# Hi new to all this, need shrimp advice!



## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

Hi folks,

About a month ago, I ended up getting a 20g tank with some gold tetras from a friend. Since then I've added plants and some black neons to it. Somehow I ended up getting really interested in this hobby, and ended up reading way too much about it.

So now I want to get a 10g tank I was given going. I think it should be done cycling in a week or so, been trying to find red cherry shrimp locally, atlantis aquarium had some I think for $5 each but they seem rather pricy as to compared to prices people sell them for online. I've been thinking about getting some online but was hoping to find them locally here. 

Are there any shops or people in georgia that sell red cherry shrimp? I was thinking about getting 20 or so.

The 10g tank has fluorite substrate, and has some hornwort and a bit of java moss in it. Any other plants people could recommend for it?

Thanks!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

There were a lot of shrimp at the last auction, so people in our club are breeding them. http://www.atlantaaquarium.com/events.htm . Dino usually has cherries. Hes in TN, but often comes to the monthly meetings.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

emc7 said:


> There were a lot of shrimp at the last auction, so people in our club are breeding them. http://www.atlantaaquarium.com/events.htm . Dino usually has cherries. Hes in TN, but often comes to the monthly meetings.


I had hoped to make it to the last meeting when the auction was, but that fell right during my exam practicals week. I see there is a meeting on oct 2, do auctions or mini auctions happen after meetings? I'm in marietta, so decatur isn't too far of a drive.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Mini-auctions after every meeting except the December one. What shows up is pretty random, but if you ask for something on the boards, it often comes. Or you can arrange a delivery at the meeting from another member with what you want.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

emc7 said:


> Mini-auctions after every meeting except the December one. What shows up is pretty random, but if you ask for something on the boards, it often comes. Or you can arrange a delivery at the meeting from another member with what you want.


Sounds good, hopefully someone reads this thread before then. Wonder how many people will show up to the meeting with the current gas situation.


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## dinosfishhouse (Jan 18, 2005)

I will and it's a 3 and a half hour drive from Tennessee.
I will also bring cherry shrimp.


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## ikevi (Jul 28, 2006)

hsd said:


> Sounds good, hopefully someone reads this thread before then. Wonder how many people will show up to the meeting with the current gas situation.


Well I would think that Dino wouldn't have a problem since they have gas and it is likely US average price. I would send him a line if you want the shrimp, since most other people that had extras just sold them.

As for gas, honestly I don't see why people would not be willing to pay 4-8 bucks to go to the meeting and back (just like we have been for the past how many months.) And by now people have hopefully learned that you just need to find the hidden gas stations... In other words I expect a normal turnout.

(And I see Dino already replied.)


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

dinosfishhouse said:


> I will and it's a 3 and a half hour drive from Tennessee.
> I will also bring cherry shrimp.



Woo! What kind of deal can we work up for about 20 of them? Oh and you'll probably want to make sure you got a full tank of gas, just in case. I just spent 35 min waiting in line at 1:00am at a gas station that had some come in.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

ikevi said:


> Well I would think that Dino wouldn't have a problem since they have gas and it is likely US average price. I would send him a line if you want the shrimp, since most other people that had extras just sold them.
> 
> As for gas, honestly I don't see why people would not be willing to pay 4-8 bucks to go to the meeting and back (just like we have been for the past how many months.) And by now people have hopefully learned that you just need to find the hidden gas stations... In other words I expect a normal turnout.
> 
> (And I see Dino already replied.)


Oh I wasn't talking about the price of gas, just the difficulty in finding some hehe. I guess the trick is to finding those hidden gas stations you mention. A friend let me a text letting me know a station that had some. I just got back from the gas station on cobb parkway and allgood, I ended up joining that line was around 35min wait. So I'm set for gas for a few weeks.


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## dinosfishhouse (Jan 18, 2005)

20 should not be a problem, 25$.
It has gotten to the point I carry extra gas cans for out of town trips.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

dinosfishhouse said:


> 20 should not be a problem, 25$.
> It has gotten to the point I carry extra gas cans for out of town trips.


Sounds good thanks.


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

why do you have to wait so long for gas. am i missing something? in oregon there is never a wait


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

I'll be bringing cherry shrimp to the mini auction as well.

If you're starting off with 20 in a 10 gallon, be prepared to have 100+ in a month or so! 

I heard most pumps will be back online by Monday, so I doubt the meeting will be affected.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Gas in atlanta is scarce now, esp. on the weekends. Last time I filled up I passed 8 stations that were totally out and waited 30-45 min. for a pump. Prices are up, but 4.09-4.29 is still less than Canada. Its more that you have to plan a couple hours to hunt for gas before you go anywhere. Turnout at my other activities this week was normal. There are blaming our "special blend" for air quality, the pipelines, and the refineries in the gulf.


