Feeding and Nutrition :: Ghost Shrimp and Guppies, and Rosies Oh My!

[scripta_elegans]

Ok so there are a few edible tank mates in with Sparky and Spike. I have noticed that the tank seems considerably cleaner upon adding the shrimp. So far the turtles haven't really noticed them, but they seem to be consuming all sorts of waste in the tank! And the little guppies are really fast, and though the turts are having a go, they seem to be unscathed too. I am wondering 2 things, a) do I need to add Aquarium salt for the ghost shrimp? How much is okay for the turtles if so? b) are shrimp usually good for cleaning tanks?

[flutterby]

I never added salt for my ghost shrimp and it was kinda hard to tell if the shrimp helped clean the tank or not, or if they got munched right away because of how clear they are.

[SpotsMama]

Do ghost shrimp ever get sucked into your filter and clog it?

[jenaero]

I have a hard time cleaning the tank without sucking the shrimp up in the python. Also, when I had ghost shrimp, they were quicker to get the pellets than the turtles were. They'd actually come up to the surface, grab a pellet and go back down. I don't think my turts actually ever caught/ate any either.

[SpotsMama]

I'm sure the minnows in Spot's tank are keeping it cleaner. I know they are a source of waste, too, but they seem to be net consumers of debris. The tank is looking pretty good these days. Spot eats little minnows when I put them in but recently has been ignoring the big ones. I'm wondering what will happen when the big minnows produce young.

After we brought Spot in from his outside pond, we left the minnows out for a couple of weeks before moving them in too. During that time they produced hundreds - no thousands - of tiny little minnows. I haven't seen anything like it in the indoor aquarium yet.

[scripta_elegans]

I got home today to see little tiny fish swimming in the tank! Either the guppies or the Rosies had babies! I have no idea if either or both are live bearers, but I sure didn't see any eggs! I don't think the ghost shrimp are going into the filter, but we'll see when I clean it this weekend. I hope I don't suck them all up accidentally! I may attempt to chase them all down to save them. What fun!

[SpotsMama]

How many little ones are there? Dozens or hundreds? The rosies we had in the pond were totally clear except for big black eyes. Except for the eyes I don't think we would ever have noticed them. Instead of swimming steadily they would start and stop.

[lizknowles329]

I breed guppies and every so often I will put a few in my turtle tank! Mrytle goes nuts! He loves the running after them... then he gets up and you see some scales flake off and there you have it! Its so fun to watch! Yeah I know that probably sounds bad but it is! It took him awhile to figure it out... But I would hafta say that your guppies are going to be gone one day when you get home....

[Turtleboy]

Rosies are the only thing my two little ones can't catch, every shrimp and guppy I've put in the tank gets eaten in the morning hours when they are sleeping!

[scripta_elegans]

I think I have about 7 little baby fish. The 2 rosies and 3 guppies are all still around too. There were 4 guppies, but I haven't seen one in awhile... The ghost shrimp seem to still be around, but as they are small and clear, it is a little hard to tell! It is a 75 gallon tank with two little turtles so there is a lot of room to run and hide. I have Amazon swords and Anacharis, and a few fake plants and caves and rocks to hide in, so who knows what's in there? The little fry seem to be hanging around the turtles, I think they believe they are safe from them.

[SpotsMama]

I bet those baby fish are guppies. Guppies are live bearers. Here's a link on live bearers: http://www.atchison.com/fishinformation ... earers.htm

When my rosies procreated there were hundreds and hundreds of little ones, not just 7.

[scripta_elegans]

That was interesting! I bet they are guppies. I am almost sure that there were no eggs, so I am led to believe they came from the guppies! I need to do a full water change, and cleaning, so I am trying to figure out how to save all the little tank inhabitants

[weeseng]

i used to breed guppies, and a nice trick to prevent the guppy fries and shrimps from being sucked into the filter would be to cover inlet of the filter with stocking.. works fine!