Possible for shrimp loss due to overpopulation of fish in tank?

[Cyberkinetic]

Hi,

I have a 40L heavily planted tank with 5 rosy tetras, approximately 8-10 rummynose tetras and I think around 30-40 sunset platies(from an original group of 6 which I bought). I "used" to have lots of Malayan shrimps, 10 sakura shrimps and 3 Yamato shrimps. http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ie-1st-attempt..

The sunset platies are the last intro to the tank several months ago... initially I still see my malayan shrimps foraging around at the bottom of the tank... then after a bout of issue with insecticide I think 2 months ago, with noticable deaths...I was left with the sakuras and the yamatos with the occasional Malayan shrimp popping out. However i realized in the past couple of days, even these were gone missing.

The sunset platies breed like nobody's business and I have so many of them, I'm not even sure if 40 is the maximum now. They are also impossible to catch with the net without destroying the plants.

I'm just thinking if there's a possibility my shrimps are gone as a result of overpopulation or specifically, the fish are eating up everything I feed into the tank such that the shrimps are not able to get any. The platies seems to eat EVERYTHING... I will put in a few of those sinking algar pellets, and the platies will hoard the pellets and peck at them. By the time I'm home at night, the bottom of the tank is so clean, not a trace is left. That is even after I fed them with floating fish food...

I really need to reduce the platies population as considering the size of my tank, it's way over populated. Also missed watching the shrimps in action foraging for food...

[mincedmeat]

There is even a likelihood that the shrimps have became food for the fish, and it is no surprise if that happens.

[Urban Aquaria]

Looks like the predators vastly outnumber the prey... its the perfect receipe for eventual extinction.

[felix_fx2]

cyber, platies breed fast given right conditions.
last time i had that problem, i solved it by giving to some bros the excess and keeping headcount constant.

btw, Malayan larvae are damm solid food for young platies.

[Cyberkinetic]

Thanks for the replies.

I wasn't aware that the tetras and platies eat shrimps... lol... seriously... They lived happily together for quite a while...

[shrimpster]

If no dead shrimps found in the tank then it might be become food for your fish ..

[Regis]

Maybe you can consider just keeping shrimp and nothing else. I keep my shrimp with only one Bristlenose starlight pleco.

[mincedmeat]

Not even sure if starlight pleco would feast on shrimplets, or be a pest during molting. Starlights can grow till pretty big; i have a couple in my planted and they are past 3-4 inches (based on an estimation). If you would need an alternative algae eater I would rather you introduce otoniculus instead of plecos. Snails can become a pest later when they start breeding and oiver-running the tank.

[Cyberkinetic]

Can't do much about the current tank, although the idea for a small nano tank with shrimps only sounds attractive.

I still have a few shrimps, which spends most of their time around the rocks in the tank. No longer coming out into the open area anymore.

I don't find dead shrimps, so I do suspect they are being eaten... then again, my tank is so densely populated with plants it's hard to see anything inside the tank except those areas near glass.