FishChannel Forums / Freshwater Forums / Invertebrates

Any invertebrates that can be kept with these?

SeaCadet — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:46:51 GMT

I will be firing up a planted 10 gallon aquarium which will house several female bettas very soon, and I was wondering if any invertebrates can be kept with them? Thanks in advance.

Mystery Snails

SKeith — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:58:59 GMT

I have two mystery snails in my tank. For about a hour they were stuck to each other - were they mating or fighting? How do they mate? This happened twice yesterday.

Does anyone feed their mystery snails calcium (for their shell)? If so, how do you go about doing that?

are these mystery snails?

takhisis — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:56:10 GMT

This morning when i turned the light on to my tank and was sitting there with my daughter watching the fish i realized we had the small snails i introduced AND a smaller one that i didn't bring in. then alittle while later from a different angle i noticed the 1 big one and then TWO little ones.

From what i have read and been informed mystery snails don't reproduced unless they have enough clearence on the top of the tank. generally i don't leave more then 1/2 inch or so however yesterday i did have about 1 1/2 inch clearance for alittle while, maybe 6 hours. would that be enough time to lay eggs, eggs hatch and snails appear or are these different kinds of snails?

Just saw bamboo shrimp on Animal Planet!

Conner — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:14:17 GMT

I was just watching the Planet Earth series on Animal Planet, the Freshwater episode, and they were showing a river. At one point in the river, in some rapids, they showed a bamboo shrimp with its little fans out filtering debris out of the water! It was sooo cool! You guys should check it out if you can. It was about 8-10 minutes into the episode.

Amino & Ghost Shrimp

SKeith — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:13:35 GMT

How often do Amino and Ghost shrimp shed their exoskeleton?

I have a Ghost shrimp in both of my tanks, and I see exoskeletons in both tanks. I've had Ghost shrimps before, but had never seen them shed at the same time.

Marbled Crawfish

pufferrocks — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:01:45 GMT

I found this website earlier today and though these crawfish were really cool. They are the ultimate aquarium crawfish. Seriously considering buying some :D. Yall should check it out. http://www.marbledcrayfish.com/

Blue Shrimp

ShadowFish — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:50:14 GMT

I was just curious are there any types of shrimp in the pet trade which are blue?

Red Cherry shrimp at my lfs!

Conner — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:46:03 GMT

Well, technically they didn't have any while I was there, but I found out that there is a local guy who, intentionally or unintentionally, breeds tons of cherry shrimp. When he has too many, he brings them in in a bucket and gives them to the store! My guy at the lfs said they will then sell them for $0.99 each, since he's getting them for free! I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for the next time he gets some in stock....

Need help picking out new shrimp

SKeith — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:09:11 GMT

I have two ghost shrimps in my 29 gallon tank. I got them for scavenging the bottom of my tank. Is there any other kinds of shrimp that would scavenge the bottom for left over food and would be ok with other fish? I was also thinking about getting some for algae as well since I am finding new homes for the CAE and pleco. Any suggestions?

Mystery Invertebrate

bguerra4 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:09:01 GMT

I've been seeing some small creatures in my tank, I have no idea what they are. First about my setup:

It's a 57 liter, well-planted with plenty of moss, sandy substrate. Several young cichlids, a dozen tetras, a pleco, 7 Japanese marsh shrimp, 5 cherry shrimp, 6 black/white bumblebee shrimp and some snails.

The creatures that I'm seeing are about the size of a sesame seed, only more round than flat. Brown markings on what seems to be its shell, it's too small to see any legs/body sticking out from under the "shell". When they move they scurry around on the bottom for about 2 seconds before stopping in place to rest for about 5 seconds. They do not swim, only run along the sand.

If anyone can tell me what these are, I'm interested in finding out, especially if they are harmful in any way to my fish. It's mostly just curiousity.

Thanks for any help...!

Bamboo shrimp

David Lass — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:11:41 GMT

Someone told me that bamboo shrimp (aka mountain shrimp, flower shrimp, any shrimp of the Atopsis genus) will eat blue/green algae (cyanobacteria). Just wondering if anyone has had experience with them doing this? Thanks.

food question

bettasrcool — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:54:32 GMT

What does anyone feed their snails? I tried some sinking algae tablets but my betta gorged on them before the snail in the tank could get to the food.

Red-clawed mangrove crabs and Bamboo shrimp.

