So, I did my first feeding this evening after watching a Nat Geo Wild marathon about sea creatures all day.
This was about 5 months after they first went into the tank, and I consistently see them out getting food, so I figured it's time to add a little something to the tank. I added 3 small flakes (like the size you get from a paper hole punch), ground up as fine as I could get it, and the crowd went wild... The most I've seen in the tank at once since they initially settled down was maybe 12, but soon after the food went in, I counted at least 16. The funny thing is, they weren't all going for the food - or maybe it takes them some time to figure out where it is (most of it floated on the surface).
I snapped some pics (click for full size):
The light and the lack of focus are making those floating fish flakes look WAY bigger than they are!
It seems like since that one feeding, they spend a bit more time looking for food on the surface of the water than they did before.
They went through all of the food in about 4-5 hours, and they're back to foraging for food on the glass, the algaeball, and the rock about as much as before the feeding, so I feel like the amount was OK.
You said your algae ball was thriving...do you think that it actually grew? I'm just asking because for a year or two now I have had small algae balls spontaneously appear in one of my tanks. A few turned into hundreds and I have distributed them into other tanks...and they are growing, albeit slowly. Just wondering if my "homegrown" balls could somehow be related to the ones sold in stores. There are various species out there, and some can take quite a bit of salinity.
As for the flake food...I would suggest that you hold the flake food between your fingers and dip it under water until all the flakes become soaked and sink to the ground when you release them. That way the shrimp can work on them on the ground, without expending energy trying to swim upside down fishing for flakes. They'll find them more easily that way, too. Or, you could just use sinking pellets in the future. Up to you. I'm really happy to see that things are going so well, by the way.
Mustafa wrote:You said your algae ball was thriving...do you think that it actually grew? I'm just asking because for a year or two now I have had small algae balls spontaneously appear in one of my tanks. A few turned into hundreds and I have distributed them into other tanks...and they are growing, albeit slowly. Just wondering if my "homegrown" balls could somehow be related to the ones sold in stores. There are various species out there, and some can take quite a bit of salinity.
I am almost certain that it grew and continues to grow. It came from you, so it's not surprising if the behavior is the same.
As for the flake food...I would suggest that you hold the flake food between your fingers and dip it under water until all the flakes become soaked and sink to the ground when you release them. That way the shrimp can work on them on the ground, without expending energy trying to swim upside down fishing for flakes. They'll find them more easily that way, too. Or, you could just use sinking pellets in the future. Up to you.
Yeah, I reviewed the instructions after posting this and I saw the suggestion to let the food sink. Is it awful that I liked to see the shrimp swimming upside down to feed?
I think that it was helpful to leave it on the surface for the first feeding, since that made it easy to verify that all of the food was eaten in a reasonable time. But going forward I'll use the same quantity and sink it.
I'm really happy to see that things are going so well, by the way.
Thanks. I'm still kind of on pins and needles hoping that they're doing well enough to breed. The first feeding was so interesting & fun that it's been very hard for me to keep myself from doing it again too soon...
Mustafa wrote:You said your algae ball was thriving...do you think that it actually grew? I'm just asking because for a year or two now I have had small algae balls spontaneously appear in one of my tanks. A few turned into hundreds and I have distributed them into other tanks...and they are growing, albeit slowly. Just wondering if my "homegrown" balls could somehow be related to the ones sold in stores. There are various species out there, and some can take quite a bit of salinity.
I am almost certain that it grew and continues to grow. It came from you, so it's not surprising if the behavior is the same.
Sorry for the confusion. In some other thread we were talking about "Marimo algae balls" (sold for freshwater, look it up if you're not familiar with them) so I was thinking of those when you said "algae balls." I guess you were just talking about the macroalgae I sell when you said "algae ball." (I'm not surprised about hearing/reading that the macroalgae grew). In my comment above I was referring to actual "algae balls" similar to marimo balls that have appeared in my tanks (and are growing and multiplying). Although slow growers, those algae balls would be another interesting option for Supershrimp tanks in the future.
As for feeding them with flake food floating on the surface. If you really, really like it, go for it. It'll probably be ok. I was just thinking from the point of view of the shrimp who have to work harder to get the flakes.
I think I finally understand what "saddled" means, and seem to have a few saddled females in the tank. Gotta keep reminding myself that it'll probably be months before anybody's berried.
After the first feeding I'm a bit addicted. I think it made me feel a bit more connected to the little community in the tank, and I'm watching them more intently now than I used to.
Little update: I've done a couple of more feedings (Jan and Feb) since the Dec feeding, and everybody still looks healthy. They don't go as nuts for the food now as they did that first time, but that's not surprising given that they only go a month between feedings now rather than 5+ months as before.
It will soon be time to prune the algae again.
I scuffed up the tank walls a bit when scraping the biofilm algae - I was certain that the tank was glass, but it must be plexi. It's not really bad, and I can live with it for now. Once they start to breed, I'll look at going to a different tank and/or flipping it around so that the scratches are on the back instead of the front - but for now I want to do everything I can to minimize disruption/stress.
Thanks again for the update! As you found out, the only disadvantage of acrylic tanks is that they scratch easily. Too bad, because in almost every other way they are better than glass.
Mustafa wrote:Thanks again for the update! As you found out, the only disadvantage of acrylic tanks is that they scratch easily. Too bad, because in almost every other way they are better than glass.
I thought it was glass, or I would have used a sponge scraper.
Anyhow, time for the March feeding - can't wait!!!
I know that they often lose their first set of eggs, but I'm very glad/relieved to see this, as it provides me some assurance that the tank is in good shape and the shrimp are healthy & comfortable. Dunno when I'll manage to get some pics, but when I do I'll definitely post them here.
Looks like I have a yellow one. Some days it looks more yellow than others - or maybe sometimes I'm just seeing a clear one with some yellow food in its gut.
