paul Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Hey all, just realized something. I've ordered 10cherry red shrimp and they'll be here soon enough, but I don't know anything about them except that they look pretty cool. I was planning on dropping them in a tank that has only 2 Siamese algae eaters (still small - about 5cm) and a bunch of tiny snails in it, java moss and fern and some algae growing through the moss and on the rock. I haven't had a chance to research, so was looking for a couple of tips. Thanks, Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 They like a lot of cover like moss and stuff to climb on like driftwood and rocks. They'll eat anything, some people don't feed them at all. Idealy you should get a food that will give them the calcium they need. I feed them Hikari shrimp cuisine once a week, otherwise they get any scraps the Betta happens to miss. I sometimes give them a small bit of algae pellet or flake food. I would not trust a Siamese algae eater with shrimp. Pretty much the only shrimp safe fish are dwarf rasbora. You can add in other small tetra/rasbora once your population is steady, you will likely lose a few here and there though. The shrimp are out a lot more when there's no fish around and at feeding time. At any particular moment I might be able to count 20 shrimp, come feeding time I can usually count up to the 50s. Aside from that, they get no special treatment from me and are doing great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Thanks. I thought that SAEs are pretty good with other tank mates. Maybe a bit fast moving so can scare other fish, but not aggressive and not carnivorous. Are they really gunna be a prob for the shrimp? I occasionally drop a tiny fragment of a algae pellet in for the SAEs but they mostly graze on algae on the rock/plants/glass like the snails. Do algae pellets provide the calcium you suggested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanagi Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 They are in general but I would still be iffy about putting them with cherry shrimp, even the most peaceful fish will try to take them on, even if it's only the babies. I have ghost shrimp and true SAE in my community tank and they seem alright but my SAE's are still tiny and ghost shrimp are huge compared to RCS. Suppose you could try it? Also depends if you have true SAE. I doubt algae pellets would have enough calcium, I just use it because I do have a rather large population of shrimp. Best off getting a food designed for shrimp, like Hikari or some other brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 Yeah I realized there were true and false versions on-line before I bought my two. They're the real ones, so I'm pretty happy to give them a go with the shrimp. There seems to be a constant turn over of the snail population, so I'm guessing the shrimp may snack on the dead snails and get some additional protein and calcium from there. I'm trying to figure out a cheap and accessible food that'll be rich in calcium and suitable to drop in a tank, only problem is, I get stuck on a mental image of trying to feed shrimp with some parmesan or mozzarella!! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts