What Shrimp to go for?

[Satsumas]

I am thinking about my stocking list aswell as various other things for my 20gal long and i think i may get a shrimp.

So far i am interested in cory cats (a definate) keyhole cichlids and either the purple emporer tetra or rummy nose tetra, only the cories are a definate.
I have always seen shrimp as live food and a sitting duck that will just get gobbled up easily by any fish that fancies it. They have grown on me recently and i found myself looking for the shrimp in a large display tank at my LFS which had SAE's, a 8"+ Pleco, loaches and various other fish.

I do find them quite funny and i think i would like to get one.
I'd like to know of any definate no-no's for tank mates, what to feed them and general care issues if anyone will kindly speak up with experience.
At my LFS there is a red tinted shrimp which i think is an algae eater that looks nice also some filter feeder's which look funny as they seem to grab at the filtered water for food. I have also read some posts about them on here which made me laugh, i just think there really funny for some reason

Also... I feed my fish brine shrimp so feeding a tank full of fish brine shrimp when there's a shrimp already in there seem's a little strange.
What if they realise that the shrimp may taste better!

The tank & plans are:
20 gal long freshwater
96W Heavily planted
Eco Complete, DIY CO2, Fluval 205 Filter

TIA

 

[JDogg]

not sure if the keyholes will eat the shrimp...my rams and apistos love shrimp, thus i can not keep them...

 

[WaterPond]

Hmm, i am thinking that a lrger shrimp may be fo you. Bamboo shrimp would be too big for them to eat, but it may get picked on.

Here is some info

http://www.petshrimp.com/bambooshrimp.html

 

[Satsumas]

Hmm, it say's that the bamboo shrimp shouldn't be kep with most cichlids even if the fish is smaller.

I'll do some more reading and look into shrimp's but it doesn't look good if i intend to keep any cichlids .

 

[JeffreyL]

shrimp

I am in the process of setting up a shrimp and snail only tank, and all the info I've gotten says fish and shrimp are maybe able to coexist. Usually some fish or another will pick at the shrimp, eventually killing it and then all get a free meal. Shrimp just seem to ring the dinner bell for fish. Despite all that, given enough places to hide in the plants, shrimp may work. Let us know how it works and good luck!!!!

 

[Pleco]

Re: shrimp

I am in the process of setting up a shrimp and snail only tank, and all the info I've gotten says fish and shrimp are maybe able to coexist. Usually some fish or another will pick at the shrimp, eventually killing it and then all get a free meal. Shrimp just seem to ring the dinner bell for fish. Despite all that, given enough places to hide in the plants, shrimp may work. Let us know how it works and good luck!!!!

I have RCS and Bamboo shrimp co-exsisting with the fish in my signature. The fish pay no mind to any of the shrimp, the bamboo shrimp tend to be in the "i cant fit it in my mouth" category. If anything ive seen some fish pick on the snails around feeding time, but not once have i seen them pick on a shrimp.

-Pleco

 

[lovemybarbs]

My pictus and barbs don't mess with my bamboo shrimp, but they are over two inches long.

 

[Satsumas]

I don't want to take any risks in bringing a shrimp into a potential masacre!
The bamboo shrimp may be a little too large for the fish to bother (going by what Pleco and lovemybarbs said) I think I would have to take a risk with one, there's no guarantee that certain fish will coexist and i might have to take a chance with one.

I can do certain amounts of research and gain an idea of what is likely to happen but like i said i can't really guarantee that the shrimp will survive!

 

[Satsumas]

I went to my LFS today and had a lookout for the shrimp's that they sell.
I spotted some tiny ones first of all, i think any fish would at least show some interest in it but more than likely try and eat it. I forget the name now but they were algae eaters.

Then i spotted some shrimp listed as bamboo shrimp, they were much bigger in size and also price 14 pounds! I can't remember reading that bamboo shrimp were filter feeders but these are the ones that i mentioned in the first post. Do they strictly need to have access to the powerhead? I did read that they can eat microscopic particles in the water and i do find that interesting and also how they 'sift' through the water with their 'grabbers' (don;t know what to call them!)

