Crystal Red Shrimp with Cherry Shrimp

[ianeberle]

I started a shrimp tank about two months ago and I started with 15 cherry shrimp. Since I introduced them to the tank in October, two females have given birth and I have three berried females. I feel that my cherry shrimp are very healthy and thriving in my tank. I also have 4 otocinclus catfish with them.

The tank is heavily planted and I have DIY CO2 injection. It stays around 75 degrees but sometimes fluctuates with the weather, depending on if I keep the AC on in my house or have the windows open.

When I originally wanted to set up my tank, I really wanted crystal red shrimp. I was smart, though, and started with cherries until I got the hang of it. Now I really want to add crystal red shrimp to my tank. I have read conflicting ideas about the cherries eating more food than the crystal reds and the cherries overwhelming the numbers of the crystal red shrimp...

I need people who own both to give me some advice: should I buy the crystal red shrimp or not?

 

[Mogurako]

You can mix them yes however when you mix two shrimp species one will out compete the other. Crystal Reds do like softer than cherries.

 

[ianeberle]

What about OEBT shrimp?

 

[Mogurako]

What about OEBT shrimp?

Same thing with OBET they like softer water , however they are very selectively bred and are very sensitive to any changes in water parameters.

 

[jcolon]

What about OEBT shrimp?

As was mentioned, they are selectively breed and sensitive from what I'm reading.

How about Red Tiger or just regular Tiger shrimp? Though they prefer softer water, I've read they can handle water parameters more suitable for RCS. I'm considering getting on or the other to add to my RCS tank. OBET's (awesome looking!!) are just a bit too pricey for me to risk considering how selectively breed they are.

 

[Mogurako]

Normal tiger shrimp should be fine.

 

[bud29]

I agree with the above. OEBT's are awesome, but I would only feel safe keeping them if I had them in full RO water to ensure the quality is good. They are soooo finicky.

One idea is malawa shrimp......they breed very quickly, just like RCS, and they can withstand harder more alkaline conditions. They also are not known to interbreed with any species of shrimp, so you could keep another type of caridina in there if you wanted to. Caridina cf. babaulti sp. "green" is an example of another alkaline-tolerating caridina. You could keep the babaultis, malawas, and cherry shrimp all in the same tank.

 

[ianeberle]

I like those green ones! But the Malawa shrimp look too boring for me...

I also like the super tiger shrimp (note, they are different than the regular tigers).

What are some other options?

 

[jcolon]

I like those green ones! But the Malawa shrimp look too boring for me...

I also like the super tiger shrimp (note, they are different than the regular tigers).

What are some other options?

Check out the link below .. if you haven't been on it already. Pretty nice listing of shrimp you can go with .

Planet Inverts Home .:. Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp, Crystal Red Shrimp, Red Cherry Shrimp, Crayfish and more.

 

[ianeberle]

I was wondering if this would work to both lower my pH and get the water perfect for the higher end OEBT and crystal red shrimp.

Aquarium Water Quality: Tap Water Filter

 

[Mogurako]

I was wondering if this would work to both lower my pH and get the water perfect for the higher end OEBT and crystal red shrimp.

Aquarium Water Quality: Tap Water Filter

If your going to shell out the cash for high grade CRS or OEBT I would choose one and focus on it. You're going to want to start with at least 10 shrimp to have the best chances of getting male to female ratio.

 

[ianeberle]

I am planning on getting 10 S+ grade crystal red shrimp from Alpha Pro Breeders.

Will the item I have linked below be okay for purifying the water and lowering my pH from 7.6 to the mid-6 range?

It's called the API Tap Water filter: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4484

 

[Mogurako]

Just add Indian almond leaves/ filter peat to reduce water hardness. Let me know what you think of alpha pro breeder I've been wanting to order from them.

 

[ianeberle]

I did want to add Indian leaves or peat, but I heard from multiple sources that it makes the water a brown-ish tea color. I know it technically doesn't hurt the shrimp (they eat the leaves as food), but it looks ugly.

Do you have peat or Indian leaves in your tank?

And from what I see on these forums (as well as others), Alpha Pro Breeders is the best place to order high grade shrimp. Sellers on eBay and Aqua Bid may be cheaper, but the guy behind Alpha Pro Breeders selectively breeds every shrimp to insure there isn't a lot of inbreeding going on and they have genetic stability, which is something that is important with shrimp like CRS. They're like $20 more than the average seller on Aqua Bid, but I can live with that.

They still aren't as expensive as my LFS though. My LFS keeps cherry shrimp in stock for almost $4 each and can special order crystals for $12 each... No thanks

 

[Mogurako]

I did want to add Indian leaves or peat, but I heard from multiple sources that it makes the water a brown-ish tea color. I know it technically doesn't hurt the shrimp (they eat the leaves as food), but it looks ugly.

Do you have peat or Indian leaves in your tank?

And from what I see on these forums (as well as others), Alpha Pro Breeders is the best place to order high grade shrimp. Sellers on eBay and Aqua Bid may be cheaper, but the guy behind Alpha Pro Breeders selectively breeds every shrimp to insure there isn't a lot of inbreeding going on and they have genetic stability, which is something that is important with shrimp like CRS. They're like $20 more than the average seller on Aqua Bid, but I can live with that.

They still aren't as expensive as my LFS though. My LFS keeps cherry shrimp in stock for almost $4 each and can special order crystals for $12 each... No thanks

Yes, I have Indian almond leafs and alder cones in my shrimp tanks. The trick is to not add to much so your water doesn't turn brown. It's also very be beneficial for the shrimp to graze on the bio film that develops on them while they decompose.

 

[ianeberle]

Okay, thanks. I think I will order some now. I want to have my pH and everything perfect before I order my crystals because it's like $60 plus $17 shipping for just 10 shrimp... Don't want to screw it up.

 

[ianeberle]

What about putting peat in the filter?

 

[Mogurako]

What about putting peat in the filter?

It's the same thing you have to put in just the right amount, what size tank are you putting them in agian?

 

[ianeberle]

It's a 10 gallon.

Will this do? 10 Catappa Ketapang Indian Almond Leaves Grd A Great for Shrimp Bettas US Seller | eBay

That seller lives near me, so it should only take a few days to arrive.

 

[Mogurako]

It's a 10 gallon.

Will this do? 10 Catappa Ketapang Indian Almond Leaves Grd A Great for Shrimp Bettas US Seller | eBay

That seller lives near me, so it should only take a few days to arrive.

In a ten gallon use the leaves, just get some from alpha pro when you order the shrimp. His are like 20 med/large leaves for $6.