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## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

how many cherry shrimp are you bringing?


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## dinosfishhouse (Jan 18, 2005)

I can also bring another bag or two of a dozen a bag which can be bought for 15$ a bag, or you can take your chance in the auction.
Bags of a dozen or more usually go over 20$.


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## richlindsey (Apr 14, 2008)

We will also be looking for some more cherry shrimp at the October meeting and some advice on raising them. We bought some at the ACA Convention and put them in an established 10 gallon tank. We bought some more at the September auction and put them in the same tank. We see them in there occasionally but they don't seem to be "multiplying". There is nothing else in the tank with them except some snails and a few plants. We throw a little flake food in there daily but I don't really know what I should be feeding them.


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## ikevi (Jul 28, 2006)

Feed them anything. algea tablets, the free turtle food. (I guess ideally you aren't suppose to give them food with iron in them.) but ghost/cherry shrimp are fine. (Ok copper it was. I honestly don't feed mine anything but plants... they don't breed much but they don't die off ever.)


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

Keep the tank clear of anything with copper in it, bad for shrimp. Though I have a question about seachem fertilizer tablets, are they safe to use in a shrimp tank? They contain a very small amount of copper I think it was 0.02%. Or would I better off not putting any in the tank?


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

I can bring as many as you want - was planning to put 2 or 3 bags in the auction. Mine are breeding like crazy.


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

emc7 said:


> Gas in atlanta is scarce now, esp. on the weekends. Last time I filled up I passed 8 stations that were totally out and waited 30-45 min. for a pump. Prices are up, but 4.09-4.29 is still less than Canada. Its more that you have to plan a couple hours to hunt for gas before you go anywhere. Turnout at my other activities this week was normal. There are blaming our "special blend" for air quality, the pipelines, and the refineries in the gulf.



Thats very weird. I have never heard of a gas station running out of gas. The average price of gas here is 3.63/gal (just saw it on the news). Why would gas be scarce for you but not Oregon it doesnt make any sense?


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

Asully70 said:


> Thats very weird. I have never heard of a gas station running out of gas. The average price of gas here is 3.63/gal (just saw it on the news). Why would gas be scarce for you but not Oregon it doesnt make any sense?


Think it has to do with the route georgia gets it through. I'm sure it'll get resolved just a matter of time, perhaps a few days or another week, who knows. Just glad I live on campus, I can stretch a full tank of gas if need be. Feel sorry for the folks that commute far to work, more of a hassle finding a station.


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

Ya that seems like a major inconvienience. I hope nothing like that ever happens over here. I drive to school 2 days a week and drive to work 4-5 days a week. work is about 24 miles away both ways and school is probably 20


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## khudgins (Jan 28, 2008)

Our gas comes via a pipeline from the western gulf - you know, Galveston, etc, that just got hit by a hurricane. The refineries and processors have all been offline for a while.

That, combined with the fact that Atlanta runs a low-sulfur blend during the summer, means that we're actually lower in the priority list in getting our lo-smog gas than the rest of the southeast. The shortage will probably last another week or so, maybe two if people continue to buy in panic mode.


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## khudgins (Jan 28, 2008)

To bring this thing back on-topic, anyone hace cherry shrimp breeding advice? We've got a small colony in a little 1 gallon plastic tank for the moment, in a window with java moss and other random greens growing in it. The shrimp seem to be doing well, and are definitely eating (bottom's showing shimp poop) but I'd like to see some more grow out and breed, since my wife loves shrimp in the tank.


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

Are your females getting berried periodically? They may be breeding, but you might be losing the fry - feed lots, keep the water quality good, and make sure your filter intakes have sponges over them!

I've heard they prefer breeding at cooler temperatures, but mine are multiplying like crazy at 80F. I supplement the algae in the tank with algae flakes and tablets, but the shrimp often outcompete the fish for whatever meaty frozen foods they're getting. Other than that, I don't do anything special - just try to keep the tank clean.

I kept shrimp in a 2.5 planted tank for about a year. They bred for a while, and then just stopped. Didn't die out, just stopped breeding. Haven't had that problem in a larger tank, but it's still early days.


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## richlindsey (Apr 14, 2008)

What water parameters do we need for breeding cherry shrimp?


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

richlindsey said:


> What water parameters do we need for breeding cherry shrimp?


Sorry, I just meant the normal 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, very low Nitrates. You know, healthy water. From what I've read, cherry shrimp are fine with hard or soft water, high or low pH. I have mine at pH 7, soft Atlanta tapwater.

