New Fish

Shrimps will eat virtually all fish food, though if you scrunch a few flakes up to just about dust they will find the bits easier to eat.

Shrimps will hide if they don't feel safe (and being new to the tank they'll be timid at first) and when they are shedding their skins as they are vulnerable to being eaten till the new skin hardens - even if the fish in the tank don't eat shrimps their instincts still make the shrimps hide. The shipwreck decor should provide some hiding places, and if you don't want to risk more live plants, silk ones will also provide hiding places and look more natural than plastic ones.
On the subject of shedding skins, shrimps need to do this to grow. If you find what look like hollow white shrimps on the bottom of the tank, don't panic, they are the shed skins. Shrimps are supposed to eat these but mine don't seem to bother. Leave them there till next water change and if they haven't been eaten by then, hoover them out.


If you have male and female shrimps you should get babies. The females will first develop a saddle shaped patch on the back. This is the ovaries filling with eggs showing through the skin. When they are ready the eggs will move down to between the swimmerets under the female's abdomen and hang there like berries - it is called being berried! As the eggs move down the female will secrete a pheromone to 'notify' the males, which will then start swimming all over the tank to find her and fertilise the eggs. After a few weeks the eggs will hatch. The babies are very tiny. I always suck some up during a water change and have to search for them in the old water so I don't throw any away. You won't be able to see them in the bucket; I use a jug to empty the bucket bit by bit and suck the babies out of the jug with a pipette.


Some of us, me included, had problems with shrimps dying shortly after purchase. I was advised by an expert member on here that the most likely cause was a shrimp-specific bacterium in my tank and the best way to deal with it as to get some beta glucans powder to help boost their immune systems. I found that worked to the extent that I have no idea how many shrimps I have now. Should you find the same thing happening, you can find Genchem Beta G on various websites.

Thanks for the advice.

I did think that the male had already died.  I saw him just float down from the top, upside down, and land on the bottom.  I called my hubby over, just in time for him to turn himself over, and swim off as happy as Larry!  Bit strange.

I'll watch out for them to make sure they're OK over the next few days, and I'll definitely look out for that beta G if I need it.

Am I right in thinking that they don't add massively to the bio load in the tank?  Very conscious of my tiny tank, and that there are already a few fish in there.

They do add a bit of bioload but not much. Not as much as a fish of the same dimensions.

Wait till you see a shrimp walking upside down under the water surface to collect floating food 

Thank you!  I think they're going to drive me insane!  I worry about my fish, so I like to do regular counts.  Shrimp seem to be very good at hiding and very hard to count!!  And when they're asleep, they look dead!

Also, shrimp don't like being poked by over enthusiastic owners when they're asleep, to check they're they're NOT dead.  Just so you know.   

You could always set up another tank for shrimps  It wouldn't need to be large......

 
Good lord! Anyone would think that I have no self control.
 
Well, I've moved my mature axolotls to a 200L tank today.
The tiger barbs are going to be moved to the 125L tank eventually.
So technically I do have a "spare" 70L tank.
 

See, you are a bad influence.