JW — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:36:05 GMT

I'm setting up a 60-gallon terranium with just Red-clawed mangrove crabs but I was hopeing to maybe also have a couple of Bamboo shrimp but I don't know if the Red-clawed mangrove crabs would harm the Bamboo shrimp.Thanks for the help!

Lobsters, Clams, and Shrimp

renosteinke — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:48:29 GMT

I have a 3 ft. diameter indoor "pond" that I have been setting up for quite some time. Now, I'd like to add some inverterbrates.

This pond is currently operating at 72/73, and I'd really like to do away with heating it at all; that would result in winter temperatures of 62-65 - too cold for, say, bamboo shrimp.

One web site is offering a variety of freshwater "lobsters," clams, and shrimp that are claimed to do well in such cool water. I believe that any, or all, of them would be a great help in maintaining the tiny ecosystem I call my pond.

My question is: Are the three types mentioned bad for each other? Specifically - are the lobsters going to prey upon the shrimp and clams, as well as the snails I now have in the pond? What about bottom dwelling fish, such as catfish or plecos?

Snail?

Jeny — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:02:12 GMT

Ever put i regular snail in tank? Is it even worth it I found it on one of my daily walks in the park I put it in my 1.5 gallon what should i do with it keep it or set it free?

my new aquatic snails!

Jeny — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:31:10 GMT

Yeah Ive got two yellow (not sure what kind as i didnt look i was too excited but will find out) cutie pututies snails:)!

Cherry Red Shrimp

Neowolf242 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:45:38 GMT

i want to get a pair of Red Cherry Shrimp in a 1 gallon tank, i have a Petco a Petsmart and a Petland in my area sell anything other than ghost shrimp. Would i have to find a specialty store to find them? i also need to know what to feed them, i've heard that Algae Wafers are good but i want to make sure.

Flower Shrimp

David Lass — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:13:31 GMT

In my 20 gallon planted tank I have three or four flower/mountain shrimp (Atyopsis species). I thought it might be interesting to post this photo of 2 of them -- females -- all "berried up" with eggs. They are feeding in the outflow from the Hi-Q outside filter. I've never gotten babies from them, just eggs, as I understand that the babies need to spend some time in a marine environment.

My Flower Shrimp

Conner — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:44:12 GMT

Here's a couple pics of my Singapore Flower Shrimp. It molted over the weekend, and now its bigger and redder than it was before. He picked a spot on the end of a piece of driftwood, right in the current from the HOB outflow. You can see his little filter-claws pretty well in the pics.

Shrimp?

Armand — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:59:02 GMT

I do!

Pictures of my 10 gallon cherry shrimp and livebearer nursery

stvnw — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:37:44 GMT

I had to resize this picture for easy viewing. There are about 6 cherry shrimp and probably around 20 silver mollie fry currently residing in this tank. Here they are enjoying a piece of algae wafer! I thought this picture turned out really nice!

shrimp and african cichlids

blenny123 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:33:58 GMT

are there any shrimp that may go with african cichlids thanks for any help

nerites with a weak shell

lilcherna — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:41:50 GMT

it looks like one of my nerite snails has a weak shell. i think i might have read something about putting cuttlebone, that bird stuff, in the water for them to eat. but is that right? is there anything else to do? its in a planted five gallon and im not sure of the water perameters. they eat the algae and occasionally shrimp pellets.

Amano shrimp color

Golddenim — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:08:50 GMT

I have had 5 amano shrimp for several months. When purchased, they were all clear/white with a yellow stripe down their backs. After a couple months, I began to notice that the largest shrimp had become much darker in the main body, almost a brown or dark green, while his legs remained the original pale white. Now, 3 of my shrimp are exhibiting this darker color. It is the 3 biggest shrimp, with varying shades of brown, dark green, and even dark maroon. The 2 smaller shrimp have maintained their original color. The behavior of all the shrimp has not changed.

Is this color change normal? Are they actually changing color, or am I just seeing their stomach contents through their bodies?

Shrimp Tank

Finny — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:53:06 GMT

I am thinking of setting up a shrimp tank. How would I do it? What needs to be in it, food, etc. Also if the shrimp could climb out, will I be always replacing them? Any help is appriciated!!

rcs and kuhli loaches?

lilcherna — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:35:49 GMT

i was just wondering if i could keep red cherry shrimp with 6 kuhli loaches in a ten gallon. theres a pretty big clump of java moss, some java fern on drift wood, and a lily bulb thats starting to grow again, i think it might be tiger lily from the last time i saw its leaves. and the filter is a sponge filter.

but would the kuhlis eat the shrimp? the baby shrimp?

this is pretty much the only possibility because all my other tanks have flourescent lighting and the kuhlis hate that and burry themselves so i never see them. and the other tanks are pretty big and they dont have sponge filters or a good amount of live plants.

anyways, this was just out of curiosity and if they could be kept together maybe i will get some :D

Crayfish eggs?

