Shrimp Question

[jamesrm]

I have a 30g bowfront stocked with:

4 Rainbows
4 Sword tails
2 Albino Cories
3 Black Mollies
2 Neon Tetras

Question 1) Will any of these fish think Shrimp are a nice snack?
2) Will they add much to the bioload? (Its already close to pushing it)
3) If 1 and 2 are ok, how many and what kind would work best?

Thanks!

 

[Satsumas]

I've never kept shrimp but i want to get a pair of bamboo's, i read up on them and posted some question's aswell as reading previous posts on here.

1. I think you'll be fine as long as the shrimp aren't too small.
2. I don't think they produce a great amount of waste so not really.
3. I've read and been advised that Bamboo's are the safe option as they get to about 3-4" and most fish will consider them too big for a snack.

I would think the problem fish would be the Rainbow's and Mollies but again i have never kept these and i think it would come down to what size they are in comparison to the shrimp.

I thought i'd just give my opinion FWIW. Hope that helped. Somehow :?

 

[coldmachineUK]

Hey there, shrimp are a lovely addition to a tank

1. No, none of those fish will eat your shrimp. You may find your cories bump them out of the way, but that'd be it really.

2. No, not at all. The only time might be when the shrimp sheds its skin as it grows: you'd need to remove this manually when it happens. I prefer to leave my amano shrimp's skin in there for a day in case he eats any of it (which is good for them to do: additional calcium etc.)

3. I would go with a couple of amano shrimp, or 4 red cherry shrimp.

 

[Satsumas]

Is it a regular occurance for shrimp to eat their shedded skin coldmachine?

 

[coldmachineUK]

Yup, it tends to be soon after they've shed it. This is because once they've shed their skin, their skeleton is extremely soft and this is when they're at their most vulnerable. Surplus calcium (a source of which is their old skin) helps harden it quicker
I've found mine only eats part of it though, and not always (it seems to shed at random intervals too: sometimes it can go a month, other times it's a couple of weeks). Tends to prefer the top half for some weird reason (I've no idea why!).

 

[Burks]

Rainbows and Swordtails will eat shrimp if they can find them. Provide pleanty of hiding spots and such to reduce the chances. Not sure if they would eat a full grown adult but juvies are a snack.

As for the bioload I wouldn't worry unless you add like 30+ at a time. My fish seem to eat the exoskeleton of the shrimp when they molt as it's there one day and gone the day.

Your third question is a bit harder. What do you want out of your shrimp? If algae cleaners with a cool look, go with a few Amano's. If you want some color and lots of babies, go with a handful of RCS. I wouldn't risk more expensive species with those fish though.

 

[Satsumas]

That's strange! But also interesting. So it must be in their genes or second nature to them to eat their old skin. Sounds pretty disgusting but i can't say I blame them!

Also if fish are fed brine shrimp or some form of shrimp when the resident shrimp sheds and gets that smell going around the tank the fish will all be hunting it. Shrimp must get attacked in those sorts of situations surely?!

 

[coldmachineUK]

I've never heard of swordtails attacking shrimp: livebearers are generally some of the most peaceful fish out there. The only time I've ever seen swordtails 'misbehaving' is when two males are competing for the attention of a lonely (and hassled!) female: i.e. they keep their disputes 'in the family'. I don't honestly know how the mouth of a swordtail would even be capable of swallowing even a part of a shrimp...even part of a shrimp that just shed its skin and is more vulnerable than usual.

Anyway, no, brine shrimp and large aquatic shrimp are different in every way beyond the shared invertebrate design: my amano shrimps love brine shrimp in fact, and whilst your shrimp will hide after shedding its skin it won't be because it's being hunted (unless it really is lol).

I couldn't give a guarantee on your rainbows...but I really wouldn't have thought they'd be interested tbh. If you're remotely concerned go for amano or other larger shrimp varieties over say red cherry shrimps which are much smaller.

 

[Michael]

I have Amanos in with Pearl Gouramis, Kabotai Botias, Blue & Bolivian Rams, Cockatoo Apistos, Borelli Apistos, Dwarf Neon Rainbows, Lemon Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Corys, Bristlenose, Cherry Barbs, Black Neons, Ottos, Head & Tail Tetras and Endlers, all in the same tank. The Amanos are very large, longer than the Tetras and Barbs...even the dwarf Cichlids and they swim around the tank without an after thought. As said previously, give them lot's of plants to hide in. My tank is 300 gallons and very heavily planted.

I would not add Cherry Shrimp to your tank, they will be eaten.

 

[hc8719]

Also if fish are fed brine shrimp or some form of shrimp when the resident shrimp sheds and gets that smell going around the tank the fish will all be hunting it. Shrimp must get attacked in those sorts of situations surely?!

thats hard to say, how often do you feed your fish, the more often, the less likely they'll snap at shrimp.

brine shrimp also are not shrimp at all, but look like fluffier horseshoe crabs. some sort of amphipod i take it.

ghost shrimp run about $0.20 and are excellent clean up crews. people often overlook them as feeder shrimp.

i cant say the rainbows or swordtails wont attack the shrimp though