highly pregnant amano shrimp... HELP

[DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR]

so tomorrow im rollin off to petco to buy shrimplet supplies.
phytoplankton and marine mix.


do i really need to use distilled water? what's wrong with tap water?
RO water???? i can get small quantities of RO water, but would rather use it from the tap out of ease/laze.

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR

so tomorrow im rollin off to petco to buy shrimplet supplies.
phytoplankton and marine mix.


do i really need to use distilled water? what's wrong with tap water?
RO water???? i can get small quantities of RO water, but would rather use it from the tap out of ease/laze.

Short answer can you use tap... yes do you want to...heck no. Distilled,RO,Bottled drinking water all are better choices.

[gmccreedy]

Nah, nothing wrong with tap water for rearing shrimp.

[epicfish]

Originally Posted by gmccreedy

Nah, nothing wrong with tap water for rearing shrimp.

+1.

They're not as sensitive to TDS/other dissolved metals as marine species.

[DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR]

petco today:
bought a box of petco brand marine salt that makes around 25 gallons, a hydrometer/thermometer. it was 4 dollars, im not sure how accurate it is but i dont know of any good way to test it. help?

-Can i feed the shrimp larvae spirulina powder? it is easily found in capsules at vitamin stores and i could just pop the capsules open and dump the powder into the tank. if this works it would be my method of choice, as it is easier and cheaper to obtain than the phytoplankton and it is easier than making green water, not to mention the capsules can last forever.

i found one last container on the shelf of two fish brand marine phytoplankton, inspected it... there was powder around the lid, opened it and the friggin seal was opened already!! i dont know if somebody bought it and used it, then returned it or what... i really wasnt too happy with the petco store today, for instance i looked in their freezer for frozen foods and found a half drank pepsi bottle crammed in the back... some of the food packs were busted open and some looked like they had been thawed out and refrozen... and i wasnt gonna be having none of that.

However, lets not turn this into a chain store bashing thread.

i have everything i need now to raise these critters except for a definetive food source. i could make green water but i dont like the risk of contamination, and dont feel like explaining to the gardener not to throw away the red cup full that's been there for weeks full of green sludge water because i feed it to shrimp larve, like, "senor la agua verde afuera es por mi crevetes y no es basura!!" I would just rather not have to explain that one to anybody.

so i think i can float a small container at the top of the tank and fill it with fertilizer rich water and hope some GW grows in there, which it probably will,
or ideally i can get my hands on some spirulina caps.

i talked to a friend at the lfs that said daphnia would probably work, but i worry the daphnia are too big. i have a fine ground frozen cyclops, but again i dont think this will work. there is freeze dried plankton i would like to crush up into a fine powder, but again i dont know if that will work.

has anybody tried, or have an idea if any of these will work?

[gmccreedy]

This is what I use.

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/.../phytoplex.htm

[bulrush]

i found one last container on the shelf of two fish brand marine phytoplankton, inspected it... there was powder around the lid, opened it and the friggin seal was opened already!! i dont know if somebody bought it and used it, then returned it or what... i really wasnt too happy with the petco store today, for instance i looked in their freezer for frozen foods and found a half drank pepsi bottle crammed in the back... some of the food packs were busted open and some looked like they had been thawed out and refrozen... and i wasnt gonna be having none of that.

I am disinclined to think that kids paid minimum wage to earn gas money for their beater mobile will have much inclination to thoroughly check returned items for damage or to see if they were opened.

Discus,
My biggest problem with baby fish and daphnia, was keeping the food in the water column. Most of it sank to the bottom to be eaten by adult shrimp or to rot. So, regardless of the food you use, you still have to swirl the tank water to keep it in the middle of the tank, where floating shrimp larva will find it.

[lauraleellbp]

Why not spirulina powder? It should float for a bit before it gets waterlogged.

How's the project coming?

I've heard several people say they wanted to try this, but never personally known anyone who has been successful yet, and I'd really like to see it happen!

