# shrimp not eating. help!



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

I recently moved all of my fish from a community tank to a tank just for shrimp about 2 weeks ago. Since being moved they haven't been eating any of the food i give to them and i end up removing it from the tank. is this normal? I haven't seen any dead shrimp and since i moved them i noticed a lot of molts and a few berried females. tank is a 20 long with about 16 neos. I tried hikari sinking wafers, shrimp king complete and a few types of fish flakes and have seen no interest in my shrimp


----------



## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

nickquinteros said:


> I recently moved all of my fish from a community tank to a tank just for shrimp about 2 weeks ago. Since being moved they haven't been eating any of the food i give to them and i end up removing it from the tank. is this normal? I haven't seen any dead shrimp and since i moved them i noticed a lot of molts and a few berried females. tank is a 20 long with about 16 neos. I tried hikari sinking wafers, shrimp king complete and a few types of fish flakes and have seen no interest in my shrimp


If its planted tank they maybe grazing on plants. But two weeks is long time. They should have started eating two three days later after introducing. Are the water parameters same as they were before? Try to offer them shrimp king more as they are greedy for that food. (I believe its shrimp king complete).


----------



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

kashif314 said:


> If its planted tank they maybe grazing on plants. But two weeks is long time. They should have started eating two three days later after introducing. Are the water parameters same as they were before? Try to offer them shrimp king more as they are greedy for that food. (I believe its shrimp king complete).


it is planted and the tank was cycled for a while before i put them in. parameters are all good in both tanks. the new tank was eco-complete rather than dirt capped with sand in the tank they came from but i drip acclimated them first to adjust to the chemistry change. I see all of the shrimp constantly grazing on my filter and on the plants pretty much all day. i do give them food every day even though i don't see them eating any of it. and yes i am offering shrimp king complete


----------



## davesays (Aug 12, 2013)

If they are not responding to food then most likely there is enough natural foods inside that tank already to sustain them such as biofilm. Biofilm is their preferred foods and anything extra we add in should be considered as supplementary. I would not be alarmed if they aren't eating just cut back on feedings if they are not interested. They will respond when they are hungry.


----------



## VRaverna (Jan 11, 2018)

nickquinteros said:


> I recently moved all of my fish from a community tank to a tank just for shrimp about 2 weeks ago. Since being moved they haven't been eating any of the food i give to them and i end up removing it from the tank. is this normal? I haven't seen any dead shrimp and since i moved them i noticed a lot of molts and a few berried females. tank is a 20 long with about 16 neos. I tried hikari sinking wafers, shrimp king complete and a few types of fish flakes and have seen no interest in my shrimp


You moved shrimps from a community tank to a shrimp tank or moved fishes to a shrimp tank?


----------



## Aquapac (Sep 6, 2017)

Like Davesays mentioned, probably there is enough biofilm in that tank and they are not hungry.


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Shrimp don't need to be fed every day.
Every other day or every two day's is fine
Descriptions of water parameter's are useless.
Need number's for ammonia,nitrites,GH.temperature.
Descriptions such as fine,normal,good,dont say anything helpful.


----------



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

roadmaster said:


> Shrimp don't need to be fed every day.
> Every other day or every two day's is fine
> Descriptions of water parameter's are useless.
> Need number's for ammonia,nitrites,GH.temperature.
> Descriptions such as fine,normal,good,dont say anything helpful.


sorry about that here are my current parameters

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 15- right before water change 
around 10 after water change
gh 5 drops
kh 8-10 drops
temperature usually 73F 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

nickquinteros said:


> sorry about that here are my current parameters
> 
> ammonia 0
> nitrite 0
> ...


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

roadmaster said:


> Water temp is a bit cool IMHO maybe raise it slowly a little each day to around 76 degree's F


No. The temps are fine. Shrimp are not tropical creatures. 72 is the preferred temps for neos. 

Most likely the fish kept the shrimp hiding. Now that the fish are gone, shrimp are exploring more of the tank and finding lots of biofilm. Offer them food 2x a week and if they eat, great. If not...try again in a few days. Maybe try some blanched veggies. Unless you start seeing deaths...I wouldn't worry about it. I don't feed my shrimp for days at a time or even for a week or more. They are fine. A mature tank will provide them with the food they need unless you have a really large colony for the tank size.


----------



## kashif314 (Oct 11, 2017)

Your temperature is not cold. Shrimps like cold temperatures. When there is bio film its shrimps first line of choice. Don't worry about it. Give them food after a while. Your KH looks high to me. Do you monitor your ph? Does it fluctuate or stays similar?


