# First shrimp tomorrow!



## LancsRick (4 Jun 2012)

Ok, so I've done my reading, and tomorrow I'll be getting 6 (hopefully 3M/3F) cherry red shrimp from my LFS, along with some algae wafers. So this post is partly "yey I'm excited" (as sad as that sounds), and partly "I've done my research, but any particular nuggets of info you wish to impart to a newbie shrimp keeper"?

They're going in a 14l nano, planted, that has been establishing for the last 5 weeks. Hardness around here is zero, ph is 7ish. Tank is heated to around 23C.


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## somethingfishy (4 Jun 2012)

Sorry no golden nugget of advice ... but just to say im really excited about getting my first red cherries this week too  

seen them in my mates tank and they are really cool to look at .... hope it goes well for you and that they breed like ... cherry shrimps


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## spyder (4 Jun 2012)

Good luck to both of you. I've had 2 failed attempts in the past in smaller tanks of around 25l, this time it's going well in a 60l. Shrimps need stability, smaller volumes of water can swing drastically. Not that it can't be done, it just requires more vigilance and care.

When you have berried shrimp and then spot the shrimplets you'll be even more excited.

1 nugget. Don't overfeed. Avoid this and you should be fine.


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## hotweldfire (4 Jun 2012)

One obvious nugget - drip acclimatise as slowly and over as long a period as you can. Also, small weekly water changes are good. Crap builds up faster in a shrimp tank than you'd expect so regular changes important. But large changes will stress some shrimp.


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## awtong (5 Jun 2012)

Good luck guys.  I now have clearance for the shrimp tank so in the next 6 months I should have this up and running.

Andy


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## hobbyshrimp (5 Jun 2012)

good lucky before you know it you'll have the shrimp bug...... Not sure if its a nugget of information or not my cherries aren't keen on spinach that much but really enjoy stingy nettles..


HS


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## LancsRick (5 Jun 2012)

Well I'm getting some algae wafers to start with, just did a 75% water change on the tank and a quick gravel clean in anticipation! Also made sure that the filter media is covering all intakes, don't really want shrimp paste!


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## hobbyshrimp (5 Jun 2012)

I feed mine algae wafers, brine shrimp, bloodworm algae pellets, crab cuisine and nettles... vatiety being the spice of life


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## somethingfishy (5 Jun 2012)

hobbyshrimp said:
			
		

> I feed mine algae wafers, brine shrimp, bloodworm algae pellets, crab cuisine and nettles... vatiety being the spice of life



Just ordinary stinging nettles? What do you do with them please


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## hobbyshrimp (5 Jun 2012)

Plain old everyday stinging nettles ... I pick them when walking the dog. I boil them for couple of minutes then pop in tank whole. Remove anything left after 2 days max don't want any nitrate problems. Both my cherries and crystal reds love them

HS


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## somethingfishy (5 Jun 2012)

Thats a great tip thanks for that


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## sr20det (6 Jun 2012)

I have loads of Spinach, in the garden, so they dont go down to well?  Might even grow a stinging nettle in a pot if it goes down well.


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## hobbyshrimp (6 Jun 2012)

my shrimp will pick at spinach but don't get the same rush for it. I would  use it if you have it yours might love it.


HS


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## Christor (6 Jun 2012)

Ha one thing I have learned from keeping shrimp, be patient and they are definitely in there, they are just very good at hiding, as I had 2 killi fish (mistake was soon realised) who managed to scare a population of 30 shrimp into hiding constant, or at least I knew I had one   

oh and they take to different tastes, mine ignore algae wafers when there are crushed snails to munch on! aquatic snails that is


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## hobbyshrimp (6 Jun 2012)

Christor said:
			
		

> crushed snails to munch on! aquatic snails that is



Haven't tried that but with an out break of rams horned that hitch a ride on plants i'll give it a go. Good way to get rid of unwanted pest..


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## LancsRick (7 Jun 2012)

Shrimp seem happy . Damn good at hiding! I can't tell if they're eaten the debris in the tank or not, but they definitely seem to have an urge to collect it into a tidy pile!


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## sr20det (7 Jun 2012)

LancsRick said:
			
		

> Shrimp seem happy . Damn good at hiding! I can't tell if they're eaten the debris in the tank or not, but they definitely seem to have an urge to collect it into a tidy pile!



Any pics.


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