Bamboo shrimp feeding

[libertybelle]

Another shrimp question today!

I’ve added a group of 5 bamboo shrimp to my 30 gallon shrimp tank a couple weeks ago (3 a couple weeks ago, 2 more last week). They’re so neat and I’ve been feeding them first bites a few times a day to supplement whatever is naturally around. Water parameters are stable, no ammonia/nitrite and nitrates barely noticeable despite the extra feedings, (probably compliments of the plant mass in there and low stocking)

One of the five seems determined to convince me he’s still starving because as the other four contentedly hang out in the filter flow all day fanning, he’s usually cruising around the substrate looking for snacks.

Conventional wisdom says picking at the substrate means they need more food, but I’m hesitant to feed any more when I’m already feeding particulate food more than once a day and the other four seem fine.

Anyone who has kept these guys, do some of them pick at the substrate more than others. Maybe he’s just timid and doesn’t like being so close to the bright lights with his buddies? Occasionally I do see all five fanning at once, more likely if I dim the lights of course.

Attaching a picture of the tank and the group in their favorite spot for kicks and giggles!

 

[Autumnsky]

Nice. I love most all shrimp. These guys a lot!

Try target feeding that substrate picker with a Turkey baster or other such idea. I do recall having one which did hand around the substrate.

Also check it's fans. One i had nearly died from an over feeding aquarium sitter. Ammonia burned the fans and it took a couple molts to get better. They were much darker than usual.

 

[libertybelle]

I didn’t think about the fans being damaged. Fortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case. This morning he seems to have gotten the memo about the good spot and all five have been there since before the lights came on!



Shrimp used to be a cleanup crew in my community tank but somehow this became a shrimp only tank (except the Otos) and now my red cherries are kind of a clean up crew for my bamboos! I’d love to have a whole school of Otos in there with them too because my one year old loves watching their shenanigans along with the shrimp, but I’m not sure how to feed them! They’re not great about supplemental foods so far.

 

[Autumnsky]

The Ottos aren't eating any foods you offer? Have you tried cucumber, or romaine or blanched zucchini?

 

[libertybelle]

They’re relatively new so possibly still adjusting. Only been in there a couple weeks.

Aside from several varieties of shrimp pellets I put in there for the cherries I’ve tried the dried seaweed and blanched zucchini so far without much response. I was going to try spinach or carrot next, haven’t decided.

I was also considering ordering the soilent green food. At the moment I’m just running the lights longer but I know it’ll just become a gsa nightmare if I keep that up without co2

 

[libertybelle]

Well several of them are picking now; good news is a couple of them have become less skittish, enough that I can now spot feed them. At least two of them got a great feeding tonight. Hopefully the others get the memo that the syringe approaching means food not panic!

I also got 5 new Otos. They were nice and plump and active but with awful fin rot at the store so I figured I’m going to try my best to get them used to supplemental foods and its probably a better shot than they had in store where they were...

I ordered the soilent green to try with them. I thought I could coat the shrimp feeding dish or something else I can hang in one of their spots. Do you think the soilent green something I could mix with water and spot feed to the bamboo shrimp too?

 

[Autumnsky]

Not positive about the filter feeding possibilities with Soilent Green. If it is what I think, it is like gelatin, and congeals.

The other thing I use for Bamboo Shrimp is baby shrimp food. It is like dust it is so fine.

 

[libertybelle]

If I used cool tank water I thought the gelatin might not melt and it would just stay powder. But yeah it might be a mess. I’ll do an experiment outside the tank and see what it does. I have so many varieties of fish and shrimp food I’d rather not buy anything else at this point, so maybe I’ll just grind up some of my various pellets to give them some variety.

I really hope the Otos take to the soilent green. I’m thinking about taking out one of my big anubius plants and casting the gelatin around one of the leaves so it’s on something they’re familiar with at first!

 

[libertybelle]

For the record dissolving in room temperature tank water works fine for spot feeding bamboo shrimp, no gunkiness

For laughs:

Them: that’s kinda smelly, what’s it for
Me: I’m trying to find something my little catfish will eat, they mostly eat algae and there’s not a lot in my tank
Them: why not?
Me: my plants outcompete a lot of it
Them: so why not take the plants out?
Me: but I like the plants
Them: well there’s just no pleasing you then ?

 

[libertybelle]

Well either these shrimp are ravenous or they just prefer the safety of the substrate. Maybe both. I’ve been spot feeding any I see fanning a couple times a day and still some of them are picking at the substrate. Maybe they are still too scarred of the syringe to stay in the open.

Unfortunately I really can’t feed any more powdered foods than I am without risking my water quality so I suspect they’re either going to learn to love the syringe or they might not make it. At least one or two have learned the syringe means food, so perhaps the other ones will learn by example eventually.

