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There are other sources of Calcium for your shrimp apart from dosing Calcium sulfate or dropping shells and cuttlefish bones into the water column. These sources come from the foods we feed the shrimp. These are all natural sources of food, so should be okay to feed your shrimp, just be careful you wash them properly and ensure no fertiliser/chemical residue is on the veg/fruit. If you grow it yourself, you will be sure of what was sprayed on the plants. Here is a list of vegetables and fruits by mg of Calcium content per 100gm of food. Vegetable (mg Ca) Arrowhead 1 Chives (per tablespoon) 2 Peppers, Sweet 6 Alfalfa sprouts 10 Pumpkin leaves 15 Asparagus 14-28 Coriander (cilantro) 16 Chard, Swiss 18 Radish seed sprouts 19 Lettuce, Cos, Romaine 20 Lettuce, Romaine (100g) 20 Squash, Zucchini 20 Jerusalem artichoke 21 Pumpkin 24 Endive 26 Squash, Summer 26 Cauliflower 28 Purslane 28 Radishes 28 Carrots 30 Eggplant 30 Cabbage 32 New Zealand Spinach 32 Kohlrabi 34 Lettuce, Looseleaf 38 Peas, Green 36 Turnips 39 Cress, garden 40 Watercress 40 Broccoli 42 Mung bean sprouts 42 Celery 44 Beet greens 46 Snap beans 46 Parsnips 47 Spinach 56 Mustard Greens 58 Green Onions 60 Peas, Edible pod 62 Rutabagas 65 Celeriac 68 Chinese cabbage 74 Parsley 78 Salsify 80 Borage (Starflower) 82 Okra 82 Kale 94 Lettuce, Iceberg 102 Dandelion greens 103 Turnip Greens 105 Kale, Scotch 137 Chicory greens 180 Mulberry Leaves ~200 Collard Greens 218 Fruits mg Ca Plum 4 Peach 5 Nectarine 5 Casaba Melon 5 Blueberries 6 Honeydew Melon 6 Banana 6 Cranberries 7 Apple(with skin) 7 Pineapple 7 Persimmon 8 Watermelon 8 Mango 10 Grapes 11 Cantaloupe 11 Pear 11 Grapefruit, Red & Pink 11 Grapefruit, White 12 Apricots 14 Tangerine 14 Strawberries 14 Sweet Cherries 15 Raspberries 22 Papaya 24 Lemon (peeled) 26 Kiwi fruit 26 Blackberries 32 Lime 33 Orange 40 Seedless Raisins 49 Just a word of caution. These foods contain Phosphorous and could have an ill effect on your water quality. It might even cause an algal bloom if the levels of phosphorous become too high. Common sense applies when feeding ... not too much too often, and if there are any leftovers, remove it. For those Phosphorous conscious people out there, this is a table of Calcium to Phosphorous ratio: Calcium:Phosphorus Ratio - Vegetables 14.5:1 -- Collards 10.0:1 -- Mulberry Leaves 7.5:1 -- Spinach, Mustard 4.5:1 -- Turnip Greens 4.3:1 -- Lambsquarters 3.2:1 -- Dill Weed 3.0:1 -- Beet Greens 2.8:1 -- Dandelion Greens 2.8:1 -- Chinese Cabbage (pak-choi) 2.7:1 -- Lettuce, LooseLeaf 2.4:1 -- Mustard Greens 2.4:1 -- Parsley 2.4:1 -- Kale 2.1:1 -- Chicory Greens 2.0:1 -- Spinach 2.0:1 -- Watercress 2.0:1 -- Cabbage 1.9:1 -- Endive 1.6:1 -- Celery 1.5:1 -- Purslane 1.4:1 -- Cilantro 1.4:1 -- Lettuce, Butterhead 1.3:1 -- Okra 1.1:1 -- Swiss Chard 1.1:1 -- Turnip 1.1:1 -- Chard, Swiss 1.0:1 -- Squash (winter, all varieties) 1.0:1 -- Green Beans 0.8:1 -- Lettuce, Romaine 0.8:1 -- Sweet Potato 0.8:1 -- Rutabaga 0.7:1 -- Broccoli 0.7:1 -- Cucumber (with skin) 0.6:1 -- Carrots 0.6:1 -- Squash (summer, all varieties) 0.6:1 -- Carrots, Baby 0.6:1 -- Brussels Sprouts 0.5:1 -- Cauliflower 0.5:1 -- Kohlrabi 0.5:1 -- Pumpkin 0.5:1 -- Alfalfa Sprouts 0.5:1 -- Parsnips 0.5:1 -- Peppers,Green 0.5:1 -- Peppers,Red 0.4:1 -- Sweet Potato Leaves 0.4:1 -- Beets 0.4:1 -- Asparagus 0.2:1 -- Tomato .02:1 -- Corn, White Calcium:Phosphorus Ratio - Fruits 4.8:1 -- Papaya 2.9:1 -- Orange 1.8:1 -- Lime 1.8:1 -- Raspberries 1.6:1 -- Lemon (no peel) 1.5:1 -- Blackberries 1.5:1 -- Grapefruit, White 1.2:1 -- Grapefruit, Pink and Red 1.2:1 -- Tangerine 1.0:1 -- Pineapple 1.0:1 -- Pear 1.0:1 -- Apple (with Skin) 0.9:1 -- Mango 0.9:1 -- Watermelon 0.8:1 -- Cherries, Sweet 0.8:1 -- Grapes 0.8:1 -- Cranberries 0.7:1 -- Casaba Melon 0.7:1 -- Apricots 0.7:1 -- Kiwi 0.7:1 -- Strawberries 0.6:1 -- Cantaloupe 0.6:1 -- Honeydew Melon 0.6:1 -- Blueberries 0.5:1 -- Persimmon, Japanese 0.5:1 -- Raisins, Seedless 0.4:1 -- Peach 0.4:1 -- Plum 0.3:1 -- Nectarine 0.3:1 -- Banana So Collards are a good choice as they have a high Calcium to Phosphorous ratio While Bananas are not such a good choice as they a low Calcium to Phosphorous ratio.

