Shrimp Idea?

Oddball~

Brackhead
Nov 18, 2004
875
0
0
45
Dallas, TX
I'm honestly tired of buying 50 shrimp for $4 every 3-4 weeks or so for my fish, putting them into my 10 gallon tank, changing the water, feeding the shrimps, etc. Can I just dump the shrimp into the 20 gallon tank that I have and let the puffers go wild?

10 whole gallons can be put to better use, like dwarf puffers, or yet another Figure 8 *squeals* ahem, or something.
 
I would think its ok.....

Its better for some fish to be fed very heartily and then not for a couple days and then fed BIG again. So I would think its ok. For instance I feed my butis once a week and it'l get a BIG FAT stomach and then he's ready next week. IMO it simulates nature more closely, because in nature pred's dont eat everyday. If you do decide to do that, I would try and give a couple small hiding spots for maybe a few shrimp to get away to be eaten later when the puffer finds em.

Good luck deciding!!
 
The shrimp will be much better puffer food if you feed them well for several days before you add them to the puffer tank. They are not likely to have been fed at the LFS, feeders rarely are well maintained.
 
Well, of course. I gut-load them personally... but you're right, I wouldn't be able to do that if I can't utilize my 10 gallon tank... hrmmmm... Maybe it would be a once-a month or every other week sorta deal. This way I can still feed my puffs what they need. I just need that 10 gallon tank... argh.
 
I add in about 5-10 ghost shrimp at a time and let them hang out until they're noticed/decided upon for a snack. There are two of them that must be extremely good hiders who've been keeping the bottom tidy. :)

Gutload 'em and shouldn't be a problem. Another option for that large of an amount is to buy a 2g tank and use an airstone. I do that instead of wasting a 10g on them.
 
Nah, I need the 2.5 gallon I have for my snails. Besides, much easier to breed and catch in such a large tank. In addition, I can put a neon or two for enjoyment purposes.
 
Ghost shrimp are good feeders for a variety of fish, but can get pricey. I keep some ghosts in my 30 g community tank where nothing can/ will eat them. They are primarily there for cleaning assistance, but they are also my backup supply for feeding my figure 8 and peacock eel (seperate tanks). I try to mix what i feed my fish so I vary their diet to include ghost shrimp, small snails and frozen blood worms. I have a 5 g that i recently established to breed snails and ghost shrimp, maybe even a few guppies (for the eel). It is planted and an attractive setup, and the shrimp are fun to watch swimming with the guppies, so i don't feel that it is a waste of space. I don't know how well any of this stuff will breed, so it might become home to a few dwarf puffers.
 
Snails and Shrimp and Fish together will never breed. The shrimp will eat the snails' eggs and the fish will eat the shrimp eggs or fry.
 
AquariaCentral.com