# Converting a already RCS only tank into a different shrimp only tank?



## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

I'm baiting my RCS and putting them in a smaller tank...process seems pretty slow; netting would be difficult because of how fast they are and the space for my hand and arm.. I have gotten all of the big ones out, it's just the little ones that are taking some time... I was thinking about once I get them all, I could overdose Flourish Excel to eradicate any very small babies that are still lingering around. What too doooo...the new shrimp are currently being kept in a bucket getting new water every 4-7 hours. Should I just temporarily remove all of my fish in the RCS tank, and overdose to eradicate the remaining microscopic RCS?!? Then introduce the new shrimps? I need some help with some ideas or thoughts. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Why not just add some fish in there that will scout them all down? If you add enough they should be able to get them. Make sure it's a fast fish like cardinals or something. It seems a little less cruel. After all everybody's got to eat....


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

a few fish would take care of things...

the soda bottle trap would also work pretty good.


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

Tex Gal said:


> Why not just add some fish in there that will scout them all down? If you add enough they should be able to get them. Make sure it's a fast fish like cardinals or something. It seems a little less cruel. After all everybody's got to eat....


Cardinal tetras?? Hmm I actually have them at the moment. Should I use them? I have about 5.



TAB said:


> a few fish would take care of things...
> 
> the soda bottle trap would also work pretty good.


I'm doing the soda bottle trap already (3 bottles) still really slow at the moment, plus you have the super small babies..


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

What type of shrimp are you looking to get?

If they're not a neo, just let your current shrimps grow up and net them out of your tank.

What I mean is if you're getting any yellow/green/blue pearl/snow balls they can produce hybrids. I understand you'd want to get rid of them.

If you're upgrading to bee/tiger/crs/cbs etc then who cares?

In my opinion its retarded to kill your shrimp. They're worth a buck each in the sns. I'd spend some time doing a rescape, maybe pull out some plants, do a trim and try to get more shrimps out.

Excel won't work, even at 7x dosage (lethal to fish) my cherries were going strong.

Your cardinals won't hunt as well as a gourami or beta fish would.
Both like shrimplets. Angels will clear a tank as well. Better to feed them to fish then try to kill them off yourself.

-Gordon


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

+1 on Gordon

Depending on what your new shrimp are, you could just throw them in (assuming they're a non-crossbreeding species) and wait for the rcs shrimplets to grow to a size where you can more easily fish them out.

A predatory fish is a better option than excel, but why use either when there's no need to kill them in the first place?


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

Gordonrichards said:


> What type of shrimp are you looking to get?
> 
> If they're not a neo, just let your current shrimps grow up and net them out of your tank.
> 
> ...


I already have the shrimp... They can't interbreed, but I want a single color in the tank... that's the problem; and well actually, I care, because I don't want to go through the hassle of netting the right shrimp, when it's time for the shrimps to go out when the crowd gets loud. Sorry, but I didn't mention that the excel I'm using isn't actually the official Flourish Excel product, did I? It's pure glut that is diluted to the point it is safe to use... So literally, I have enough to eliminate them in one shot using lethal amounts from the real source, ¬_¬ _but now_ since everyone is against the excel/glut idea, I think I'll go with your idea of using gouramis or betta. The new shrimps are in a bucket...I don't really want to make them wait, but I want to, because I want to get all of the RCS I can get off at the moment; don't get me wrong, I still love these guys, they are still one of my favorites. It's not like I'm banning them for life lol. Oh, a rescape is actually a bad idea.... The age of the substrate is over 2 years and 4 months old ADA Aquasoil Amazinia 2; the substrate has already broken down to bits like dirt used outside gardens; and if I ever think for a second to uproot all the plants, the dustiness will probably engulf everything in it's path and mess up the water thus choking the life out of everything.... You know how long it takes for the tank that is ADA dusty to clear up? The frustration.. Oh yeah, I also don't have the space to use my arm to catch them at all when they are even juvies... aren't they super swift? The reason why I don't have enough space is because it's on a second rack level...and there is only a little gap left. So anyhow, I might go with the fish you mentioned. Sooo... *cough, cough* retarded, you were saying? Might want to take that back, Gordon... Sigh, you know better than to say something like that, man... I know you cherish cherries, but don't hate me just because I am going to attempt something that is kinda harsh on them... I don't really have a option, you know, besides I'm trying to get the rest of them out, except the super, super small tiny juvies than are smaller than your average juvenile...



asukawashere said:


> +1 on Gordon
> 
> Depending on what your new shrimp are, you could just throw them in (assuming they're a non-crossbreeding species) and wait for the rcs shrimplets to grow to a size where you can more easily fish them out.
> 
> A predatory fish is a better option than excel, but why use either when there's no need to kill them in the first place?


