# how do i apply shrimp powder to the aquarium?



## deedee71 (Jul 26, 2013)

hi

help please :icon_roll

my 30-40 litre ebi tank has lots of plants, but I have 50 rcs, and I give them shikari ebi dama stuff and nettle leaves, algae wafers by hikari and sinking pellets by hikari. I don't think there is much food in the tank like biofilm as I have maybe too many shrimp in there? I bought the tank already set up on [Ebay Link Removed]

I have a berried female, (YAy! - first mum in the two months I've had the tank), have bought baby shrimp food by biomax, size one, which is a powder I think.

my questions are as follows

1-will the adults eat it if the babys leave any uneaten?

2-will it foul the water? or go mouldy?:icon_eek:

3-do I put it on the substrate? or sprinkle on surface of tank?

4-i have some juvinilles, so shall I start feeding it now?

5-how much should I use?

sorry for all the questions, but im worried about using a powder when I know you're meant to keep the water quality as high as possible. any help will be gratefully received x :fish1:


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## ravensgate (May 24, 2012)

If it is a powder you want to use a tiny amount between the fingers (a teensy 'pinch') unless you are feeding LOTS of babies and even then I'd only feed a little bit bigger pinch. Powdered foods and supplements will raise TDS, can raise nitrates and most importantly will settle into the substrate creating a great source of food for fauna (bugs and annoyances) that you possibly don't want. I feed powdered foods once or twice a week but a very small amount. If you have sponge pre filters they will get clogged a bit faster too. But yes, any baby foods pretty much all ages of shrimp will eat it. 

Another option is to put a little on a plate and get your fingers wet/damp (make sure your hands are CLEAN and dampened with RO or dechlorinated water). Then roll the powder around on the plate until it forms little tiny balls (no bigger than O <the letter O I just typed>) and then you can spot feed it by putting it in the tank and it will pretty much sink wherever you aim it. This is good if you have a feeding dish or an IAL leaf or other leaf litter for it to land on to avoid getting in the substrate. It will break down easily when the shrimp go to it, it's just meant to keep it more localized in the tank instead of spread all over.


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## 52149 (Feb 26, 2012)

Aloha, 

I am trying a new method of shrimplets survival. But I have been breeding shrimp for a long time now. What I know works is adding a sponge filter and couple balls of java moss near the area where the berried shrimp hatched her eggs helps aid with shrimplets food source. I use chi ebi the shirakura baby shrimp food everyother day for the babies. On weekly water change I add beneficial bacteria to the water to help with godd water quality. Shrimplets eat the tiny microscopic zoo plankton that is produced in the sponge filter and on java mosses. Maybe adding a moss ball may help too. 

Success has been 80-90% of the babies in my experience 

Hope this helps


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## deedee71 (Jul 26, 2013)

thanks* ravensgate*, that is such a good idea making the powder into balls, then dropping into the tank. I must look for a tiny bowl to put in the tank. can you do the same method for putting powdered spirulina into the tank?

thanks *daboss808*, do you feed the baby shrimp powder? I will add some java moss, as there is no moss in the tank at all. can you put java moss in loose, like a handful unattached to anything? 

thanks everyone x

Hi all

Well, today I have found her eggs dropped in the corner of the tank 

I know ammonia, nitrite are zero, nitrate is ten or less
Kh is 10 and gh is 16. Shrimp not breeding, males zooming around tank tho, females grazing on substrate, leaves, seem relaxed, chillin, not overly hungry when food added, but did enjoy blanched nettles.

My water from tap is hard, should I do wc using half ro and half tap with dechlorinator? Or is it something else? Using co2 by fluval, I fill the diffuser once a day, co2 indicator always blue saying too little co2, canister filter spray bar breaks water surface so good water movement, I have been using fertiliser by easy life, profito, 3 ml a week in my fluval ebi tank, not sure what else to do ?

Edited to add

Just looked up copper on Internet symbol is 'cu'

That is on my bottle of fert, so I will change the fert, but if it is only that, why aren't they all killed? I had one little one die today, the first in about 2weeks x


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## Merth (Sep 9, 2012)

No expert by any means but just wanted to say until I started using RO water remineralized with salty shrimp to get more "perfect parameters" I never had much excitement in my shrimp. I tried to listen and follow advice from others here and get a better environment going and here is the results...I do almost no maintenance to the tank just feeding every other day to every third day..and when babies are present I feed earthworm powder or bee pollen once a week.



















You can see there is a nice buildup of biofilm on the glass where the babies are grazing. I have a dual sponge filter (air driven) and 2 hobs with sponge prefilters. oh and this is a 10 gal with about 75-100 rcs in it.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Nice shrimp tank there, Merth.


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## Merth (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks Bryce, had lots of help from some super people. Lol


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

deedee71 said:


> Just looked up copper on Internet symbol is 'cu'
> 
> That is on my bottle of fert, so I will change the fert, but if it is only that, why aren't they all killed? I had one little one die today, the first in about 2weeks x


All fertilizers will contain some copper, as it is a micronutrients that is required by plants (as well as shrimp; their hemoglobin uses copper and not iron).

Many commercially available shrimp food will also contain copper.

As with anything, the dose makes the poison.


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## deedee71 (Jul 26, 2013)

thank you merth and darkblade. maybe I will dose the fert at half dose for now and see if any improvement. merth, your tank is gorgeous. where do you get bee pollen from? and earthworm powder? do you sprinkle it onto water surface or make a ball of it and sink it?

ta x


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## Merth (Sep 9, 2012)

Thank you deedee! I acquired it from Ravensgate, you would have to check with her to see if she has more for sale. If not do a quick search of for sale section several people sell it. And I just swish it around in water column.


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## deedee71 (Jul 26, 2013)

thanks merth, I will take a look


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