Advice on cherry shrimp?

[bhavik95]

Planning on get some soon and was thinking of putting them in an open top 20 litre tank (5gallons) until they get bigger. Would that be ok?

Also any advice on breeding them?

Would it be fine and safe if I feed some of them to my fishes like severums and angel fish?




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[Fishfur]

The fish will like them fine. The tank size is ok too.. they don't need a whole lot. Plants help, they breed best when they feel safe, which means a lot of hiding places for them. Plants, rocks, etc.. and they also graze on the plant leaves, not eating the leaf but what grows on it, biofilm and such.
Water should be hard and alkaline, so they can moult properly. Females are able to breed when they show a saddle, a light mark behind the head.. it's the ovary. They will moult and send out pheromones, which bring every male looking for them. Once they mate, it's about four weeks to birth.
Don't overfeed, they can actually go for some time without food if need be. Small amounts of food, and feeding on a dish can help keep the food from being scattered.

 

[bhavik95]

The fish will like them fine. The tank size is ok too.. they don't need a whole lot. Plants help, they breed best when they feel safe, which means a lot of hiding places for them. Plants, rocks, etc.. and they also graze on the plant leaves, not eating the leaf but what grows on it, biofilm and such.
Water should be hard and alkaline, so they can moult properly. Females are able to breed when they show a saddle, a light mark behind the head.. it's the ovary. They will moult and send out pheromones, which bring every male looking for them. Once they mate, it's about four weeks to birth.
Don't overfeed, they can actually go for some time without food if need be. Small amounts of food, and feeding on a dish can help keep the food from being scattered.

Yeah i have got a few plants in the tank already i might put a slate and driftwood so they can eat algae of that and whatever else they can find.
Hmm at the moment i dont have much hiding places it is pretty much open :/
Dont know how i would create some hiding places...any help?

Ok thanks for that I have small molly fry in the tank at the moment and so would it be find if i put the cherry shrimps with them? Is there any chance the shrimp might kill them?

 

[Fishfur]

You don't necessarily have to have big pieces of rock or wood, a collection of smaller pieces can make nice hiding spots too. But best is to get more plants.. they provide both hiding places and places to feed too. Don't need to have a jungle, but a few nice thick leafy ones will do nicely. Hygro difformis is quite easy to grow and does a nice job for this purpose, it's aka Water Wisteria.

The fry are in no danger from cherry shrimp at all. Though almost any shrimp will eat anything dead it finds, they are not predatory where fish are concerned. The only thing I've ever seen cherry shrimp go after is a worm.. it was a California black worm.. saw two shrimp tugging on a worm once, one at each end. But fish they don't even notice.

 

[bhavik95]

You don't necessarily have to have big pieces of rock or wood, a collection of smaller pieces can make nice hiding spots too. But best is to get more plants.. they provide both hiding places and places to feed too. Don't need to have a jungle, but a few nice thick leafy ones will do nicely. Hygro difformis is quite easy to grow and does a nice job for this purpose, it's aka Water Wisteria.

The fry are in no danger from cherry shrimp at all. Though almost any shrimp will eat anything dead it finds, they are not predatory where fish are concerned. The only thing I've ever seen cherry shrimp go after is a worm.. it was a California black worm.. saw two shrimp tugging on a worm once, one at each end. But fish they don't even notice.

I'm planning on putting some driftwood and maybe some java moss I do have 1 plant and some small hornwort plants as well

Oh ok then should be fine If I leave the fry in there to grow.
Also I have researched and it says that shrimps molt and that you should take their skin out of the tank as they will feed on it?
Is that's true?
Will anything happen if I leave it in there?

I was also wondering what kind of food I can feed them?


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[jrc0528]

Everything I've read says to leave the molts in so they can eat it! Helps them regain the calcium, etc.

I have several ghost shrimp and they absolutely LOVE my hornwort.

 

[Fishfur]

For sure. They need to reclaim the calcium and they will eat their moults. Mine even eat the fan shrimp moults which the fan shrimp cannot eat themselves.

 

[bhavik95]

Everything I've read says to leave the molts in so they can eat it! Helps them regain the calcium, etc.

I have several ghost shrimp and they absolutely LOVE my hornwort.

For sure. They need to reclaim the calcium and they will eat their moults. Mine even eat the fan shrimp moults which the fan shrimp cannot eat themselves.

