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Over the past 10-15 years, shrimp keeping has boomed in popularity
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Not only are millions of us now adding shrimp to our community aquariums
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but we're also setting up dedicated shrimp-only tanks. I think one of the main reasons shrimp popularity has rocketed
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is thanks to their ability to multiply rapidly within the aquarium. Whether you're looking to build up a clean-up crew army in your tank
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or you're hoping to sell your extra shrimp to raise some money to fund your hobby
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the more babies that can survive to adulthood, the faster your colony will grow
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In this video, I will share with you the four top tips and tricks I have learned over the past few years
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to give your baby shrimp the best possible chances to survive and grow to full-size adult shrimp
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Hello friends, welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Richard and I'm the author of the new e-book on neocarradina shrimp
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I'm pleased to say we're able to give away free copies of this book
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to the first 100 people who hit the link in the description now tip number one mainly applies to shrimp that are kept with fish
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and that is to provide plenty of hiding places shrimp are well down the food chain and baby shrimp are the most vulnerable
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baby shrimp are tiny and even a fish as small as a neon tetra would be considered a predator to a baby shrimp The more hiding places we give our baby shrimp the better their chances of survival
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Hiding places can be made up of piles of rocks, live plants or clumps of java moss
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It essentially does not matter what you use, providing the shrimp can hide from hungry mouths
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Personally, I favour a combination of rocks, wood, plants and moss. I tend to add them to every single aquarium I keep shrimping
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If there is one secret I would share when it comes to baby survival, it would be Java Moss
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Java Moss creates a haven where baby shrimp can live, free from the worry of fish eating them
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My next tip would be to feed your shrimp powdered or crushed food
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Shrimp have tiny mouths, and that is even more true for baby shrimp. Whilst they willy a lot of biofilm and algae and general detritus in the aquarium
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there is no substitute for good quality food. In my own shrimp breeding tanks I often add a pinch of crushed flake food
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taking the time to deliver it underwater rather than letting it float on the surface
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where the shrimp can't reach it. Rapashi is another great food for baby shrimp
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Rapashi comes in powdered form and we add boiling water to create a gel food
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It is one of my favourite foods to give shrimp. However if we take a pinch of the powdered food and add it to the water column
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it becomes the perfect food for baby shrimp Whatever food you decide to feed to your baby shrimp make sure it is delivered where they need it Most foods will float and any food up on the surface is well and truly out of reach of the baby shrimp
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If you're finding value in this video, please take a second to tap the like button
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It helps share this video with other like-minded people. Tip number three is cover the intake to your filter
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Both canister filters and hang-on-back filters have intakes that are designed to suck water in
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It is their primary function. Many have a strainer over the intake to keep fish from being sucked in
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These strainers, however, do nothing to keep baby shrimp out. Once the baby shrimp are sucked into the filter, their fate is pretty much sealed
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with few making it past the spilling impeller and fewer still making it past all the filter media, sponges and floss
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If you are using a canister filter or hang-on-back filter, consider placing a sponge over the intake
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Adding a sponge makes it almost impossible for baby shrimp to be sucked in
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Intake sponges also make your filter run more efficiently as they prevent uneaten food, bits of dead plant and other general aquarium detritus from being sucked into the filter
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My final tip is to ensure there is sufficient calcium in the water
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In order to grow, shrimp have to molt Malting is essentially the process of the shrimp pulling themselves out of their old skin which is usually referred to as an exoskeleton allowing their new slightly larger body underneath to grow Adult shrimp may molt once every three
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or four weeks, and possibly less often than that. Baby shrimp, on the other hand, molt frequently in
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the first few months of their lives. Shrimp require a fair amount of calcium to be able to
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grow all these exoskeletons. A lack of calcium in the water or in the shrimp's diet may lead to the
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baby shrimp being unable to build sufficiently strong bodies. If your tap water has a low amount
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of dissolved calcium in it, which is typically referred to as soft water, then you might need
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to consider adding some for your shrimp. Adding crushed coral either to the tank or the filter
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is a great way to add calcium to the water, as is using cuttlefish bone or crushed eggshells
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Calcium can also be added via the shrimp's diet. Hikari Shrimp Cuisine is a great food for shrimp
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as is fluval bug bite shrimp formula which is fortified with calcium
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as well as other nutrients and minerals. Calcium is an essential part of being a shrimp
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and a lack of calcium can lead to malting problems that prevent your baby shrimp from ever becoming adults
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If you're looking to grow your shrimp colony as large as possible why not check out the video I've linked on screen
