Yet another feeding question, lightly planted tank

kenneth_kpe · Post by **kenneth_kpe** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:20 pm

Well after the gecko experience a few months back I have finally found another way to source cherry shrimps *smuggling eherm eherm*

I have purchased 8 (1 died on the day i got the shrimps) red cherry shrimps and placed them in a 25 gallon tank 3/4 filled with water, with a big sponge filter and a small powerhead to circulate the water a little, i placed a few pieces of driftwood and clumps of java moss into the tank. I also placed a plant which looks like najas to me.

Anyway after researching and using the search button till I cant search no more, I came up with this feeding schedule.

For the meantime (while the cherry shrimp numbers are still low [count less then 10] I will only feed them every other day with small pieces of fish food or algae wafers, and alow them to scavenge on the filter sponge or the clumps of moss that came from my main planted tank. As a meaty supplement (maybe once a week or every other week) I will place a few strands of frozen blood worms... Or a few wipes of microworms (what do you guys think about the microworms ?)

When the shrimp population grows I would adjust the feeding schedule and try to add algae covered stones and driftwood into the tank with the occasional few pieces of fishfood, along with the meaty supplement...

What do you guys think ?

Right now im doing 20 percent water changes every other day and i vacuum the glass bottom (no substrate) to remove shrimp poo.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue May 02, 2006 5:59 pm

With that much water change, you don't need to worry except for losing shrimp cleaning. You could feed a pinch every day. A small sliver of algae wafer if good as long as you get it out of there if they don't eat it. I like having snails to give me a hand with that. I've started keeping Brigs snails and they are really good. They don't eat plants and are pretty cool snails.

One secret of getting a lot of shrimp is feeding enough. If you do 20% every other day you don't need to wrry about the water going icky. I'm feeding more cooked greens than before. This doesn't seem to be effecting the water quality near as much as flake food. Do dandelions there? Everybody loves cooked dandilions.

I've never given my shrimp worms, but they like daphnia. They have the advantage of actually cleaning the water until they are eaten.

kenneth_kpe · Post by **kenneth_kpe** » Tue May 02, 2006 6:26 pm

I see I see I wanted to keep the water really clean to keep the shrimps healthy. Maybe I can try the microworm and see if they eat it... Maybe I can also introduce some common pond snails . and i know it may sound morbid but as a meaty alternative i can crush a few of the snails every now and then since I have so many common pond snails growing in my main tank. How do you guys go about feeding your shrimps veggies ? I read that you lightly boil them ? will a cucumber do ? Ive read peas and spinach. and whats a dandelions?

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed May 03, 2006 3:39 am

Dandelion is a common weed in much of the USA. It has bright yellow flowers and invades people's lawns. Peas tend to foul the water and spinich isn't all that good as it has oxalic acid in it. My shrimp don't care for it. If you can find collard greens or turnip green and cook them for about 5 minutes in boiling water, you can freeze up a bunch and serve it to them as they need it. They really like that.

Ecir · Post by **Ecir** » Wed May 03, 2006 6:28 am

badflash wrote:Dandelion is a common weed in much of the USA. It has bright yellow flowers and invades people's lawns.

For the Dandelions do you use the stem, flower or both? and I'm assuming you blanch it first like the other veggies?

Ecir

zapisto · Post by **zapisto** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:43 am

sorry for my poor english vocabiulary
but is it really that the Dandelion :

well badflash you have to explain how you use that
i have a land next to my house full of that, and everydy get pissed of this things

if i can have a usage for that , can be great

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed May 03, 2006 9:50 am

Easy. Just pick the leaves, you can use the flowers to make wine with- I do. Rinse the grit off and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and serve. You can freeze it for winter. Both shrimp and snails (Brigs and Cana) go crazy over it.

Other common weeds they like are dock, plantain, and lambsquarter. They can all be cooked the same way. These are all fairly hgh in calcium.

kenneth_kpe · Post by **kenneth_kpe** » Wed May 03, 2006 4:25 pm

I dont think this plant is common here

guess what i checked my shrimps last night and all of them developed a yellow sack on their backs so the shipment was an all female shipment

fishgeek · Post by **fishgeek** » Wed May 03, 2006 10:51 pm

kenneth mine definitely eat microworm
i had some cory fry growing on in the shrimp tank and saw that the shrimp would readily pick in the area's of microworm

andrew

Ecir · Post by **Ecir** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:18 pm

badflash wrote:Easy. Just pick the leaves, you can use the flowers to make wine with- I do. Rinse the grit off and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and serve. You can freeze it for winter. Both shrimp and snails (Brigs and Cana) go crazy over it.

Other common weeds they like are dock, plantain, and lambsquarter. They can all be cooked the same way. These are all fairly hgh in calcium.

Score! Time to do some gardening and stock up, there must be something to the dandy though, my dogs love them too

kenneth_kpe · Post by **kenneth_kpe** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:39 am

dandylion is pet crack probably

zapisto · Post by **zapisto** » Fri May 05, 2006 3:32 am

Ecir wrote:
badflash wrote:Easy. Just pick the leaves, you can use the flowers to make wine with- I do. Rinse the grit off and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and serve. You can freeze it for winter. Both shrimp and snails (Brigs and Cana) go crazy over it.

Other common weeds they like are dock, plantain, and lambsquarter. They can all be cooked the same way. These are all fairly hgh in calcium.
Score! Time to do some gardening and stock up, there must be something to the dandy though, my dogs love them too

here in canada even Human make salad with that things.
i never eat it my self , but a lot of peaopl make salad with and tell me it is excellent.

Ecir · Post by **Ecir** » Sat May 06, 2006 4:54 pm

here in canada even Human make salad with that things.
i never eat it my self , but a lot of peaopl make salad with and tell me it is excellent.

It's true, I've made salads(working at a restaurant) with it and they're very popular, never actually had any myself though... it would mean depriving the animals

kenneth_kpe · Post by **kenneth_kpe** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:49 pm

dandylions interesting ! My shrimps will be arriving this thursday night, 40 in total 20 for me and 20 for my friend, I think il vary their diet and maybe go with the crushed snail every now and then hehehe

zapisto · Post by **zapisto** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:51 am

just for info, but i am pretty sure all of you already think of it.

make sure the land is not treat with any chemical subsatances

here in quebec chemical substance is prohibited but i dont know what the "bio" pesticid will do on shrimp, so wash them well.