Ok thanks for that! Should be getting them this week and i'll let you know how I get on



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[bhavik95]

guys i just got my cherry shrimps today and for a few hours they were running around going through the sand but now they are just sitting in one place and havent moved much since just back and forth a few times
im planning on doing a water change tomorrow maybe that might help :S

I dont want any to die...

Any help?

 

[Fishfur]

How did you add them to the tank ? And what are the water parameters now ?

 

[bhavik95]

How did you add them to the tank ? And what are the water parameters now ?

I added them by floating the bag on the top for about 30 mins or so and then slow start adding water for about 30 mins and then put them in slowly
I don't know my water parameters but do you think doing a water change will help?


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[Fishfur]

Should have been ok that way. Some add a bit of new water over a longer period, until it's about 3 parts new and 1 part old, but cherries are usually fairly hardy.

Water changes are almost never a bad idea though, so worth a try.

 

[bhavik95]

Should have been ok that way. Some add a bit of new water over a longer period, until it's about 3 parts new and 1 part old, but cherries are usually fairly hardy.

Water changes are almost never a bad idea though, so worth a try.

Yeah i did water change and they seem fine now but now my bloody filter is playing up and has been like this for a couple of days now
It's sooo loud and annoying now!


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[Fishfur]

What filter is it ? Most of the time, noise like that means it needs cleaning. Not just the media, but also the impeller, which should be removed and cleaned. Toothbrush works nicely for that. Clean the impeller well also, which may have some small hard bit of something in it.

If that doesn't stop the noise, you may need a new impeller, rarely, depending on how the impeller is made, a new impeller shaft. They don't last forever, even if they look alright, sometimes with age they make noise, and replacing them usually solves the issue.

Sometimes the vibration a filter makes can cause something else to make a racket if the vibration is transmitted to that something else. I have two tanks on a dresser top and sometimes the tank edge touches the mirror.... and it will make noise. Nudging the mirror a bit stops that. Even the lid on some filters can occasionally vibrate enough to make an annoying noise. I have one where I must set the lid a bit off kilter, so it won't make noise.

 

[bhavik95]

What filter is it ? Most of the time, noise like that means it needs cleaning. Not just the media, but also the impeller, which should be removed and cleaned. Toothbrush works nicely for that. Clean the impeller well also, which may have some small hard bit of something in it.

If that doesn't stop the noise, you may need a new impeller, rarely, depending on how the impeller is made, a new impeller shaft. They don't last forever, even if they look alright, sometimes with age they make noise, and replacing them usually solves the issue.

Sometimes the vibration a filter makes can cause something else to make a racket if the vibration is transmitted to that something else. I have two tanks on a dresser top and sometimes the tank edge touches the mirror.... and it will make noise. Nudging the mirror a bit stops that. Even the lid on some filters can occasionally vibrate enough to make an annoying noise. I have one where I must set the lid a bit off kilter, so it won't make noise.

I found out what the problem is the shaft it spins on is a bit loose and so the the whole thing moves towards the outer layer a bit when turned on so the fan is touch the outer layer and scraping against it causing the noise

I dunno what to do about that...
It's really annoying :/


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[Fishfur]

It needs a new impeller shaft. You get a new one and remove the impeller first. It will come out, it is just a magnet with plastic blades on top and will lift out.

Then use needle nose pliers or something like them to pull the old shaft out, straight out. Then use the pliers gently to push the new shaft into the well, it should seat into the hole at the bottom where the original shaft was.

You put the impeller back on, if it's still in good shape. It may be damaged by the knocking it's taking on the side walls, so you might have to replace it too. If so, it just slips on to the shaft. The magnet is quite strong so it will practically go in by itself.

Assuming the filter is one that you can buy parts for, it's an easy fix. Is this an Aqua Clear filter, by any chance ? If so, parts are easy to get. If another brand, look online for the manufacturer, most of them sell parts on line, or will tell you names of stores that sell them, both brick and mortar and online.

 

[bhavik95]

It needs a new impeller shaft. You get a new one and remove the impeller first. It will come out, it is just a magnet with plastic blades on top and will lift out.

Then use needle nose pliers or something like them to pull the old shaft out, straight out. Then use the pliers gently to push the new shaft into the well, it should seat into the hole at the bottom where the original shaft was.

