How to care for RCS?

[DanTheGuppyMan]

I would like to add a few in my 5.5 gallon planted, but I have no clue how to care for them. So...how do you keep them? I just started the tank last week and I used some filter media from my cycled 60 gallon tank. It only has the plants in it and a comet goldfish, but I can move the comet to my other tanks.

 

[Aqualady40]

I have a red cherry shrimp tank...I started with 2 females and 1 male...all I have done is put plants in and let them have at it...my 2 females had babies 3 weeks after I got them and between the 2 there were 13 (think I syphoned some because their tiny)...Now I those same 2 have just had babies again 2 days ago and I spotted them so be really careful with cleaning (keep water clean they are sensitive to high nitrates). One of the kiddo's from the first batch is also berried so soon there will be even more. I only feed 2-3 times a week....Oh and I heard they love love moss especially the babies

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

I have a red cherry shrimp tank...I started with 2 females and 1 male...all I have done is put plants in and let them have at it...my 2 females had babies 3 weeks after I got them and between the 2 there were 13 (think I syphoned some because their tiny)...Now I those same 2 have just had babies again 2 days ago and I spotted them so be really careful with cleaning (keep water clean they are sensitive to high nitrates). One of the kiddo's from the first batch is also berried so soon there will be even more. I only feed 2-3 times a week....Oh and I heard they love love moss especially the babies

Oh thanks! I haven't tested the water in a long time, anxious to find out what it is lol. I am leaving out of town for work tomorrow so I cannot do any more research or ordering until the week after next

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Yep. They're just about the easiest thing in the history of everything (Lucky Star misquote). lol
If you keep the tank low in nitrates, like around 10-20ppm, you'll have loads of the buggers. I feed mine Fluval shrimp granules. The only trick is to not let them end up in a fishes mouth.

 

[jcolon]

I would like to add a few in my 5.5 gallon planted, but I have no clue how to care for them. So...how do you keep them? I just started the tank last week and I used some filter media from my cycled 60 gallon tank. It only has the plants in it and a comet goldfish, but I can move the comet to my other tanks.

As mentioned, re-home the Comet to avoid the RCS becoming a snack and just keep them with plants and water temp around 74-78F if you want them to breed. Plants will provide bio-film they feed off, but algae wafers or other bottom feeding food will help.

In a 5gal start with a few, I'd say no more than 5. As long as 2-3 are females, you'd be virtually guaranteed to have good sized (20+) colony in a few months. With good stable water parameters, no predators, plenty of plants and food, the babies should have a fairly high survival rate.

 

[bud29]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f29/invert-profile-red-cherry-shrimp-by-bud29-241308.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/guide-to-starting-a-shrimp-tank-238178.html