CephalopodLover — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:01:57 GMT

Today I saw that my crayfish tank had little white things in it. Are they eggs?

Missing RCS?

FattFishy — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:11:26 GMT

Statistics:

pH 7.6

DH 12

Tankmates: 3 Panda Cories, 6 Neon Tetras, 1 shy Honey Gourami

The pandas are 1 inch each, neons... two are 1.5 inches and others about 0.75-1 inch. Honey Gourami adult size, 2 inches. It's really shy and doesn't have any aggression toward anything or anyfish.

Ammonia, Nitrite: 0 ppm

Nitrate: 10 ppm

No shrimp has ever died of copper or calcium lack.

What happened: So I have 5 Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS from now on) and I can only see one at a time. Thing is, I have a gut feeling they're dead... Either they were eaten and killed, died and eaten, hiding, or dead. But I really want to know what happened... I have seen 2 at a time very recently though.

Here's a pic of my tank to show what hiding places there are:

The Hornwort floating is much more thick due to rapid growth so keep that in mind.

Questions:

1. Are the RCS most likely alive or dead?

2. Can any of the tankmates possibly have eaten them?

3. Are they hiding?

Any input or opinion will be taken gratefully!

Vampire Shrimp

Finny — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:47:20 GMT

Hello all,

I just bought a Vampire Shrimp and need help on its feeding habits. I know its a filter feeder and eats tiny micro-organisms, but I dont know how to give them to him? I read that in a planted tank, they should be fine. I guess they eat the plankton on the plants? I also read that they eat scrap bits of fish food and algae. Are either of these true? Also will adding iodine to help him molt be harmful to my fish? Any help is appriciated.

Thanx!

Ich Remedies

Nikita — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:02:37 GMT

I recently added fish to my 10-gallon planted setup that had previously housed only shrimp and a now-deceased snail (poor Joker ;;). They are six neon tetras and are gorgeous animals, vibrant, eating well, just a joy to have. I got them on stocking day since fish go fast at that LFS - it's the only one in my area.

Unfortunately, one fish out of the bunch apparently had ich. And now everyone has ich.

Frequent water changes and general good care seemed to be warding it off and allowing the fishes' immune systems to overcome the parasite. However, over the weekend I went home and left the tank for two days, and upon my return the ich had worsened. I do not want to take a passive approach any longer as it seems to have progressed beyond the point of natural recovery.

I purchased QuICKCure, a common ich treatment. I know the dosage and time of treatment, but I do have a serious concern: this ich treatment is comprised of malachite green solution, a copper compound.

Copper is highly toxic to invertebrates, so will this remedy kill my shrimp as it heals my fish? I don't want to risk Sister Agnes and the rest of the ghost shrimp; I'm attached to the little guys. Has anyone had experience using ich medication along with inverts?

Is this OK ?

CephalopodLover — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:34:22 GMT

I've only been feeding my crayfish Cucumber and was wondering if that is a bad thing. What other food should I give him?

Bamboo Shrimp

FattFishy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:19:54 GMT

These guys are pretty cool with their fans and filter-feeding methods. I'm thinking about getting one for my 28 gallon. Also, they are quite large shrimp but very peaceful due to the fact of their harmless fans. I'm still quite worried and as usual, cautious.

The only good flow is around the top, so filter feeding might be an issue. Should I add a "pedastal" for the bamboo shrimp?

Can I keep the Bamboo shrimp with:

1 Amano Shrimp

Numerous Ghost Shrimp

Balloon Mollies

Cherry Barbs

Will it be outcompeted/outcompete other/be bullied/aggressive to others?

Thanks for any opinions and thoughts!

Shrimp Species (Cherry Red or Neon Blue) and Black Mystery Snail Questions

FastFoward5k — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:18:11 GMT

I had two invertabrate questions, so I decided to just put them together in one question :) . I had awful luck with my Peppered Corys and Otocinclus (RIP ), so I decided to try some invertabrates for my cleanup crew!

