2 1/2 gallon Stock?

you could go with nerite snails, as they require brackish water for the eggs to actually hatch, and due to your small tank sizes i don't think you want to have to deal with a bunch of baby snails.

far as i know, msjinkz sells them on here.


and as far as using ghost shrimp to cycle your tank and not worrying if they die or not, that is irresponsible.
 
Shrimp is a good way to go- but they WILL die if you don't cycle properly first. Shrimp are more sensitive than fish to ammonia and nitrites..
 
Seeing that he already has tanks- cycling shouldn't take too long either using filter media from a previous tank.

I wish I had a seperate aquarium for my shrimp- they're in my community tank now- they really are interesting fascinating creatures.

If you get some and ever want to treat them- Mine love freeze dried scuds (gammarus)- it appears to be their favourite food I've tried so far. (and by far... they go crazy for it... my fish go crazy for anything I feed them so it's hard to tell- but the shrimp really react different to different foods).

I normally have to crush them up because they're too big for my fish to eat whole- but I always leave one or two whole for the shrimp- the shrimp like them whole...

They'll swim to the surface, hang upside down from a water lettuce and wait, snag a scud- then swim to the bottom to eat it in peace in one of the caves.

I've only witnessed them do this for scuds- they must taste it in the water... they never do this for flake food or freeze dried bloodworms.
 
by established tank i don't mean one that has recently finished the cycle. i have read that shrimp are much more likely to survive in a tank that has been set up and running with stock for some time, allowing the tank to become established and stable. putting shrimp into a recently cycled tank is a gamble and not one that that should be taken, IMO.
 
How critical this is I think depends on the type of shrimp and how quickly you want babies.

Young shrimp of some species need the micro-organisms present in more establish tanks. Filter feeding shrimp need established tanks to survive.

I suspect cherries and ghosts would be fine (my ghosts went into a just cycled tank and have done OK)... the problem is- if they have babies the shrimplets may not find food in a not-so-established tank.
 
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