# Shrimp Food



## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

What should I feed my shrimp until my plants get bigger? I have a male and female ghost shrimp and also a snail who are all alone in a tank for the next two weeks while I run QT and add my betta female. It's a 10 gallon filtered with one java fern at this point (more plants to come, have a baby fern growing right now)


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Bottom feeder wafers.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Like you feed to Cory's? Do I need to break them up first or anything or just toss one in for the first two weeks and let them have at it? Also I think my female shrimp is pregers. I see little eggs but no eye dots yet so I have no idea if they are fertilized or not. I threw in some crushed up goldfish flakes and my snail seemed to slurp those up fast, he's soooooooo cute, his little face mmmm. The shrimp didn't seem too into the goldfish flakes though. Not wanting to make my shrimp canables but if i killed them some of my brine shrimp would they eat that? I think my snail would he doesn't seem to picky.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

They break up. My Cories hate Cory pellets.


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

for shrimp, crush up a bit of flake, algae wafer, anything like that

for ghost shrimp, mine would eat anything, bloodworms they stole from the girls, pellets, any detritus they could find.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Ghost shrimp will eat anything. Ours snagged some of the live blackworms we bought our frogs, slurped them up like spaghetti, it was CREEPY! They will naturally cannibalize, and they'll eat other kinds of shrimp. I throw in microcrab pellets, and spirulina flakes for mine, and they'll wander all over slowly nomming on the flakes. It's cute!

If she's carrying eggs, they're fertile. They won't carry them otherwise. Ghosts hatch into a larval stage which requires specialized feeding and care to grow into a shrimp. While other shrimp will hatch out into "shrimplets". When the female shrimp molts, she puts off "come-hither" pheromones, once the male finds her, he fertilizes HER, and as she lays the eggs, they're fertilized by the sperm deposit. I haven't tried raising the larvae (I never see them once the eggs hatch), but I hear it's tricky.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Most breeders breed GS in ponds.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

it's easy to replicate wild conditions in ponds. there's sufficient microscopic food for the larvae.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Yeah plus here were in the native range.


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

I have 3 ghost shrimp. But I don't know what sex they are!!! >.<


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

females are bigger than males, and if you look at their back, they have a "saddle" on their back before it bends, and if she's not carrying eggs under her tail, you will see a greenish spot behind her head. Those are immature eggs.

Here's an example:


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

Thank you much! I'm trying to sex them right now.... STAY STILL SHRIMP 1, 2 AND 3!!!!!!!!!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

if I want someone to hold still, I give them a small snack.


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

Ok, so as what I can see, I have 2 females and a male.


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=119766

this thread has some great info on shrimp and silver evens posts a link to a great site that is very very helpful on everything shrimp


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

Thanks! I have a cycled divided tank. Non planted. The shrimp can go back and forth from each side.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Shrimp Love Marimo.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I think everything loves marimo, my ramshorns clean it too


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Marimo also prevents other algae and helps clean water.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

yup, if I use anything smaller than a 5 gal, I put chunks of marimo in there in addition to regular cleanings.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

So I don't think my shrimp are going to make it, not sure if I got bad shrimp but they are both on their side and stopped eating. My snail is doing fine though.

And pretty sure the female is dead now :/ good thing they were cheap not sure why they are dying but my snail is fine. I thought maybe it was something in the water but everything was cleaned well and they only just started acting off only an hour ago.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

How long did you have them? More often than not, "feeders" are sick when you get them, because they're so cheap, and the stores don't feel as though they should take care of them, because they're supposed to be dead shortly after purchase anyways. If you've had them for a while, it could be just about anything.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

I had them only 24 hours, yeah they were ghost shrimp so feeders but they were in with the snails and my snail is fine, in fact he's doing great eating everything I give him. The female is officially dead, I just threw her out now. The male is stick kicking.

Also I threw in some lettuce for the snail and the male is now sitting on it though I don't know if he is eating it or not. It's hard to tell his mouth is so tiny.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Also Hermies my male has been swimming around and right now is sitting on Tesla's shell (the snail) do you think if he has been swimming he should be okay? I actually love him more than the female because for a shrimp he is quite the character.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Male is dead too T.T


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that


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