Shrimp Q's

[indir-emir]

Hi everyone,
Bought 30 cherry shrimp and sadly put them into my 20g and man oh man do i regret it saw them get eaten, heart broken... Got up my brothers tank (was filthy, took so long to clean) and got it running. Using my canister filters floss/wool as recommended for 'cycled' tank. Tank is an AR-380. Which is a 10Gallon tank (40 litres).

I managed to locate and save 8 cherry shrimp only But i will be buying 20 more to get the colony going I cant really tell which are male and female. Apart from 3-4 have more red intheir body. Any other ways of identifying the sex?

Was told they are 6 months old, so whats the best way to promote them to breed (google says 3 months is mature age).

Ive got a bunch of stringy moss in the tank, plus a few plants i trimmed from my main tank. And a bit of riccia donated by the guy i bought the shrimp from.
Now im wondering if the light is enough... It is 10 watts. But i read a while ago it doesnt matter in smaller tank. Is 10 gallons counted in that? If not i cant really find a brighter light because the light unit isnt made for higher from memory

Oh and is there any tank mates that i could put in for some colour/movement which wouldnt eat the baby shrimpies or the other shrimps?

Oh and is it ok to keep them without a heater for the night? Its to late to go out and buy a new heater :\ Which ill do in the morning. And is it ok to feed them 2-3 algae wafers till i can find shrimp pellets?

Anyway, im really keen on gting a colony going so any help is appreciated

Regards,
Indir

 

[Bebobb]

Well, I know they love javamoss. In shrimp tanks, I often see javamoss a a fluffy floor cover. They are very easy to breed, and will basically do it without you asking. Most fish would eat the baby shrimp. Which would not promote a colony. They are best kept by them selves. In a colony that is, they can go in acommunity, but it doesn't sound like you had much luck with that.

 

[indir-emir]

Nah have a rescued angel in there which picked em off. Which i really regret. Stringy moss is bassicaly the same thing. But the guy im buying another 20 from is donating a golf ball clump of java moss.

Ive got some attached to a rock type wall with holesand all that throughout it. Some attached to a bit of driftwood which was in brother tank too. And a clump floating around just above the wood lol.

Guess its just shrimp then :\ Anyone able to answer the other questions?

Regards,
Indir

 

[Bebobb]

They will eat the algae wafers, but try not to make it their staple diet. You can feed them flake food also. And some blood worms to make them show their color more. A heater should be fine FOR the night, but you really need to get one as quick as you can.

 

[indir-emir]

I dont have a heater... Im getting one in the morning because i know they need warmer water. THey will be okay for roughly 12 hours without ah eater right?

Ok what sort of diet should they have then?
Shrimp pellets? Blanched cucumber? Blood worms? What else.

Thank you very much for your help.

Regards,
Indir