View Full Version : cool critters
LMOUTHBASS
06-18-2003, 4:40 PM
what are some unique things i can get for my tank i e ghost shrimp and so forth
Tim Bo
06-18-2003, 6:46 PM
We're gonna need a lilttle more information than that..what size tank do you have, hard or soft water, plants, existing fish etc?
I actually have the same question so....
46 gallon bowfront tank
7.0 pH
6 neons
2 guppies
2 blue gouramis
1 hatchet
4 corys
too many snails
So any Ideas for what would be good?
dethjam316
06-18-2003, 8:54 PM
jp-- you could definitely add ghost shrimp. i doubt anything would bother them from your list. i would add 20-30 of them and see how many live, because they often have very high mortality. maybe even more, i've read you can keep about 1 per gallon in addition to the fish bioload, but i wouldn't do that many.
Tim Bo
06-19-2003, 3:50 PM
Ghost shrimp are always a pleasant addition IMHO. I wouldn't add more that 3-4 to begin with. These guys have to eat too! The gourami might take a taste but depending on the type of gourami, the shrimp should do ok. Live plants are appreciated as cover and a possible food source.
dethjam316
06-19-2003, 5:42 PM
Originally posted by Tim Bo
Ghost shrimp are always a pleasant addition IMHO. I wouldn't add more that 3-4 to begin with. These guys have to eat too! The gourami might take a taste but depending on the type of gourami, the shrimp should do ok. Live plants are appreciated as cover and a possible food source. well, i added about 20 and now have 4 that have been around for months. they have very high mortality, like i said.
OrionGirl
06-19-2003, 5:55 PM
Ghost shrimp don't seem to do as well in soft water. Not sure why, entirely based on personal experience, but my ghost shrimp have always done much better in lightly brackish tanks--not sure if it's the salt, or a trace mineral from the marine mix, or the buffers in the marine mix.
There are some truly stunning algae eating FW shrimp--but be prepared to pay a bit more. Also, be careful about selecting tankmates. Many fish eat crunchy things in the wild, and will not realize that you didn't intend the $12 Cherry Shrimp to be a nice snack. Also, some crustaceans are not good tankmates for fish--crayfish will eat anything they can catch, even that expensive pleco.
RENEGADE
06-20-2003, 2:09 AM
what about a dwarf puffer and shrimp? snack or friend
my two dwarf puffers co live with my 4 ghost shrimp! so i would say they are friends! the ghost shrimp eating all the rubbish that the puffer doesn;t eat etc etc. and i even have a pair of albino cory in it! now who says dwarf puffers are that fierce? :)
OrionGirl
06-20-2003, 7:38 AM
My puffers leave my amanos alone, but I don't trust them with young. Smaller ghost shrimp can be taken, depending on the puffers. I have seen my pack descend on a small ghost shrimp and kill eat. A single puffer might not make the attempt.
Would my pair of kribs kill a ghost shrimp?
tnlguinn
06-22-2003, 11:15 AM
if you want to get rid of the snails, get a few clown loaches, 5 is a good number. they like to be in groups. be sure to provide plenty of hiding spots.
OrionGirl
06-22-2003, 11:21 AM
Originally posted by tnlguinn
if you want to get rid of the snails, get a few clown loaches, 5 is a good number. they like to be in groups. be sure to provide plenty of hiding spots.
And a large tank. Clowns get big, and if cared for properly, I've been told they are NOT slow growers.
tnlguinn
06-22-2003, 12:03 PM
thanks for the help oriongirl. but clown loaches ore extremely slow growers. taking up to ten years to get full grown at 12".
serjuanca888
06-22-2003, 12:45 PM
Originally posted by OrionGirl
Ghost shrimp don't seem to do as well in soft water. Not sure why, entirely based on personal experience, but my ghost shrimp have always done much better in lightly brackish tanks--not sure if it's the salt, or a trace mineral from the marine mix, or the buffers in the marine mix.
It is the iodine in the mix. Shrimps and other crustaceans need iodine. It has something to do with the exoskeleton.
Okay, for anyone interested, yes, kribs eat shrimp if they catch them. Bought 3 yesterday just to see and they all made it through the night but one got caught this morning and was a very nice breakfast for George and Martha. The other two are still around for now. They have plenty of hiding places as the tank is pretty well planted. We'll see how long they last.