Greetings to everyone.

[Terran]

Ive been coming around this forum for a while but Ive been waiting to post till I got my own shrimp to brag about....

I should be getting my very own Red Cherry Shrimp very soon...(I chose them for their apparent hardiness)


Ive been messing around breeding guppies for a while and some of them have been hanging out in my 29 gallon planted tank....

I was worried that maybe the adult guppies might eat newborn shrimp(not worried about the adults) I was not sure how much of a risk this was and couldnt really find any posts about it when searching....

So to be safe before my shrimp arrive I wanted to remove all the guppies into some of my other tanks...But since theres so much extra stuff in there for the guppies to hide Ive been unable to remove 1 adult male guppy, one adolesent male guppy two baby guppies and one male ghost shrimp (That Ive had in that tank for what seems like forever ....he just doesnt want to die)....

Heres the tank (Questions after the picture)

(this picture was taken after I trimmed some of the anach)

Should the incoming red cherrys be able to breed and the offspring survive with these tank mates?

I have not done any testing on the PH of my tank or metal tests....or any other testing for that matter....all I know is that the tank has been set up for like four months with plants growing in it and the water doesnt have chlorine in it....So since the Ghost Shrimp has lived in there for so long do you guys think theres a good chance my Red Cherries will survive fine?

[badflash]

I'd take out the guppies, they may not get all your baby shrimp, but they will get a lot of them. Here is what I do. Get a big spring water bottle, I think it is Poland Springs, the one with the ribs, and cut the top off at the 1st rib. On the bottle cut some verticle slits to the next rib. Find something to poke a bunch of small holes in the base to let water in & out (or the guppies will suficate). Invert the top into the bottom, put some fish food in the bottle & put it in the tank. Come back in a couple of hours and you've got the guppies.



Do you know if you have hard or soft water? If you have hard water, you are probably fine, otherwise you may need to harden the water. You should invest in a drop pH tester at least.

[Newjohn]

Hello Terran

Guppies produce alot of waste.
How many guppies were in the tank ? And how regular were your water
changes ?

I have guppies in one of my Shrimp tanks and Yes , they do , cut down on the number of Shrimp that make it to
adult hood.


Welcome to this forum
John

[Terran]

Do you know if you have hard or soft water? If you have hard water, you are probably fine, otherwise you may need to harden the water. You should invest in a drop pH tester at least.

I appreciate the advice and the tips on getting the guppies out....drinknig some bottled water right now so I can make the trap.....
I was hoping to have a tank that would both support guppies and shrimp....but it looks like thats less plausible than I imagined...oh well...Ill just have to have a seperate shrimp tank...


According to what my county says our water is considered "moderately hard" to "hard."...or 4.9- 9.9 Grains Per Gallonso I guess that might make me ok with PH....

Hello Terran

Guppies produce alot of waste.
How many guppies were in the tank ? And how regular were your water
changes ?

I have guppies in one of my Shrimp tanks and Yes , they do , cut down on the number of Shrimp that make it to
adult hood.


Welcome to this forum
John

There was quite a bit in there at one point in time....about 9 adults...and probally 20 or so youngsters....

Ive never really done water changes.......

[Newjohn]

Terran

If you are going to keep and breed Shrimp, I would suggest to start doing water changes regularly.


The tank that I have Shrimp/guppies in, is a 30gal breeder , and it is filled atleast 1/2 full of java moss.

It gives the young Shrimp alot of hidding places.

John

[badflash]

Just a little guidance as most newbies, or even old timers to fish don't know. You MUST do a 10%-20% water change each week without fail. Shrimp are intolerant to bad water. Get yourself some Kordon Amquel+ or Seachem Prime and use it to treat your tap water before you add it. This isn't optional, it is esential.

Plant, like java moss & guppy grass are what shrimp need to be happy. They like to hang out & clean it.

Don't over feed. Keep snails. Brigs are the best as they won't eat your plants. If you want to kep fish with shrimp, get ones with sucker mouths. If you have loads of plants you can keep something like Endler's Liver bearers, but you'll still lose some babies. Endler's mouths are so small they can't even eat their own babies.

[Terran]

Plant, like java moss & guppy grass are what shrimp need to be happy. They like to hang out & clean it.

Keep snails.

