too low. Water is properly conditioned right? No chlorine? If the tanks were brand new, did you rinse them really well before filling? Some residues left on the tanks can cause issues. What temp are you running at right now? Those guys should be eating like crazy. Seriously, they're pigs. If they aren't eating aggressively, something's off.

12 ac pond in NW Missouri. 28' max depth at full pool. Fish Present: LMB, BG, RES, YP, CC, WB, HSB, WE, BCP, WCP, GSH.