Question: Ghost Shrimp?

[NoahF]

So i was in Petco today buying some live plants, and some ghost shrimp caught my eye. And i was wondering, can axies eat those? Just wondering because they would be a cool snack and help keep my tank clean.

[Jennewt]

Yes, they are safe tankmates/snacks for axolotls. To be on the safe side, I would recommend a quarantine period of a week or two. Ditto for the plants.

[Caitie]

Yup- I'll add in a vote that they are excellent tank mates right through the axie life cycle- I've got 10 of the closely related red cherries in with some of my larvae at the moment (Ones who didn't want to come out of the hatching tank), and the baby shrimp are acting as a pretty good food source, and the adults are an excellent cleanup crew. For my adults (In the last tank build- I reestablished the colony during the current tank layout, and I'll be re-adding them to my next one) they are gorgeous- something to play with, pretty good nutritionally and assist in keeping the tank clean :). One thing I'd suggest is establishing a separate shrimp tank- that way you've got a population on hand and even if your axies get all the ones in your main tank, you won't have to start from scratch again

[tusken raider]

Originally Posted by Jennewt

Yes, they are safe tankmates/snacks for axolotls. To be on the safe side, I would recommend a quarantine period of a week or two. Ditto for the plants.

THIS! Red cherry shrimp are also fine, if you can try and get them from someone who breeds them you can get alot more for alot cheaper

[NoahF]

Originally Posted by Minniechild

Yup- I'll add in a vote that they are excellent tank mates right through the axie life cycle- I've got 10 of the closely related red cherries in with some of my larvae at the moment (Ones who didn't want to come out of the hatching tank), and the baby shrimp are acting as a pretty good food source, and the adults are an excellent cleanup crew. For my adults (In the last tank build- I reestablished the colony during the current tank layout, and I'll be re-adding them to my next one) they are gorgeous- something to play with, pretty good nutritionally and assist in keeping the tank clean :). One thing I'd suggest is establishing a separate shrimp tank- that way you've got a population on hand and even if your axies get all the ones in your main tank, you won't have to start from scratch again

Thats awesome, but how exactly would i go about setting up a shrimp tank? Just fill halfway with water and put them in? and what do they eat?

[Caitie]

I filled mine all the way, sponge filter, light and some Java Moss. Water changes frequently as shrimp are more susceptible to ammonia spikes than axies. Every few days I feed them some (thawed) frozen peas, and they've flourished :)