[Pucky21811]

I may be looking in the wrong spot, but I can't seem to find a place about care for Ghost Shrimp.

My friends and I are going through a rough patch, but we're healing together. Yesterday I convinced one of my girlfriends to buy a betta (a beautiful mustard gas from WAL MART!) I would get one myself to help cope but I really can't fit more than two in my dorm room right now.

Anyway, he stayed overnight in one of my QT 1 gal, and today we went to Petsmart and got him a 2.5 gal tank and he's much happier there. I spontaneously bought two ghost shrimp.

I bought a ghost shrimp a few weeks ago after my baby boy Puck passed away. Petsmart was already closed when I got home and I needed something right away, so I got a shrimp at Wal Mart. He didn't last 12 hours, so I didn't know what I did wrong. Wal mart though, you never know.

 

[Pucky21811]

Okay back story over:
-Right now two ghost shrimp are in a 1 gal bowl with a plastic plant. I put some betta pellets in, they sink, and both shrimps have started eating them.

-Is it okay that I used betta water conditioner for the water?

-Is it okay that they're eating the betta pellets only?

-Is it too crowded to have 2 in a one gal bowl?

-Could I put one, or both, into my female's betta tank (2.5gal) tomorrow?

-I guess what I'm asking is what is the minimum gal. requirements?

-If two shrimpies and a female betta make it a crowd, then I could put the other one in my male betta's tank (2 gal kritter keeper) but I don't know if he'd make a snack out of them. A hit and miss I hear, but do I have a better chance of them not being eaten by Winnipeg (my female) than Zambo (my male) ? Then again, Zamboni has a spine injury and swims a "little derpy," as my friend calls it. He may find no energy or interest in harming the shrimp.

Thanks everyone for the tips

 

[Mo]

Okay back story over:
-Right now two ghost shrimp are in a 1 gal bowl with a plastic plant. I put some betta pellets in, they sink, and both shrimps have started eating them.

-Is it okay that I used betta water conditioner for the water?

yes. Most of the given time most betta advertised products are a watered down diluted version of larger ones. or sometimes user guides on how much to dose for lower quantities. due to the given fact of most bettas being typically housed in smaller tanks, a good example would be melafix and betta fix. both are the same product, but betta fix is a watered down version

-Is it okay that they're eating the betta pellets only?

Ghost shrimp typically prefer carnivorous, meaty foods. such as betta pellets. They still should have a varies diet with a mix of mostly meaty foods along with a small amount of herbivorous foods.

-Is it too crowded to have 2 in a one gal bowl?

No. Ghost shrimp have a very minimal bio load and you could easily fit a number more of them. but I wouldnt take this procedure as 100% water changes with multpiple shrimps could be a pain, and they also will be stressed due to minimal space to scavenge due to progressed amount of them. Ideally you want 3-

-Could I put one, or both, into my female's betta tank (2.5gal) tomorrow?

Yes. If your female is relatively peaceful, the ghost shrimp will be provided an ideal habitat, and that water conditions are pristine, then you should have no problems with this mix

-I guess what I'm asking is what is the minimum gal. requirements?
Ideally 1 gallon+ but for best results. you should have a minimum of a 2.5 gallon tank

-If two shrimpies and a female betta make it a crowd, then I could put the other one in my male betta's tank (2 gal kritter keeper) but I don't know if he'd make a snack out of them. A hit and miss I hear, but do I have a better chance of them not being eaten by Winnipeg (my female) than Zambo (my male) ? Then again, Zamboni has a spine injury and swims a "little derpy," as my friend calls it. He may find no energy or interest in harming the shrimp.

As long as the betta will get along with the shrimp then all of those mixes should do fine

Thanks everyone for the tips

Good Luck!

 

[Bombalurina]

The biggest tip for success in shrimp keeping? Live plants. Heaps of them. Java moss for the bottom of the bowl, java fern for the middle, would be my suggestions. You wouldn't have to do 100% changes that way because the shrimp make so little waste that the plants would suck most of it up. Partial weekly changes would be fine.
In a one gallon planted bowl I would have 5.

 

[Pucky21811]

Okay, so I put one shrimp in each of my betta tanks, and both my betta tried to attack them right away! My injured male AND my female. I'm attatched to these shrimp so I saved them and they are both back in their 1 gal tank together. Is this okay? They both seemed SO happy starting to eat and clean the betta slime but I couldn't stand to watch the betta eat them. Did I do the right thing? Or do they just need time?

 

[Mandy Pandy]

I'm a newb but from what I've been reading it may help to take your betta out, rearrange their homes, put the shrimp in first then reintroduce the betta. That way the betta think they're in a new place and won't be so territorial.

 

[Micho]

Nah, most Bettas find shrimps as tasty little snacks.

:l So yeah, just keep them in their 1 gallon bowl.

 

[Pucky21811]

I had them in the bowl for a while; but they're so cold they were barely moving. I remembered that Winnipeg's 2.5 gal tank came with a divider (I wasn't going to use it). So I put the divider in 1/3 of the way, with the little gravel on their side and a plastic plant. Winnipeg is pissed and confused about the downsize, but she'll survive.

I also went out and bought a Java Moss Ball from Petsmart today cause they're so cute! That's in Winnipeg's tank, on her side, for now. Should I put that on the shrimpie side? I was thinking of alternating: one week in Winnipeg's tank, one week in Zamboni's tank, cause it was kind of expensive I couldn't afford two.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Micho]

WHOOPSIES. Nevermind.

Anyway, 1/3 of a 2.5 gallon tank for the two shrimps could work.

Just give them the java moss so they can feel more safe in it. Also moving the shrimps back and forth for no reason isn't a really good idea.

 

[Pucky21811]

Oh no I would alternate with the Java Moss Ball- not the shrimp! They're staying where they are

 

[Bombalurina]

A lot of bettas do like to snack on shrimp, but the shrimp learn pretty quickly to move out of the way and go into hiding. You just need to make sure that the cover is dense enough for them to have hiding spots. Little caves that a betta can't get into, heaps of java moss, live plants etc are all really good for shrimp to hide in.

 

[Pucky21811]

Alrighty thanks everybody: well I came back from job training and the shrimpies had found their way through the divider in the tank into Winnipeg's side. They squeezed through a shrimp-sized spot on either side. I spotted only one of my two shrimp when I first came in the room, and now I see neither. Hopefully they're hiding. Winnipeg didn't seem to notice the one I did see as curiously as she noticed him when I popped them in this morning. I'll leave the divided side there in case they are survivors and can be a refuge. Whoops...