Ghost Shrimp - Safe, or Snack?

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JWhipple
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Ghost Shrimp - Safe, or Snack?

Post by JWhipple » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:40 am

Well after having picked up the Sumo loaches for the office tank yesterday, I decided to pick up 9 of them for the home tanks before coming home from work.

The LFS somehow managed to get a ghost shrimp into one of the bags with the fish, so, I went ahead and put the ghost into the community tank until I knew whether he would become a meal when put in with the loaches.

Here's what I've got in the loach tank. 5 Clowns,4 Dojos,4 YoYos,4 Kubatai, 1 Schistura unknown01 , 1 skunk (yes, I know, he's lonely! Need to get him some friends!), 2 Leporinus fasciatus, 4 upside-down catfish, and 6 corydoras... and now 5 of the 9 Sumos ...


So - with that having been said, IF the loaches won't make him into a snack, I'd like to put some into that tank I just listed above if they will be safe..

Thoughts?
-- Light is faster than sound... Perhaps that explains why some people appear to be intelligent - until we hear them speak!

wasserscheu
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Post by wasserscheu » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:15 am

Hi,

... when I bought my clowns about 2.5 years ago, the LFS-keeper asked wether I´ve shrimps, because in that case clowns would consider it a nice welcome dinner...

See also these links:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... ght=shrimp

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... ght=shrimp

Here, Emma made a great shot feeding salad shrimp... gets you an idea..

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k183/ ... CN1258.flv


However... I got my clowns very small, and I still have my Amano-shrimp... i was lucky... but I recommend "don´t try this at home" :wink:

... one Amano jumped out once, and someone unfourtunately steped on it, I rinsed it, and feed it - boy - the clowns ate it with "apetite", I found most surprising, the alpha-clown left a little in the shell for others - he never does that -must have known, it´s rare... I was worried having made a mistake - got them the taste for it, but they still respect live - which is, actually, not normal for hunting fish...

My clowns do follow up on shrimps when they have food "on them" the clowns carefully take the food out of the shrimp´s "feet/arms" and don´t hurt them doing that...

A while ago I´ve trained the clowns with a thick needle - tapping on the glas (outside), where the feeding shrimp was sitting - the clowns came and took their food away. The most stunning fact was, that the shrimps figured out, quit fast, that more to the center of the tank, the clowns have a problem with orientating by the tapping-noise-information, and do did not locate the shrimps easily. And please be aware - shrimps don´t even have a brain, (but some nervesystem, I don´t know the english name...)

Shrimps are fascinating... (I gues thats what clown´s opinion is as well)

You never know - unless you try - but you should have known :?

Wolfram

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YellowFinned
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Post by YellowFinned » Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:15 am

Ghost shrimp is the staple live food I feed to my loaches and virtually all my fish. I get lots of it, they eat lots of it. The loaches particularly. They get all the shrimp that reach the substrate and try to hide out in crannies. Even small loaches, one and a half inch yoyos gang up and demolish ghost shrimp.

It appears to be clear, but apparently contains much carotene. It think this comes through in the clowns and many other fish, and gives them vivid red fins.

pedzola
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Post by pedzola » Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:59 am

I had clowns and yoyos cohabitating with ghost shrimp for a couple years with no incidents.

The ghost shrimp felt absolutely comfortable swimming all over my tank w/the clowns yoyos and cherry barbs. Loaches would pay absolutely no attention to them.

However when I added a school of 10 tiger barbs to the tank, it was game over. The shrimp didn't last 2 days.

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Emma Turner
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Post by Emma Turner » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:39 am

Regarding the Schistura balteata, I have kept mine together with a large group of various sized Amano shrimp for 4 years now without any problems (some of the shrimp were tiny when introduced). However, I think that some of your other fish are very likely to eat the ghost shrimp.

Emma
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newshound
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Post by newshound » Thu Feb 08, 2007 12:53 pm

you never know what will happen in a loach tank.
I have a mix of zebras, kubs, yoyos, horseface, dario and a 6 inch clown.
It is my zebras (the smallest of the loaches) that tear into the shrimp and take the eyeballs out of the hatchets.
drain your pool!

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cybermeez
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Post by cybermeez » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:40 pm

I'd put my money on the Botias having Shrimp Scampi for dinner. :shock:

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YellowFinned
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Post by YellowFinned » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:42 pm

newshound wrote: ... that tear into the shrimp and take the eyeballs out of the hatchets.
Now that sounds like an average cute little loach.

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