# Baby Cherry Shrimp and Zucchini



## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

*Baby Cherry Shrimp and Zucchini -- Picture added*

I blanched a couple of slices of Zucchini (20 seconds in Microwave in damp paper towel) and threw them in 2 of my 10 gallon Cherry Shrimp tanks trying to attract snails to get rid of them. Well, I got the snails attention but apparently cherry shrimp also like Zucchini and in both tanks there were at least 8 baby shrimps on each piece. These are my first babies. I guess I now know what they like to eat!!

Pictures added. Mama? and some babies. Sorry about focus.

Mike


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

That's awesome Mike. The babies are incredibly small and so cool. I see mine at night with a flashlight. Of course, the flashlight spooks them so you can't keep it too bright for long. I need to do the blanched vege deal more to collect the abundance of snails than anything. It blows my mind how many snails can be packed into a 6 gallon nano tank. I currently have 6 pregnant females. I would like to eventually get them into my 90 gallon planted tank. Got your pm. Sounds great. The new broad leaf is growing out and should be ready in about a week. Thanks for the tip on the fertilizer. I am already making adjustments. I will pm you in a few days. Darrell


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## rusticitas (Mar 10, 2004)

Do the snails negatively affect the shrimps?


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

Too many pest snails can affect the water quality with their pooping and dying.

Not overfeeding the tank will reduce their numbers too.


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## rusticitas (Mar 10, 2004)

I was wondering about the snail pooping, actually, whether fairly benign or the usual heavy ammonia, nitrate, etc source. (I would _assume_ so, but then again I'm not a biologist or chemist, it could be perfectly balanced PMDD for all I knew. ;-))


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Too bad I don't have Zucchini on hand. No to diverge to much from topic, but has anyone tried using anything else like blanched spinach?

-John N.


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## filipnoy85 (Jan 26, 2006)

I tried the spinach. It's kind of cool because you can see the shrimp progress through the leaf as the tear little pieces off.


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

Spinach is ok but inverts get more calcium from kale.

Snail poop is great for plants....the plants in my snail tanks grow like crazy and I never use ferts or C02.


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

Does anybody have experience when feeding in a shrimp only tank to know when it's enough? I have a 6 gallon planted with approximately 50 cherries of various sizes and age. There are also 2 medium sized Amanos in the tank. There seems to be a ba-jillion scuds, or whatever you call the little freshwater crustaceans that swarm around the tank, dig up HC and eat the shrimp pellets. Thanks


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

In my two 10 gallon shrimp/snail only tanks, I use about 1/3 of a Hikari Algae tablet alternating with a Wardleys shrimp pellet or two (depending on size) every other day. I have about 20 adult shrimp per tank (and growing). If I put in a blanched Zucchini slice, I don't feed anything else that day. Between the shrimp and the snails, all of the Zucchini but the rind is gone by the next day. The Wardley shrimp pellets are gone in a couple of hours and the Algae tablets take about 6 hours before they're gone.

Even with the new babies, I don't plant on increasing the feeding amounts yet as I am apparently overfeeding if you go by the increase in small snails in each tank.

I also have sponge filters in each tank and I see a few shrimp on those before I feed them in the evening. The babies, however, I have only seen on the Zucchini. I think they hide in the java moss with the hair algae.

Mike


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## FarEast (May 15, 2006)

Nice macro pics, Mike.
Mind to tell what's the model of your camera??


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

Thanks FarEast. It's a Nikon D50 with a nikkor 60mm macro lens. I believe I shot those pictures in aperture mode, F22 with the built in flash. I've had the camera one week now. The lens is about 6 years old.

Mike


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