[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re:Re: More shrimp questions...



William wrote...
I'm starting to wonder, since I've heard some things about these shrimp
not being particularly hardy, would it be a good idea to just buy, say,
five or so and see if I can keep them alive?<<

I keep Amano shrimp, Ghost shrimp, and Bumble bee shrimp together with
little problem. Over the past year I have observed some interesting things
though. When I attempted to keep these shrimp in a large, very brightly lit
tank housing south american cichlids ranging from 2 to 5", the shrimp stayed
hidden most of the time, appeared not to eat, and eventually disappeared.
Two factors I believe were involved: A) the bright light, 4watts/gallon,
caused them to hide most of the time, and B) the fish competed with them for
food. Although it may be possible, I do not believe any of the herbivore
fish themselves were feeding on the shrimp, but they were definetly chasing
them away in competition for food.

In their present tank the lighting is much lower, 2watts/gallon and the fish
are mostly Rasborahs, a schooling fish, and a couple of Flag fish. The
shrimp in this tank have thrived for several months, come out into the open
frequently, and even survived a long move and restart of the tank. Even the
Bumble bee shrimp which is the smallest and most delicate have done very
well.

All of the shrimp, including the Amano need more than just algae to feed on.
They go nuts for shrimp flake, ironicaly enough, and need protein as part of
their diet. The flag fish chases them momentarily, but not anywhere near as
much as the cichlids did, and do not seemed at all bothered by Corys. Any
fish over 3" though that will aggresively compete with them at the bottom,
or on any terraces for food will send them into permanant hiding.

Robert Paul H
http://www.aquabotanic.com
AB Newsletter: over 800 subscribers