So I was at my LFS & the I was talking to the owner about test kits & how most of them aren't designed for the low levels that we in the shrimp hobby have to keep our water partameters at, I mentioned that there's noting out there that does low range of calcium or in particular nitrates & without even flinching he said "Salifert does!". I was a bit apprehensive at first& asked if it will do as low as 5ppm(most test kits only go down to 10ppm) & he told me it would go as low as 0.2ppm, gob smacked I said I'll give one a try & see how it goes. When I got home I opened the box to check the contents, looks simple enough! I started to read the instructions & found there is a high range & low range reading, but what confused me was the fact that you don't have to do a different test for the two different ranges. I started to do the process, 1ml of tank water with the syringe provided, then add 4 drops of the liquid reagent Then you add a spoonful of the powdered reagent & swirl for 30sec(don't shake) You wait 3mins & then check against the chart from the top down, simple enough huh? Now this is where the test gets very cool indeed, if the test reads below 10ppm from above in the "high range" then to change to the "low range" you just look at the same test sample through the SIDE, that's right, same sample but looking through the side & then you divide the chart numbers by 10 to give you the "low range" reading values. i.e. 100ppm from the top becomes 10ppm from the side, 2ppm from the top becomes 0.2ppm from the side, etc, cool huh! All I can say is MIND BLOWN!!! I am a total Salifert convert now & have already ordered the calcium kit & will post up a review of that one as soon as I get it. Apparently the guy who owns Salifert does one thing & that is design & refine test kits for aquarium use, which is why they are so good, he doesn't have a million different products in his range so he can concentrate on making his test kits the best there is. Anyway I thought I'd share this with you guys cause if you are having the same problem that I was & couldn't get a reading on any normal test kit then this is definitely the test kit for you. If you want the details of the store I got this kit from just PM me & yes they are online & deliver for a flatrate. :victorious:

The most expensive I have come across to date that I could get my hands on are a pair for PRL's for $800 - $1000. I have to say they are really nice but I could justify it. Hopefully one day we can match the prices and quality in the UK.

Agree 100% with Squiggle. Also need to thank many of the members of this forum for breeding shrimp and passing them on to other keepers at reduced prices or, more often, free. Bluebolts and Squiggle are two that jump to mind, but there are lots of others.

The one thing you have to remember about shrimp in Australia is that they are totally illegal to import & all the shrimp that are here have been imported illegally, hence the high prices. As has already been mentioned, prices have come down incredibly in the last few years. I can still remember when a pair of red cherries were $500, that right, I said a pair of red cherries were $500. It wasn't long ago that pandas were $2k each. All of this is because every single cherry, TB, Crystal, tiger etc has been illegally imported & I have to say that Dean, the former owner of my website, Boss Aquaria, & this forum has had a great deal to do with the fall of the prices & I for one thank him for his efforts in the past.