I plan on getting some rummy nose tetra and about 4-5 cories, either julli's or panda's i think. The bamboo shrimp looked about 2 inches, definately over 1 but not 3.

 

[severum mama]

Satsumas- bamboo shrimp are filter feeders, you're right. I kept one for a while with my Bolivian rams, clown pleco, farlowella catfish, and tetras, but it died after a couple of weeks. The body was intact, though, so I know it had nothing to do with the cichlids. I've also kept amano shrimp with my Bolivians in the past with no issues. Keyholes do grow larger than Bolivians, so I'm not sure that amano shrimp would be safe with keyholes at adult size, but I would think a bamboo shrimp would be a pretty safe bet.

 

[Satsumas]

Right, thanks for that severum!

The bamboo shrimp at my LFS are quite large which is rare because usually the fish they stock are all juveniles, can be a problem when certain fish are too small to sex.

I don't suppose it would have any effect if i put the bamboo in as one of the first fish, then introduced keyhole's or some dwarf cichlid's as a last fish would it?

Also I don't think a bamboo shrimp would fit in any of the fish's mouths that i intend to keep so this will reduce the chance of an attack wouldn't it? But as Waterpond said it may still get picked on?

 

[majolo]

It might be a good idea to provide some cave or shelter that they can fit into but the fish can't. The salesperson who sold me my bamboos said "after they molt, they smell tasty to the fish!"

 

[DarylF2]

I bought some shrimp last week, and thought my info might help you.

I put 6 Amano Shrimp into my 38-gallon tank. They are doing an amazing job eating algae and just being interesting! I love them! Their tank mates are pretty innocuous generally (Zebra Danios, Corydoras, Otocinclus catfish, a Flower Shrimp), but I was concerned that my two loaches (Botia Salwnsis, or Burmese Border Loaches) might eat them. So far, the loaches are behaving perfectly, and the shrimp appear to be thriving.

I put 5 Red Cherry Shrimp in my 20L tank (with Cherry Barbs, Fancy Guppies, Otos, and Corys) and they are doing okay as well. One tiny Cherry Shrimp was harassed by the Cherry Barbs, and may or may not have made it... The others are doing well, but hang out in the plants all the time. I'm hoping they are happy and do well, but I'm not quite sure yet. I'm setting up a Red Cherry Shrimp breeding tank soon, so they'll have a new home if they are still alive then, but seem uphappy in the 20L.

I have two Flower Shrimp (one in the 38 and one in the 20L) that I've have for about half a year. Both are doing well and have periods of inactivity (usually around molting time) when I rarely see them, and activity (usually right after molting once their new shell is hardened) when I see them out feeding a lot. They are beautiful (they change color to match their surroundings!!!!), interesting, and very peaceful. I *highly* recommend them!

My tanks all have lots of live plants, planted and floating, as well as plenty of rocks and driftwood. This is not only attractive, but gives the (smaller) fish and shrimp places to rest and hide.

 

[Satsumas]

I plan on making some little hiding places and various other areas for shelter, i'll make some really small ones aswell!

Thank's Daryl! That is helpfull!
I would also be concerned about loaches with shrimp, i dread to think what my biggest yoyo would do to a shrimp!
I did see some really small shrimp at the LFS and they would definately get picked on if not by tetra's but definately by any bigger fish.

I read this about Bamboo's at petshrimp.com
This shrimp should be kept in community tanks with small, peaceful fish and/or shrimp and sufficient current. This is preferable to a species tank as its tank mates produce the detritus necessary for the microorganisms in the filter to thrive and reproduce. The microorganisms, in turn, are carried by the current to the filter shrimp and filtered out of the water as food. This way, the filter shrimp does not need to be specifically fed. Targeted feeding might actually deteriorate water parameters and harm the tank inhabitants, as it's very hard to gauge how much this shrimp actually needs to be fed.

I'm not sure that i will have a current that they can easily access! I guess i'll have to just try them! I doubt that cories or rummy nose's will harm them and they are the only stocking definate's at the moment!

 

[DarylF2]

The note on currents is really important!

My Flower Shrimp hang out on rocks and plants that are directly in the current created by the filters (and powerhead in my 38). They really do need these currents to feed efficiently, as they filter the microscopic plants and animals from the water for their food!