My shrimp might be weird, they don't eat nettle, spinach, they don't care about, i tried blanching them and not, they just eat things on the soil, algae maybe, I'll try other vegetables I tried white mosquito larva, they don't care, in my sister tank they are going crazy with it.Shelled garden peas ( frozen are fine ) , blanched veggies like green beans ( split in half and remove the seeds ) broccoli, kale, spinach , courgettes ( remove the seeds again , they don’t eat them and just make a mess ) are all great foods for shrimp . If you’re making dinner just set a very small portion aside to cool and feed .
Be careful collecting nettle leaves and make sure they are off a walked path ( dog Pee !)
In autumn I collect lots of brown leaves ( mainly oak ) from the local woods before any rain comes, I might look odd with a bag for life full of leaves but who cares 😁 you want ones that are brown and have dropped but are still in tact and as clean and pest free as possible. Just wash them before you use and blanch if you feel the need. Another favourite leaf is Jack fruit but I order those.
Shrimp are grazers so biofilm and algae is great free food to have in your tank.
Mine won’t eat nettle or spinach either if I’m honest ! They go crazy for peas , courgette and green beans though.My shrimp might be weird, they don't eat nettle, spinach, they don't care about, i tried blanching them and not, they just eat things on the soil, algae maybe, I'll try other vegetables I tried white mosquito larva, they don't care, in my sister tank they are going crazy with it.
Mine will eat mosquito larvae but prefer the very rare offering of blood worms. Do you have a specific shrimp food or a powdered food to promote algae growth ? I always have a leaf in the tank for biofilm too 🙂I only have 10 shrimp for the moment, but even with that amount, they should go eat it vegetables first ? maybe they like algae better ?
i just add some bloodworm to get cladophora small bloom, shrimp always eat that algae, they eat everuthing exept the food i have hard time to getMine won’t eat nettle or spinach either if I’m honest ! They go crazy for peas , courgette and green beans though.
Mine will eat mosquito larvae but prefer the very rare offering of blood worms. Do you have a specific shrimp food or a powdered food to promote algae growth ? I always have a leaf in the tank for biofilm too 🙂
Spirulina is a unicellular algae with good nutritional value. Its efficiency has been shown in Artemia salina and penaeid shrimp diets. To investigate the origin of this good nutritional value in shrimp, experiments were carried out on Penaeus japonicus juveniles. Pelleted diets containing various proportions of Spirulina from 0 to 8% were fed to shrimp. Good growth, survival and pigmentation were obtained with the diet containing 8% Spirulina. When replacing Spirulina completely by another single-cell ingredient source, lactic yeast, shrimp pigmentation was markedly reduced. Otherwise, growth performances were nearly similar. To identify the active fraction of Spirulina powder, an extraction was performed to separate two fractions, the lipidic and the lipid-free. Preliminary growth results of shrimp fed diets containing these extracted fractions showed that the active fraction of Spirulina was more likely found within the lipid-free fraction, rather than the lipidic fraction. Even though Spirulina can contribute positively to formulation of shrimp diets, it is too expensive (within the French economic context) to be incorporated at high percentage. But a substitution of lactic yeast for Spirulina is feasible as far as shrimp growth and survival are concerned. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230201353_Use_of_Spirulina_in_shrimp_Penaeus_japonicus_diet
does this intake is small enough to avoid shrimplet to go in the filter ?
Yeah that's the problem, i need to find larger ppi sponge to avoid to need cleaning twice a weekNo, the tiny ones will easily get sucked in. To my eyesight that looks like at least a 1-2 millimeter or so opening. You can put a dense sponge over the inlet, but you would have to clean it frequently to ensure nominal flow.
Cheers,
Michael
Yes, you dont have to go extremely dense... The PatMini's I am using are 100% shrimp safe - I wonder if you could actually use those sponges. I sort of think so.Yeah that's the problem, i need to find larger ppi sponge to avoid to need cleaning twice a week
Good point!Good thing about putting a sponge over the intake you have the added bonus of a prefilter.
Yeah that's the problem, i need to find larger ppi sponge to avoid to need cleaning twice a week
Good thing about putting a sponge over the intake you have the added bonus of a prefilter.
They look perfect.The PatMini's I am using are 100% shrimp safe - I wonder if you could actually use those sponges. I sort of think so.
That is why I like a <"really big pre-filter"> sponge.I always find sponge clogs too easily,
That might be optimal, a stainless steel filter guard, placed in the central hole of the "Koi sponge" block , it would do away with the need for a DIY foam collar etc.I always have these on all my filter inlets
Hi @Wookii, I've never seen these before. A brilliant alternative if a sponge is an undesirable solution!I always find sponge clogs too easily, I always have these on all my filter inlets:
Amazon product ASIN B07PPNW7QS
Once you have enough shrimp they never need cleaning as it essentially becomes a shrimp and snail buffet, and they keep it spotless scavenging anything collected on it.