Shrimp setup - how to approach

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Beastije

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So, unfortunately my betta fish died, it was nearly two years since I bought him at a LFS and he was not looking good past few weeks, slower movements, lots of resting, lying on the floor. I am sad to see him go but he was not looking well and like he enjoyed it at the end.
With him gone I now have an empty tank that I want to use for shrimp, something simple I guess, neocardinia, but not sure how to approach it.
It is a 56 cm x 25 cm x 36 cm lxwxh so it is around 40l. At this moment there is an Atman 201 filter with an original sponge, but I will switch it with a bubble filter with a sponge that is smaller and also less porous, as my guess this one is not good for shrimp and also it has to be throttled to 80% as is.
it has a massive anubias plant, some ludwigia, some java fern, one stagnating cryptocoryne, one moss ball and 80% of the surface is covered in riccia, but it is also intertwined with green algae. The green strand algae can also be found on the black sand I have there, as it was in this tank with this light and substrate for years. I stopped removing it for now, so I have a lot of strands between the ludwigia and on the surface.
Betta had 29 degrees, I turned off the heater for now, so it is sitting at 23degrees or so, which should be ok.

I cant purchase the shrimp for few weeks now, so what do I do with the tank?
Keep the light as is, which is 8 hrs a day, 10hr at weekends, keep the filter or switch it now (with the air filter from another tank that is running), wash the sponge or not?
I replaced 50% of the water after the betta died, but what else, do I keep the weekly routine or move it to bi-weekly? Or replace few days before I add the shrimp?

The tanks is somehow filled with small bladder snails, I guess the betta didnt eat the food at the end and there were leftover. I hope they manage to clean up before I add the shrimp, but they could be beneficial right?
I could also move two ramhorn neritinas in there that I have in the other tank, to help with the algae, but not sure if it is necessary. Do the shrimp really eat algae? If yes, I most likely should not remove it, right?

I had shrimp in the past, but never solitary, always with fish, and they always end up disappearing in few months. I have also been trying to grow java moss on the windowsill in a jar, and I have a slight wad to be used, if necessary. All my past experience though had the moss covered in algae, withering and dying at some point. And since the algae is already there, not sure if it is good idea to add. That is why I am reluctant with the algae now, I know the yare supposed to eat it, but in the past, always had more algae than shrimp in the end.
Thanks
Current pic attached including the algae, ph is 6,8 or so
 

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Oh and this tank was set up 6 months ago, the sand is 2 years old or so from previous tank, same as the anubias at least, rest of these plants are newish.
I also have a small jar full of egeria densa and another tank full of hornworth that I could add here, if the shrimp required it
I didnt do a gravel cleaning, might be a good idea to do before adding shrimp, not like I will be able to do it afterwards, right?
 
On the "do shrimps eat algae", most species of shrimp eat algae.

I'm not sure about the what do you do with the tank during the meantime part.

And try to add a space where the shrimp can hide from all other fish, I believe the reason your shrimp were slowly going missing overtime was because they had nowhere to hide and eventually got killed by the fish.

Based on my sources, bladder snails are either great for cleaning, or just pests. Depends on how you view them, if you choose to keep them then PLEASE control their population.

Someone has also made a tutorial about shrimps if it helps: htpps://www.fishforums.net/threads/shrimp-care-guide.261585/
 
On the "do shrimps eat algae", most species of shrimp eat algae.

I'm not sure about the what do you do with the tank during the meantime part.

And try to add a space where the shrimp can hide from all other fish, I believe the reason your shrimp were slowly going missing overtime was because they had nowhere to hide and eventually got killed by the fish.

Based on my sources, bladder snails are either great for cleaning, or just pests. Depends on how you view them, if you choose to keep them then PLEASE control their population.

