Red Cherry Shrimp Hunters?

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#1
Feb 27, 2009
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#1
Ok, I've been trying to rid my one tank I have now (downgraded from 8 to 1 since moving across country) of Red Cherry Shrimp. I've captured hundreds and still I find a few here and there. My LFS gives me 50cents each in store credit, and I have $172 in credit so far!

Any good suggestions on fish that would hunt them? None of those I currently have seem to bother even shrimplets, and its a heavily planted tank with tons of algae (for my herd of otos), so they have plenty of food and cover.
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#4
Feb 27, 2009
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#4
Other tank occupants (microrasbora) would not work out with angels or betta. Mollies may be a possiblity if I can find young ones.

When I kept them last, they really enjoyed algae though. My fear is they would concentrate on the algae and not bother the shrimp. I will look into them though.

I wish I could find a Shrimp-inator! I thought my Badis badis harem would take care of them over time, but they only will eat worms (live, frozen, or freeze dried). 2-3inch fish will ignore 1/4 inch shrimplet crawling right in front of their noses!
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#6
Feb 27, 2009
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#6
Back when I had the room for 8 tanks, that's what I did. But in a small apartment, one tank is all I have room for.

For now, I want to see if I can get my Otocinclus cocama to breed, and don't want any egg-snatchers around!
 

Last edited:
Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#7
Feb 10, 2003
5,803
3
38
Kentucky
www.thefishcave.net
#7
Microrasboras are pretty good with RCS, in the way that they seem to live well together. :) A betta would probably be the cheapest way, or you could make a trap for them and try to get them all that way.
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#8
Feb 27, 2009
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#8
I've been trapping/collecting them since March. It seems at least one shrimplet of each gender manages to escape unnoticed to reinstate the population :( After a month or so, I'll start seeing exoskeletons during water changes. Just when I think they are gone, I start seeing berried females swimming around.
 

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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#9
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#9
I really don't think a male betta would bother your microrasboras - they certainly haven't bothered my neons, but anyway what about a female betta or two. The two I have seem to do a lot of scrounging around the bottom.
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#10
Feb 27, 2009
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#10
Maybe I can 'rent' a mild-mannered betta (a friend of mine keeps several in her elementary class room). I have Badis badis in there too, which are related somewhat to Betta spendons, and they normally don't mix well. All of mine are females, so maybe a laid back male would work? I'll discuss it with her this weekend and see what she thinks. I don't want to harm the other fish obviously. I'm sure my Badis harem will not be hurt, but its several of them against one? Hmm...maybe a couple of girls instead...decisions decisions!
 

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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#11
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
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Yelm, WA
#11
I assume you have something more that a 20g tank. I have notice that when bettas have enough room - and get use to the idea - they don't seem to be territorial at all. (As you have said, they are "man-made" and have probably never seen anything much bigger than a cup) I have two females in a 26g with serpaes, neons, and an angel. Nobody has picked their own territory. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised as how beautiful the females turned out and how they grew.
 

MdngtRain

MdngtRain

Large Fish
#12
Jan 9, 2011
288
0
0
New England
#12
my mollies and platies picked off my shrimp when I had them. My bettas never seemed to bother them... I wish you were close, I would take some off your hands. Also, my rosy barbs would dessimate any shrimp in the tank (they LOVED the ghost shrimp I treated them with once in a while). Not too sure how one would get along with your other tank inhabitants... and they also need a school. nm... sorry!
The not-so-life-cycle-friendly way to get rid of them would be some copper in the water... but that's just to kill them without giving them to anyone as food. I guess it's a good last resort. Tho from my very limited understanding, the copper would mess with the algea also (someone had recommended that to rid my tank of algea... never tried it tho)
 

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OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#15
Feb 27, 2009
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#15
MdngtRain said:
my mollies and platies picked off my shrimp when I had them. My bettas never seemed to bother them...
Click to expand...
Platies may work out best. They are smaller than mollies, so hopefully will not bother my microrasbora. I have plenty of room for a shoal.


MdngtRain said:
The not-so-life-cycle-friendly way to get rid of them would be some copper in the water... but that's just to kill them without giving them to anyone as food. I guess it's a good last resort.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry too much about copper hurting or helping algae, but heavy metals are not good for fish. Granted, the dose would not be lethal to fish, but the otos are more sensitive than most fish, so I wouldn't want to risk that.
 

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Thyra

Superstar Fish
#20
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#20
Oh, I understand BTW, I thought you were in Florida. Guess I must have had your move backwards. May I ask if you are going to college and studying marine biology? Maybe I remember that wrong, too.
 

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