Shrimp Nutrition

[Melody]

I have brought Zapisto's post over from another thread in the hopes that it will spark a good discussion about feeding Shrimp properly. Thanks Zapisto!

feeding is the most dangerous thing for a shrimp, because most of the hobbist over feed if you keep that in mind i will explain some small fact , so you can give your shrimp the best.

first of all any kind of non naturel boiled food have to disapear in an hour os so if not your are over feeding.

Now let me explain you the diet of the shrimp.
i personnally put the shrimpmin the opportunist group.
that's mean the shrimp will eat anything eatable they can found , after that , they are scavenger, and hunter (sort of).
shrimp are eating microorganism everywhere in the tank , ok they love the algae also but dont forget they will anything.

so your goal is to make a tank with lot of naturel food so your shrimp can have lot of fun .
the only things you will give them as food will complement like , algae wafer, spiruline , boiled vegetable, frozen blood worm, frozen brineshrimp etc....

so what is the naturel thing you can add to the tank and who will not foul your water :
- dry leaf
- plant
- sponge filter
- natural sponge
- etc....

and dont forget diversity is the main word , they protein, vegetable, vitamin , all the good stuff , so the best thing is to add diversity
hope it is more clear now

Mine get fed much like snails, as in calcium-rich homemade food & vegies. Their fave vegie is slightly cooked, pealed & quartered peas.

Commercial foods include 100% Pure Spirulina Tablets, Omega One Super Vegie flakes, OO Shrimp Pellets, OO algae wafers and Dainichi's Vegie food, as well as Ken's Vegie Flakes. Frozen BBS is added to the tank quite often as there's fry in there, along with Ken's Egg Flakes for the same reason.

What does everyone else feed their Shrimp?

[CACAdmin]

I think a lot can be learned from a discussion of what to feed shrimp. I keep Red Cherry Shrimp in a tank with some Red Ramshorn snails and so they tend to get fed what I feed the snails so they do get variety:

Shrimp pellets
Algae Wafers
Melody's Bottom Bites
Cooked broccoli
Cooked zuchinni

However, I hadn't considered peas (which I feed my fish) or bloodworms or brine shrimp. Somehow feeding brine shrimp to shrimp didn't occur to me. It should have I guess given that my fish eat other fish (:err: my livebearers do dine on their young which I allow to control population. ):laugh:

[Pamelajo]

I feed pretty much the same and rotate what I feed them.

[Melody]

However, I hadn't considered peas (which I feed my fish)

They pick the little slivers right up and move them about in their little legs - they fight for them too...lol.

[CACAdmin]

They are amazing to watch. They're quick and tend to rule the tank where food is concerned... steal it right out from under the snails. :laugh:

I have a question, do different species of shrimp prefer or need differing diets as do different species of fish? Dos any one know? One would think so given that they have different foods available in their natural environments in the wild.

[Melody]

I have a question, do different species of shrimp prefer or need differing diets as do different species of fish? Dos any one know? One would think so given that they have different foods available in their natural environments in the wild.

Some are predators, some are algae lovers, so I'm guessing that must be the case.

[hp10BII]

Pretty much what everybody else is feeding theirs:

Omega One algae wafers
Omega One shrimp pellets
Hikari Crab Cuisine
Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 flakes
Melody's bottom bites
green peas
bloodworms
NLS pellets
slightly cooked greens from the garden

[VancouverBetta]

What about adding Calcium to shrimp tanks? Will that help their shells as it does snails and is anyone doing that?

[Pamelajo]

I do add calcium to my tanks, but for the snails in with them. Does not seem to harm the shrimp. Just make sure it is well diluted before adding.

[CACAdmin]

I too add calcuium to the tank for the same reason (they share it with Red Ramshorn Snails).

[VancouverBetta]

I have ramshorn snail babies in my Ram fry tank. Would the Calcium affect the fish negatively at all? And what brand of Calcium additive do you recommend?

[CACAdmin]

Although I don't have rams, I do have snails in all my tanks (not just my shrimp tank) and add liquid calcium in all. I use Kent Liquid Calcium.

[Pamelajo]

I use Kent Liquid Calcium.
Ditto

Not sure about the rams. I also use it in my tanks that have fish and snails and they don't seem to mind it.

[VancouverBetta]

Ok great. So you just follow the dosage recommended on the bottle or do you adjust to your own formulas?
I would assume it must help shrimp shells as well. Especially right after a molt

[Pamelajo]

Follow directions on bottle. I think it says to add it everyday, but I only add it when doing water changes once a week. On nursery tanks I add it every couple of days.

[CACAdmin]

I use less than the dosage on the bottle and only add it at water changes. (maximum I use is maybe 1/4 tsp in my 70g tank, a drop or 2 in the other tanks depending upon size.) My fish don't seem to mind it . (livebearers, plecos and gouramis).

I'm assuming the added calcium (in addition to feeding them calcium rich foods) would help their shrimps' shells. However, I try to focus on the food sources as I am not sure how much they absorb from the water column and want to ensure they have sufficient calcium intake.

[Melody]

Depends on the Shrimp - calcium is more important in their diet than in their environment as a rule. Cherries are very adaptable so they tolerate a wide range of conditions. However, calcium is a mineral and it does harden the water up, so most shrimp probably wouldn't like too much. A lot of species appear to prefer things more on the acidic side.

[Melody]

They've developed a new food for farmed marine Shrimp that may hit the hobby market. It is intended to replace the microalgae & artema cysts currently used, and boasts both water quality improvements and probiotic characteristics.

Named ‘Marine Single Cell Detritus,’ the product was derived from seaweeds by a team of three scientists at the institute led by S Felix, Professor of Biotechnology Centre.

Sounds like a beneficial and cost-effective product. Story here (http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/31/stories/2007073157820100.htm).

[hp10BII]

Kent Liquid Calcium/Turbo is Calcium Chloride. I buy Calcium Chloride in bulk and dose with Epsom salt (magnesium), a 4:1 ratio (3:1 because I use Calcium Carbonate or crushed coral w/aragonite in the filter) to supplement the water with calcium. It will raise your GH/TDS so measure carefully...in a 44 gallon water barrel, I dose 1.5 tablespoons to 1.5 teaspoons epsom and that raises TDS to about 200 ppm, I think about 8 dGH. This works well for my discus growouts. Calcium Chloride/magnesium will not change the pH but Calcium Carbonate would.

Where to get Calcium Chloride? You can get Dowchemicals Calcium Chloride flakes in I think a 40-50 pound bag for $38 at pool supply places. I actually use Icemelter, an 8 pound container @ Canadian Tire for $11, Stone Mason brand. If you use Icemelter, watch the contents, not all are the same. Some contain blue dyes (urea), others sand and grit for traction.

[Melody]

Great post! You can also get flaked magnesium chloride, which doesn't have sulpher like Epsom Salts I'm told. Prestone De-icer is 98% Calcium Chloride. Impurities are Potassium Chloride, Sodium and magnesium.

[hp10BII]

Great post! You can also get flaked magnesium chloride, which doesn't have sulpher like Epsom Salts I'm told. Prestone De-icer is 98% Calcium Chloride. Impurities are Potassium Chloride, Sodium and magnesium.

Hey!...where do you find Prestone De-icer? I was looking for Prestone "Driveway Heat", IIRC their name for their De-icer. Too early in the season for de-icer yet, but good to know when my current supply is running low.

[Melody]

Hmmm.... its been probably close to two years, but I would guess it was Canadian Tire, since that's the closest 'car store' near me. The only other possibility would be Zellers automotive department. If I see it again, I'll let you know.