Waste produced

A forum for discussing everything about the Supershrimp (Halocaridina rubra, Opae ula).

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SPELLBOUND
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Waste produced

Post by SPELLBOUND »

So I've read and taken in how to set up a home for these guys, but been chatting to several UK keepers who say they need a heater and have a sponge filter. One guy has a 10 year colony with over 1000 shrimp in. He has a small sponge filter set on low with very few bubbles. My question is if you have a tank with say 20 shrimp in then the bioload would be super small. But with a 1000 shrimp their would be a lot more waste. Where does all the waste go if you have no filter, as recommended? Thank you
i<3Opae
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Re: Waste produced

Post by i<3Opae »

Are you asking what if your tank grew to 1000 in population, what should you do without a filter? If you let the tank grow organically, I think there is nothing to worry about...whether it’s 1000 or 2000, that’s not a concern since the shrimp won’t breed beyond the tank’s capacity and the mini-ecosystem’s sustainability. Now if your question is if you had 1000 shrimp to put into a tank all at once, maybe you’ll need that filter ;) Filters host colonies of bacteria that breaks down the waste, a healthy cycled tank has its own built-in filter.
mike.d
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Re: Waste produced

Post by mike.d »

SPELLBOUND wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:05 am Where does all the waste go if you have no filter, as recommended?
Excellent question. The answer is nowhere. The excess waste stays in the tank and feeds the algae and bacteria that the shrimp eat. If you have too much algae and the tank starts looking bad, add some snails to help the shrimp eat the algae.

I've seen videos where people have created balanced ecosystems without filtration in other types of tanks. It is possible with the right balance of creatures and light. These shrimp and the instructions on this site just make an ecosystem a lot easier to set up.

Personally, I question whether a sponge filter at the setting described is doing much filtering. Few bubbles mean very little suction and not much water movement through the filter. They could probably remove the filter and the heater without any issues. Just my opinion.
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