Broke down and ordered cherry shrimp finally

[PITT]

i've kind of thought they where a bit pricy but my gift to myself for working some OT at work is the shrimp. they are shipping monday and should be here tuesday.

i'm putting them in a 20g tall that is well planted and has drift wood. it is my most stable tank and one i can get all the fish moved easily.

any advice or good sites? I've found some sites but if you have personal expieriece that would be great or sites you followed that worked. I assume snails (ramshorns, trumpets, few pond) would be ok in there what about my pleco that is about 3 inches?

I'd love for them to be really red. My kids love the ghost shrimp but they can br hard to spot. any advice on good color? feed?

Thanks in advace

 

[toddnbecka]

A sponge filter is best for raising shrimp, they don't like strong circulation. Hard, alkaline water rather than soft/acidic for cherry shrimp. Some live plants like java moss/fern, avoid fast-growing types like Najas (guppy grass) or hornwort. The pleco may compete for algae, it's generally best to keep shrimp w/out fish. Regular weekly water changes, shrimp are very sensitive to water quality. Also, a few oak leaves (or similar type), brown ones soaked for a few days before placing in the tank gives the shrimp another food source.

 

[PITT]

I have some fast growing plants in there...

anacharas and myrio filigree are fast

corskrew grass is slower but still has to be trimmed oftern.

I also have java fern and moss.


Should I remove the fast stem plants?

 

[toddnbecka]

Fast-growing plants tend to decrease the survival rate of baby shrimp. They draw too many nutrients out of the water, leaving little to support things the baby shrimp will eat. You can try them out and see how well they do before pulling out any plants, but ferts should be avoided for the sake of the shrimp.

 

[PITT]

I read ferts where bad so i've weened the tank off them already. The corkscrew grass is the only plant that seems to not like the lack of ferts.

I can't buy a sponge filter at the moment. I bought a protictive cloth sleave for the HOB filter hoping that will do for now and will turn it as low as it goes one they are here.

what about food? Regular flakes? I have crab bites from when i had a crab in the tank...is that ok?

 

[toddnbecka]

A sponge block over the intake will clog a bit slower, just need to be rinsed out with weekly water changes. As for food, they will eat just about any type of fish food, and I feed mine peas a couple times weekly. I toss some frozen peas into a bowl with a little water and microwave them for 1-2 minutes. After they cool I squeeze them out of the skins into the tank. The skins will be eaten as well, just makes it easier for the shrimp to get to them. Snails are useful for cleaning up extra food, apple snails are a good choice.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I've kept cherry shrimp before. They lived for about a year or so in my 29 and then all gradually died off. Were very cool little critters.

 

[JeffreyL]

Good luck with the little guys. I've got a 10 gal that is starting to get overrun. lol One way to make them, especially the females, look redder is to cheat a bit with your lights. Hagen makes a bulb they call Aqua Glo. Petsmart carries it as do most online retailers. It really makes reds and blues 'pop'. The down side? It is a bit dim to the eye, and despite the wattage, the lumen rating is very low. Like about 1/3 of a regular bulb. In my tank the java moss grows, slowly, but it grows. Likewise the java fern and some rotalia.

Have fun with them, it is neat when you see the first very tiny specks and real ise you got babies. l

 

[Sidi]

Gotta love inverts. I hope you're entirely happy with them, because the critters really are amazing to watch.

 

[PITT]

They arrived! I was so scared they'd be dead since it is litteraly freezing here in central Illinois. I ordered them when the nights where warm but when i was told they are being shipped it turned freezing.

Tiny little things are so cute!

 

[Burks]

Tiny little things are so cute!

Give them some time to become comfortable with you. Mine like to crawl on my arms when I'm cleaning the tank or pruning. Even my Amanos do that.

It's so funny to watch a RCS ride a plant leaf that was floating all the way to the bottom of the tank. I've caught mine doing that a time or two.

 

[Hara]

You might find this article of some use here in
the near future. Good luck with them!

 

[tropicfishman]

I really want some shrimp!!!! but my tiger barbs will eat them up lol just means I'm gonna have to get another tank setup! Congrads though on finally gettin your shrimp!! lol hope ya enjoy them

 

[PITT]

To update this thread:

These little guys are awsome. They have required 0 extra care and since the tank is mostly java moss/fern there has been very little care needed at all.

I ordered a dozen...i will have many more shortly...I was just feeding them and there are 3 that are ready to explode they have so many eggs. I couldn't believe it...it really looks like their bottoms have split to be able to carry them all.


*My digital is old and just won't take a pic worth posting. They are so cool since they hang out in this big patch or dark green moss and they are so red.

I'll keep trying w/ the digital...it would make a really cool pic/sig.

 

[tropicfishman]

I love freshwater fshrimp!!!! there so cool to watch run around the tank...congrads on the new critters!