[vance71975]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...s~vendor~.html

that is what i would personally use for food, yes it cost a bit more but it is a VERY respected name among marine keepers and is a high quality product.

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by gmccreedy

This is what I use.

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/.../phytoplex.htm

also a very good choice and a very respected name in the marine community.

[DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR]

okay, i wanted everyone to know that our shrimp operation is now in full swing.


the highly pregnant shrimp rests alone tonight in a beat up eclipse 3 with packing tape sealing it's leaky cracks, naturally stashed in a closet with an airstone, a bio sponge and a 24" allglass light hood resting on top.

it isnt pretty, but we have a potentially effective shrimp hatchery.

her eggs are translucent now with little tiny black dots visible, these are apparently shrimp egg eyeballs. so i predict it shouldnt be too much longer until she starts dropping the eggs. then out she goes and in goes a load of marine salt mix.

ive got all the components in line except for a food for the baby shrimp.
i really wish somebody could give me an answer as to if i could be feeding them just spirulina powder. it's just easy for me because i have had no luck in finding any phytoplankton locally... except for the last lonely preopened jar at petco or a half gallon for 60 dollars at my lfs..
and i just dont feel like ordering something online unless it is the last option.

i want to give them spirulina powder. can they eat it?
can i just grind up flakes with a mortar and pestle? or is it not that simple...?

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR

okay, i wanted everyone to know that our shrimp operation is now in full swing.


the highly pregnant shrimp rests alone tonight in a beat up eclipse 3 with packing tape sealing it's leaky cracks, naturally stashed in a closet with an airstone, a bio sponge and a 24" allglass light hood resting on top.

it isnt pretty, but we have a potentially effective shrimp hatchery.

her eggs are translucent now with little tiny black dots visible, these are apparently shrimp egg eyeballs. so i predict it shouldnt be too much longer until she starts dropping the eggs. then out she goes and in goes a load of marine salt mix.

ive got all the components in line except for a food for the baby shrimp.
i really wish somebody could give me an answer as to if i could be feeding them just spirulina powder. it's just easy for me because i have had no luck in finding any phytoplankton locally... except for the last lonely preopened jar at petco or a half gallon for 60 dollars at my lfs..
and i just dont feel like ordering something online unless it is the last option.

i want to give them spirulina powder. can they eat it?
can i just grind up flakes with a mortar and pestle? or is it not that simple...?

Im assuming they filter feed as young so the powder wouldn't work all that well, it may but i would look for the Phyto.

[gmccreedy]

I guess my response was no good....

but I will try again. Feed them something like this, this is what I use (successfully!)

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/.../phytoplex.htm

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by gmccreedy

I guess my response was no good....

but I will try again. Feed them something like this, this is what I use (successfully!)

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/.../phytoplex.htm

Again i will agree this is a very good product from a very respected name in the SW end of our hobby.

[DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR]

Originally Posted by gmccreedy

I guess my response was no good....

but I will try again. Feed them something like this, this is what I use (successfully!)

http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/.../phytoplex.htm

i went to petsmart today to buy some fish food. and i bought kent phytoplex
im glad now. i grabbed a coralife deep six hydrometer. it should be a little more accurate and a whole lot easier to read than the glass floating thermometer combo type i got a while ago.

mccreedy, vance, thanks guys.
i was not ignoring your advice, i just didnt know if i could find the phytoplex locally and would rather substitute with something else than order online, pay shipping, ect. thinking in my mind last night i did remember that there is a very good shop in my area that is exclusive to saltwater, and i would have gone there to get some phytoplankton had i not stumbled across it today.


one thing i did notice at petsmart today, the kent phytoplex did not have a seal on the bottle. none of the kent bottles did. im not worried, but it seems strange.

also, there was a thick dust layer on the bottle. it looks to have been sitting on that shelf for at least a year. does anything happen to the stuff over time?


and another: could any harm be done by adding the salt mix to the tank while the larvae are inside?