You put the impeller back on, if it's still in good shape. It may be damaged by the knocking it's taking on the side walls, so you might have to replace it too. If so, it just slips on to the shaft. The magnet is quite strong so it will practically go in by itself.

Assuming the filter is one that you can buy parts for, it's an easy fix. Is this an Aqua Clear filter, by any chance ? If so, parts are easy to get. If another brand, look online for the manufacturer, most of them sell parts on line, or will tell you names of stores that sell them, both brick and mortar and online.

Ok thanks for that appreciate it
But if I pull it out are you sure i'll be able to put a new one in?
Also if I got to my LFS could they fix it for me?

And one of them just died and I don't know why...I can't test for my water as I have nothing to test it with...I thought everything was fine don't know what's wrong :/
Also how long is it till they can breed? And is there any chance I can grow them quicker?

I have taken some pictures could you tell me if this shrimp is a male please? Thanks!



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[Fishfur]

It would be easier to 'guesstimate' if there were other shrimp in the pic to compare it to.

There isn't anything you can do specifically to speed up the growth of shrimp. But if you want to keep them well, you really should invest in a test kit so you can test the water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Any of these can cause a problem. Ammonia & nitrite are toxic, plain and simple; they kill. Nitrate is less toxic but if levels rise high enough it's capable of killing too. pH is important because these shrimp don't do well in acidic water. It must be alkaline, and can't be any lower in pH than neutral, [ 7]. Better over 7. They also require hard water, not soft water. They need the calcium in hard water to moult properly. Soft water won't have enough calcium in it.

Feeding shrimp isn't hard, you can buy shrimp specific foods now, if you wish. But they will do fine with algae tabs or pellets, or shrimp pellets. Try feeding on a small dish or plate, you'll stop food from spreading around and be able to observe how much they're eating. You'd do not want left over food sitting around in a shrimp tank, as it may rot and cause water problems.

 

[bhavik95]

It would be easier to 'guesstimate' if there were other shrimp in the pic to compare it to.

There isn't anything you can do specifically to speed up the growth of shrimp. But if you want to keep them well, you really should invest in a test kit so you can test the water for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Any of these can cause a problem. Ammonia & nitrite are toxic, plain and simple; they kill. Nitrate is less toxic but if levels rise high enough it's capable of killing too. pH is important because these shrimp don't do well in acidic water. It must be alkaline, and can't be any lower in pH than neutral, [ 7]. Better over 7. They also require hard water, not soft water. They need the calcium in hard water to moult properly. Soft water won't have enough calcium in it.

Feeding shrimp isn't hard, you can buy shrimp specific foods now, if you wish. But they will do fine with algae tabs or pellets, or shrimp pellets. Try feeding on a small dish or plate, you'll stop food from spreading around and be able to observe how much they're eating. You'd do not want left over food sitting around in a shrimp tank, as it may rot and cause water problems.

Ok thanks here are some more pictures of a few more shrimps that I have

Ahh ok maybe I will but i have had them for a week or so now so my water and environment in the tank should be fine for them right? Seeing as they have lived for this long
I also have Molly fry in the same tank with them so do you think that I should move them into another tanks as this way the water will get polluted very quickly

I have got some algae going on a slate in another tank so I was planning on put that into my shrimp tank and let them feed on that...would that be fine?

Any other advice you can give me to keep these little ones alive and breeding as i only have a few


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[Fishfur]

Still not sure what sex that one shrimp is.. given it has no visible saddle, it might be male, but I am not sure, sorry.

If you can find the brand name of that filter, it would help. If it is an Aqua Clear, I can assure you that replacing the impeller shaft is both easy and quick to do. Other brands I may not be familiar with, but if replacement parts are available, usually installing them is not very difficult at all. They are made with home repair in mind as a rule, nobody is going to take a filter in for servicing. But a LFS might be able to help you fix it if you get the parts. Depends on the store and their staff, pretty much.

Algae on a plate is great for shrimp - they don't need much. Shrimp pellets are enjoyed also. But clean water is imperative. You must keep ammonia at 0, nitrite at 0 and nitrate below 30 ppm. Without a functional filter that might be hard to achieve.. so yeah, I'd take out those fry if the filter isn't working.