Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

will the addition of mosquitoe tabs have any effect on my cherry shrimp,
i have outdoor pond tanks 110gal in south florida.i have a daily problem
with frogs and mosquitoes.

Insects are also invertebrates with a similar physiology to shrimp. So, without having any real experience with these tabs, it's highly highly likely that whatever kills mosquito larvae/mosquitos will also kill shrimp. I wouldn't do it. A better bet would be put in a group of Dermogenys pusillus (halfbeaks) in there, which almost exclusively stay at the surface (hence less likely to eat shrimp babies) and will eat both the mosquito larvae and even adult females landing on the water to lay their eggs.

I believe it depends on what kind of mosquito tablet it is.

Those donut-shaped floating things supposedly use some sort bacteria which specifically attack mosquito larvae. They say it only goes after them, but when advertising is involved, who knows?

Perhaps this is worth experimenting with in a small tank to answer the question and perhaps further the knowledge base?

Mosquito dunks contain bacillus thuregensis, and the package I had specifically stated that it kills all invertebrates. Plus when I put some in a pond with some ghost shrimp, the shrimp were dead within days.

bulrush wrote:Mosquito dunks contain bacillus thuregensis, and the package I had specifically stated that it kills all invertebrates. Plus when I put some in a pond with some ghost shrimp, the shrimp were dead within days.

this bacteria specifically attacks the proteins that make up chitin. so any inverts with exoskeletons are at risk

Mustafa wrote:A better bet would be put in a group of Dermogenys pusillus (halfbeaks) in there, which almost exclusively stay at the surface (hence less likely to eat shrimp babies) and will eat both the mosquito larvae and even adult females landing on the water to lay their eggs.

Better bet would be some Heterandria formosa or Bluefin Killies. Both are Florida natives,good at eating mosquitoes and won't add to the mix of invasive species if they escape from your pond.

edinjapan wrote: Better bet would be some Heterandria formosa or Bluefin Killies. Both are Florida natives,good at eating mosquitoes and won't add to the mix of invasive species if they escape from your pond.

Except that those fish absolutely *love* eating shrimp babies.

Mustafa wrote:

edinjapan wrote: Better bet would be some Heterandria formosa or Bluefin Killies. Both are Florida natives,good at eating mosquitoes and won't add to the mix of invasive species if they escape from your pond.

Except that those fish absolutely *love* eating shrimp babies.

Mine tend to leave the shrimp alone. They stick to the upper part of the tubs and the shrimp usually prowl about on the bottom amongst the plants. So, the twain never/rarely seem to meet.

edinjapan wrote: Mine tend to leave the shrimp alone. They stick to the upper part of the tubs and the shrimp usually prowl about on the bottom amongst the plants. So, the twain never/rarely seem to meet.

It only appears that way. Mine would dive into the Java Moss thicket to search for baby shrimp. Only when I removed the H. formosa from that tank did the shrimp population explode. It was slowly growing even with the fish, but the fish did eat a lot of the offspring. Maybe you have a "pacifist" strain of H. formosa.

"Well-trained" could be amusing, too.

"Hey! No biting!" *thwack*

Killfrenzy wrote:"Well-trained" could be amusing, too.

"Hey! No biting!" *thwack*

Thwacking on the nose only works on mouthbrooding bettas and angelfish intent on eating the hand that feeds them.

I just read this week that in Japan, in the rice fields, they use triops to eat the mosquito larva. Pretty neat, as the triops will swim upside down at the top of the water and eat anything it can.

Small goldfish also eat mosquito larva, as do sticklebacks, which eat only insect larva. I have used both with 100% success in my small pond. If I have a feeder comet goldfish in there (I don't feed him) he eats all mosquito larva and all bugs that fall in (if they fit in his mouth).

As for the frogs, can you ask the local kids if they want to come catch them? There might be insurance issues but young boys love frogs. So do high school biology teachers. Tell your local high school teachers there are free frogs at your place.

I know I would love a place where my son (age 9) and I could go get free tadpoles or frogs. We would have a lot of fun just relocating them for you.

bulrush wrote:I just read this week that in Japan, in the rice fields, they use triops to eat the mosquito larva. Pretty neat, as the triops will swim upside down at the top of the water and eat anything it can.

The Kabuto Ebi aka Triops occurs naturally in paddies here in Japan. They're just there and nobody has ever considered eradicating them, like scuds they are next to impossible to get rid of.

In california they are using Triops to eat moquito larva. When they run out of food they eat each other.