# Shrimp feeding and moss clipping



## Robert Fletcher (18 Apr 2018)

I have two questions one may sound silly. About 8 weeks ago I added some RCS to a tank I had set up for the purpose. Lots of hiding spots amongst the moss and rocks. Initially did not see much of them but now they are everywhere and have multiplied. Lots of shrimplets. I have been feeding them Bacter AE 1/2 spoon daily. I also have various shrimp foods that they show no interest at all. Should I be worried in any way? 

The other question may sound silly but I need to trim the spiky moss it is very overgrown. Will the shrimp get out of the way or is there a risk of getting chopped in half? Very difficult to see the shrimp.

Thanks
Robert


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## MattW (18 Apr 2018)

Robert Fletcher said:


> I have two questions one may sound silly. About 8 weeks ago I added some RCS to a tank I had set up for the purpose. Lots of hiding spots amongst the moss and rocks. Initially did not see much of them but now they are everywhere and have multiplied. Lots of shrimplets. I have been feeding them Bacter AE 1/2 spoon daily. I also have various shrimp foods that they show no interest at all. Should I be worried in any way?
> 
> The other question may sound silly but I need to trim the spiky moss it is very overgrown. Will the shrimp get out of the way or is there a risk of getting chopped in half? Very difficult to see the shrimp.
> 
> ...



Hi there,

Every question is a valid one, it's stupid not to ask! Bacter AE is a good supplement to feed, essentially coating everything in the tank so it's good to help promote the shrimp grazing daily. As far as feeding them a good food I've had success with RCS is NT Labs Pro-F Shrimp Enhancer, it's available at Aquarium Gardens for relatively cheap. I found they tend to rush over to the dish with this food in so something must be working, I've since seen an increase in shrimp numbers and also a slight increase in shrimp colouration - overall they seem much healthier when feeding this stuff. It's important to remember shrimp are constantly grazing all day on the tiny micro organisms on the plants and in the tank, especially in a planted tank these organisms are in ample numbers so only occasional feeding (say 1-2 times a week) I've found to be necessary, though some people do prefer feeding little and daily.

That said the booming numbers you're reporting is a sign they are doing well, breeding tends to slow or even cease when the shrimp don't have a healthy diet. The only shrimp you need to worry about harming are the babies, normally they will move away and if they don't you can give them a little nudge. I'd say trimming moss there is little chance of doing any damage but i'd suggest just to be careful.


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## Robert Fletcher (18 Apr 2018)

Thank you for your reply. I have only just put an order in the Aquarium Gardens for some tools.  I also have 15 Boraras urophthalmoides in the tank and I only ever see them at night. I drop in micropellets do they must be eating something. They have been in the tank for 12 weeks. As the plants have grown I see less of them.  At first, I never used to see the shrimp but they are very visible now especially in the daytime. The only glass I clean is the front and one side that I look through. Green algae on the untouched sides. I wonder if it's possible they have all they need. The only one that goes into the dish are bladder snails and they seem to prefer the glass.


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## tam (18 Apr 2018)

If you run the side of the scissors across first, that should encourage them to shoot off else where before you trim. They can move quick if they want to!


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## MattW (18 Apr 2018)

Robert Fletcher said:


> I wonder if it's possible they have all they need. The only one that goes into the dish are bladder snails and they seem to prefer the glass.



It is possible. Obviously you want to avoid over feeding as that can cause problems in itself, one thing to check is if they are taking the pellets out of the dish with them, mine don't tend to do this but I have seen it happen before so it could be something to keep and eye on. If it does genuinely seem like they aren't interested and are still active then you can probably stop supplementing with pellets on a regular basis.

I should note I clean all 4 panes of glass every week, this could explain why mine go for the pellets readily, I also don't feed Bacter AE at all.



tam said:


> If you run the side of the scissors across first, that should encourage them to shoot off else where before you trim. They can move quick if they want to!



+1, I think this is a good idea, this will definitely make sure no shrimp are there when you cut.


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## Robert Fletcher (19 Apr 2018)

I appreciate the tips. I will give the tank a good going over when my new tools arrive from Aquarium Gardens.
The shrimp show no interest in the pellets. I have them in the dish for 24 hours. Their favorite spots are the sponge filter, catappa leaves plants and glass in that order and the plants of course.


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## MattW (19 Apr 2018)

Robert Fletcher said:


> I appreciate the tips. I will give the tank a good going over when my new tools arrive from Aquarium Gardens.
> The shrimp show no interest in the pellets. I have them in the dish for 24 hours. Their favorite spots are the sponge filter, catappa leaves plants and glass in that order and the plants of course.



Sounds to me you have plenty of food in the tank then, in this case i'd suggest you stop supplementing with pellets for the shrimp. Catappa leaves provide a great long-term food source for the shrimp & with bacter AE I don't doubt they have enough in the tank to keep them going. You can always start supplementing again if you begin to notice any issues arising.

Good luck with the shrimp going ahead!


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## Robert Fletcher (19 Apr 2018)

MattW said:


> Sounds to me you have plenty of food in the tank then, in this case, I'd suggest you stop supplementing with pellets for the shrimp. Catappa leaves provide an excellent long-term food source for the shrimp & with bacter AE I don't doubt they have enough in the tank to keep them going. You can always start supplementing again if you begin to notice any issues arising.
> 
> Good luck with the shrimp going ahead!


Thanks, I think it was Lucas Bretz or Rob at Flip Aquatics spoke of how good a food source is catappa leaf is for shrimp. If something does look wrong, I will call out.


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## sciencefiction (19 Apr 2018)

It is strange that the shrimp are not going for the food. I never ever fed mine shrimp specialized food. I've always fed them what I feed the fish and that's mostly small NLS pellets. The shrimp rush on and fight over them, pulling them from each other.

As mentioned here previously, shrimp do very well in a leaf litter, non-planted tank but I still fed mine every day. Basically, if they're not fed at all, or rarely, or too little, and left on to eat algae, etc...they don't multiply as much, some may lose colour as well,  so good diet and plenty of food is a must. Large and regular water changes should go along with that and soon you'll have more shrimp than you ever wanted.

As for cutting a shrimp in two, yes, I think it can happen...The shrimp won't necessarily get away, not all anyway, especially smaller shrimp.


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