Leaderboard

So it all has started. After moving the tanks last night To this tonight I think it's going well. Now cos my garage is so unlevel the rack is rocking -.- so I'm talking to a guy that works for the company that makes them and he installs them for a living. So I'm hoping I can get some levelling plates off him.

With such a great number of hobbyist joining the forum, thought I'd start a thread on some basic shrimp maintenance/breeding advise and techniques I'm guided with..... Water Parameters (WP) is critical, so depending on the shrimp type, do some research and ensure your tanks (WP) are within the recommended range. There are extreme cases (i.e. PH at 5 or 7.5 where CRS are successfully kept/bred, but on avg. these WP are theoretically a good starting point.... Caridina (CRS, CBS, SW/GB, TB*, Tiger**..) PH - 6.4 KH - 0-2 GH - 4-6 TDS - 100-200 Temp - 21-23 *TB (KK, WR & BB) - Some breeders prefer a slightly lower PH (5.6 - 6.2) for Taiwan Bee **Tigers - Some breeders prefer a slightly higher PH (7-7.4), KH - 2-8 and GH - 6-10 for Tigers Neocaridina (All colour variants of Cherry Shrimp) PH - 6.4 KH - 0-2 GH - 4-6 TDS - 100-200 Temp - 21-23 There's several thread on the forum with regards to soil type/recommendations, filters, chillers etc, so I'll just focus on the "day to day" maintenance and breeding habits I practice religiously... * Weekly water change (WC) is beneficial to even the best filtered system. I only do a 5-10% weekly WC per week, just to "freshen" the water. Add minerals like salty shrimp, mineral powder etc... On each WC. * The quality and consistency of Tap water varies. Reverse Osmosis (RO) water is recommended, to avoid any imbalances/pitfalls that can occur. Control what goes into your tank, to ensure minimal unexpected deaths. * Ensure a varied diet of commercial and fresh food to your shrimps, including. Powdered food to feed your shrimplets.. I daily feed all my shrimp, and depending on stock levels and shrimplets, two feelings per days are done. * Do water top ups caused by evaporation. I use straight RO water to top up all my tanks. * filter maintenance is done every 6-8 weeks for all my nano tanks, and 8-12 weeks for my breeding racks. This ensure the filters/bacteria is running efficiently. Ensure the filters are only rinsed off with the tanks water...do not over clean, and or use tap water, as this will kill the beneficial bacteria. * On a established system, ensure your nitrates are kept below 20ppm. Low nitrates do promote breeding ! Other notable mentions.. *Shrimp consume their exoskeleton that they shed during molting. This is a a rich source of essential minerals for the shrimp, so do leave them there for their consumption. *Iodine supplement is not necessary as freshwater crustaceans obtain iodine from their food. *Metals like zinc, lead, and elemental copper, are toxic for shrimps and will kill them. *Majority of fish feed on shrimps. Although through clever aquascaping, a co-existance can prevail, But it really depends on the seriousness you take your shrimps/hobby, i.e selective breeding program's, exotic shrimps ... *Hiding spots/shelters are important especially in periods of molting. Shelters can be bought or created via aquascaping. *Avoid chemical, and short term solutions...i.e. PH Up/Down.....I personally don't use ferts, and anything chemical.... *During our summer periods, have a Plan B even if you are running chillers. Have some RO ice blocks in the fridge for emergencies.. *Observe your shrimps, and develop an eye to notice any changes in their behaviour. This may highlight some potential issues before it becomes real issues. *Shrimps require oxygen rich waters. Ensure ample aeration, surface agitation etc... *PATIENCE IS KEY Mother Nature, whether purely natural or influenced by us do throw all of us a "curve ball"... So don't be discourage, get advise and share the grief with this forum, as your experience will help others.... No doubt, there's '000's of other advise, so please do add it onto this thread.......

thats sweet! now there wont be much of any waste at all!

I have a 472 liter tank with a black moor and a chocolate pompom in at the moment, I also have a golden yellow colored ranchu and a black & white oranda that will soon be going into this tank, I have a calico fantail in quarantine at the moment that will also join this tank later, I will add another 2 goldfish in due time. I also have a commet in a 82 liter tank that will get its own pond soon and this 82 liter tank will become my planted/shrimp tank. I have 20 gallon tank (which currently houses the ranchu and oranda) that will eventually become a tropical tank.. Oh, all my tanks have golden apple snails in them, I love these little guys!

Wowsers!

Now that is a rack.

LOL. No problem. Don't stop what you are feeding now. Algae tabs and Mulberry leaves are a good source of other nutrients like calcium.

Yeah, that diet there is not going to be enough protein for them. Give them some bloodworms once a week. Especially in Spring - late Summer.

Hi there, we have one or two local species but they don't feature in the shrimp keeping hobby here at all.. We get all the imported stuff like the glass/ghost shrimp, RCS, bee shrimp, black tiger, yellow shrimp, jelly blue's, you know, the normal stuff available through import/export.. what we don't get here though is the Thai micro crabs (yeah i know its not shrimp, but I still want some), I might be looking at getting some privately from a supplier outside on S.A. that's willing to ship here.. And in reply to what our local species are: 1) True Caridina, generally small, up to 20mm, large eggs hatching into mini adults, easy to keep and reproduce, African species faintly marked and not really colourful. Other continents produce spectacular representatives, they can and do hybridize so are not ideal for aquariums despite their colourful appearance. Scavengers and algae eaters. Very few rivers or streams do not have them except in very high elevations. 2) Macrobrachium, various sizes, generally fairly large, 5cm-15cm and larger, distinguishable by the large forearm, aggressive scavengers, complex larval stage and not suitable for aquariums other than as a curiosity which will eat tank mates. 3) Atydae, now this is the ideal shrimp for us, 20-50 mm, well represented along the east coast and can be fairly colourful. It does have a complex larval stage, same as your Amano shrimp. They are found in freshwater above lagoons, eggs are small and numerous and will only hatch in freshwater, from there currents carry them to a saline environment where the larvae spend their metamorphic stages(they simply die in freshwater) and on completion migrate back up river to freshwater. They are energetic cleaners, peaceful and pose no threat to the environment as an invader as it is impossible for them to reproduce in pure freshwater.

Head scratch please