----------



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

kashif314 said:


> Your temperature is not cold. Shrimps like cold temperatures. When there is bio film its shrimps first line of choice. Don't worry about it. Give them food after a while. Your KH looks high to me. Do you monitor your ph? Does it fluctuate or stays similar?


I read from a few places that eco complete can sometimes raise kh but eventually goes away so I believe that is the reason. my other planted tank is dirt capped with sand and the kh was about 5-6 if I remember correctly

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

just had my first death today. came home from school and found a dead berried female. I was able to collect the eggs and hopefully will be able to hatch them (around 12). I couldn't see any external causes of death and all my other shrimp are doing just fine so I'm assuming either stress or old age 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Nubster said:


> No. The temps are fine. Shrimp are not tropical creatures. 72 is the preferred temps for neos.
> 
> Most likely the fish kept the shrimp hiding. Now that the fish are gone, shrimp are exploring more of the tank and finding lots of biofilm. Offer them food 2x a week and if they eat, great. If not...try again in a few days. Maybe try some blanched veggies. Unless you start seeing deaths...I wouldn't worry about it. I don't feed my shrimp for days at a time or even for a week or more. They are fine. A mature tank will provide them with the food they need unless you have a really large colony for the tank size.


Ain't getting in no pissing match over ideal temperature range for the neo's which I keep at 79-80 degree's all day which increases their metabolisims,( see appetite),breeding, but at the expense of shorter life span which some express concern over.
No mention made of what species of neo is being spoke of but if they happen to be cherry shrimp,they might be perhaps the most adaptable to wider range of water chemistry judging from the various tanks that you might find them being kept at.
Temps as well.
They love biofilm,diatoms,algae, and OP has stated that he see's them out and about grazing on filter intake and plant's for the most part,,all day.
Any hint of ammonia or nitrites such as one might find from over feeding, or in newer established tank's, might be the boogey man but I seriously doubt that suggested temp bump is of much concern,
Some species of neo's perhaps more sensitive than other's but cherry shrimp and painted fire red shrimps I keep show no stress from temps near 79 during summer month's and a bit cooler in winter when heater struggles a bit.
Species largely originate from Southeast Asia which might be considered Subtropical/Tropical and many are and have been tank bred for some year's to adapt to varying water chemisty as mentione 
Stable parameter's more important than magic pH.


----------



## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

There's nothing to get into a pissing match over. You're wrong. OP's temps are NOT too cool. Period. Just because you keep them in water that's too warm doesn't mean that's how they should be kept. OP's 73 degree water is just fine and has absolutely nothing to do with why they aren't eating.


----------



## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Nubster said:


> There's nothing to get into a pissing match over. You're wrong. OP's temps are NOT too cool. Period. Just because you keep them in water that's too warm doesn't mean that's how they should be kept. OP's 73 degree water is just fine and has absolutely nothing to do with why they aren't eating.



You are the one that is misguided by saying they are not tropical creatures.
They are indeed, and any source of info on them will verify it along with wide range of temperatures suitable .
Increase in temps increases activity, appetites, was my suggestion.(also true)
Agree that temps has nothing to do with why they might not be eating/
But increased activity levels due to slightly warmer temps tend to stimulate appetites. 
Would be happy to share observations/facts with the OP and always ready to debunk myth's .:x


----------



## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Neos are found in many places in China..
Important take away is that there are SEASONS, warm and cool, I don't think there is such a thing as an ideal temp it's a point of view.
Survival rate, molt success, breeding rate, etc aren't all better at one temp.

But to say 73 is to cool is false, any temp they are surviving at is fine, you can't say oh 77 is too warm if they're fine there too.

I don't fully grasp the change that happened, if you brought fish to a shrimp tank it's probably ammonia is the issue and also eating debris from feeding the fish.


----------



## nickquinteros (Mar 24, 2017)

roadmaster said:


> You are the one that is misguided by saying they are not tropical creatures.
> They are indeed, and any source of info on them will verify it along with wide range of temperatures suitable .
> Increase in temps increases activity, appetites, was my suggestion.(also true)
> Agree that temps has nothing to do with why they might not be eating/
> ...


I agree with both of you in regards to temperature. People have different opinions on temps but what i could see, anywhere between 72 and 79 F are safe temps. I remember reading an article stating that at lower temperatures shrimp experienced less bacterial infections compared to higher, as well as overall size differences and life span in different temperatures. regardless of that my main concern was why they were not eating the food i provided not if my temperatures were adequate. I will however try to raise my temperature a couple degrees over the next week or two and see if that stimulates their appetites and not hinder their overall health.


----------

