newbie on amano shrimp

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:02 pm

hi.
have been trying to find information regarding amano shrimp the last days but not found much.
the most obvious i found is that 4 males cant make "kids"

i got a 37 litre aquarium with vegetation.
has been running for around 1 week now and 6 days with fish.

i got 6 "kardinal tetra".

does the amano require algae to survive or can it eat other food ?
dont got any algae whatsoever.

can 2-3 amanos live in the aquarium with the 6 fishes ?

i read somewhere they need calcium to the shell.
is it true and what do i do to add it ?

lets say i get 3 amanos how many hiding places do they need ?
got 0 now but the aquarium is not yet finished on the decorating side and will add atleast 1 "cave".

anything else i need to think off and need to know ?

i tried to search but didnt find much was unsure on what to search after as english isnt my native language.

Regards
Raven

rclover · Post by **rclover** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:24 pm

I have my shrimps with cardinals, no problems, fully planted tank.

beckypyyeung · Post by **beckypyyeung** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:06 am

Hi Raven,

I guess German is your native language coz I've seen a number of examples that German people change the 'C' in English into 'K' when I visited Germany, like your 'Kardinal Tetra'.

I have about 13 Kardinal Tetra and 2 Amano and some other shrimps in my 40-litre tank. I have some plant, but not much. I think one cave is enough coz my Kardinal Tetra don't go to the cave. I think the most important point is that your Amano cannot be too small, otherwise your tetra will eat them. About calcium, I have no idea. Therefore I can't give you any advice. But I believe some other shrimp friends here may help.

Hope you'll find a lot of happiness in keeping shrimp, like many shrimp friends here do.

Becky

beckypyyeung · Post by **beckypyyeung** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:07 am

Hi Raven,

I have something to add:
My shrimp mainly eat tetra food. I don't have enough algae for them.

Becky

beckypyyeung · Post by **beckypyyeung** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:10 am

Hi rclover,

Wow ! Is the Blissful Slopes your fish tank!? Wonderful !

Becky

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 7:22 am

not germany.
from sweden.
its north of germany.

i hope i can get the amano to survive.
have not had an aquarium in 8 years.

rclover · Post by **rclover** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 2:24 pm

Yes it is becky, thanks.

Jackie · Post by **Jackie** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:13 pm

First time tank??

Beautiful...

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:58 pm

sort of.
had it running 8 years ago but had to quit due to lack of space.
went somewhat ok most of my fishes survived.
didnt have the money needed for it either.

now im living alone and got all the space i decide i need.
aiming for a 222 liter aquarium by autumn/winter.

i checked and the floor should handle 350kg load ok.
just feed my 6 fishes.
they keep chasing each other and one fellow i talked to said its because they are preparing to "make kids"
not bad for the 7:th day in the aquarium

51Cornell · Post by **51Cornell** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:26 pm

Shrimp need calcium to keep their shells hard. If the food you feed them isn't high in calcium, then you'll have to add some to the tank. I've found the easiest for me is to use a "cuttle bone" (white ovally item that birdkeepers hang out for their birds to peck at) broken up into pieces, just throw a piece in the tank (it'll probably float) or sink it in the tank. When the piece disappears, which usually takes a couple months, just throw in another small piece. You can also use ground oyster shells (I think this is also found in the bird section of a pet store).

Jackie · Post by **Jackie** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:08 am

51Cornell wrote:Shrimp need calcium to keep their shells hard. If the food you feed them isn't high in calcium

I've heard lately that shrimp (crays and crabs also) absorb calcium mainly by their gills. Don't know if this is true, but I'll try to check this out.

beckypyyeung · Post by **beckypyyeung** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:18 am

Hi rclover,

Is 'carbon dioxide machine' a MUST if one would like to keep a fish tank with plant as beautiful as yours? Will it be workable if one just gives the tank good lighting?

Becky

rclover · Post by **rclover** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 8:50 am

plants need a balance of co2/light/ferts.

chlorophyll · Post by **chlorophyll** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:53 am

I always say that shrimp like rocks. Especially relatively large irregularly shaped rocks. Stack a few together and there are lots of hiding places. You can also dig out holes in the gravel underneath the rocks. Though I wouldn't count on them using these "caves" a lot. Crayfish, I can say, will really seek out those caves though! I also have dwarf puffer that likes to hang around in one of those caves.

For food, flakes will probably be fine. Shrimp generally aren't pciky eaters. They're not the highest things on the food chain and go around eating a lot of junk that fish pass up. They utilize nutrients better than fish do. Now, there are some flakes that contain spirulina algae and shrimp would probably eat that up. But it's not necessary to get just to feed the shrimp.
Just don't overfeed when trying to make sure your shrimp gets food. They don't need a lot, and the shrimp will eventually find any small amount of food that's lying around. Especially yours, who has no bottom feeding competition.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:58 am

what about food tablet that sink to the bottom.

they should be great for a shrimp to sit on and eat.