Any have shrimps with their breeding zebras?

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 6:16 am

I'm setting up a 20 gallon long tank with black sand substrate. I want the color to stand out on the zebras and the cherry shrimps. I was planning to combine my shrimp tank (RCS, Amano, Bamboo, & Otocinclus) along with my zebra tank, since it will be sort of a "show tank".

How many of you have allot of shrimps along with your zebras? I have about 12 RCS (Red Cherry Shrimp) and getting about 20 more, 5 amano shrimp, 3 un ID'd algae eating shrimp, 3 bamboo shrimp, and about 12 otos. I'm just worried this might be too much ground activity for the zebras. The only ones I can see multiplying are the RCS and will probably overrun the tank, but I will eventually move some of the RCSs back into the 20 gallon.

Does you guys thing this combo will cause a problem for the zebras?

Do any of you keep shrimp along with breeding zebras?

madmoroccan · Post by **madmoroccan** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:26 am

Hi Ed,

I have amano shrimps... Just not in my zeb tank. I remember researching the same thing when I first joined the forum and found that amano shrimp are not suitable for breeding setups because they can and will eat eggs. Cherry shrimp are ok as they are not too boistrous.

chanettt · Post by **chanettt** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:51 am

if they are not effect the breeding then i would love to have them too since there are left over food that i can't handle. do you think they can live in high current?

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:08 pm

Too bad about the amanos. I was hoping to move all the shrimps into the same tanks and eventually breed the amanos, since the 2 of the amanos I recently bought have eggs. I guess I might have to move them into my 125 and hope they don't become an expensive fish meal, which I'm assuming they will not be since the amanos are fairly large enough.

Regarding the current, they should be fine. The shrimp tank (20 gallon high @24"x12"x16") has a Marineland Emperor 280 (rated for 50 gallon tank), with a turnover rate of 280 GPH. The tank I plan to move them in (20 gallon long @30"x12"x12") will have a Eheim Ecco 2234 (rated for 60 gallon tank), with a turnover rate of only 160 GPH, but in a river setup. The RCS seem to be doing fine in the 20 gallon high tank and I'm assuming they would be fine in the 20 gallon long.

smithrc · Post by **smithrc** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:29 pm

we have amanos in most of our tanks and have never had problems with Plec eggs getting eaten.

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:56 pm

Cool. Good to know for someone who has the experience with them. Even though my zebs are just juveniles, I like to plan ahead. Besides, questions like these usually linger in my mind and bugs me for awhile, which is why I often ask way in advance. Better to be prepared.

madmoroccan · Post by **madmoroccan** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:26 am

Take a look at this...

http://www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtop ... shrimp+egg

That post highlights the dangers of keeping amano shrimp with your breeding stock.

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:17 pm

Thanks for the link. I have decided to remove all the amano and bamboo shrimp out of the tank, since they were taking over the zebra caves. I took out most of the cherry shrimps also, but just left a few in the tank for minor algae cleanup, if any. I also left otocinclus in there as well to keep as sort of "dither" fish. The tank looks rather empty now, since I started up another shrimp tank and also moved most of the plants there.

madmoroccan · Post by **madmoroccan** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:13 am

I thought it was a bummer... I have 5 amanos myself.

Although I do think that it is upto each individual what they choose to keep in their tank... So what Smith says is also valid as they can't kill post yolk sac fry.

How old are your zebs anyway?

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:38 am

Mine are still juveniles. The largest about 1.75", the other about 1" or so. I have a few shrimps, about the size of amanos, but still no ID what they are. They are not amanos, but they are nocturnal shrimp, since they seem to like to keep in the dark, which is why they started taking over the caves.

madmoroccan · Post by **madmoroccan** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:08 pm

Nothing to worry about yet...

My juveniles used to slap the living daylights out of my amanoes when I had them quarantined together.

I am pretty sure that the Cherry Shrimps will be fine. How's the river tank going?

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:40 pm

I changed the setup, as I described in my other post here...
http://www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtop ... 2&start=15

I plan to go back to the river setup when the zebras get bigger and eventually move them into a 40 gallon breeder.

smithrc · Post by **smithrc** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:49 pm

If the eggs end up out in the open - of course they will get eaten.
Even the most docile of tetras will take advantage of a situation

They wont however raid a cave to get at them...

madmoroccan · Post by **madmoroccan** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:04 pm

madmoroccan wrote:...So what Smith says is also valid as they can't kill post yolk sac fry...

No disrespect intended Smith... I promise. And I do agree that they won't go into a cave to fetch eggs.

What concerns me is what if an inexperienced father kicks the eggs out and the shrimps get to them before I get home? That is a long way away for me but I can always plan ahead... I hate rehoming fish that I grow attached to.

platty252 · Post by **platty252** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:35 am

IME amano shrimp will pick up eggs and clean them of dirt and fungus.
They will also eat eggs that are unfertile.
I use them with killifish eggs all the time and never seen them eat a fertile egg.
I have seen them eat unfertile bristlenose eggs but not fertile one's.
But when it comes to the wee zebs, i dont think it's worth the risk.