Yeah Im going to go out today and try to buy some Java Moss or Guppy grass...that stuff would look pretty neat growing on the driftwood I have in the tank....

And yeah I have a ton of snails....two different types....neither seem to eat any of the plants I have in there...

[Terran]

Plant, like java moss & guppy grass are what shrimp need to be happy. They like to hang out & clean it.

Do you know of any animal that eats Java moss....been doing some searching and I cant seem to find anything...

[badflash]

My Cana Snails (large Mystery Snails) chow it down. I put them in a tank for a few days to keep it mowed. If I don't take them back out they would eat it all.

[Terran]

My Cana Snails (large Mystery Snails) chow it down. I put them in a tank for a few days to keep it mowed. If I don't take them back out they would eat it all.

Do you just put one in to be sure it doesnt lay eggs in there ?....


Also what a bummer ....I went to four different pet stores today ...and none of them had Java moss!!....I was sooo angry...I did buy my Prime water treatment stuff....


Also one pet store actually had Shrimp they called Red Cherries (first time Ive seen any pet store in my area carry anything besides ghost shrimp, filtering shrimp, or crayfish)...but I couldnt be sure if it was actually Red Cherries because they were so young and Im not an expert in spotting their characteristics from other Neocardina/cardina ....I kindof wish I bought some to beef up the genetic population for my incoming shrimp....but they were selling them for $4.50 a shrimp and they werent even adults yet...and who knows if it wouldve hybridized my population with some other Neocardina....


Im just soo mad that Im going to have to order Java moss online as well...*sigh*

[Newjohn]

Terran

Around these parts, there are not many LPS that carry Java Moss.

Unless a local Hobbiest brings it into them.

If you can find, a Local Aqurium Club, in your area. This is a good place to find all sorts of plants. And a good place to sell your Shrimp when they start to over run your tank.

Good Luck With The Java Moss
John

[Terran]

Terran

Around these parts, there are not many LPS that carry Java Moss.

Unless a local Hobbiest brings it into them.

If you can find, a Local Aqurium Club, in your area. This is a good place to find all sorts of plants. And a good place to sell your Shrimp when they start to over run your tank.

Good Luck With The Java Moss
John

Yeah I ordered some online for 6 bucks....Thing that annoys me is they say it wont show up for a week+1-2 days!.....Graaahhh I hate waiting...

Im kindof hoping I get some Hydra in with my shipment....cause I was going to add the Moss to one of my guppy tanks first before adding it to the shrimp tank.....(dont want the Hydra with my shrimp)....cause I think Hydras are neat and it would be a cool predation element on my fry....

[Terran]

Here is what I do. Get a big spring water bottle, I think it is Poland Springs, the one with the ribs, and cut the top off at the 1st rib. On the bottle cut some verticle slits to the next rib. Find something to poke a bunch of small holes in the base to let water in & out (or the guppies will suficate). Invert the top into the bottom, put some fish food in the bottle & put it in the tank. Come back in a couple of hours and you've got the guppies.

This worked great.....of the 6 guppies in the tank...I caught the one adult and two of the adolesant guppies....


3 babies though remained which wouldnt be caught...If I didnt see them before nonetheless there is three babies left...
(I didnt think this deserved its own thread though its kindof a question independant of the original thread)


Well What Im wondering is:....

I havent gotten my shipment of cherry reds...but I bought those four that I found miraculously(mentioned in another thread)....
So far they seem comfortable...grazing and acting relaxed....

But Im a little worried about NO2, metals and other nasty things shrimp dont like after keeping the messing guppies...

So should I avoid adding fuel to any potential probelms and avoid feeding the tank tomorrow and the next day....(while the three guppies may be angry)....Will the shrimp have plenty of stuff to chow on....with all the availble algae and detritus....(stress free as possible)....


What Im asking is...in such a long run tank should I avoid adding any food till the shrimp are well acclimated since the shrimp have other things to feast on....then after a week water change and feed as "normal"? ...

[badflash]

If you only have a few shrimp, you hardly need to feed at all, so yes, I would back off to just a pinch every other day, and a small pinch at that. If you start getting loads of babies you'll need to increase the feeding and the water changes. Watch the shrimp when you feed them. If there isleft over food after an hour you are over feeding.