RCS vs Spinach (photos)

[badflash]

sugar and starch clouds the water and can cause a bacterial bloom.

[Baby_Girl]

Francis, like patter said you have to cook the veg's to soften them. OTherwise the shrimp don't realize it's food, and treat them like live plants (for walking on ). Only after it begins to rot hours or a day later do they begin to eat it. By then, it's already messed up your water.

Other things I've tried were carrot, green beans, mung bean sprouts, tofu, nori (seaweed), peas, squash, collard greens, edamame (soy beans). The ones they liked the best were zucchini, green beans, soy beans, peas, and of course the dandelions.

But this was really only when my shrimp tanks were 1-2 months old and they required supplemental feeding. As I said, since the tanks have become mature they really prefer natural algae and aufwuchs (biofilm). My RCS have much better color and live longer since then. Check out this little lady I found last night
She only 'appeared' after I cut back supplemental feedings to a small pinch of fish food once a week. Her brilliant coloration tells me 1) she's mature and had to survive long enough to get that color, 2) she's supremely healthy, 3) she's content ('happy') with her tank conditions, and 4) she's well-fed.

I've read spinach contains oxalic acid which may be toxic. It's the same compound that is in Anubias to make it slightly toxic. Some people (mostly in Asia and abroad) have reported shrimp dying after they trimmed an Anubias plant in their tank. When the tissue is damaged, the plant releases those oxalates into the water. I imagine that ingesting the oxalates would only be worse, since it concentrates those compounds in their bodies rather than being diluted in the water.

[Baby_Girl]

sugar and starch clouds the water and can cause a bacterial bloom.

exactly. That's why I steer clear of fruits and potatoes (including yam).

[Neonshrimp]

Some people (mostly in Asia and abroad) have reported shrimp dying after they trimmed an Anubias plant in their tank. When the tissue is damaged, the plant releases those oxalates into the water.

I will be more careful the next time I trim my Anubias plants .

[Baby_Girl]

I will be more careful the next time I trim my Anubias plants .

yeah, I've not experienced that myself but have read it from Asian and European hobbyists. Over there, they sometimes go so far as to advocate NOT placing Anubias in shrimp tanks. I still use an Anubias here and there in my shrimp tanks. I just make sure not to trim it. It's so slow-growing, it doesn't really need trimming anyway.

Before I read about it, I have trimmed Anubias that was in my community tank which, as you've seen, has a thriving and multiplying population of RCS. I suppose the larger volume of water diluted the oxalates enough that the shrimp were not affected. Either that, or any deaths that occurred were soon eaten by the fish so I didn't observe it.

[patter]

New topic




My cherries likes to eat meat too. They enjoy frozen artemia (brine shrimp).

[Neonshrimp]

Very nice, thanks again

Is that Pellia or Süßwassertang in the picture?

[patter]

It is Pellia in very bad condition at least a friend of mine gave me it as Pellia In general I'm not sure if there is a difference between Pellia (Monosolenium tenerum) and Süßwassertang ... they look too similar at pictures in the net

[Neonshrimp]

The Pellia is more brittle and stiff compared to the Süßwassertang. I have had both and they work well in a shrimp or fish tank