caring for shrimp

[Elliriyanna]

i am planning on adding a shrimp trio into my betta tank ... however i have no idea on the best thing to feed them . also i do know this can be hit or miss my tank will be heavily planted and i am covering the intake for safety ... i want them to have the best chance possible

[somewhatshocked]

Keeping shrimp can be tons of fun. Though, do be mindful that your Betta can make quick snacks of even adult shrimp if it so desires.

That said - have you read the sticky here in the shrimp sub-forum? That's a great place to start. Because you'll need to know your water parameters and be familiar with the basics before proceeding.

What are the following in your tank?

Water temperature
pH
KH
GH
TDS
Filtration?
Any additives that you regularly use? Medications?

[Elliriyanna]

i dont know what half of those are ... and i know he may eat them. i am waiting on some supplues still , i never knew it was so complicated i am just getting ghost shrimp and last time they thrived

ok lets start with diet while i sort out the above parameters

[somewhatshocked]

Ghost Shrimp, depending upon the species, could potentially harm your Betta. Some of them are super-aggressive and will even eat other shrimp. ("Ghost Shrimp" is used loosely, as there are several species that are commonly sold)

Shrimp are detrivores so they don't typically need anything too fancy. You can feed shrimp blanched spinach, zucchini, specialty shrimp food, squash, Indian Almond Leaves, algae wafers, etc. And only the amount they can eat within a few hours. Maybe every other day.

If you haven't read the shrimp sticky, start there.

[Elliriyanna]

i can not find what kh is ... i can test ph and temp ... my filtration i have a 10 gallon in tank filter .. i have no ideal how to test hardness and tds ...

now i feel dumb ...

[somewhatshocked]

Go HERE. Read that shrimp sticky. All of your bases will be covered.

It won't be confusing once you read a little bit.

KH & GH = hardness, test with a liquid kit

TDS = total dissolved solids, test with a meter (won't really be necessary for Ghost Shrimp or Neos)

[Elliriyanna]

its hard to read on the teeny screen of my ds ... ok i am testing ph now .. i have nothing to test the tds

i did go to the sticky and tried to read it i just dont have a computer so long articles are hard sorry

[Elliriyanna]

what should i feed them ?

my ph is 7.6
filtration 10 gallon ( 5 gallon tank)
no meds or additives
temp 75 ( my guess)
Tds i did not test but you said unneeded with ghosts

[Nubster]

They will eat fish food and they are scavengers. They don't eat algae so don't rely on the tank to naturally feed them. So just drop in a little extra food when you feed your betta.

[Elliriyanna]

ok i will buy some sinking food just to supplement

i will have to buy a kh&gh kit

[somewhatshocked]

Answered this for you previously but here it is again: Shrimp are detrivores so they don't typically need anything too fancy. You can feed shrimp blanched spinach, zucchini, specialty shrimp food, squash, Indian Almond Leaves, algae wafers, etc. And only the amount they can eat within a few hours. Maybe every other day.

Originally Posted by Elliriyanna

what should i feed them ?

[Elliriyanna]

Sorry I was reading this late I must have skipped that somehow.