Dino may have more specifics to offer... I really just threw mine in the tank and voila.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I did the same, but like Kevin, but my shrimp are living but not breeding. I think I have 1 little one. What do baby cherry shrimp eat?


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## dinosfishhouse (Jan 18, 2005)

I have found that shrimp do best with a lot of floating plants.
We seem to get a higher output in the tanks that have a mass of floating plants.
The shrimplets eat the same things the parents do, algae, microfauna and algae and shrimp wafers.

The cherries here are at 76-78F in a 7.6-7.8 pH.
The main colony is a 55 with species 3 plecos, platies and Crazy, the bettas that flares at snails.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Hmm, next time I get a tank with more light open, I'll move them. The one they are in is too dark to have much algae.


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

I have lots of floating plants as well. I think having lots of food available is key.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

Are there some plants that don't go as quickly as hornwort that I might be better off with? At the moment the tank is mostly hornwort and a bit of java. For floating plants would something like wisteria work well? 

Also didn't want to start a new thread for this, anyone have any ideas where I could find some dwarf rasbora (boraras maculatus)? I was thinking about putting some in with neons or in a small tank of their own.


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## zmo63 (May 7, 2007)

what kind of lighting do you have in your tank? for floating plants, I have some sort of floating watersprite that I like very much. Crypts are good in almost any light - I'm a big fan of all the crypts. Java fern is great, and shrimp love java moss as well - I think it holds onto a lot of microfauna.

Franks' Aquarium has boraras maculatus in stock. He's great to work with. If you decide to order, let me know and I'll split shipping with you.

Also, the Aquatic Gardeners' Convention is here in Atlanta Nov 14-16. They're working on getting a vendor in that would sell those types of fish, shrimp, etc. 

I got phoenix rasboras (Boraras merah) from Frank. They're in with my cherry shrimp in a 40 breeder, and they're wonderful fish. Very active, colorful, and not shy at all. They stay up at the surface. I assume the spotted rasbora would be very similar.


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## khudgins (Jan 28, 2008)

For those whose shrimp stop breeding: anyone know enough about crustacean biology to know if the females can continue to produce eggs, or are they limited in quantity? Some animals can, some can't.


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## ikevi (Jul 28, 2006)

Oh mine will have eggs, but only a few will live, ie the population basically stays the same. I just am not feeding them enough to sustain a population more than 20 or so. (I don't want more than that in this tank since it has no filtration anyways.)


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

zmo63 said:


> what kind of lighting do you have in your tank? for floating plants, I have some sort of floating watersprite that I like very much. Crypts are good in almost any light - I'm a big fan of all the crypts. Java fern is great, and shrimp love java moss as well - I think it holds onto a lot of microfauna.
> 
> Also, the Aquatic Gardeners' Convention is here in Atlanta Nov 14-16. They're working on getting a vendor in that would sell those types of fish, shrimp, etc.
> 
> I got phoenix rasboras (Boraras merah) from Frank. They're in with my cherry shrimp in a 40 breeder, and they're wonderful fish. Very active, colorful, and not shy at all. They stay up at the surface. I assume the spotted rasbora would be very similar.


The tank has 2 40w bulbs in it. The java moss I have is doing ok, I'm hoping it'll start clinging onto the small piece of driftwood. Wasn't sure the best way to attach it so I tied it on loosely with some thread, it seemed to be the way people were doing it, or using some sort of mesh. I'll see about getting some watersprite, would just be nice to get some variety in the tank without the explosive growth of hornwort. Maybe some with a bit of color as well to it for some visual appeal.

Will let you know about frank's aquarium, I just took a look at the site, $35 for shipping! Going to check out atlantis aquarium see if they carry the rasbora. Would like to find them locally. The spotted rasbora, are similar to the phoenix, I've read they are not shy either and they are safe enough to put in shrimp tanks. Think the overall length is 2.5cm, so can probably do a fair number of them for a small 10g.


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## dinosfishhouse (Jan 18, 2005)

I have females over 2 years old still producing eggs.


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## hsd (Sep 8, 2008)

Just thought I'd post an update. those cherry shrimp I got from Dino on thursday, are doing great. I put an amazon sword in there yesterday it was all covered up in algae and stuff, by tonight they had it all nice and clean Two of the shrimp seem to be carrying, looks like there will be some shrimplets in a few weeks. 

Oh out of curiosity how much did those tanks go for at the auction? Left a bit after the presentation.


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## ikevi (Jul 28, 2006)

They went for very cheap is all I remember. (I don't even know if they went for 1 buck a gallon.)


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