Shrimp tank

[Caliban07]

I have a 5 gallon freshwater tank that housed my girlfriends betta. I put 2 red cherry shrimp in with the betta. My girlfriend came home one day to find her betta ripley had jumped out of the tank and died. She is too upset to even think about having another one and claims she wont get another like ripley. So here I am a few months on and 2 shrimp have become about 15. I can also see many minute shrimp on the gravel. I now realise that I dont know enough about shrimp. I have been adding algae wafers maybe one a week but they have just been rotting and causing unwanted pests to appear on the tank walls. What are these slug like creatures? They are see through and very small.

I have put a bundle of java moss in for the shrimp and have been feeding cucumber every now and then. What and how often should I feed the shrimp. There is algae on the gravel. Will this sustain them? I know the stuff they eat is microscopic. Should I swap my pea sized gravel for sand?

Any other requirements or tips would be most appreciated. I heard you can get baby shrimp food. What is this?

Water quality has been maintained. Temp is 25ºc

Thanks

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[Jev12]

You should only feed them a small piece of an algae wafer and once a week will be fine because the algae in the tank will sustain them well enough for the rest of the week...sand is a good idea especially with helping to make it easier to clean but I guess I'd doesn't really matter just a personal preference really

 

[Fishfur]

If you can get a pic of the slug like critters, we might ID them properly. MIght be planaria. If so, the excess food is what is fueling their reproduction but leftover algae tabs don't cause them, they were there already. Just there's lots of food for them so their numbers are increasing.

Planaria are basically harmless, fish will eat them often enough. But they are unsightly. Most things that will kill them kill shrimp too. Simply cutting back on food will reduce numbers soon enough.. or you can make a planaria trap.. plenty of places on line with instructions for various methods to trap these guys.

For fifteen shrimp and some babies, a tiny, tiny portion of one algae tab would be enough for two or three days.. say, less than 1/8" square, though I realize it won't be a square, it gives you an idea how little they need. One piece of cooked spinach leaf smaller than the size of your pinky nail would be be more than enough for a feeding. Try putting food in a small glass or ceramic dish, so you can more easily remove leftovers.

I wouldn't feed them cukes, they rot too fast. Shrimp mainly eat biofilm, they'll pick it off the moss, gravel, and glass, and can go weeks and weeks without any food at all. So cut way back on feeding and things should be fine. Baby shrimp don't need any special food.. though of course there are some you can spend money on if you wish to. Not necessary by any means.

 

[Caliban07]

Thanks for responses and a great help. I don't think I could get a picture of the slugs as they are too small. They kinda move like leaches. They are consistant with food though so I will definitely be cutting back on that. I would just get worried they would be hungry. I haven't been putting full algae wafers in, maybe a quarter of one but the fact that they waste away untouched suggests that they have plenty of food anyways.

How many is too many for a 5 gallon? If I was to sell them to LFS, at what size should I take them in?

 

[Fishfur]

Shrimp travel and handle change best when young. So when they are about a half inch size is good for moving them to new homes.