Someone has also made a tutorial about shrimps if it helps: htpps://www.fishforums.net/threads/shrimp-care-guide.261585/
www.fishforums.net/threads/shrimp-care-guide.261585/
 
This time I do not have plans to add any fish in the tank, it is small as is. I still have a tunnel and a smaller tunnel made of stones and other stones just lying there, as a place for a targeted algae growth, that was however overturned by the other not wanted algae. Will see if they fare better this time around
 
This time I do not have plans to add any fish in the tank, it is small as is. I still have a tunnel and a smaller tunnel made of stones and other stones just lying there, as a place for a targeted algae growth, that was however overturned by the other not wanted algae. Will see if they fare better this time around
Ok
 
Back to this topic, fyi i kept the weekly water changes, switched the filter back to the air filter that used to be here and used this tank twice as a 5 day hospital to go through targeted fish medicine. I did more massive water changes after the fish were removed to ensure medicine is gone and it was shrimp safe anyway.
Tomorrow i am going to buy 20 cherry shrimp but I want to add something else.
The plants are not doing that great, lot of dying leaves from the limnobium and ludwigia, obviously not enough nutrients. To help better eat the plant matter i was thinking either getting a mystery snail or a Faunus Alter, but am not sure if 40 l is not too little for such a bioload.
My other idea was to get 2 amano shrimp along with the cherry as they can't cross bread, should not create more bioload and i never had them and wanted to check them out in a safe space.
I do not want a neritina for this tank. I have bladder snails and mts here though the numbers naturally decreased with two month feed freeze.

I also do not plan to feed the shrimp in upcoming months at all. Is that a correct assumption? Loads of algae covered stones, algae infused riccia, algae balls (cladophora but also long green one not balled up yet) and film on glass and plants along with wilting plants should be enough food for them, no?
 
i was thinking either getting a mystery snail
You shouldn't be able to get a mystery snail as the Czech Republic is in the EU and the EU has banned the import of all Pomacea snails. Of course that doesn't mean they aren't being sold illegally.........

I was warned off keeping amanos and cherry shrimp together several years ago - I was told that the larger amanos would intimidate the smaller cherries.
 
You shouldn't be able to get a mystery snail as the Czech Republic is in the EU and the EU has banned the import of all Pomacea snails. Of course that doesn't mean they aren't being sold illegally.........

I was warned off keeping amanos and cherry shrimp together several years ago - I was told that the larger amanos would intimidate the smaller cherries.
Nicer i read up on it, i thought only import was banned but not breeding but all is banned except noncommercial breeding of previously owned specimen. Will check the market tomorrow to see how much people suck at not keeping up with a quite reasonable law.
I read on keeping amano and cherry, didn't find any particular 'not to' articles but will check with the breeder tomorrow. I doubt they will be for sale anyway.
Thanks
 
The way the UK government interpreted the law when we were in the EU was that it was the import and spreading of Pomacea snails which were banned. Snails already in the country when the ban was introduced were allowed to live out their lives but all eggs had to be destroyed by freezing so that within a few years no Pomacea snails would exist within the EU.
Other countries may have interpreted the law differently.
 
The way the UK government interpreted the law when we were in the EU was that it was the import and spreading of Pomacea snails which were banned. Snails already in the country when the ban was introduced were allowed to live out their lives but all eggs had to be destroyed by freezing so that within a few years no Pomacea snails would exist within the EU.
Other countries may have interpreted the law differently.
Saw only one seller at the fair, which is way less than I remember
Didnt have the gal to ask them if they know it is illegal, was not in a good confrontational mood.

I also didnt realize how weak a will I have, they had so many fish and plants and creatures, and my tanks are already finished ( except one where I am waiting the fish to pass of old age) and I cant buy anything or add anything and it was torture looking at the selection.
In the end I caved and bought brotia herculea, quite a large one as well, 6cm or so, that will go to my 50l "old age" tank, if the fish that are there are not mean to it, otherwise will move it to my 360l, the 5 tylomelania there wont mind ( and should definitelly not cross breed but will read up on that)

I bought 20 of cherry and had the breeder check that amano should be ok with them, so I bought 2 amano. Will report back how it goes, if they by any chance are not doing well there, I can move them to the 360l which has ember tetra and corries, so no chance of them being eaten.

They even had the rummynose tetras, which was a surprise for me (have not seen them often), and I was considering getting 10 of them to acompany the ember tetras, but I have no place to quarantine them and I would not risk it. But boy did it take way more time to convince myself of it than I am proud to admit.
 

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