Loaches Online Forum

I have only ever used dried fallen oak leaves that I've collected in the fall and from a source that I know is pesticide free - I also would not use anything that had been under the snow and decomposing.

It is my experience that my cherries graze on the leaves (I put 2 or 3 in a 5 gallon) until they degrade and only a leaf skeleton is left.

Do a search on the link I provided to petshrimp.com for 'oak leaves' and you'll find info there. Perhaps those more experienced than me have used leaves from a variety of conditions, but I would certainly research it first and get a sense of how it would look and work in your tank.

It may not be a solution for you, and perhaps your experience will be the same as Jim's where the fry are abundant enough. Good luck with them! They are beautiful.

Well, potentially sad news: I haven't been able to find a shrimp in a little over a day now.

Sometimes I've not been able to find more than one, or even any, but then the other day I found all 5 so I wasn't too worried about it at first. I'll think I'll give it another day or two and then try baiting with the zucchini or cucumber before I start taking decorations out and go on a hunt....

Don't get to upset yet, dead shrimp are usually easy to spot. They become pink like a tiny cocktail shrimp after death.

Just when I was starting to get worried, I finally spotted a fairly large one. If that one's okay, hopefully others are too. These guys are going to give me a heart attack though, haha.

There're a couple cave-type areas in my tank that I cannot see into without moving a decoration, which may be the cause of my troubles, but what kind of a hiding place is it if one can see in? Idk - maybe I'll have to modify it for my sanity, though that would make the "house" look a little tacky haha. I'll have to post a couple pictures of it.

Thanks for the tip on what to look for, if it comes to that.

Glad you found one, and I am sure the rest are in hiding, relaxing. My bamboo shrimp live in a coconut hut, and I seldom see them.