Freshwater Shrimp

[rdebonis]

I bought some fish through the Internet and I received a bunch of small shrimp with the fish as a "gift". How do I take care of these shrimp? What food do they eat, do they need special requirements, like pH, Temperature, Hardness etc? I'm also afraid larger fish will eat them, do they need their own tank or can they be kept with smaller fish? Do they need Plants to survive?

[biotopeguy]

You may want to check the website below. It may have some info on your shrimp.

http://www.petshrimp.com/store.html

[roberto]

rdebonis,
Shrimp are a natural foodsource for fish. Even the peaceful community fish, if they can fit that shrimp in their mouth they will prolly eat it up. I have found that Heterandria formosa, the Least killifish (a live bearer that is non-canabalistic) is so small that it can be kept safely with the shrimp. I was pleased to find that the plant buddy, Otocinclus, the dwarf suckermouth catfish (likes cool water) may also be kept in algae eating harmony.

[rdebonis]

rdebonis,
Shrimp are a natural foodsource for fish. Even the peaceful community fish, if they can fit that shrimp in their mouth they will prolly eat it up. I have found that Heterandria formosa, the Least killifish (a live bearer that is non-canabalistic) is so small that it can be kept safely with the shrimp. I was pleased to find that the plant buddy, Otocinclus, the dwarf suckermouth catfish (likes cool water) may also be kept in algae eating harmony.

I bought Blue Pearl Shrimp and have them in a 10 Gallon heavily planted tank with Boraras brigittae and Rasbora dorsiocellata macrophthalma (small Emerald Eye Rasboras). The Boraras are mid water fish about the same size as the shrimp, less than 1 centimeter and the Rasboras are a little larger but they are upper water fish and don't bother the shrimp. In fact the Boraras have been seen to back off when the shrimp come near them. The secret it seems to putting shrimp and fish together is to pick your stock based on size and aggression, and to keep them well fed.

[DanHagan]

If you are going to be keeping shrimp and fish together it is important to note that even the small fish that will not eat adult shrimp will, more often than not, eat the baby shrimp. If you plan on breeding shrimp they should be kept in their own aquarium or in an aquarium with AMPLE hiding spaces!

Good Luck!

[rdebonis]

If you are going to be keeping shrimp and fish together it is important to note that even the small fish that will not eat adult shrimp will, more often than not, eat the baby shrimp. If you plan on breeding shrimp they should be kept in their own aquarium or in an aquarium with AMPLE hiding spaces!

Good Luck!



Dan,

Thanks for the advice, but I am not planning on breeding the shrimp. I just wanted to keep them as an interesting scavenger. So far after 8 months half the shrimp have survived and grown to adulthood. I realize that baby shrimp are like fry, they will be eaten by adult fish. So far I have been successful at raising a small number of fry that have survived by heavily planting my tanks and keeping my fish well fed. I am more of a fish keeper than a breeder. I try to keep similar species in quasi Biotope tanks and if the fish breed and fry survive that's great, if not it's no problem as long as the fish are healthy. I realize that if I wanted to breed either fish, shrimp or any other aquarium denizens it takes a little more work than I'm willing at this time to do. Besides I have a soft spot for the young babies and have a problem parting with them, so I don't think I would be a good breeder. Also, nothing beats the surprise of seeing baby fish when you didn't expect to. The main problem with my method is I have to be very selective about the fish I keep because of space and the number of tanks I need for each species.

:wave:

[Nymsley]

Have any pictures of your mysterious shrimp? Were you able to identify them?

[rdebonis]

Have any pictures of your mysterious shrimp? Were you able to identify them?


Blue Pearl Shrimp - Scientific name: Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. Blue

They are one of the varieties of Dwarf Shrimp, max size about 1 inch.

Shown here is a female with eggs. (Note: Greatly enlarged)

:wave:

http://www.planetinverts.com/blue_pearl_shrimp.jpg

[Nymsley]

Oh, I meant the ones that you got as a "gift" with the fish in the first post. Or were they the same as the ones in the fourth post?

[KC2PED]

As a general rule, if it is in the tank and is smaller than the fish's mouth, or the fish can make it so, it is fish food
That is doubly so if the fish are omnivores