Thinking of adding cherries, will they be fish food

mattycakesclark · 07-08-2010, 02:36 PM

Excuse my newbieness, I am considering adding shrimp to my tank for some interedting biodiversity, but I have done some quick searches, and came up with not much info wiether my fish would find them tasty. I currently have 7 Albino Buenos Aires Tetras (year old) and several adult and juvi mollies. I would love to add some shrimp, and if the shrimp fry are eatting that is not a huge deal. It is a 29 gallon moderatly planted tank.
Thanks for the advice in advance, and egain excuse the newbie question.

OverStocked · 07-08-2010, 02:50 PM

I wouldn't expect much success. BA tetras are pretty big... they will do what they can to waste your money.

F22 · 07-08-2010, 02:53 PM

+1 those things are nasty, and when they get to adult size i'm certain you will no longer see baby mollies around the tank...

jeffvmd · 07-08-2010, 02:58 PM

Maybe if you have a thickly planted tank it may work but I myself will still be wary of doing that. That's a bit of an expensive snack for your fishes.

F22 · 07-08-2010, 03:01 PM

why not try ghost shrimp, if they get eaten they are so cheap it doesn't matter.
The other option is to go for larger shrimp that will not be food... Larger japonica shrimp will do well, and bamboo shrimp are wayyyy too large to become snacks.

EntoCraig · 07-08-2010, 03:08 PM

I have found that even in my heavily planted tanks, some fish will hunt down every last cherry they can find... Shrimp do best in tanks where the other inhabitants have no interest in them

I do find, as F22 said, that larger shrimp like the Amanos are rarely touched by my fish.

mattycakesclark · 07-08-2010, 03:12 PM

That's what I thought. I like the BA tetras, they have intersting personalities. I have seen them dispacting mollie babies, that's exactly why my tank is not overrun. Will ghosties enjoy cleaning my tank of detris and some algae. I was thinking about them.
Or trading in at the LFS.

F22 · 07-08-2010, 03:20 PM

ghost shrimp will help keep things clean... that't not saying that you can grossly overfeed and expect things to be peachy. i would say start with them then work up to the larger cooler species of shrimp

mattycakesclark · 07-08-2010, 03:24 PM

Advice taken. Ghosties it will be, they are $1/dozen at LFS. I keep my fishies on a well groomed diet. Memories of grossly overfeeding my fish as a kid still haunt me :X

EntoCraig · 07-08-2010, 03:33 PM

The Ghosts likely wont touch the algae though, just the access food particles at the bottom of the tank.

mattycakesclark · 07-11-2010, 04:44 PM

So I tested my BA Tetras appetite for some shrimp.
Added about two dozen ghost shrimp from 1/4" to 3/4". They harrassed them on the way down, and they settled fine to the bottom and starting exploring. So far a few days and they are still there, and without counting seem to be doing fine un-molested, except for a peck from a courious molly juvi once and a while.

07-08-2010, 02:36 PM	#1
mattycakesclark Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 308	Thinking of adding cherries, will they be fish food Excuse my newbieness, I am considering adding shrimp to my tank for some interedting biodiversity, but I have done some quick searches, and came up with not much info wiether my fish would find them tasty. I currently have 7 Albino Buenos Aires Tetras (year old) and several adult and juvi mollies. I would love to add some shrimp, and if the shrimp fry are eatting that is not a huge deal. It is a 29 gallon moderatly planted tank. Thanks for the advice in advance, and egain excuse the newbie question.

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07-08-2010, 02:50 PM	#2
OverStocked Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (76/94%) Join Date: May 2007 Location: SoDak Posts: 10,732	I wouldn't expect much success. BA tetras are pretty big... they will do what they can to waste your money.

07-08-2010, 02:53 PM	#3
F22 Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: .201. Posts: 4,344	+1 those things are nasty, and when they get to adult size i'm certain you will no longer see baby mollies around the tank...

07-08-2010, 02:58 PM	#4
jeffvmd Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (99/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: NYC Posts: 896	Maybe if you have a thickly planted tank it may work but I myself will still be wary of doing that. That's a bit of an expensive snack for your fishes.

07-08-2010, 03:01 PM	#5
F22 Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: .201. Posts: 4,344	why not try ghost shrimp, if they get eaten they are so cheap it doesn't matter. The other option is to go for larger shrimp that will not be food... Larger japonica shrimp will do well, and bamboo shrimp are wayyyy too large to become snacks.

07-08-2010, 03:08 PM	#6
EntoCraig Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Utah, USA Posts: 1,942	I have found that even in my heavily planted tanks, some fish will hunt down every last cherry they can find... Shrimp do best in tanks where the other inhabitants have no interest in them I do find, as F22 said, that larger shrimp like the Amanos are rarely touched by my fish.

07-08-2010, 03:12 PM	#7
mattycakesclark Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 308	That's what I thought. I like the BA tetras, they have intersting personalities. I have seen them dispacting mollie babies, that's exactly why my tank is not overrun. Will ghosties enjoy cleaning my tank of detris and some algae. I was thinking about them. Or trading in at the LFS.

07-08-2010, 03:20 PM	#8
F22 Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: .201. Posts: 4,344	ghost shrimp will help keep things clean... that't not saying that you can grossly overfeed and expect things to be peachy. i would say start with them then work up to the larger cooler species of shrimp

07-08-2010, 03:24 PM	#9
mattycakesclark Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 308	Advice taken. Ghosties it will be, they are $1/dozen at LFS. I keep my fishies on a well groomed diet. Memories of grossly overfeeding my fish as a kid still haunt me :X

07-08-2010, 03:33 PM	#10
EntoCraig Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Utah, USA Posts: 1,942	The Ghosts likely wont touch the algae though, just the access food particles at the bottom of the tank.

07-11-2010, 04:44 PM	#11
mattycakesclark Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: DeLand, FL Posts: 308	So I tested my BA Tetras appetite for some shrimp. Added about two dozen ghost shrimp from 1/4" to 3/4". They harrassed them on the way down, and they settled fine to the bottom and starting exploring. So far a few days and they are still there, and without counting seem to be doing fine un-molested, except for a peck from a courious molly juvi once and a while.