Disappearing snails

[reiverix]

Last night is the 4th time that I've saw ghost shrimp tucking into a pond snail. I have about 6 ghost shrimp and they are quite large - bigger than I expected them to get. The thing is, I have never seen them going in for the kill so I can't prove that the snail was dead first. I had a calcium deficiency that affected my pond snails health but I have long since addressed this and the remaining snails are looking good.

Also, my MTS population has expanded at the expense of the pond snails. Do they compete? Or do ghost shrimp actively take out pond snails? I'm puzzled at this.

This problem is restricted to my main 75g. In my 10g tank, the snail populations are equal between species. There's nothing in the 10g except plant cuttings and snails. My 75g has no snail eating fish either.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[daveedka]

John,
Ghost shrimp as I understand it will definately kill and eat anything they can effeciently catch. One of the suggestions I have read many times for shrimp breeder tanks is to add snails since the baby snails would provide a good food source for baby shrimp. Ghost shrimp will actually kill small fry if they can get a grip on them as well. Normally nothing in the tank is weak or slow enough to be harmed, but this isn't what the shrimp necessarily prefer.

I have also had issue with what seems to be snail competition, but mine was previous to the calcium discoveries, and I was hoping to rectify populations now that I actually have my water adjusted. MTS's are expanding and growing well (thanks for the stock) but not enough yet to start putting them in the big tank like I want to. I plan to start seperating snail species so I can concentrate better on production. If you need some for you loaches or for your 75g let me know. Also if you want to thin the MTS's some more bag-em up and call me Saturday afternoon.
dave

[RTR]

The MTS may be harder for the Ghosts to kill and eat - they do have an operculum, so can slam the door in the the shrimp's face as it were.

[reiverix]

I hope then that my new cherry shrimps will be safe. They are about a quarter the size of the ghost shrimp. If I see any cherry carcases, my ghost shrimp may be sentenced to my skunk loach tank.