Salifert is Da Bomb!! It can go as low as 0.2ppm, perfect for shrimp tanks & they are available from AoA. One of the cool things is they are dual range from one test. i.e. View from the top for high range & view from the side for low range. Here is a thread on the use & reading I did a while ago before AoA was a sponsor, hence me referring to Ben & the shop as just a LFS. http://shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/index.php/topic/5617-the-nitrate-test-kit-from-heaven/?hl=salifert

I use Elos, love it!

Prices have come down alot in Aus since the first of each type of shrimp arrived here, and I imagine it will continue to do so as more and more individuals are bred. The challenge is to maintain or improve quality and to preserve the diversity that we now have. I would hate it if (for example) different colour variants of cherries were unavailable in Aus in 10 years time. Cherries are often less than a dollar each in Aus but the prices on SKF reflect the QUALITY of the shrimp sold. It is very unlikely that the cheap cherries sold at those prices elsewhere are any better than cull grade. Thanks for the comment on our natives. For me, sulawesi shrimp represent the most colourful and "pretty" shrimp in the world (discovered so far) but Aus natives are probably the most interesting.

Hi Fishnoob, Looks like you are listed in the inactive members list. I'll get Nogi to fix the problem. Cheers Ben

Very nice starting to get some stable patterns and colour.Hats off to you girl keep up the good work.

Im not prepared to send sulas to aus as the jail part doesnt sound great haha. You have the worlds strictest import regulations but imo you also have the worlds greatest natives :)

No you missed out Bob but perplex better look out ! LOL. You have been quiet Bob!

Dam perplex beat me to it Ineke, I was going to say der!!! you have shrimp there I had to its been to quite of late and I have not given you a hard time for a while Girl Is now a good time to duck for cover??? Bob

Put a couple pieces of Needle Leaf Java Fern in, couple Subwassertang tied to mesh squares and changed some of the Val around.

Hi there, I'm on the Sunny Coast. I'm still pretty new to the hobby, I've been keeping shrimp for 6 months now and starting to get some good TB numbers now :-)

Thanks guys. I've gone a bit buce mad lately, totally fallen in love with them and the new scape will be based around room for the crypts, buces and of course lots of moss. I should have some photos of it all in a couple of weeks.

thats good dude you have to do what you like :)

Good stuff mate. The java ferns certainly filled the holes in the corners of the tank. I would increase the number of hours that you have the light on over the tank to at least 8. I use 8 as a minimum then slowly increase the duration towards 10 hours until I start getting algae problems (indicative of too much light). I also split the total amount of time with a siesta (e.g. 5 hours on, 1 hour off, 5 hours on). Apparently algae hate the siesta, whereas plants dont mind it. Another option is to have the light on only when you are home to enjoy the tank. For example 7am till 9am on, off until 3pm, on from 3pm to 10pm gives you 9 hours total.

Finally I have some time to setup my flash and tripod to take more serious photos: There are more posted in my blog: http://www.shrimpydaddy.com/blogs/moments Enjoy. ^^

Hi all, I had a pretty busy year start and after that went for holiday, and I forgot about updating everyone. (^_^")y In the end, I decided on these shrimps: They are in the tank for 1.5 months (from 10mm size grow till breeding age now). ^^

My CRS just spawn and my tank is full of babies... I tried to count them but after 50 I stopped. To much hiding places in my tank. I hope all this babies will grow up healthly. The older have about 2 weeks now.

I think the blue Sulawesi Dennerli are breeded from this kind of 'mutations' which happened because of inbreeding I guess. Looking forward to see what you gonne get!

There are very few stupid questions, yours isn't one of them. In the context of aquarium keeping, Biofilm is a collection of bacteria, diatoms, algae, fungi and other multi-cellular organisms that form a layer on any surface submerged in water (including seawater). Biofilms form because macro-molecules (e.g. Sugars, proteins) attach to surfaces because surfaces (at the molecular level) are polar (i.e. have positive and negatively charged areas). And bacteria are the first to attach to these surfaces to make use of these molecules. The bacteria make the surfaces attractive for settlement of other organisms. Each surface also has a unique biofilm depending on what molecules, bacteria or other organisms attach to it. This is more than the average shrimp keeper needs to know. The important thing shrimp keepers need to know is that shrimp eat this biofilm and it forms an important part of their diet. Hence why we feed our shrimp IAL and similar leaves, because as these leaves break down their surfaces are colonised by micro-organisms which the shrimp eat.

It's my first tank that have shrimp living in it , only have some RCS ,but it inspired my shrimp journey

This was my shrimp tank a few months ago, sorry for the poor quality image.

my first ever uploaded pic of my shrimp tank