[Martin_G]

I know that there are a number of posts about feeding your shrimp blanched veggies.

My question has to do with shrimp having "preferences" for certain veggies.

The first blanched veggie I tried was a small slice of cucumber that I left in the tank about two hours, Except for an occassional shrimp stopping by to "taste" it, most of them avoided the cucumber!

After I saw how the cucumber was received by the shrimp, I wasn't very enthusiastic about trying another veggie, but I did out of curiosity!

This time I tried a small piece of "yellow squash" and the shrimp showed alot of interest. Five days later I tried two pieces of yellow squash, and while putting it in the tank it cam to rest so four sides (top & bottom) were accessible.

I was a bit surprised to see them swarm all over the squash! These guys were "fighting" over every inch of space on it, and the larger shrimp were pushing the smaller shrimp around like bullies!

Now I know what veggie to get them as a supplement!



Has anyone else noticed similar behavior with their shrimp (being particular)?

 

[diwu13]

Mine are partial to spinach but ignore string beans and cucumber slices as well. They love the spinach. I leave it floating on top of the water and more and more shrimp perch on it until it sinks from their weight. Then they really swarm it . it is also pretty cool when you remove the veins of the leaf in a few hours

I have also noticed that RCS will fight over the food but given enough surface area and food everyone ends up getting a share. (and spinach has a lot of area haha)

 

[KrazyFish]

Zuccinni for me is the best. My fish gobble it up.

 

[johnny313]

i know veggies have nutritional value, but isnt it better for them to eat / graze on natural algae and plants in the tank?

 

[diwu13]

i know veggies have nutritional value, but isnt it better for them to eat / graze on natural algae and plants in the tank?

I believe that when your population goes above a certain number there isn't enough of natural food in your tank to support the entire population. You put in extra food so the tiny babies will have access to the micro organisms while the adults munch on the other foods?

 

[Martin_G]

Considering that mine are eating good......now if I could just get them to do calisthenics! LOL!

 

[Betta Maniac]

Mine love spinach, but showed no interest at all in spaghetti squash or carrots (snails loved them though).

 

[jostas]

how long does everyone leave blanched veggies in the tank for? my shrimp love spinach and carrots!

 

[diwu13]

how long does everyone leave blanched veggies in the tank for? my shrimp love spinach and carrots!

I leave mine overnight at most. This is around 15 hours at most. When I left spinach in over a weekend it tinted my water green. Three weeks and many water changes later it is still greenish

 

[jostas]

I leave mine overnight at most. This is around 15 hours at most. When I left spinach in over a weekend it tinted my water green. Three weeks and many water changes later it is still greenish

thanks for the info. I dropped some in last night, will pull it out now I guess before my water turns green! :icon_eek:

 

[jasonpatterson]

I leave mine overnight at most. This is around 15 hours at most. When I left spinach in over a weekend it tinted my water green. Three weeks and many water changes later it is still greenish

That's green water (algae) rather than spinach. Time to look for a UV sterilizer...

Most people just leave the spinach in until it's gone (or down to a skeleton.) If you don't have many shrimp, you might need to pull it out.

 

[Moe]

My shrimp love zucchini! I leave mine untill its gone, usually only takes a day.

 

[diwu13]

That's green water (algae) rather than spinach. Time to look for a UV sterilizer...

Most people just leave the spinach in until it's gone (or down to a skeleton.) If you don't have many shrimp, you might need to pull it out.

I think I over blanched my spinach. I decided to test if it was the spinach since someone mentioned algae in another post as well. Leaving the spinach in tap water for three days in the fridge also tinted the water green. If it is algae would the green tint lighten with repeated water changes? I took pictures right after the initial tint and it definitly looks less green?