Dealing with Overfeeding

[n0v]

Hi all-

I think I've overfed my shrimp tank recently and have been noticing a boom in ramshorn babies as well as detritus worms. I'm not too sure how to balance it out right now as one of my shrimp is pregnant and I don't want to harm them by changing the water excessively to gravel vac.

Should I move my mystery snail into another tank and just fast the shrimp for a few days? Or can the snail withstand some fasting, as well?

Eventually, I would like to move everyone into a bigger tank with a different substrate but will probably hold off on that to see if the momma actually does give birth.

Tank:
6.5 g, cycled for 4 months
two filters currently running (moving from hob to sponge)
pH, ammonia, and nitrites are fine, nitrates were slightly elevated last night so I did a 10% water change

Inhabitants: 4 blue dream shrimp, 1 mts.

 

[Autumnsky]

It's best to do the water changing and substrate cleaning before the babies are born.

So If you can capture the momma shrimp into the net with a small piece of food, and keep her occupied and do a vacuum, and refill then do another water change maybe 10-15% and maybe after an hour or 2 another 10-15% pwc.

That will give the tank a fresh lift, and keep the water differences low, as compared to doing a 30-50% water change all at one time. shrimp don't really like a big change in water parameters.

You can let the momma out after the gravel vac and 1st pwc. Then the other pwc you will just scoop out the water.

Then after the babies are born you can do pwc from the water exiting the HOB filter so you do not suck up the babies.

Also make sure to put on a prefilter on the intake if you DO have a HOB. That way the babies will be safe from the HOB.

**If you have more than one vac session, about 20%-1/3 pwc, then add back the water in 2 parts, half then in an hour or 2 the 2nd half before the next vac.

If the shrimp look good, happy and active, then do the 2nd vac maybe that evening next morning /8-12 hours later, you can see how the momma shrimp looks and catch in a net if you think you need to. Often you can shove them over towards the opposite corner and then clean. But if you are unsure you can scoop her up again to a net while you finish cleaning.

The snail won't care.

 

[n0v]

Thanks so much for the reply! I definitely learned my lesson on large wc's and have been keeping it very minimal.

The HOB I have is an aqueon quietflow 10 "internal shrimp filter" so the intake is already small and covered with a sponge. My only concern is that it's not as fine as it probably could be? Perhaps I'm overthinking it, though.

Would it be advisable to add in a small amount of Shrimp Baby food once the pwcs are done? I don't want to get right back to overfeeding but I worry that the babies won't have enough to munch on.

 

[Autumnsky]

They eat biofilm in the tank on substrate, glass, rocks and plants. So if they established several to 6 months old in the tank, the better. So id scrubbing glass, just do the most visible parts for viewing and leave the other areas.

Baby shrimp are the size of the end of a pin / sewing needle. So small. A prefilter sponge for an Edge tank works. I'm headed out the door, didn't really see the intake tube? You can check on that prefilter spo ge if it would work. I only get the brand name since the bargain pack online clogged up and caved in much sooner. There is a 3 pack available so.etimes. I would get 2, it makes switching them simple.