Starting a shrimp farm

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pamelarowley57

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Messages
59
Location
Ohio River Rat Kentucky
Starting a shrimp tank to feed my predators with. I will document with pics. I am doing a fishless cycle with it right now.

5 gal
Flora-Max substrate
Heavily planted
-baracopa, hairgrass, Marimo ball, and something else....
NUTRAFIN CO2 yeast system
15Watt AquaGlo bulb by MARINA
 
Day 2

Need to dose ammonia up again

Is it normal for eco-complete to raise the PH?

changed substrate to flora-max black graphite yesterday and put in some more plants and re-arranged the previous hairgrass, java fern and anacharis. Added a marimo moss ball and baracopa.

heater at 80degrees f
CO 2 Nutrafin packet activated and running
 

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What kind of shrimp are they going to be? If ghost shrimp, you might have trouble raising the young. Theyre super super small. Also, just as a tip, you might want to use filterfloss to cover up the intake. Or you could use a sponge filter.good luck! :)
 
Hey thanks for the tip...something I just completely overlooked. Of course, I have to get it habitable first...heh heh!

How about RCS or CRS??

I have no experience with any of them and not sure what to expect

Would glo-fish live with them without threatening the young?
 
Hey thanks for the tip...something I just completely overlooked. Of course, I have to get it habitable first...heh heh!

How about RCS or CRS??

I have no experience with any of them and not sure what to expect

Would glo-fish live with them without threatening the young?


I highly recommend RCS they are the most hardy and cheapest of freshwater shrimp. I think jeta has a current ad for them in the classified section. You cant go wrong With a low or mid grade RCS they breed like bunnies. Every mature female in my tank is carrying ATM. Let us Know How/what you do.

From experience
 
I'm with aquaponicpaw, my RCS breed like it's going out of style. I ordered some from a LPS and they were pretty cheap. The shrimp will love the Moss Ball, and I also recommend Java Moss. Both harbor tons of micro fauna for the adult and juvie shrimp to munch on.

I suggest you DO NOT put anything other than the shrimp in this tank. Glo-fish would probably leave the adult shrimp alone, but they would find the shrimplets a tasty snack. Definitely do a shrimp only tank if you are wanting to have a constant supply of food for your predators.

I'm not sure about your substrate raising the pH, but I wouldn't worry if it does. RCS can live in a pH of 6.5-8.

http://www.planetinverts.com/Red Cherry Shrimp.html
 
Hey thanks everybody!

thats what I figured with the glo-fish. They were one of my first purchases and i now leave them in my 10 gallon...someday maybe a quarantine. However, they can't live in the 125 gal cause they would get eaten...lol Was hoping to find them a home, but oh well.

Definitely gonna go with RCS once things get going and I had planned on a moss wall/blanket.

Thanks again! I'm excited!
 
Things are moving along!

Tests show this morning a conversion to nitrites and some nitrates.

Here's the results:

Looks to me like
PH 7.4
AMMONIA 2.0
NITRITE 2.0
NITRATE 20 PPM
 

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Well, some of the plants came out of an established tank. I tried to seed it originally, but got a hold of wal-mart's ammonia the first time around.

I took the filter out of an established tank, but when I used the wrong ammonia I had to rinse it all out and wash everything :(
 
Oh, sorry to hear that. Looks like things are trucking along pretty nicely. You could still steal a bit of media from you 125 and pop in this tank's filter possibly?

I had so much media in my 55g that I took 2 pieces of media and plants and put them in my 10g RCS. Put the shrimp in and there was no cycle to speak of.
 
It appears that I should put a little more effort in to learning how to care for baby shrimp. Is my old HIB filter gonna work? It's just the cheapie walmart aquatech 5-15.
 
Yes, I have the exact same filter on my 10g RCS tank. Just make sure you use something to keep the shrimplets from being sucked in the filter. The strainer that comes with the filter is too course, so you will need a bit of sponge or something like that to cover the strainer. I used some filter media (quilt batting) and zip tied it onto the existing strainer. I haven't noticed any shrimp having difficulties; they will actually walk around on the thing grazing.
 
aquaponicpaw said:
I highly recommend RCS they are the most hardy and cheapest of freshwater shrimp. I think jeta has a current ad for them in the classified section. You cant go wrong With a low or mid grade RCS they breed like bunnies. Every mature female in my tank is carrying ATM. Let us Know How/what you do.

From experience

Crystal Red Shrimp History
The Crystal Red Shrimp is the selectively bred red color variant of the Bee Shrimp. Originally selectively bred in Japan for its red coloration the Crystal Red Shrimp is becoming one of the most popular Dwarf Shrimp across the globe.

Crystal Red Shrimp Care
Crystal Red Shrimp are a little more demanding than many other Dwarf Shrimp, and have the same care requirements as the wild type of this species, the Bee Shrimp. The water is required to be soft and slightly acidic for the Crystal Red Shrimp to be happy. They also prefer a little less than tropical temperatures. As with all Dwarf Shrimp the aquarium should be well established and parameters should be kept stable. The higher grade Crystal Red Shrimp are more sensitive to nitrates than many other Dwarf Shrimp so care must be taken to ensure high quality water.

Crystal Red Shrimp Diet
Crystal Red Shrimp are omnivores and share the same diet that most Dwarf Shrimp enjoy. Crystal Red Shrimp are algae eaters but will often times need supplemental feedings. Aquarium foods intended for bottom feeders and aquatic invertebrates are readily accepted, as are blanched vegetables (boiled until soft). There are foods made in Japan specifically for Crystal Red Shrimp that are high quality foods, but are not necessary.

Crystal Red Shrimp Breeding
If optimal care requirements are met, the Crystal is fairly easy to breed. Crystal Red Shrimp carry their eggs a little longer than many other Dwarf Shrimp, and after hatching develop a little more slowly. It can be difficult to determine the sex of a Crystal Red Shrimp, the males are a slightly smaller and have shorter thinner tail sections. The females are larger with a longer and wider tail section.

Crystal Red Shrimp Behavior
Crystal Red Shrimp are non-aggressive, and are quite active. In an aquarium that has no predators Crystal Red Shrimp will often be observed grazing on algae on aquarium plants, decorations and on the substrate. When fed, the shrimp will often form large groups that are quite striking in appearance.

Special Notes
As with all aquatic invertebrates it is important to make sure copper does not get into the aquarium. Copper is toxic to all Dwarf Shrimp. Many medications contain elevated levels of copper, so it is recommended not to medicate an aquarium with Dwarf Shrimp in it.
 
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