Tell me about Shrimp.

[Back in the fold 9]

I've been reading many comments from people talking about freshwater shrimp. What's the fascination? Are they friendly? What do they do? Are they fun to watch? Do they co-exist well with fish and what kinds? Are they big or small? I have to know.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I have a tank of Red Cherry Shrimp. No fish. Yes, they are fascinating to watch. I can sit in front of the tank for an hour watching them. Adults can be about an inch long.

 

[Colin_T]

What's the fascination?
They are different and don't look like fish.

Are they friendly?
Most of the smaller ones are friendly to a degree. They are generally social creatures that get along with each other but there are some that are territorial and fight with each other.

What do they do?
They clean up uneaten food, including dead fish, and pick some types of algae off plants.

Are they fun to watch?
Some are, most are nocturnal and you only see them after dark when the lights go out. There are a number of marine shrimp that clean fish (and your hand if you put it in the tank). These are fun to watch.

Do they co-exist well with fish and what kinds?
Shrimp are normally fine with fish but big fish will eat small shrimp, and big shrimp will eat small fish.

Are they big or small?
Shrimp can range in size from 10mm (less than 1/2 inch) to 12 inches or more in length. Most common freshwater aquarium shrimp are between 1/2 to 2 inches long.

 

[seangee]

I have a tank of Red Cherry Shrimp. No fish. Yes, they are fascinating to watch. I can sit in front of the tank for an hour watching them. Adults can be about an inch long.

I agree. I always thought of them as fish food or clean up crew. Then I added some RCS to a new nano tank I set up just over a year ago. It really is fascinating to watch their interactions and how the social hierarchy has developed. I actually have 3 distinct colonies in my tank. The 2 colonies in the front do mix at feeding time and then go back to their own areas. The third colony lives in the filter compartment. A lot of people have gone to great lengths to stop this on that type of tank (Fluval Flex). I just let them have their own way and one group has chosen to live in there.

This tank does have similar sized fish (CPD) in it and there is the added fascination of occasional arguments between fish and shrimp. Neither can do any damage - although the shrimps ensure that very few eggs or fry survive (the adult CPD help in this regard too). The CPD obviously enjoy live shrimplets but enough survive that I have a lot more now than when I started.

If you want to try RCS are inexpensive, quite hardy and breed readily. They won't over-run your tank in the way guppies or live bearers do, as their number go up the rate of breeding slows. Just be aware that they are food for anything that can fit them in their mouths.

P.S. The arguments are only over food, they are not at all aggressive towards each other.

 

[Back in the fold 9]

Just thought I'd ask. I've only seen them in shops on the rare occasion. I have been briefly enticed by newts, frogs and turtles in the past but was glad I didn't succumb when I saw other people's . I think I'll leave them alone for now. Thank you all for your informative notes.