Questions about breeding net?

[sara-86]

I have ordered 10 cherry shrimp for my community tank.

After ordering them I read the full description and realised they are juveniles between 0.6mm and 1cm.

I recently did a swap on the fish in my 64l planted tank,

I now have :- 6 otos, 5 golden cloud minnows, 5 rummys, 3 amano shrimp, a rabbit snail, a bulldog pleco and a male betta.

I'm slightly overstocked, but I do 25% water change once a week and always test my parameters before and after so no ammonia, nitrite and low nitrate.

The tank itself has been setup for a couple of years now.

I'm also cycling a tank for my betta, he mean.

Anyway I was wondering if I would be better to keep my cherries in a breeding net until the betta moves out and they grow a little bit, it would get better circulation than the plastic trap.

I'm worried that the size they are my minnows and rummys or even my amanos might take the opportunity to snack on them.

How long could they realistically be in the net?

What sort of size do they need to be for the minnows and rummys to leave them alone?

How long will it take them to grow?

They will have their own food and any excess can be easily removed, I have plenty of moss they can have and a thin plastic mess that can be added to the bottom incase the fish try to grab them through the net.

Any help or advice would be brilliant thank you

[jayc]

49 minutes ago, sara-86 said:

I'm worried that the size they are my minnows and rummys or even my amanos might take the opportunity to snack on them

Firstly, welcome to SKF.

The minnows and rummy might take an opportunity to nibble at the shrimp, but the amano won't so no need to worry about the amano at least.

 

51 minutes ago, sara-86 said:

How long could they realistically be in the net?

What sort of size do they need to be for the minnows and rummys to leave them alone?

How long will it take them to grow?

These questions are a bit more difficult to answer, as it is based on circumstances.

As a general indication, any shrimp at 1cm or larger should be ok. 

It could take 3-4 months to get to that size.

It's also difficult to predict is your minnows and rummys will leave the shrimp alone even if they are more than 1cm long. Some people have fish that never bother their shrimp. Some have fish that are real shrimp hunters.

There is no guarantee that even a shrimp larger than 1cm will be safe. Fish don't swallow shrimp whole, unless it is a little shrimplet. They nibble at the legs and antenna of the shrimp until the shrimp dies. The betta is almost certainly a risk. Tetras can be a risk, and Rummys are certainly right up there, being big and bold. 

It can be done, but there are risks. 

Provide lots of hiding spots the fish can't get into. Provide lots of plants. Keep the fish regularly fed. That should help minimise some of the risks.

[sara-86]

I had 10 adult cherries about an inch in size in my tank, the rummys never bothered them but they didn't get a chance to breed so I don't know about smaller shrimp.

The tank is planted, it has rocks, wood and a coconut cave only the shrimp can fit inside.

When I added my betta (which was in a tank with amano and cherry shrimp at my LFS and pretty placid looking that's why I picked him) he destroyed the colony and tore himself up before they had a chance actively hunting through the tank in any space he could squeeze into for them, I have seen the odd one every now and again but not for a couple of weeks now.

I decided he was moving out (not just because of the shrimp but also to treat him with salt for his torn fins) along with my platys which kept pulling up my carpet plants.

I replaced them with the minnows which are fine with the amanos, 1 of which is smaller about the size of an adult cherry.

I'm now thinking they could have the betta tank n leave him where he is, I know he will heal up eventually n he never bothers my fish or amanos.

The thing is I know cherries don't do well in new tanks, this one is almost cycled my nitrite has spiked and started to level out but it's not quite at 0ppm so it's still empty for another few days.

I have plenty shrimp food so they wouldn't go hungry but there will be no algae or biofilm really and it will be newly cycled with them being so small and sensitive I really don't want to put them in it until it's been up and running for 6 months at least.

I'm really strict with my cleaning regime so the net wouldn't be stagnant, there would be a light flow circulating round the tank, they will be at the slowest side.

I can remove the betta when his tank is cycled but I think the shrimp will still be to small to be released into my community tank.

Keep them in the breeder net for a few months then the betta tank alone?

Add them to the betta tank alone when it's cycled?

Keep them in the net until the betta moves out and add them to the community tank?

Keep them in the breeder net for a few months until they grow then add them to the community tank?

Sorry is all jumbled about I was thinking out loud then I'd remember something else and add it in.

[jayc]

Sounds like you have a couple of tanks there. How many tanks do you have exactly?

The best decision would be to give the shrimp a tank of their own. And by the sounds of it, keep the shrimps away from that betta. Keeping them in the breeder net and adding them into the cycled tank alone sounds like the best plan.

[sara-86]

I just have 2 tanks, my platys went to a friends tank and I picked up the minnows at my LFS. I'm going to do that, they will stay in the net until the new tank is a few months old. Thanks for the help.