My LFS is getting in two types of shrimp on Wednesday: Cherry Red and Neon Blue. I don't know which to pick. I want one big enough to not get eaten and is compatible in my 10 gallon. I want one that is a scavenger and will maybe eat a little algae and filter feed. I would like to get two. Here is a list of my fish: 1 Pearl Gourami, 3 Balloon Mollies, and 4 Harlequin Rasboras. Which shrimp fits my needs better?

I might pick up some snails at PetSmart (for some reason my LFS never gets in snails and can't special order them). I want Black Mystery Snails. How many should I get for my 10 gallon? And are these compatible with my fish? Do they do a good job on eating algae, because my tank is kind of ugly, even with regular algae scrubs. And also, do you think that these are a more active species of snails, because I want something fun to watch.

Thanks. :D

Ghost Shrimp Mortalities

Nikita — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:51:09 GMT

I'm having an issue with my group of ghost shrimp. They're dying. I have found two dead shrimp in two days with no apparent cause, and I'm at a loss as to what's going on with them.

I used to see seven or eight shrimp come out during feeding times, now I'm lucky to catch sight of two. Four or five would be visible at any given tank observation. Looking into the tank now, I see one shrimp.

I haven't seen the largest shrimp (Sister Agnes) in a few days, and she's always been very present. However, I know that she's shed her skin recently, so hopefully she's been hiding. The disappearance of the other shrimp is more worrisome. I know they're good hiders, which is why I don't see all of them at once (I have a heavily planted tank), but this a large departure from their normal behavior.

My tank is 10 gallons and until recent mortalities housed 8 or more shrimp (8 was largest number seen during feeding time within past two weeks).

I recently added six neon tetras; all are extremely vibrant and healthy with good appetites.

My tank registers no ammonia or nitrites and very negligible nitrate values, a bit less than 5 ppm. I have a low bioload and a large number of fast-growing plants.

My gH is about 40 mg/L; we have soft water here in the mountains. Carbonate hardness is around 60 mg/L.

pH is 7.2-7.4.

I change about 20% of the water twice a week, dechlorinating normally. Tank water registers no chlorine.

The only new additions to the tank are the six neon tetras, but I have seen no aggression on their part and the ghost shrimp are their size or larger.

I just don't get it. :(

Joker vs Filter

Nikita — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:17:18 GMT

This morning upon feeding my new stock of neon tetras their breakfast, I noticed that the food wasn't circulating around the surface of the tank. I rolled my eyes and prepared to fiddle with the cloth on most of the intake tube (it keeps the current low but sometimes falls and blocks the flow). However, one look at the intake tube assured me that a cloth blockage wasn't my problem. A snail blockage was.

My golden apple snail, Joker, was on the intake tube, completely blocking the water flow. And then I realized...he'd been there since yesterday. I didn't think anything of it at the time, since he wanders over anything and everything in the tank, but now I realized that he was either stuck...or worse.

I disconnected the intake tube and pulled it out, snail still attached. I put my nose to him. He didn't smell dead. He didn't fall out of the intake slots either. So I gently peeled Joker out of the filter tube, dreading the moment when his dead body was going to pull loose from its moorings and go all over my fingers.

It didn't, though. When I got the last bit of foot off the filter, he retracted into his shell and closed the operculum tightly. A dead snail loses that muscle control and will remain with operculum open. I placed him back in the tank, where he floated a bit. Then he released the air from within his shell and sank to the bottom of the tank.

I didn't post this in Freshwater Emergencies because it's not really a condition that there's a great deal of help for. He'll either survive a day in the intake tube or he won't. I'll be checking in on him in between classes...and hoping that this wasn't Joker's last laugh.

My shrimp setup. Stats/pics.

Nikita — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:24:41 GMT

I finally got together decent pictures of my setup, and since the focus of my tank right now is shrimp, I decided to post the specs of my tank here with pictures as references. Feel free to incorporate any elements you like into your own tanks. :)

Here is the entire planted setup. The plants, in order from left to right, are corkscrew vallisneria, marsilea quadrifolea (aquatic four-leaf clover), cabomba, a small cultivar of Amazon sword, water wisteria (background), cryptocoryne wendtii (midground), Java fern.

The tank currently houses 14 ghost shrimp; I never see them all at one time anymore because a) they're transparent and b) they're amazing at hiding. Here's one on the leaf of an Amazon sword. I grew this particular plant emersed in a tarantula tank and have transplanted it to this setup; this is its maximum size. It's still adjusting to immersion and has not sent out new leaves yet.

Here's another good shrimp pic featuring the water wisteria. This and the above picture are of medium-sized shrimp; the one very large one I have was in too difficult a position to photograph. The wisteria is showing the most growth on the left side and is re-orienting itself towards the light.

