RCS seeks survival strategies for community tank

kimapunju

kimapunju

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Jan 24, 2006
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St. Louis, MO
I was wondering if anyone out there had any thoughts on how to keep red cherry shrimp alive in a community tank.

I bought 30 RCS about two months ago for a 75 gallon low light planted tank. Current stocking consists of 5 turquoise rainbows, 4 gold barbs, 13 harlequin rasboras, 5 yoyo loaches, and a SAE. There is plenty of driftwood with lots of nooks and crannies. Planting consists of several java ferns, Anubias nana, water wisteria and a carpet of Cryptocoryne wendtii (which hasn't quite filled in yet).

The shrimp do alright as long as they stay near holes in the driftwood to retreat into, but any time they go for a swim it triggers an instant feeding frenzy. One rainbow swam around for about 12 hours with half a shrimp hanging out of it's mouth before it finally was able to swallow it.

I have since added a few patches of java moss for them to hide and graze in, but I sense a slow and inevitable eradication of the RCS clan. I don't plan to buy any more shrimp, but I wondering if there is anything else worth trying to make the current batches' last days more numerous and/or more pleasant. Thanks.
 
well with the loaches a would say bye bye shrimp to be honest. SAE? stamped addressed envolope lol
 
Set up a separate tank for breeding is all I can suggest. Well, that and give the shrimp some java moss (oops missed that you already have some)...but that's only delaying the problem. The breeding tank will give your guys a nice safe environment to develop and grow and if you want to keep some adults in the big tank you can. You never know...the adults may find a way to stay alive in the large tank...but by hedging your bet with the small breeding tank, you're not wasting your money.

Cris
 
Thanks for the replies. I don't know that the wife would be thrilled to have another tank in the house (even a small breeding tank for shrimp), so I guess the survivors will have to make do with their current set-up. Even at $1 each they are fairly expensive snacks... hopefully the fish appreciate it.

P.S. SAE = Siamese Algae Eater, about the only fish in the tank that does not harass swimming shrimp.
 
ur not alone there m8 my wife..........well am saying nout lol but she doesnt like them lol
 
What if you added some of those floating logs, but weighed them down with some pond stones at the edges on the inside? The shrimp could get in but the fish could not. They sell them for things like mudskippers at www.thatfishplace.com.
 
Oh no! The yoyo loaches will obviously grin broadly with free meal around.:nilly: Invertebrates are their natural prey.:grinyes:

SAE's and harlies are okay with shrimps.
 
get some of the 1/4 or 1/8in pvc pipe(witch ever is the smaller one they can fit into) and put that into the tank and if you can make them interconnected with the 4 way connectors so that the shrimp will be able to move around the tank and hope that helps
 
If you introduce a bazillion of them w/ some straws stuck together and "planted" among patches of truly dense moss/HM/HC/Glosso type undergrowth, a few may survive - but you'll likely never see any of them alive.
 
I have RCS in a 125 with a couple of full grown Botia kubotai, 6 full grown rams, and tons of tetras. I see adult RCS everywhere and even tiny little babies sometimes. As long as you have tons of plants and hiding places, they should be okay. It is no different than them having to survive in the wild.
 
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