Such a thing as "too many" shrimp?

[Blackin]

The RCS tank(30 long) I started up a couple months ago has since exploded!!
I would guestimate there to be probably 100-150 shrimp running rampant in there, swimming all over.
75% of them are juvies that I never even realized were in there until recently, when I removed all the baby swordtails. Now that all the "threat" is gone, the shrimps are having an absolute grand ole time!

Not only are there a ton of shrimp already in there, there's a dozen or so big, dark-red females fully berried.



So, is there such a thing as too many shrimp in a tank? Will they just continue to multiply and never stop? Does the over-population rules apply to shrimp like it does to fish?

Again, it's a 30 gallon long, Penn Plax Cascade 700 running full blast with a screen over the intake, pretty heavily planted, lots of driftwood, stacks of slate offering a plethora of hiding places. 3 different types of moss, couple types of Java Fern, maybe a dozen other species of plants. They love them all!!

 

[Nils]

I would say that no more than 350 should be in a tank this size lol. Glad to hear that they're doing well for you. Because the have a low bioload and stay a relatively small size, you can have a lot in one tank. If you want, you could add a predator for a little while to get the numbers down and then start with a smaller colony again. Maybe sell some to the LFS for credit.

 

[Laeris]

._. How can you tell how many are in there? After a couple of hatchings, I give up trying.

 

[Blackin]

Just a estimation! Basically, when I toss some sinkers in there and the horde descends upon it, it looks to be WELL over 100. And that's just the ones that come running out. I'm certain there are a ton that I still don't see lurking up in the rocks, plants, wood, etc.


This is the tank sitting about 2 feet to my left. Every other week, when I'm working from home, I sit and watch these guys all day long.

 

[Laeris]

Sounds lovely! I hope you'll consider posing pics or even video!

 

[Blackin]

Terrible pics, but here's a full shot of the tank, and a close-up of some of the shrimp. This isn't even during a feeding. This is just a jumble of them sitting there hanging out.

 

[Laeris]

Oh that stripe is a beautiful characteristic to have, though I don't know how you feel about it I like your oto, chilling out, saying hi. What kind are those white rocks?

 

[Blackin]

Those little white rocks on the sand? Just various chunks of cuttlebone scattered around the tank for them.

 

[Fresh2o]

Go to YouTube and look up CRS and some tanks will have several per square inch throughout the entire tank. They say shrimp are low bioload but they are little poopers! I am guessing too many will require increased water management.
BTW - Gorgeous planted tank/ shrimp haven you have there


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Blackin]

Thanks! Quite a few of the plants and the shrimp came from PoppaRyno. Have ordered a few things from him over the months and never been disappointed. I wanna say I started with about 3 dozen or so, and now.... well...


So, a new question.
Puffers. I've heard they make AWESOME snail hunters. Would it be safe to add one or two to this tank? Do they eat RCS? Or would they simply focus on the snails? And what type Puffer would be best?

 

[Nils]

Thanks! Quite a few of the plants and the shrimp came from PoppaRyno. Have ordered a few things from him over the months and never been disappointed. I wanna say I started with about 3 dozen or so, and now.... well...


So, a new question.
Puffers. I've heard they make AWESOME snail hunters. Would it be safe to add one or two to this tank? Do they eat RCS? Or would they simply focus on the snails? And what type Puffer would be best?

I too have ordered from Poppa, great service!

In my 5.5, I have 2 dwarf puffs and a small colony of shrimp. They really leave the adult and juvie RCS alone, but shrimp lets are fair game. One of my puffs gets interested in a n adult shrimp every now and then, but the shrimp are too fast and smart for her. You really won't see any population growth with a puff in there. The only one species that stays small and won't eat your shrimp are dwarfs. The next smallest is red eyed red tailed, but they are extremely hard to get and would eat all your RCS. The puffs will eat anything that can fit in there mouths. And when there aren't shrimp lets around, you need an alternative food source.

 

[54seaweed]

I keep around 250 feeder shrimp in a 20 long with no over crowding could be even more as they hang out in the macro algae ,
don't worry if you get over whelmed with shrimp you could always send them my way and I'll feed them to my trigger

 

[Tbox]

It does seem like a good way to cull a shrimp tank 54seaweed.
Do you mainly use ghost shrimp as feeders?
Sorry to hijack Blackin, but I'm sure you have other tanks like the rest of us. Just need a big carnivorous fish.
Don't do a small predatory fish, because watching your shrimp being nibble whittled down wouldn't be fun to watch.

 

[54seaweed]

I use both freshwater or saltwater what ever is available at the time and get them in bulk
also salt water minnows , All my fish love them , the fw ghosts don't last long after they hit the salt water but I have no need to worry there gone as fast as they hit the water