Cherry Shrimps

Hi Folks,

Earlier this year, I was given half a dozen cherry shrimps and, initially they multiplied in numbers quite rapidly. But then, the numbers took a downward turn. One possible explanation is that I introduced some Celestial Pearl Danios (CPDs) into the tank. Some of you may remember that I started a thread on the subject of feeding CPDs. Here it is:

https://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/fish-food-and-feeding/what-do-you-feed-your-celestial-pearl-danios-on/

Putting two and two together, I am now wondering if the CPDs were eating the young cherry shrimps. So, today, my wife and I moved the CPDs into a separate tank. I have no reason to think that this is a water quality problem. I don't have figures at hand but they are all recorded - including copper.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

JPC

This is not something I was aware of but, having done a google search for 'celestial pearl danios shrimp', it seems that you're not alone in having discovered that CPDs eat juvenile shrimps, @jaypeecee - others elsewhere have found this too. Lots of hiding places are suggested as a possible way to reduce this problem but I expect you already have this in place.

I too would suspect the cpds, particularly if the shrimps started disappearing after the fish were introduced to the tank. Unless you changed something else at the same time?
Now that you have moved the cpds, time will show if our suspicions are correct - if they are, the shrimps should start increasing in number again.

I also have shrimp eating fish. In my main tank I have witnessed rice fish killing juvenile cherry shrimps, though they seem to leave the adults alone. I presume they must also eat newly hatched shrimps, and the other fish probably also eat shrimplets as well. [They must also eat newly hatched rice fish as I see eggs all the time but no baby rice fish] However I still see juveniles, so there must be some baby shrimps surviving hidden in the plants.
My new betta is also a shrimp eater. I saw him kill one on Friday morning. I have not found any baby shrimps in this tank since I bought the new betta. I suspect the shrimp population will decrease to zero if I leave them in the betta's tank.