A full eco system?

[dan4x4]

Has anyone successfully set up a tank where they have fish and cherry shrimp? Where you are maybe supplementing the fish with flake or freeze dried food but they are also grazing on the inhabitants of the tank?

Cherry shrimp comes to mind as I am lead to believe they are prolific breeders?

But then Daphnia breed prolific too so maybe if I was to add daphnia and cherry shrimp in a new set up weeks/months before adding fish, provided there is enough hiding spaces, there would always be a source of live food for the fish. Also maybe the fish would show behaviour not observed in the run of the mill tank. Furthermore they may be happier and with plenty live food healthier?

Only problem I can think of with daphnia is that they will all get sucked into the filter so cherry shrimp would be better possibly. Or something that can swim or attach itself to something but breeds quickly.

 

[zozo]

I kinda have 🙂.. And it was my goal.. It's the tank in my journal the Stove.. It has Oreichtys cosuatis (barb) Trichopsis pumila and Dario dario (badis) and cherry shrimps.. I took a rather large ppiece of wood, mopani, which has a very rough structure at the underside.. I placed it on a few bags of substrate (filled pantyhoses). So it is elevated off the substrate, it has caves underneath it, and the rough structure creates a massive labyrinth where fish can't go. But shrimps do and the fry as well. The pumilas and darios are constantly around the caves hunting shrimp fry.

The barbs occasionaly take a adult.. Probably only the old or a stupid shrimp that is daring the roam the tank to soon after it skinned.


I strated out with 30 sherries and have over a 100 by now despite they are hunted..

Daphnia you should indeed cultivate in the garden or a seperate unfiltered indoor tank. They do get sucked into the filter. But more important need a lot of free floating algae to eat. Preferably green water or some other slimey filamentous algae. So in a clear tank relative algae free, probably wont propagate fast enough and get eaten before they do.

 

[dan4x4]

I kinda have 🙂.. And it was my goal.. It's the tank in my journal the Stove.. It has Oreichtys cosuatis (barb) Trichopsis pumila and Dario dario (badis) and cherry shrimps.. I took a rather large ppiece of wood, mopani, which has a very rough structure at the underside.. I placed it on a few bags of substrate (filled pantyhoses). So it is elevated off the substrate, it has caves underneath it, and the rough structure creates a massive labyrinth where fish can't go. But shrimps do and the fry as well. The pumilas and darios are constantly around the caves hunting shrimp fry.

The barbs occasionaly take a adult.. Probably only the old or a stupid shrimp that is daring the roam the tank to soon after it skinned.


I strated out with 30 sherries and have over a 100 by now despite they are hunted..

Daphnia you should indeed cultivate in the garden or a seperate unfiltered indoor tank. They do get sucked into the filter. But more important need a lot of free floating algae to eat. Preferably green water or some other slimey filamentous algae. So in a clear tank relative algae free, probably wont propagate fast enough and get eaten before they do.

I love the video!

I'm going to need to grow mine in a lot more. Also its a new tank so there's not much for them to feed on yet. I really like the idea though.

I have a few rocks which will provide a bit of cover but not enough.

I'd like to try red fin tetra as in my mind they are like a mini piranha. i'm undecided as yet however.

Also the wood is a great idea, my red crystal shrimp i had used to spend most their time on their so your idea definately makes sense.

I've uploaded a pic so you can have a look 🙂

 

[zozo]

I'd like to try red fin tetra as in my mind they are like a mini piranha

🙂 Yes i lately saw them in the LFS at rather large size about 40 to 50mm, i indeed thought the same, they look like it.

I think sufficient cover is essential for fry to survive.. A nice large suitable piece of mopani is perfect if placed on a surface it can't be pushed into. Than all the nooks and crannies stay accessible to the fry.. At least i suspect them to be in there becaus i see shrimps comming out from under it all the time.. Also the amano's love it, i rarely see them, they are true miners, i see them at the entrances moving substrate and pushing it out like rabbits diggin a hole. 🙂

Also got a rather large ball of Lomariopsis cf lineata growing which is always ful of shrimp fry.. The darios and pumilas are oftenly diving into it as well. But deep down to dense for them. If you provide places like that, cherries are impossible to exterminate by predators. And it's a fun spectacle to witness, seeing the little fish search and hunt.. 🙂

The smart and strong survive and the population still keeps growing, the way it works in nature.. Not a full ecosystem, still need additional food, but close enough.