Questions on keeping dwarf shrimps

[instinctloh]

Hi,

I just started to keep some cherry shrimps in my 2' tank and have a few queries which need bros out there to help... Thanks in advance... :

1) Can i mix cherry shrimps with CRS?
2) Will they cross-breed?
3) Is Water Change a must if the water is very clear?
4) Do i have to feed them algae wafer or they can obtain food from the moss or algae that is growing in the tank?
5) What is the best temperature for cherry and CRS?
6) Does the cherry shred their shell as i discovered a lot of whitish shell like thinggy in the tank.... dun know if they are the deads shrimps or the skin.
7) The temperature of my tank is 28 if the fan is switch on and 29 if the fan is off.... Does that means that the fan is not doing a good job?
I realised that a lof of algae is growing on the walls of the tank which puzzle me as i have another tank that i dont face this prob at all. Whats the reason behind? My the other 2' tank is a heavily planted tank with lots of guppies in it but my shrimp tank has only moss and glosso....

Thanks for all the help...

[beetlejuice403]

Hi bro instinctloh,
the replies in blue are based on my own experiences, hopefully it helps...

Hi,

I just started to keep some cherry shrimps in my 2' tank and have a few queries which need bros out there to help... Thanks in advance... :

1) Can i mix cherry shrimps with CRS? Yes, it should not be a problem as they can live together peacefully..

2) Will they cross-breed? I don't think that they'll cross breed with each other.

3) Is WC a must if the water is very clear? Water clear may not mean that water conditions are good (some potential harmful substances like ammonia, nitrates/nitrites may be colourless..) - Hence regular WC should be practiced to ensure partial removal of such chemicals..

4) Do i have to feed them algae wafer or they can obtain food from the moss or algae that is growing in the tank? If your tank is heavily planted with moss & others, they should be able to find food off them. Algae Wafers are just like a snack to them & also it may contains some special vitamins/ minerals based what it's made up of... You may also feed them boiled spinach, boiled mixed peas etc..

5) What is the best temp for cherry and CRS? CRS may require lower temperature as compared to Cherry which is more hardy. Best if can lower than 25`C to encourage breeding of CRSs..

6) Does the cherry shred their shell as i discovered a lot of whitish shell like thinggy in the tank.... don't know if they are the deads shrimps or the skin. Yes, they molt off their old exoskeleton to produce new ones in order to grow.. Just leave the molten shells in the tank & they'll take care of it themselves... Molting tends to be more frequent when the shrimps are younger & sometimes when introduced to new environment...

7) The temp of my tank is 28 if the fan is switch on and 29 if the fan is off.... Does that means that the fan is not doing a good job? Maybe you wish to install more fans for your 2-feet tank? Or better still, invest in a chiller - AQ's marketplace always has lobang for secondhands ones...

I realised that a lof of algae is growing on the walls of the tank which puzzle me as i have another tank that i don't face this prob at all. Whats the reasob behind? My the other 2' tank is a heavily planted tank with lots of guppies in it but my shrimp tank has only moss and glosso.... Algae growth may be due to various reasons: Too much light, too much fert etc.. If your shrimps are hungry enough, they may help you to clear off these algae (but not all type of algaes). If not, you may consider adding some algae-eaters like ottos, SAE/GAE, snails (Ramshorn, Nerite etc..)... As you mentioned, the other tank is more heavily planted & has no algae issues, hence you may also wish to plant more plants in this tank to solve the algae problems...

Thanks for all the help...

Regards!!

[instinctloh]

Thanks for all the help...

I still need more helps to clear my doubts.

1) How fast can the cherry breed? Or rather on average how many shrimplets can each cherry give birth?

2) Any bros using only fans and not the chiller and manage to keep the temp low for the CRS?

3) Can the cherry survive if the temp is as low as 25degree?

4) I am pondering the accuracy of my thermometer as i dont on the lights at night and is very cooling. When i use my finger to feel the temperature, i am very sure that the temperature is defintely lower than in the day but the thermometer shows only a drop of 1 degree. I am using those norm type of mercury/alcohol thermometer that cost $2. Wondering is that alright or i really have to buy the digital types.

Thanks

[instinctloh]

Sorry mod... i forgot that i should not use sms format... I have change it liao...

Thanks

[beetroot]

About crossbreeding, you can refer to this link. Antitrust had provided a very informative chart when i asked the same question.

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=44820

Did not manage to count how many shrimplets my cherries gave birth to.... pretty impossible.

[instinctloh]

Thanks for the great info... at least now i know i can have CRS with cherry... hehe..

But still need info on the following :

2) Any bros using only fans and not the chiller and manage to keep the temp low for the CRS?

