ideal conditions for shrimps

[taz_boy]

hi, i'm thinking of buying shrimps and add into my planted tank...but aft reading some of the threads, i found out that shrimps ain't very easy to keep compared to tetras.

so i would like to find out wat type of water conditon does the fatality rate for shrimps be lowered down....

my current water temp is ard 27 degree, ph 6.8-7.0, kh 3...
not much mosses around, though i just started my moss foreground last sat...

so will shrimps do well in my tank, and which shrimps are those can "tahan" type...means not that easy "die"
hope some of u can share some info...thanks......

[sky71]

You can try out with Yamato shrimp first, they're pretty hardy and not so pricey.

[|squee|]

I agree with sky, Yamato shrimps are usually the first shrimp we try. Another option is the Cherry shrimp.

Food usually isn't a problem. You just need to be careful in acclimatising them. I use the drip system.

[Justikanz]

I would also say Yamato shrimps. But if yuo don't want big and somewhat ugly shrimps, you can opt for the Red-nose or Mosquito Or Pinnochio shrimps. They remain a little smaller than Yamatos and definitely ranked higher in the looks department...

Cherries would depends on what fish you have.

You can also try the Malayan shrimps. But they are very good at hiding...

Others are a little too demanding (Tigers, Zebras, Blue, Bees etc)... Or expensive (CRS, Diamonds)...

My 2 cents...

[gummynut]

i've been experimenting with some shrimps described as 'algae eating shrimp' from a LFS.. don't exactly know the species but almost certain the they are not yamatos.. smaller in size than yamatos an dbrownish in shade.. very shy fellas but hardy.. like to hide between the rocks and play hide and seek with me.. been there for more than 2 weeks but i don't know the casualties because they are often hiding.. but they outlived my three cherry barbs that have decided to go to heaven together in one fine day.. all my other fishes seemed OK. a cherry barb suicide pact?

just adopted a clown loach.. now worrying that they will become dinner for my clown.

my tank just an ordinary 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.5, 2WPG and fan cooled to 28-29C.

[Justikanz]

They are Malayan shrimps. VERY good at hiding... And Yes, not to be a wet blanket, but they will most probably end as dinner for the clown loach...

[Digimon]

Yup, I would also suggest Yamato, Cherry or Malayan. They are the more hardy ones. Your tank should be no problem for the shrimps, similar conditions on my 1 feet shrimp tank.

Price wise, Malayan would be the cheapest.
Yamato - 5 for $4 or $0.80 each
Cherry - 12 for $10 or $1.00 each
Malayan - $0.10 each
(Prices are only as a guide as it depends where you get them from.)

If you buy in bag of 25, 50 or 100 pcs, it would be even cheaper. But you might want to test with a few pcs first so as not to sacrifice innocent lives. Another point to consider before buying large quantities is your current bioload in the tank.

What I do is to go to those shops that sell cherry shrimps in loose quantities and allow you to catch them yourself. Few months ago, I bought 3 cherrys from a shop at $1 each, with one carrying eggs. Few weeks later, I got about 30 baby cherrys in my tank, all for just $3. So far, now still surviving.

Tetras are generally friendly with shrimps but I once saw a neon tetra eat a baby cherry shrimp in 1 gulp. But if your tank has lots of hiding place, it should not be an issue. I kept Boraras and Oto in my shrimp tank.

You can try this website for more info,http://www.petshrimp.com

[taz_boy]

thanks a lot for the wonderful info...perhaps would like to try some big yamatoes,....cos i got these 2 bettas in my tank...they killed a couple of my guppies in the last few weeks, hopefully wont affect the shrimps

[evolim83]

I would very much agree with all the other bros here mentioned!
The more hardy shrimps are Yamatos, malayans, cherrys and (IMO) tigers!

I test my current CRS tank in the following phases:

1. Throw in yamatos, observe for a week or so.
If they survive (which they normally will),

2. Throw in cherrys, observe for another week.
if they make it too,

3. Then try some low grade CRS (about $5/pc)

4. Ultimately, as in wat I am having now, some higher grade CRS and black
diamonds

Do take note when you do water change ( IME, never more than 30%), as they are very much more sensitive than tetras.

IMO, you should remove your bettas in the tanks! (Unless you will be feeding them expensive feeder shrimps)

Good Luck with you tanks!

[ahkarboy]

yamatoes or malyan shrimps. very hardy and cheap

[Justikanz]

Taz, your bettas fierce ah... I never had problems with bettas in community tanks...

Anyway, yes, Yamatos will do well with bettas... Red-nose also can... They look MUCH prettier...

Evolim: Remember to take out your Yamatos when you introduce your cherries or CRS!

[taz_boy]

haha....indeed my bettas are a bit fierce, they are pretty cute....
but maybe becos they share the same top surface of water with the guppies, and guppies are generally slower in movement, so they kanna attack and died of injuries...haha...

k...think i'll grab some yamatoes nxt week and try it on my tank...thanks for the wonderful info

[Justikanz]

Keke... Still going to say again... Yes, like a broken record... Go for Red-nose shrimps! Haha... I really regretted buying Yamatos... Haha... But then again, back then, we ARE very happy to find Yamatos...

[gummynut]

hi justikanz.. what's the config of your 1ft cube shrimp tank. care to show a pic of it? i'm interested in keeping shrimps in a small tank. what's the minimum requirement for such tanks? are your shrimps making babies?

[BlueEL]

Justikanz, very nice looking shrimp tank, the shrimps must feel like home. You stated on the web that you are
dosing Seachem Flourish, Seachem Potassium, Seachem Excel and Tetra Florapride. I wonder if those affect your shrimps at all? how much/how often do you dose for your 1ft tank?

[ahkarboy]

Evolim: Remember to take out your Yamatos when you introduce your cherries or CRS!

i don't think you'll have to take out your yamatoes. I have like 20 yamatoes living in a 5 ft tank with cherries and so far they are ok. have never tried jsut these two shrimps in a small tank though. but my cherries are doing fine with the yamatoes.

[Justikanz]

I only dose once in a while and I will only add a little at a time. In fact, I am thinking of stopping dosing now...

Ahkarboy: I was suggesting to remove the Yamatos as many have reported that they can kill smaller shrimps for food... In my experience, Yamatos can be very agressive, esp for food. I had seen them snatch food from my fish's mouth!... I guess in a 5ft tank, chances of it happening will be very low. But I wouldn't want to risk it in a small tank... Esp with CRS...

My 2 cents lah...

[tsia]

Another Shrimp you can try other then cherry is green shrimp. They are more hardy and breeds pretty fast compared to yamato which doesn't unless u setup saltwater baby tank.