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Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:15 pm

badflash wrote:That would be pretty cool to just feed them light.

Not quite just light. Micronutrients get depleted in the system pretty quickly. Water changes replenish the micronutrients. Plus, you still have to feed the shrimp, albeit very, very sparingly, especially if you have a lot of shrimp and limited space. The food not only feeds the shrimp but also replenishes micro- and macronutrients.

8x10 · Post by **8x10** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:08 pm

So does this plantless tank have a substrate and rocks or anything or is it just bare with oak leaves on the bottom? Don't the shrimp like to have something to climb on or hide under?

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:48 pm

Very thin layer of substrate, barely covering the glass. That provides some more surface area for biofilm to grow and nitrifying bacteria to settle in.

Ecir · Post by **Ecir** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:01 pm

In my tank I could never get any decent plants locally so I stocked up on plastic plants. Tacky? maybe, but the shrimp have tons of surface to climb on and the algae and micro-nutrients are in abundance as my population has literally exploded since I started up 6 months ago with only 14 Cherries.

Ecir

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:10 pm

So, you unknowingly did the right thing, Ecir!

Well, at least now you know why it worked.

frugalfish · Post by **frugalfish** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 12:41 pm

I'm beginning to believe more and more that the problems I have been experiencing with some of my shrimp species may be a direct result of not having enough microorganisms in their environment.

Take my 'Bee' shrimp for example. It's been a constant up and down with them for no apparent reason. Water parameters as near ideal as I can get them, no over feeding nor underfeeding, temperature right in range, and on and on. Yet still the slow die off and poor hatchling survival rate. So after reading this thread I decided to begin removing the moss that is growing in the tank little by little and to also remove and thin down the substrate in the same matter. Along with the removal of these two things I've slowly added leaf litter and with the gravel removal exposed more mulm which I leave to settle on the tank floor. Although it has only been a few weeks already the most recent batch of new shrimp has survived longer than the previous batches.

This got me thinking about the very first batch of 'Bee' shrimp I had that were doing quite well and suddenly began to crash. When the shrimp were first born the tank had very little moss, yet as the moss grew the shrimp died. Only now do I see a possible link. I will continue my experiment and update on any possitive or negative results.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:47 pm

The proof seems to be right their in front of us. I have done the same thing and got the same results. Thanks for sharing with us and please keep us updated!

Cableguy · Post by **Cableguy** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:26 am

I collect my own driftwood, and sometimes when i put it into a tank without boiling it grows this fuzzy covering of fungus/bacteria? on it, would it be a good food for shrimp? i know the crayfish that have it like to snack on it

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:45 am

Cableguy wrote:I collect my own driftwood, and sometimes when i put it into a tank without boiling it grows this fuzzy covering of fungus/bacteria? on it, would it be a good food for shrimp? i know the crayfish that have it like to snack on it

I had the same thing when I bought lace rock for my saltwater tank, I had purple jelly growing on it after a few days. I don't know if it made good food, I just let it be added nutrients to the tank cycle, since the tank was newly set up with no critters in it.

-John

starrystarstarr · Post by **starrystarstarr** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:09 pm

badflash wrote:Forget the guppy grass. Stick with java moss.

As far as wierdness, my wife now has field trips to my aquarium & my neighbors invite me over to pick dandelions. If you are constantly odd, it isn't strange.

Do you have to dry the dandelions before you put them in your shrimp tank? I haven't been able to find oak leaves, but I will be going to a gardening store to try to get some. I was wondering what other types of leaves have been successful in shrimp tanks.

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:35 pm

I was wondering what other types of leaves have been successful in shrimp tanks.

I collect dead water lily leaves from the backyard pond. The shrimp (and snails) will completely devour a 4-5" leaf in about 24 hours, much faster than oak leaves.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:37 pm

I think any sort of hardwood will work. Just soak dead leaves for several weeks and change the water to remove the tannins. Yucca uses magnolia, so most leave should work.

For dandelions I boil for 3 minutes and discard the water. You can freeze extras.

starrystarstarr · Post by **starrystarstarr** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:58 pm

I tried using Ficus leaves and my shrimp just ignored them. I then tried Cotton Wood and that did the trick.

TKD · Post by **TKD** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:46 pm

starrystarstarr wrote:I tried using Ficus leaves and my shrimp just ignored them. I then tried Cotton Wood and that did the trick.

I don't think that using Ficus would be a good idea as they contain bad chemicals in there sap.

TKD