 

[Autumnsky]

How is the flow, the shrimp love good flow?

Recently I read the fish might take up to (maybe 9) times trying something before they decide it's food/try and like it.

 

[libertybelle]

There’s an ac 70 on a 30 gallon and an ornament right in front of it so if they want flow they’ve got it.

Anyway like I said I’ve been catering to them so much I’m overfeeding the tank. There’s no ammonia/nitrites and since getting all these plants I have to dose nitrogen to see it but I’ve lost a couple cherries to bad molts this week for the first time since having this group. Historically that’s happened more to me while overfeeding. Maybe speeding growth up too much? I dunno. But I’m going back to feeding every other day or less because I don’t want to wipe out my cherries trying to keep my bamboos/Otos fed. Maybe they’ll be more tolerant of the syringe/supplemental food when they’re hungrier!

 

[Autumnsky]

What is the temperature?

 

[libertybelle]

75

heater is unplugged this time of year because it stays about 73-74 where the tank is located. Lights keep it a degree or two higher.

 

[Autumnsky]

Seems a good temp.

Just keep trying - a blanched zucchini, a cucumber or broccoli or Romaine periodically.

My FW fish like Seaweed Extreme quite a lot. If you ever want to try another type of food, fish love it too.

Recently got about 6 new Otos the past 2 weeks, still in QT and will enjoy trying to get them to be well fed soon!

 

[libertybelle]

Yes, I’ve tried seaweed extreme a couple times. Huge mess and they wouldn’t touch it. And my cherries are too well fed to clean it up well. Lost another cherry last night so yeah, I’m going back to skipping days. I need to balance the well being of my inhabitants and the overfeeding isn’t helping the Otos as much as it is hurting the cherries. Ideally I would have a mature quarantine tank for the Otos but I don’t and so they went right into the 30. They’re the only fish in there and I wanted them to have access to the algae/biofilm in there right away.

Frankly I expect to lose a couple more Otos before they settle. Otos are delicate as it is and these are already dealing with such bad fin rot from the store as well as who knows what else. No more fish are getting added to this tank for a long time, that’s for sure, because it’s essentially serving as quarantine for the Otos right now.

 

[Autumnsky]

You might try GlasGarten Mineral Junkie Pearls. Have heard lots of really good things about them. Was planning on buying some for my next shrimp build.

 

[libertybelle]

I don’t know, historically rcs seemed to do better for me with benign neglect, lol. Which tells me my problem is more likely the overfeeding and resulting too frequent water changes rather than some particular mineral deficiency. When I was feeding daily and being proactive with water changes the last time I had them I slowly but surely lost them down to just a few. Then I went on maternity leave and was in a different city for months . Left to their own devices eating just the algae that grew in my absence those last few did fantastic.

If I hadn’t already lost all the males I’m quite certain I would have come back from maternity leave to find I wasn’t the only one who had been productive, lol.

Anyway I just got back from being out of town for a day and a half and came back to find at least one of the bamboo shrimp had molted and I’d lost no more inhabitants. A peak at the otos profile shows they seem pretty pleasantly plump still and several of the bamboo shrimp are happily fanning. I am more convinced than ever that I was killing this tank with kindness. And the layer of powdered food dusting the substrate was just too tempting for the bamboo shrimp to pass up. Starving shrimp probably wouldn’t have needed to molt.

I am surprised with so many otos in there that they actually seem to be getting plumper. But I had been running my lights longer to encourage algae until they get used to supplemental foods. Maybe it’s working better tha. I expected and they’re getting enough even though I don’t see any if the algae before they get to it!

I’ll keep trying because I doubt it’s sustainable long term until they figure out something I am offering them is food, but maybe like once every three or four days instead.

 

[libertybelle]

I cut back on feeding and a couple are back to fanning and a few just seem to pick no matter how much particulate matter is floating around.
But the cherries are doing better on the ‘diet’. At least one newly berried and no more losses. The otos too, haven’t managed to find anything supplemental they’ll eat yet but they look a little rounded now and most of their fin rot is clearing up. I guess with all the plants there is plenty of surface area for grazing.

I used to worry when I saw that white band on my cherries but I see it pre successful molt too. (I know because I see it before they became berried). Am I right to assume that white band just indicates an impending molt and if something isn’t great in the water chemistry or health of the shrimp they might not survive the stress of molting? Because I used to think of it as the ‘white band of death’ but now I keep seeing it right before seeing a new berried female and no more losses despite seeing it.

 

[Autumnsky]

I worry if I see that line on the shrimp too. Mineral junkie pearls, a Cuttle bone wouldn't hurt. I would feel that the line is a concern not necessarily impending death.

Do you know your GH/KH?