Are shrimp really beneficial?

[Tonino89]

Hi,
I've had a few freshwater tropical tanks over the past few years with various different species of fish and plants but never really looked at shrimp! Was just wondering if anyone new :-
Are they beneficial?
Are they worth getting?
If so which ones? And just some general advice
Thanks

 

[Cichlid Kid]

Yes. IMO Shrimp are great for aquariums mini ecosystems their bio load is super small and most species are great at algae control. Red cherry shrimp are by far my favorite. They're also easy to breed.
2months ago i put 14 rcs in a 2 1/2gal heavily planted fry rearing tank and now I've got a pile more. To many actually.

 

[LyndaB]

I have a red cherry shrimp tank that I absolutely love because it's so fascinating to watch.

In my community tank, I have amanos, ghosts and a bamboo shrimp. The amanos and ghosts clean up the bottom of the tank and the bamboo is a filter feeder, so essentially he's cleaning the water column for me. j

Beneficial? Who cares..... I just love 'em!

 

[Tonino89]

Thanks for the threads guys How are they mixed with fish? And are there any fish that should be avoided mixing with them?

 

[Tonino89]

Yes. IMO Shrimp are great for aquariums mini ecosystems their bio load is super small and most species are great at algae control. Red cherry shrimp are by far my favorite. They're also easy to breed.
2months ago i put 14 rcs in a 2 1/2gal heavily planted fry rearing tank and now I've got a pile more. To many actually.

Thanks for the threads guys How are they mixed with fish? And are there any fish that should be avoided mixing with them?

 

[LyndaB]

Obviously, you don't want oscars with shrimp or you won't have any shrimp left.

The size of the shrimp pretty much dictates what fish you can safely keep with them. Look at my signature line to see what I have.

 

[RaygunK]

I've thought about shrimp too, but i don't know anything about them either. Do you think Mollies would eat them? They are the biggest fish i have next to my white skirt tetras. Also i don't think i'd want them to breed, any way to avoid that or can a tank hold all the fry and be ok? I have a 29 gallon.

 

[LyndaB]

You don't have to worry about amanos breeding, as they require brackish for the young to develop (I believe). With RCS, they are so teeny tiny that it doesn't matter if they overpopulate.

Mollies are pigs with big mouths, so you'd have trouble with RCS.

 

[Tonino89]

Obviously, you don't want oscars with shrimp or you won't have any shrimp left.

The size of the shrimp pretty much dictates what fish you can safely keep with them. Look at my signature line to see what I have.

Were do I find your signature line?

 

[jlbfish]

I'm following the thread to learn more!

 

[RaygunK]

Mollies are pigs with big mouths, so you'd have trouble with RCS.

That's funny. Would any shrimp work with Mollies?

 

[LyndaB]

Were do I find your signature line?

It's the information about my tanks, right beneath my posts. If you can't see it, you may have to change some setting in your profile.

That's funny. Would any shrimp work with Mollies?

Amanos and bamboo would definitely work. I can really only speak for the shrimp species that I have personal experience with.

 

[aquabeast]

shrimp are great cleaners! ive had ghosts before and they picked through all my crypts and cleaned them. but watch for curious fish.lol also, they barely have a bio load, so id look into shrimp

 

[Coursair]

My Shrimp Tank

They keep the plants clean. RCS/CRS are in this tank. Further pics on my profile page, click on my Avatar.

 

[Tonino89]

I think I'm going to definitely look into getting some I've just had a look on some of the photos you guys have and on the Internet and they do look pretty cool
I'm just a bit worried about mixing them with my fish.... My least aggressive tank contains :-
2 gold gouramis
2 dwarf gouramis
1 rainbow shark
12 tetras
3 corys
1 bristle nose
What do you guys reckon..... Safe:/?

 

[LyndaB]

Not at all safe for RCS but should be safe for amanos and bamboos.

 

[jcolon]

Hi,
I've had a few freshwater tropical tanks over the past few years with various different species of fish and plants but never really looked at shrimp! Was just wondering if anyone new :-
Are they beneficial?
Are they worth getting?
If so which ones? And just some general advice
Thanks

Recently my son's tank had a die-off of new (4) cardinal tetras. In the span of a week, I lost all 4 + 1 of my original cardinals. To date, I have NOT found one corpse at all. Every day I would notice 1 less than the previous, yet no bodies anywhere ... it's a 10gal, there's only so many hiding places. Checked under both pieces of DW ... nope. The 5 ghost shrimp had a field day with the bodies.

So yeah shrimp are very beneficial as your scavenger / CUC.

 

[Tonino89]

Lol!! Yer, the more I read about them the more I want them everywhere I read people say there brilliant at keeping the tank clean although the corys and plec do really well just wanted to add a couple more live stock without it being to over crowded and thought shrimp would a perfect choice I no lyndaB has mentioned some but
Any preferences anyone? I no the RCS, ghost and amanos are quite popular, maybe ones that are more tolerant with fish?

 

[sliderfish]

Will bamboo shrimp harm fish eggs?

What are the size needs for them?

 

[LyndaB]

The bamboo shrimp is a filter feeder so he's up high in the tank the majority of time. He very occasionally is walking around the substrate, but I don't think he'd go after eggs on purpose. I have my bamboo is a 46 gallon. I wouldn't think you'd want them in anything smaller than a 25 gallon or so.