Now, my camera distorts the quality of the light in my tank. I'm using two Sylvania 20-watt compact fluorescent bulbs in an incandescent fixture rated for up to 25 watts. So, 4wpg on my tank. The light in the tank is actually a pleasantly clear hue, not the strong yellow picked up by the camera. This picture here shows the "blue" side of the light; if you combine the two in your imagination, you'll get a good picture of what the light looks like.

And here's a detail picture of a few shrimp in that same bluish hue; sometimes the camera does it yellow and sometimes blue. Sometimes it makes it look like there's not a light on at all. :/ Anyway, in this picture you can clearly see the substrate. I'm using a natural creek sand taken from the creek on my property; the water is chemical/pesticide free. The sand is 1.5 inches deep on average and was washed thoroughly outside until the water ran clear.

In addition, I'm using a variation of the "earth as a substrate" method. The dirt-like material is processed coconut fiber, which you can purchase as reptile bedding. I rehydrated it and washed it several times, sifting off the portion that naturally floats, and added it to the tank. Here also you can see part of a natural root that I collected, which not only adds to the decor but gives my plants something to anchor to.

Above is a shot detailing the cryptocoryne and the driftwood I collected, to which some Java moss is tied. The cryptocoryne was potted but had been overturned, so the plant grew "sideways" as it aimed for the light. In only a few days it has mostly turned upright again, and the roots are already anchored firmly in the substrate.

Below is a shot of the corkscrew vallisneria. It's still deciding if it wants to grow well or not; some older leaves are showing brown at the tips, but many of the leaves are showing a much brighter green color. One is unanchored but I'm letting it send roots on its own rather than disturb the other plants:

Lastly is a shot showing some of the new fronds of the marsilea (clover) and the beautiful, lush growth of the cabomba. In the next few days I'll be doing the first cuttings from the cabomba plant, as it's already hitting the water surface with its new leaves. The shrimp love to shuffle around in there are find tidbits of food.

As I write, one of the shrimps is taking a foray to the surface of the tank and another is picking food off a floating, decaying clipping of a vallisneria leaf. It seems like I never see the same shrimp twice, they hide so well. The large shrimp is now sifting through the Java moss on the driftwood. They love the finer plants that they can work their mouthparts though.

So far I have not had any mortalities; the shrimp seem content in their own private oasis.

If you have any questions or comments just shout. I know that was a long post...and it was mostly plants, I realize now. Oh well, it's an invertebrate tank and the invert section needs more posts anyway. ;)

Red Cherry Shrimp w/ Neons?

Nikita — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:23:59 GMT

I went to the awesome little aquarium store in the town closest to my college (the school's way out in the boonies) and the owner told me he just sold out of his last red cherry shrimp. On the one hand, I missed out...but on the other hand, he'll get more! I get RCS!

After my elation had passed, I thought about the mechanics of the community I'm building, however. I know that it's foolhardy to keep shrimp with cichlids or some barbs or really anything that's a) big or b) has a mean streak. Especially small ones like red cherry shrimp; they just couldn't handle even being picked at by fish.

But what about neon tetras? They're tiny compared to many fish. A half-inch RCS is going to be half a neon's size! And both the shrimp and the fish are so peaceful. Would my RCS be in danger of being picked at or even eaten by a school of, say, six neon tetras?

I'd appreciate if anyone who's kept the two together or kept RCS with other small tetras could throw some info at me...four bucks a shrimp is pricey if they're just going to be a characin snack.

Could I?

CephalopodLover — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:51:43 GMT

I was wondering if I could keep some shrimp in my crayfish tank ? What would I need to do that ?

Crayfish and Jack

filipem — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:01:04 GMT

Does anyone know if it's possible to keep a electric blue crayfish with a Jack Dempsey?

Crayfish Wanted

slowhand35 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:18:20 GMT

I have set up another rack so I now have room for some more crayfish groups.
I am currently looking for a few types of crays from Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri.
If you live in one of these states and are interested in catching some and trading or selling them to me, email me at everynowanthen29456@yahoo.com
Include your state and county/city in your email so I can see if any of the crays I'm looking for are in your area.
I currently breed some rare and a couple common species of crays including Cambarus, Procambarus, Cambarellus, and Cherax species crays that I could trade.
I also have some cherry shrimp and a few others. I currently have a large amount of fissidens moss as well, most use it in their invert tanks to attach to wood and rocks.
Take care.
Bill