Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

[fosteder]

I know everyone raves about amano shrimp and their algae appetites, but does anyone have any experience with Ghost Shrimp? I live in NH and lets just say the LFS around here suck. I have never seen Amano shrimp, just Ghost, I could mail order I guess. Let me know if Ghost eat Algae and what types they like to consume.......

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

They are no good for algae.

Cherry shrimps and Amano's are good.
I just wish they were bigger.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[fosteder]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

thanks, Tom. I'm glad I didn't waste they money. I guess I will have to mail order or get lucky at some different stores. Are Amano and Cherry about equal as far as eating algea goes? IF they are I will look for Cherry shrimp. I think they are better looking.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Cherries are smaller and breedable.........
That last part is why I like them, they reproduce well.
Some have bred Amano's but not enough for my needs.

Cherries look cooler, but they are smaller thus food for more species of fish.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Laith]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

So how many Amanos should one add to a tank?

I've heard one for every gallon or two... Can this be right? That's 27 to 55 for a 55 g tank...

I'm thinking about adding 10 to a 200l tank.

 

[tnnlynch]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I had 10 amano's at one point in my 120 along with about 50 RCS. Life was fine until my redling barbs reached a certain size and decided shrimp were tasty. The remaining 3 amano's and 10 or so RCS live in my overflow. I don't think shrimp add much of a bio load by themselves.

If you don't have a good on line source, you can buy cherries reasonably priced from the moderator of the shrimp forum at www.plantgeek.net (Jake). I bought 15 from him originally and the packaging was superb. No losses at all during the winter. Not so sure about shipping them in the heat right now though.

Tom

 

[Simpte]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

For cherries, I cant even suggest a stocking max as they are constantly breeding. I started w/ 1 per 2 gallons but now probably have closer to 2 per gallon. Amanos I have 2 in a 20 gallon tank (they got mixed in with some cherries I bought that were labled as rudolph shrimp). 1 per 3 gallons seems like a good place to start.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Fosteder,

Where are you in NH? There's a pet store in Rutland, VT that has a great stock of shrimps - Amanos, Cherrys and a couple other varieties. If that's too long of a drive I think they ship them also and it should only take a day or so to NH which would help them arrive in good shape. Reasonable prices too. It's called Joe's Pets. I can't find their phone number but the email is "[email protected]". He also sells on Aquabid. (If you go be forewarned that it is a real "hole in the wall".)

Good luck, Bill

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I add 1 per gal of the Amano's, 2 per gallon on the Cherries.

The cherries are food for most fish though............

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[fosteder]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

hey, thanks for the tip on the place in Rutland. I'm near the seacoast of New Hampshire (about 15 minutes from Portsmouth) but I will be heading up there in a month or so. My old roommate goes up there frequently, I may be able to get him to buy me some.....

Actually I know a few people from Rutland.

 

[Russ]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

At http://www.petshrimp.com/ they are selling Red Cherry Shrimp for $1.99 each which is better than anywhere else I've seen. I haven't bought anything there yet so I don't know about the vendor. If you do try them let us know. I'm setting up a 75 gallon - I could use some for it.

-Russ

 

[alexperez]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I bought some from him and have to give him a thumbs up for service, quality of packaging, and of course the shrimp themselves.

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Cherry's are nice and they are breedable in plant tanks.

Main issue: so small fish, almost every fish thinks they are food.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Cornhusker]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

tom says we should not have algae,so why do we need algae eating fish at all.(just joking tom).red cherry shrimp do like algae,but they are good food for most fish.i have mine by themselves now, but have had them with cory's and juvinile bn pleco's, with no losses.but i have the good sae's and they will eat them,i've watched it happen. you must allso have sponge over filter intake ,as babies are very tiny.when i found that out,i've had a population explosion. i started with thirteen and now have over three hundred.they work best in species tank only.they are very fun to watch.drop in a algae tab and they will flock to and cover like fly's to poop.tank conditions must be kept very clean.amano shrimp are a very good choice when kept with peaceful fish. acclimation seems to be problem with them,buy many to end up with few that live a long time.regards, cornhusker

 

[fosteder]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Well, I ended up getting some amano's. The store I went to was out of cherries. I must say how impressed I am with their tenacity towards algae eating....they NEVER stop. They are way cool to watch too. I just wish they would breed as frequently as cherries, becuase the store didn't have that many (7) and I will need to get some more.

I do have a question though. Everyone says shrimp and inverts are more sensitive to CO2 levels than fish. What levels do I need to be worried about?

 

[imatrout]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I read a very old post by Tom Barr in which he experimented with 100 ghost shrimp as algae eaters. Now they may not be as good as Amanos, but for 10 cents a piece vs. $1.75 - $2.50 for Amanos, aren't there some economics here? Can 10 Ghost shrimp eaqt more algae than 1 Amano shrimp?

Tom, I'd love to hear the results of your experiment re: http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200201/msg00476.html

 

[Tom Barr]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Ghost shrimp are worthless as far as algae eaters.
Amanos are the king still.

They are much better than cherries, but cherries, the real red ones, they look pretty cool. Cherries will be around forever since they are so easy to breed. They breed like flies.

SAE's, Amanos, Rosy barbs, flagfish, cherries , some small plecos/ottos snailies etc.

Never hurts to add icing to a cake which is how I view herbivores.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[shake]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I wish we could get those shrimp here in Australia. The only shrimp available here are glass shrimps which I believe wont even touch algae. I have heard that one lfs did get some wood shrimp in once but they were for personal use only. If it's true are wood shrimp any good for algae.

shake

 

[[email protected]]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

Wood shrimp (Atya mollucensis) are filter feeders. I copied the passage below off this website:

http://www.azgardens.com/shrimpfactory.php

.

Quoted from Joe Anderson's web page: "The Wood/Singapore shrimp is a filter feeding shrimp and has two pair of specialized webbed, fan-like, appendages instead of claws. They use these to filter algae and microorganisms from the water, effectively acting as a biochemical filtration system!"

They may not eat much algae but they are a cool addition to the planted aquarium. I also have an Atya Gabonensis which is even cooler - crayfish sized with a deep blue coloration.

Bill

I wish we could get those shrimp here in Australia. The only shrimp available here are glass shrimps which I believe wont even touch algae. I have heard that one lfs did get some wood shrimp in once but they were for personal use only. If it's true are wood shrimp any good for algae.

shake

 

[quenton]

Re: Ghost Shrimp vs Algae

I wish we could get those shrimp here in Australia. The only shrimp available here are glass shrimps which I believe wont even touch algae. I have heard that one lfs did get some wood shrimp in once but they were for personal use only. If it's true are wood shrimp any good for algae.

shake

Any way you could have them shipped? I don't know, just wondering -- if enough people wanted them it might be worthwhile.