# Vaccuming and baby shrimp



## CK147 (Apr 24, 2006)

Hello everybody, 
I have some red cherry shrimp that have breed in my tank and I have several baby shrimp in my tank, I swear every where you look you see a shrimp, my tanks need to be gravel vacc'd bad and I don't know how to do it with out chopping a shrimp or two in half. Any suggestions? I know to try and look where I suck, but I don't want to accidently get some that are to small to see inbetween all my java moss and najas grass.  :fish:


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

CK147 said:


> Hello everybody,
> I have some red cherry shrimp that have breed in my tank and I have several baby shrimp in my tank, I swear every where you look you see a shrimp, my tanks need to be gravel vacc'd bad and I don't know how to do it with out chopping a shrimp or two in half. Any suggestions? I know to try and look where I suck, but I don't want to accidently get some that are to small to see inbetween all my java moss and najas grass.  :fish:


That's why I always breed fish and shrimps in tanks with a sand substrate so that I don't need to vacuum. Sorry, I don't know what to suggest. Maybe you should just go extra careful. On the plus side though, if you do murder any shrimp in the process, prawn ****tails all 'round I guess.


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## aquaboyaquatics (Jan 24, 2006)

I would suggest Malasian Trumpet Snails. They clean gravel and do not harm plants and shrimp.


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## CK147 (Apr 24, 2006)

I actually have a ton of the mts's in this same tank, yesterday it looked like the shrimp was picking a one of them to death! YIKES


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## Angjo72 (Apr 3, 2006)

Hiya,

I too came across this problem. I have a 25 gallon tank set up for cherry shrimp, its planted and has a sand substrate. Usually, this works great, but when I do water changes I lke to get the gunk off the sand.. (I keep the sand to about 1/2 inch so that no build up occurs)....

What I do, is I use a small holed net, and hold it over the end of the vacuum and this gets the gunk up, but no shrimps. You have to get a very fine net though, but if its too fine, the gunk wont go thru... 

Another thing I have done, although I usually use the python system, you can use just a small gravel vacuum and vacuum into a bowl or bucket, and retrieving any shrimp that gets sucked up and putting them back into the tank!!!

Hope this helps!!

Ang


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## CK147 (Apr 24, 2006)

Thanks, I might try the fish net thing, I've tried to check out the pot after I've vaccumed but it's silver and hard to see any that might be really small.


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