Gravid?

[sandyf]

This shrimp is gravid right? She's in a 2 gallon tank with another shrimp, some hermit crabs and a few corals. I know the fry (is that what they're called?) won't grow to maturity but without fish to eat them will they pollute the tank or will the other things eat them? Thx.

 

[mr_X]

you are perfectly fine with the shrimp. how are you maintaining that sand bed? it looks like a lot of detritus can be caught in between those large grains and shells and such. if you ever see a nitrate problem, or nuisance algae take hold, i'd look to the substrate.

 

[sandyf]

What should I be doing with the sand bed? I don't have any experience with saltwater. I got this little tank already put together at my LFS. Its my favorite tank (i have 4 FW tanks) but I really don't know what I'm doing. And my LFS doesn't help much.

 

[mr_X]

well, that crushed coral substrate has been known to be a source of detritus build up. i always recommend removing it. if you can't/won't, then i would probably want to treat it like a fresh water gravel tank and vacuum it with water changes. shame for the tiny creatures that live in it though.

 

[sandyf]

Yeah I don't want to do that to any of the tiny creatures. If I stir it up from time to time instead will that help?

 

[mr_X]

i would probably still vacuum the substrate, and then inspect the bucket for starfish and such before you dump it.
ultimately, your best bet is to remove that substrate and replace it with something finer, like something slightly larger than sugar sized.