Can I Keep Shrimp Now?

[Ben M]

hi, for ages i've been trying to find out if i can keep cherry shrimp in my tank, but before i've always been advised against it because of my stocking. but now i've got rid of 2 of the kribs to my brother, and i'm going to hopefully give the other 2 to my lfs soon. anyways, my tank is 216l, 120cm x 40cm x 45cm. my stocking is :12 kuhli loaches, 4 Corydoras copei (getting 2 more soon), 20 copper harlequins (Trigonostigma hengeli), 5 harlequins, 4 rummynose tetras, 3 cardinal tetras, 3 serpae tetras, 3 ottos, 5 SAE's and soon some MTS. would that stocking be ok for cherry shrimp, considering that the tank is heavily planted? if not, are there any other shrimp that i can keep? i would like to have a go at breeding some shrimp, so i'd prefer shrimp that can breed; but any shrimp would be good. i've also seen some bamboo shrimp, but i've heard that they're hard to keep alive. is that true, and would it be possible to breed them in freshwater?

cheers

 

[kaivalagi]

once all the kribs are out I see no reason why you can't add some nice cherry shrimp at all

I've read too that the bamboo shrimp are difficult, targeted feeding is sometimes required using special feed...doesn't sound all that easy to me! If you have lots of algae and good water flow around the tank then it might be easier...

What about some nice "blue pearl" shrimp if you can find them...http/www.theshrimptank.com/shrimpspecies/bluepearl.html

 

[Ben M]

thanks! that's what i hoped to hear. i won't get the bamboo shrimp of they are hard to keep, as i'm new to shrimp, so i don't really know what i'm doing. i've also been looking at ghost shrimp. would they be ok, and would they breed?

EDIT: the blue pearl shrimp look great.

what should i feed the shrimp that i get? does it depend upon the species?

 

[kaivalagi]

I am by no means a shrimp expert, just read a lot...

For the most part shrimp should be fine feeding on the left overs from your fish, I had Amano shrimp that used to sit on the spray bar catching floating cichlid pellets, one would last each of them a loooong time

They're gone now, probably eaten by a fast growing cichlid with a big gob...they lasted 3 months until the juvi's that went in together with them got too big...

Also, if you plan on breeding make sure you don't mix some species together, they'll start producing hybrids...although that might be of interest?

Curiosity101 is planning a shrimp tank, speak to her if you can, I'm sure she'll be able to provide some very good advice!

 

[Ben M]

hi, so don't i need to buy them any foods? i put in an algae wafer and sinking pellet in daily for the kuhlis and corys, would they eat that? and would the cherries, ghost and blue pearl shrimp all inbreed? if so i'll stick to 1 species. which would be best for me? i can get the cherries cheap from someone near me, so i think they are a good choice, and i've read that they're good for beginners and breed readily, so would they be the best option?

cheers

 

[kaivalagi]

As I said I'm no expert

Left overs will get eaten if found...from pretty much any food to give the fish I would imagine, plus the algae will help them along too...

There are a lot of variants of "Neocaridina", so getting any of those variants could mean mixed offspring..that means cherry, blue and yellow...but I am not 100% sure on it all

Have a look around on the net, I'm sure you'ff find a good site on shrimp somewhere, some good ones I know of are:

http/www.theshrimptank.com/
http/www.shrimp-n-it.com/
http/www.fishpondi...com/shrimp2.htm

Hope that helps

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll have a look.

 

[walkers101]

ive got a cherry shrimp breeding tank first thing shrimp dont enjoy fast flowing water (ive just bought a sponge filter for them) they will love a heavily planted tank i feed them decapsulated brine shrimp and algae wafers

 

[Ben M]

thanks. i don't have a very strong current, so that should be ok.

 

[Theplayboy]

If your interested in the blue pearl shrimp i know "rare aquatics" have some in at the moment, just google them.

And yes blue pearls and cherrys will interbreed.

Good luck and let us see some pictures when you get them.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll have a look. and i'll add pics when i get them, but it won't be for a couple of weeks at least, as i'm trying to move the kribs first.

 

[Ben M]

had a look, but £4 per shrimp is way too much, considering that they may not all survive. i think i'll stick to the cherries.

 

[Theplayboy]

yea they are a little pricey. Im going to try and breed some in a couple of months so ill probably list some in the classified.

 

[Ben M]

hi, i don't think i'll be getting any shrimp for a month or so, as i think i should let the plants grow a bit more to give them cover.