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Cherry Shimps and Axies

axiegaz

axiegaz

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Hi guys,

So i bought 20 cherry shrimp for my axolotls as treats and cleaning help for the tank. After a loooong 30 days of waiting I put them in the axie tank. A few false and highly amusing starts both axies finally figured out how to hunt them and less than 12 hours later i was down to 6 cherry shrimp remaining and some rather well fed axies :).

I learnt a couple of things that day.

1.Axolotls LOVE cherry shrimp
2.Putting so many in at one time is a bad idea!


Has anyone ever set up a breeder tank for these shrimp? If so, what would the requirments be?
 
melfly

melfly

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From what i've read they dont need much.
I bought 3 and set them up a little tank of their own, they have no filter or heater. One died but the other 2 ( John and Edward) have been fine for a few months now. No sign of breeding but i need to get some more. The shop only had three thats why i started with that number.
Mel
 
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frequenc

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Cherry shrimp are quite easy to breed, almost too easy.

My setup is a 5.5gal tank with a sponge filter, some java moss, crystal wort and some marimo balls. Any plants you like will do but I recommend some kind of moss to give the babies some security.

That's pretty much all there is to it. Mine love to eat the crystal wort and any algae that grows doesn't last very long. I'll also throw in some Kale which they love to munch on.
 
axiegaz

axiegaz

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niice :) i'll "save" the remaining shrimps and start a breeder tank for them then

thx guys :)
 
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floosy

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Hey, these sound interesting. What are Cherry Shrimps called here in Oz?
Also, if Brine Shrimp are raised to adult size, would they then be a good treat or a good staple for Axies?

Thanks!
 
melfly

melfly

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Hi floosy. They are just freshwater shrimp but are red ones. Not sure what you might call em in oz. With regards to brine shrimp. I'm not sure how easy it is to to raise them past babies. I know the ones i hatch dont live longer than about 3 days. Not sure if i should feed them or something. Anyway they would only be good enough for a treat for juvenile axolotls. Not sure adults would even notice them, as they dont grow very bit. Staple is better off as earthworms. Mel
 
Blaze

Blaze

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Floosy they are called Cherry Shrimp here and are SOOO expensive!!

I got 2 for $5 for Sunny for christmas and he ate them on the first day. (his normal feeder shrimp lasted two months)
 
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angyles

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RCS are very typically $5 EACH, both online and in local fish stores. Occasionally I'll see a screamin deal on my fish forum classifieds, but usually $3-5 is pretty standard. I would be more inclined to feed ghost shrimp, which are $.30 each and get much larger LOL.
 
emeraldd

emeraldd

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floosy said:
Hey, these sound interesting. What are Cherry Shrimps called here in Oz?
Also, if Brine Shrimp are raised to adult size, would they then be a good treat or a good staple for Axies?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Brine Shrimp don't get that big. I've heard they dont have any nutritional benefits to axolotls nor are they filling enough. Apparently, earthworms are the best staple food along with a variety of meat and fish as treats. There are other threads that can help you with questions on food :]
 
jclee

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Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS) are Neocaridina species, most of which, to my understanding, are pretty easy to breed, partially because, unlike many other shrimp, their young hatch out as mini adults, instead of going through an intermediary stage. If you're having trouble ID-ing what they'd be called where you are, here's a page with scientific names and pics to look at:
Shrimp Crabs and Crayfish - Home

I just realized that site doesn't have an exact pic of RCS, but the breeding details linked to the CRS (crystal red shrimp) look about the same.

As a heads up, I've read that breeding endeavors in tanks under 10 gallons are successful, but often lead to smaller, less colorful shrimp. (Not a huge concern, when you're breeding them as feeders.) I've been wanting to start a breeding colony when I can free up some space (I'm already breeding guppies and crickets), so I've done a lot of reading on these guys.
 
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scrappa

scrappa

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emeraldd said:
Brine Shrimp don't get that big. I've heard they dont have any nutritional benefits to axolotls nor are they filling enough. Apparently, earthworms are the best staple food along with a variety of meat and fish as treats. There are other threads that can help you with questions on food :]
Click to expand...

Earthworms are a good staple and offer all the nutrients and vitamins for an axolotl to be healthy.

I wouldn't bother messing around with shrimp and other critters unless they are cheap to buy at your local pet shop.

Beef heart is a good treat and is a good staple so your axolotl wont miss out on any nutrients or vitamins that your staple food provides.

With the beef heart you will want to cut it into strips about 2cm long.
 
scrappa

scrappa

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jclee said:
I wouldn't use beef heart as a staple; read what this has to say on the subject.
Axolotls - Feeding
Click to expand...

Hi,

Of course " Axolotls do not prey on cows in the wild" but it contains the nutrients and vitamins needed.

Axolotls dont prey or earthworms or pellets either in the wild they only occasionaly get an earthworm if it falls in the water normally they eat insects that cannot swim or they eat dragonfly larvae along with amphibious insects like Water-Boatmen.

I personally feed my axolotls a diet of earthworm and bloodworm.
 
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Gavin Hunter

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@ least the Axies are hunting and metabolizing their staple diet! Active and fit! Gavin
 
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