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Overstocking? Ghost and Cherry Shrimp?

5K views 57 replies 11 participants last post by  Gallium 
#1 · (Edited)
I was wondering if this seems too overstocked. I have a 10 gallon dived tank, 1 mystery snail on each side and 2 ghost shrimp on each side. Would adding a cherry shrimp on each side would be too much?

Just wanted to add this picture of one of my ghost shrimp because it seems like there's more than one type of these guys. They're really small:
 
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#6 ·
The RCS at my LFS are expensive too. I've been sticking with ghost shrimp. They're entertaining little buggers. I have 7 in my 10 gallon right now, but that's because the other 5 kicked the bucket ;-; Used to have 12. I'm going to get more next time I go to my LFS. They have ghost shrimp at my LFS for $1/6 shrimp.
 
#7 ·
Oh before you buy pet store ones, try making an ad on Kijiji or craigslist for RCS. They breed like rabbits and so often people who keep them will have extras to sell. That's how I got mine, I paid 20$ for 10 adults and he threw in some tiny babies as well. I think I ended up with 13 or something. Yea, try a sub-reddit in your area, kijiji, craigslist and whatever else classifieds might be in your area.

A mystery snail has a pretty high bioload for what it is but in terms of shrimp you can get away with a bunch. I read somewhere that both ghost and cherry shrimp are pretty peaceful but ghosts might attack babies whereas cherries are 100% safe with babies.
 
#8 ·
I'm in Pennsylvania, yeah it was my local fish store. I thought about online but aren't the shipping prices what would make it not worth it? I'll have to look around! I really appreciate all the help :)

Yeah snails are messy, I've just always had them and didn't realize that until recently. Maybe I'll talk them out and put them in a small tank.
 
#9 · (Edited)
#13 ·
I know people can do it ^-^ Yours will probably be perfectly fine! I can't wait to see them! I fell in love with mine the day I got them in Feb and now I have 2 lots of babies!! 1 group is about 3 weeks now and the other is about a week.
 
#14 ·
Drooling.....

They ship shrimp in breather bags with a plant to cling to. You don't float breather bags like you do regular bags or you'd suffocate the shrimp.

I acclimate using the first method (drop and plop):

http://msjinkzd.com/news/acclimating-your-shipped-fish-or-invertebrates-to-their-new-tank/

Not everyone's cup of tea. There are a lot of methods if you Google but no matter which one you use, add a drop or two of Prime (or other conditioner) to the bag as soon as you open it. And make sure the tank light is off when you add the shrimp.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I use stress coat, is that okay? If not I'll have to go pick up some other conditioner tomorrow. If I'm reading this right, basically just take a pitcher and pour the water/shrimp into the net and put them right into the tank?

Also lucky that the next two days in which they ship it, its supposed to be about 80 degrees + so it should be pretty warm for them!
 
#15 ·
Cherry shrimp are only about $2.50 over here in Utah, that's weird.
 
#19 ·
There are so many ways to acclimate I got really confused. :)

I've had better results with plop and drop but like Rachel says in the article, it and drip acclimation both work.

What didn't work was pouring shrimp in a bowl and adding a little bit of tank water at a time over the span of an hour like my first seller suggested. However, maybe if I'd added Prime and taken two or three hours I would have had more success.

I wonder if sitting in ammonia-filled water is the real culprit? I now immediately add Prime to any critter I receive.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Do you have problems with your Ghost shrimp and RCS together?

I ask because Ghost shrimp are usually fine with RCS (of course there's always an exception); a lot of people keep them together because they won't cross-breed. You just have to watch at feeding time so the RCS get food, too....but even among themselves, there are pig RCS. I have one female who grabs up a piece of an Ocean Nutrition Shrimp Wafer and runs away as fast as she can. :)

In the other aquarium, Willie will follow the wafers to the bottom and lay on them for 30 seconds to a minute before he lets the shrimp eat!
 
#24 ·
My ghost shrimp spend most of their time hiding and coming out to steal food lol! I'm so excited to get these shrimp, went out and got Prime today as well as a new bigger bucket to make water changes and helping them into their new home easier. The guy shipped them out this morning, I'm pretty sure they will be here tomorrow!
 
#26 ·
Good luck!! Remember they might be either super dark red or pale red when they come depending on how excited they are. lol I haven't had mine shipped but rather, I picked them up from a guy who drove across town to meet me. So they were in a bag and were very pale. After an hour of drip acclimatizing them they got VERY dark (as dark as Sakura's go lol)

I can't wait to see yours!
 
#27 ·
Thank you! I'm so excited but I'm really concerned because they said they shipped them yesterday morning and they definitely aren't coming today (It was through regular mail). How long do they survive in those Kordon breathing bags? It's nerve wrecking lol!
 
#30 ·
I just got the shrimp, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. All of them are babies except two adults. They are tiny!



One of the adults:




The snail seems to be the main attraction in my tank lol! I need some help though, I noticed right after I put the shrimp in, there's tiny (very tiny, almost hard to see and could be mistaken for something floating in the tank) tiny little white worm like things. They're just moving along the glass. There's only a few but I'm wondering if I should put some parasite guard in there?
 
#31 ·
Aw, they're cute! They look like they'll be a very deep red. It's a sin that the ad didn't state the majority would be babies. However, now you can enjoy their full lifespan! And watch them grow.

How many did you order? And were they all alive? From my experience, you won't need parasite guard stuff. I have planaria in my shrimp tank and even new born shrimp survive. Planaria are supposedly one of the worst parasites for baby shrimp. As long as both have enough food they should be fine.

My newborns molt and grow every week. By 2 weeks they're coloring in, so yours shouldn't be too small for too long.
 
#32 · (Edited)
It said 10+ and they were all alive thankfully! I just didn't expect tiny babies, I had to double take because I only saw a few lol. I can only see a few in the tank right now too, they're just that teeny!

So will the planaria kill off the babies if they mate? It's just a concern I have and want to make sure nothing will go wrong!
 
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