 As I already mentioned to Gordon, the difficulty of trying to get them out would be almost next to impossible; it would be so hard to get them...I don't have the space to net them out, and I can't really uproot my plants immediately, because of my Aquasoil Amazonia 2. As of right now, I'm still baiting the babies, but I'm talking about the super small babies I want to get rid of...I'm trapping the juvies any way I can...


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

In my eyes using excel/gluteral to kill off perfectly good shrimp is retarded. I don't mean it to sound harsh, its just my opinion. The statement is not at all directed to you.

Since you're telling me the tank is on top of your rack, I can understand how much it would suck to have to net them out.
Still, since they can't cross I would put the new shrimp in the tank with whatever cherries are left. I would keep trapping the cherries.

Keeping your new shrimp in a bucket is not a good idea. If you go with the chems you'll have do a 60% water change in your tank after 48 hours.

Even if you go with some predator fish, its going to take a week or two for them to kill off every single shrimp in your tank regardless of size. What is the tank size?

Watch out with your overdose of glutaral though if you have hc and other sensitive plants. If you dose too much, it can also kill off some bacteria.

I still say put them in the tank, and keep fishing the cherries out. You'll get all of them eventually. :^( Make love not war!

I didn't mean to seem rude to you.

-Gordon


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

> In my eyes using excel/gluteral to kill off perfectly good shrimp is retarded. I don't mean it to sound harsh, its just my opinion. The statement is not at all directed to you.


Well, I think making sure there aren't any of the smallest of smallest juveniles left isn't retarded, because I can't see them...


> Since you're telling me the tank is on top of your rack, I can understand how much it would suck to have to net them out.
> Still, since they can't cross I would put the new shrimp in the tank with whatever cherries are left. I would keep trapping the cherries.


 We'll see, I might do that.


> Keeping your new shrimp in a bucket is not a good idea. If you go with the chems you'll have do a 60% water change in your tank after 48 hours.


I'm not going with chems any longer. Everyone's somewhat petitioning against it, so I won't. Instead, I might try overdosing Plantex csm and do a large water change after or just plain siphon them out.


> Even if you go with some predator fish, its going to take a week or two for them to kill off every single shrimp in your tank regardless of size. What is the tank size?


10 gallons. Might take a few days...


> Watch out with your overdose of glutaral though if you have hc and other sensitive plants. If you dose too much, it can also kill off some bacteria.


I'm not going to use glut lol... but thanks for the heads up on the plants sensitivity.


> I still say put them in the tank, and keep fishing the cherries out. You'll get all of them eventually. :^( Make love not war!


I'll think about it.


> I didn't mean to seem rude to you.


I find it kind of offensive when you used that word against me; of course, you didn't know about the other reasons pertaining to why I had the thought of overdosing, so I decided to back myself up. You know, I have heard x2-x3 dose could hurt RCS... but now I guess it is not enough considering what you just said, even x7 is really not enough to hurt them? Perhaps is it the juveniles that can take the overdosing, and not the adults?


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

Good news. Progress with soda pop bait and trap seems to be working well. Especially if you lay the soda bottles in 180 degrees. I was placing the bottles upright before, and it didn't lure enough. If this keeps up, I'll probably be able to catch all of them without using any fish or chemicals.


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

I made a rookie mistake once and overdosed my guppy tank with excel. All fish died. I'm not saying how much went inside but it was depressing.

All the shrimp survived. Little cockroaches.

-Gordon


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

New shrimps introduced nicely. Thank you all very much for the contributions.


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## rod (Aug 10, 2005)

Sorry if I missed it, but what kind of shrimp are you getting? Like you I'm getting tired of rcs. Mine multiply so fast that I've been feeding them to the Kribs just to keep them thinned out.
I'm looking for something a little larger than rcs. I know, not much out there that multiplies in freshwater. Anyway any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

rod said:


> Sorry if I missed it, but what kind of shrimp are you getting? Like you I'm getting tired of rcs. Mine multiply so fast that I've been feeding them to the Kribs just to keep them thinned out.
> I'm looking for something a little larger than rcs. I know, not much out there that multiplies in freshwater. Anyway any suggestions would be appreciated.


Well, I wouldn't say I am tired of them, I just wanted another tank with the opposite color. I already own a red RCS tank, the next was a blue shrimp tank. I don't know of any shrimp larger D: If you want something big, try out the crayfishes.


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

Bump!


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Why are you bumping this? You already removed the cherry shrimps and added your new shrimp. Lol


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

It was an accident, I got this thread confused with my RCS sale thread. Haha..


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