Shrimp: An Alternative to Bottom Feeding Fish

One of the things that I constantly been told and read since starting out in Aquariums is the importance of Bottom Feeding fish. Bottom feeding fish are the scavengers of the fish tank. They clean uneaten food from the gravel preventing it from rotting and clouding the water and polluting it. Also many of them will nibble away at algae keeping the glass and plants clean. They also provide some activity at the bottom of the tank. But in my tank the gravel is quite large, (6mm or more in diameter) and pointy and triangular. This can damage the sensitive mouths and underside of the fish and kill or injure them.



Fortunately I did find an alternative to these bottom dwelling fish in Freshwater shrimp. They vigorously search the gravel for left over food, some are excellent for algae control, and provide some activity at the bottom without placing a very large on the tank. There are a wide variety of shrimp in existence each with very different water parameters and compatibility. I've done some research and this is what I've come up with.

General Information 
Shrimp are one of the several types of freshwater inverts other then snails, and crabs. They have several unique needs. Firstly for those with planted tanks, copper is quite toxic to shrimp. But unless your putting a massive amount of copper in your shrimp should be fine. However without plants to absorb the copper the shrimps will surely build up copper and die. So be careful. Secondly Shrimp moult there exoskeleton many times during there life. During this time they are very vulnerable to predators and disease an need places to hide while there next exoskeleton regrows. Leave the old skeleton as they need the calcium. Shrimp primarily feed off a very thin layer that covers all things in the aquarium called bio film. To feed a large colony though you will need algae wafers or other like food. Moss is an excellent source of food both in that it is soft enough for shrimp to eat and provides a large surface area for bio film. Also in the right conditions a shrimp population can multiply very quickly and overload a tank, but on the other side many fish will eat the newly hatched fry and many can be lost to power filters so a sponge filter is best for an all shrimp tank.


The Plan
I plan on getting either Amano Shrimp or Cherry Shrimp. Amono shrimp can be very hard to find but Cherry Shrimp are fairly common.

Perfecting Co2

I have upgraded my Co2 system many times since first making it, resealing the joints several times removing the check valve and then going from a high pressure ceramic diffuser system to a low pressure ladder and now I have a new endeavour. I am going to try to find a mix in the brew that will give me the highest Average BPM (Bubbles per Minute) while lasting exactly two weeks so while using the least possible amount of sugar. Most recipes online suggest an eighth of a teaspoon of yeast and two cups of sugar but I am trying to get a high output mix that will last about to weeks to match up with my biweekly maintenance. Also I will be testing out the theory that by mixing in a small amount of fertilizer or certain nutrients you will get higher output. Because each of these mixture will last around two weeks this will probably take me at least a couple months until the results come out but once they do I'll look them over and put them out so that other people who use DIY co2 can use them our Modify them to suit themselves.

New Fish: Neon Tetras

On the weekend I went to the fish shop to finally pick out my new fish. I was deciding between Neon Tetras, Harlequin Rasboras and Lemon Tetras. Although I came in thinking of going with the Lemon Tetras I decided to leave myself some room to expand by going with a school of eight Neon Tetras. There colour contrasts with with my red gravel and I still have room for a small school of Rasboras our a few other fish as well.

Neon Tetra Info


The neon tetra belongs along with other Tetras to the Characin Family from South America. There flourescent colour makes them visible in the black water rivers were they are found. They have a complet blue and partial red stripe and grow to about 3 cm long. They have been bred in captivity for many years and thus they have adapted to a very wide range of water conditions although to breed them you need to replicate there natural enviroment of dim lighting, low pH and water hardness. Although in the wild they inhabit waters cooler then 25 degrees they will handle it quite well. Do not change the water qualities to quickly though as the shock can be deadly. They should only be kept with other small peaceful fish. They are omnivores who will readily eat flake food. They are some times afflicted with neon tetra disease which is incurable and has symptoms such as difficulty swimming, loss of colouration, restlessness and crysts.

Breeding
Requires putting a pair in a tank with no light and gradually increasing it with a hardness of less then 4. Once the eggs are laid remove the adults as they will eat them.

Peat Moss Filtration

In my attempt to find ways to keep certain types of tetras that like soften and acidic water I came across a simple and effective solution. Peat moss can be added to the substrate or in the filter to take the calcium out of the water as well as making it more acidic. The peat moss will absorb calcium ions from the water as well as releasing small amounts of acid. This is a cheap and effective solution for those looking at keeping or breeding less hardy tetras or other fish. A word of warning though make sure there is no fertilizer in the peat moss as this will be almost sure to create an algae bloom. I will not be using this unless the fish appear to be suffering in the current water, mainly because I will be running the tank near its maximum capacity (although my Cascade 200 filter will cycle the water completely 6 times every hour) and the added moss will slightly obstruct filtration and I may need all of it to keep so many fish safely.

Reconsidering Lemon Tetras

On my trip to the local fish shop to pick up some plants I saw a tank of very bright looking lemon tetras. They will brilliant looking fish and have been bred to become accustomed to the hard water. I previously ruled these fish out because they do not like the hard water but now I am reconsidering them. There bright yellow colour and red eye ring would look very good in my mainly red tank. They are also not to large like the rummy nosed tetra and not too small that they might become prey eventually for my Platy's  like neon or blue neon tetras. These fish grow to about 4 to 4.5 cm, like slightly acidic water but will deal with up to 7.5 and other then that are not picky about conditions except that the tank should be partially planted.

A Lemon Tetra in Very Good condition showing slight blue colouring in fins.