Blackberry Shrimp and plant help 55gal

[scarthell]

I have a few blackberry shrimp somewhere in my tank and only see one or two of them every so often when the lights are off. Its a well planted tank (IMO) and there is plenty of hiding as you can see. Water is RO/DI with ferts...which is my problem I think.

I read that Flourish and Flourish Trace can and will kill shrimp. I cut back dosing drastically - instead of 3ml doses alternate days once a week, I am doing 1ml doses with two days between each dose.

Question is do you think that will be enough or should I just stop fertilizing because I want to add more shrimp? Also there are tabs in the substrate.

If I add more shrimp, will they come out of hiding?

Tankmates:
Otos 6
Pearl Danios 12
Honey Male and Female Gourami
Female Blue spot gouramis 2
Bamboo Shrimp 1 maybe - haven't seen him in days
Blackberry shrimp 1 or 5 - I haven't seen them in a week
Mystery Snails 3

plants:
Aluminum - Not fully aquatic, but I like how it looks for now
Moneywort
amazon sword
anubias nana
Madagascar lace leaf
some sort of grass
a couple of others I cant identify in the left front

Thanks!



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[Coursair]

Adding more Shrimp will not bring them out of hiding IMO. Your Gouramis would be liable to eat them. Pearl Danios may harass as well.

You are doing RO/DI. Are you remineralizing with anything ? Equilibrium ?

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Equilibrium.html

Straight RO water is too pure. I use part tap/part distilled with Prime.

Flourish Comprehensive won't hurt Shrimp.

Trace ? Just don't overdose. Or start at 1/2 dose and see how Shrimp do.

Leave molts in tank for Shrimp to eat.

Root tabs are safe.

Trace amounts of Copper are safe. Copper based Medications will kill all your Inverts.


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[Thumper828]

If you get rid of the fish that are hunting them they will come out,..like the gourami..

 

[scarthell]

Thanks for the advice! I am using flourish and flourish trace. I also have cuttlefish bone in the tank. Our tap water: 40ppm nitrate so I don't use it.

My LFS told me the shrimp would be fine with the gourami...so much for that...

Thanks for the link I will check that out.

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[Coursair]

You're welcome.


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[scarthell]

Update, my shrimp have resurfaced...in the form of baby shrimp. So despite the gourami, life has found a way.

Today I counted 4 baby shrimp of various sizes hiding among the rocks and driftwood. Hopefully its a good sign. Still I plan on rehoming my two gourami pairs to a tank upstairs.

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[scarthell]

Upstairs tank did not happen as I realized it would be a maintenance nightmare. But the gourami are rehomed in the office amd the shrimp are multiplying. Four berried juveniles and one berried adult. Strange though, only the original shrimp are blue. Also the offspring are clear or brownish red. Im assuming its diet based. I haven't found a food specific to changing color of shrimp does it exist?

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[Angela1108]

It might not be diet based. Did you ever have red cherry in there? Red and blue are just selectively bred for colors. If you have both in the same tank they win cross breed and revert back to the original color- which is a tan or brown color. They might color up as they grow


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[scarthell]

These are the only shrimp I've had in the tank other than a few Flower shrimp, but not the same species so I doubt thats what happened. They are still young so I will see what color they turn in a few months I guess. I was thrown by the reddish brown but they are still lovely creatures.

 

[Angela1108]

Yeah. If they are different breeds they won't cross. Stumped then. Hopefully the so color up. I know my juvenile RCS don't have too much color at first


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[Dallascowboys16]

Yeah. If they are different breeds they won't cross. Stumped then. Hopefully the so color up. I know my juvenile RCS don't have too much color at first


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what do you consider different "breeds"? If they are part of the same genus they are liable to cross breed.

 

[Angela1108]

Well yeah I meant genus. It didn't come out the way I meant. Like neo vs caridina vs macro and then bamboo/bigger ones which I can't remember


I kind of think as all of the crystals as one - I don't think of the color variations. Kinda like labs- I think of them as the same breeds (chocolate/black/yellow) even though they're technically not


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[scarthell]

Thanks thats reassuring. I love the blue color

 

[Coursair]

Not all colors are set enough to breed true.


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[scarthell]

Interesting. What do you mean?

 

[Angela1108]

Se colors it takes a lot of culling to keep. The parents don't always make the same color babies. Sometimes, for example, red cherries will pop out a blue or a brown


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