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So I just got 10 red crystal shrimp.
They are currently housed in a 1 gallon breeder box that hangs on my 55 gallon. I don't have to worry about cycling considering I have an air pump that brings water into the breeder box and then comes out of the overflow (ie circulates my 55 gallon tank water in and out of the breeder box).
Temperatures are a steady 79-80 degrees (basically the temperature of my 55 gallon).
I've added a small layer of eco-complete as the substrate. In addition, two moss balls and just two strands of java moss (the java moss came with the shrimp).
Since my air pump has two air holes, I have another tube going into the breeder tank so that it makes more oxygen. It's just the tube - no air stone at the end of it.
I will be installing CO2 injection in the 55 gallon in about a week (and therefore, CO2 will also flow into the shrimp tank).
Here are my questions:
1) Is it better to have an airstone versus not having an airstone at the end of my air tube? I read somewhere that if the bubbles are too tiny, the brine can get stuck in there. Not sure how that happens, but is it cause for concern?
2) Will CO2 injection be an issue for the shrimp?
3) I currently have algae wafers that I used to feed my pleco (now gone). I assume the shrimp will eat these? Given I only have 10 very tiny red crystal shrimp, how much of the wafer should I be feeding them? I left one over night and it looked like they barely touched it (and it got all mushy). I also have flake food and bloodworms. Do they eat that as well?
4) Do I need more plants in the breeder tank?
5) Am I missing anything else? I want to create the most optimal setting so that they can make lots of baby shrimp. Eventually, when the shrimp get big enough (and I have many babies), I'll be transporting some of them into my main tank. However, I have a pair of blue rams that they'll have to evade...
Thanks!
They are currently housed in a 1 gallon breeder box that hangs on my 55 gallon. I don't have to worry about cycling considering I have an air pump that brings water into the breeder box and then comes out of the overflow (ie circulates my 55 gallon tank water in and out of the breeder box).
Temperatures are a steady 79-80 degrees (basically the temperature of my 55 gallon).
I've added a small layer of eco-complete as the substrate. In addition, two moss balls and just two strands of java moss (the java moss came with the shrimp).
Since my air pump has two air holes, I have another tube going into the breeder tank so that it makes more oxygen. It's just the tube - no air stone at the end of it.
I will be installing CO2 injection in the 55 gallon in about a week (and therefore, CO2 will also flow into the shrimp tank).
Here are my questions:
1) Is it better to have an airstone versus not having an airstone at the end of my air tube? I read somewhere that if the bubbles are too tiny, the brine can get stuck in there. Not sure how that happens, but is it cause for concern?
2) Will CO2 injection be an issue for the shrimp?
3) I currently have algae wafers that I used to feed my pleco (now gone). I assume the shrimp will eat these? Given I only have 10 very tiny red crystal shrimp, how much of the wafer should I be feeding them? I left one over night and it looked like they barely touched it (and it got all mushy). I also have flake food and bloodworms. Do they eat that as well?
4) Do I need more plants in the breeder tank?
5) Am I missing anything else? I want to create the most optimal setting so that they can make lots of baby shrimp. Eventually, when the shrimp get big enough (and I have many babies), I'll be transporting some of them into my main tank. However, I have a pair of blue rams that they'll have to evade...
Thanks!