3) Can the cherry survive if the temp is as low as 25degree?

[Ivan]

Thanks for the great info... at least now i know i can have CRS with cherry... hehe..

But still need info on the following :

2) Any bros using only fans and not the chiller and manage to keep the temp low for the CRS?

- Yes, I'm using two fans to breed CRS, temp is around 27 degree

3) Can the cherry survive if the temp is as low as 25degree?

- I have both CRS and Cherry in the same tank.

[instinctloh]

Bros,

Last few questions :

1) For a 2' tank, is 1 fan sufficient or do I need 2 fans?
2) Which type of thermometer is more accurate? Or there are no difference at all... Those digital and those non-digital, which is better?

THanks

[antitrust]

1) i believe 1 fan is sufficient. get a big one, maybe a 120mm AC fan? 2 fans will probably increase the rate of evaporation without providing much temperature decrease.

2) some bros say digital not as accurate as non-digital but i would say just go for your personal preference. should not be at most +/- 1 degrees max which i believe is NOT that crucial especially since it'll be a low tech set up and there's nothing much you can do to react to it unlike a chiller.

but of course, non digital ones are cheaper, about 1/2 the price of digital ones.

[instinctloh]

Bro,

I bought the non-digital type only $2 and the digital type cost $10 plus!!!

Sometimes when things are "too cheap" and if we lack product knowledge, is kinda scare to decide.

I really feel like getting another digital one again as i wana try CRS. I really dont want to get CRS if I cant have the right condition for them...

Is there any possibility that the non-digital type are not accurate that it reach +/- 1 degree? I felt with my finger and i really can feel that is cold compare to my the other tank which has no fan at all. But the temp is still 29 degree.... How to hit 26 without the chiller?

[instinctloh]

Can anybody help?

[aquascaping1982]

It's difficult to hit 26 degree without using chiller, the most when I using a fan can achieve the temperature of 27 and that's when our weather is not hot & humid.

[instinctloh]

Thanks bro...

I bought the digital types and is true, the difference is really only +/- 1 degree only.

Sigh....

Now the fact is that my water temperature is 27, wondering is breeding CRS possible?

Can anybody advise if I should try CRS or I should drop the idea as 27 they wont be able to breed.

Thanks

[leechaorui]

I bought 5 low grade CRS for my tank. My tank is placed outside my house and therefore, it is quite dusty and there is no chiller or fan. Temperature can hit 29 degrees or even 30 degrees quite often. In the afternoon, I will get my grandmum to put some ice cubes into the tank to cool the water.

So far, I think the CRS are surviving. Don't think they are breeding. If you want CRS to breed, the condition has to be more conducive. I guess you have to invest in a chiller and pay the high electricity bill.

If you just want to keep CRS, better to buy from hobbylist that have kept their CRS in non chiller condition. At least, they should be more hardy and can survive better in warmer water.

[Crazy4Shrimps]

Hi instinctloh,

How long have you been keeping CRS for under the non-chiller condition?
Haven't really heard of anybody who managed to breed CRS under temperature higher than 27degree.

Hope I am not too late in answering some of your queries
1) Can i mix cherry shrimps with CRS?
Yes! But under chiller condition would be better. Cherry is able to survive under colder waters but am not too sure about CRS surviving under warmer waters. I heard of some hobbyist who managed to keep them under warmer waters but I think breed less readily.
3) Is Water Change a must if the water is very clear?
Water change helps reduce the nitrate, ammonium, nitrite level in the water. All of which you cannot detect by the colour of the water.
4) Do i have to feed them algae wafer or they can obtain food from the moss or algae that is growing in the tank?
I still feed my shrimps a variety of shrimp food despite having tons of mosses in my tank.
5) What is the best temperature for cherry and CRS?
I keep my cherry separately from my CRS.
Cherry at 27~28degree and CRS at 25degree
Got 2 accidental cherry shrimplets who ended up in my CRS tank (not sure how) but surviving well.
6) Does the cherry shred their shell as i discovered a lot of whitish shell like thinggy in the tank.... dun know if they are the deads shrimps or the skin.
Cherry, Sakura, CRS, and all other shrimps will go through molting means that they have grown bigger. Leave the shell alone and the shrimps will eat it up.

[instinctloh]

Hi instinctloh,

How long have you been keeping CRS for under the non-chiller condition?
Haven't really heard of anybody who managed to breed CRS under temperature higher than 27degree.

Bro,

I have not started to keep CRS as I dont want to have them if I cant hit the temp of 26 and below. No matter how i try, i cant hit 26. Think will stop the idea of CRS.

Thanks

[Crazy4Shrimps]

Keeping them in an airconditioned room will help you meet the 25 degree easily.