Shrimp colony, will they self-regulate?

[zhong89]

I recently setup a small 15L shrimp tank with java fern, java moss, a small double sponge sponge filter and a few sprinkled shell grit for calcium. I started with around 20 shrimps traded one my bettas for them and the shrimps are gorgeous such colour in the tank. At first they don't like me and whenever I stick my face to have a look they all run away like I'm about to swallow them whole. But now they're nice and settled in and eating one Hikari sinking wafer and one small slice of blanched zucchini a day and breeding too. I found two females with eggs and quite a few has almost full saddles and looks like they'll be ready to pop those eggs very soon. Also added two new female shrimps from another source to increase the gene pool a little bit.

Well my question is will they self-regulate themselves in according to the size of the tank or will they continue to breed until they're on top of each other? Right now they're good and have plenty of room and food. But what I'm concerned is that over dense colony may crash and I'll end up with no shrimps rather than a beautiful tank full. Does anyone has any experience in this field?

[Anasfire]

I don't think they will self-regulate. I started with almost 50 shrimp in my 3.4ft tank but my cichlids got to them and annihilated the population down to 8. I managed to save those and put them into a 2ft species tank with java moss, hornwort, sponge filter and some driftwood (with java fern attached) and within a month those 8 had grown to around 30 in number, now 3 months later I have well over 150 (only time I attempted to count them all I got to 130 and there were still more!) I know I need to get rid of some, and soon. They are over populating the tank. Everywhere you look there are adult or baby shrimp, on any given day the filter is covered in them.

If you want to keep the bioload in the tank down I suggest you routinely curb the population. I've been trying to see some, give some away and am now catching the smaller baby shrimp to feed live to my bettas and cichlids.

Good Luck!

Shrimp are awesome hey!!! Did you get Cherry Red Shrimp or Crystal Reds??? or maybe even Crystal black? I've seen the crystal black's myself and they are GORGEOUS!

[jo oakley]

From what I have read,

your shrimp will keep breeding until they crash, the biomass gets to much.

You will have remove some of the from time to time.

You can sell or swap them for thing you want.

[Bec]

Hey Joan,

I am happy to take some of your hands when you get to many .

I bought 4 at a pet shop one day ages ago and put them in one of my girls tanks (which has a tonne of java moss and fern) and after a week could no longer see them. There are three bumble bee gobbies in there as well.

I don't know if they are still in there and I just cant see them or if the girl devoured them (she is a very little girl and they were full grown cherry shrimp) but they were so cute ...

Bec

[jo oakley]

Bec if your Girl didn't get the Shrimp the 3 three bumble bee gobbies would have, anything they can get in there mouth

is food

I have had a Betta rip the legs off of a Glass Shrimp,

then eat the rest slowly.

Glass Shrimps are bigger than Dwarf Shrimp.

[zhong89]

@fighter4u I got just got red cherry shrimps. I thought since I'm a beginner at keeping shrimps might as well start with the easiest one. I had a look at the crystal reds and they look gorgeous! wondering if I can keep them together further down the track.

@bec lol... you might have to wait a little while, I just started my colony a few weeks ago. But they look happy and breeding happily, maybe in a month?

BTW how many is too many? Coz I have relatively small tank and since I have never kept them long enough to know too many shrimps in a tank? and Am I feeding too much? From last count I can see 18 fully grown adult shrimps (there's more on the filter and java moss, just can't see them). Is there a rough ratio of shrimp to volume of water? Do they need calcium supplement? I'm considering purchasing one of those calcium carbonate rocks to put in there for their exoskeleton growth. Also do you think I'm feeding too much?

Sorry I ask a lot of questions when I'm not sure about what I'm doing...

[jo oakley]

Most people over feed their Shrimp and then run it to trouble.

You can go days without feeding them, the Shrimp should eat all the food within 3 hours.

On some Shrimp forums people don't feed at all,

the Shrimp may not grow as fast as they would if you feed.

You can get things like Planaria, they can effect your Shrimp if you over feed.

[Bec]

Hey Jo, will the gobbies have a go at the betta if they catch her? They are so tiny it is hard to imagined them eating anything but plankton :blink:

[jo oakley]

Here is a quote from

Peter McKane of

http://www.helpthefish.org/

The Eighth Thing

Gobies kept in community tanks will tend to fin nip, even if unprovoked. Their hunting instinct is to take a snap at anything that floats by, and as long as even a piece of it will fit in the goby's mouth, it is going to have a try. Keeping these fish in with bettas is out of the question.