Max Amount of Shrimp?

Hey guys and gals,

I have a 29 gallon running nicely so far and I've got 6 amano shrimp that love to hide, 6 little juvie panda corys, 1 mystery snail, 3 nerite snails, and 2 black neon tetras (planning on more, to have 10 total), and I plan to have one "Dominant" fish in my tank such as a dwarf gourami or a peaceful dwarf cichlid, but not sure just yet on the last one.

My question is more on the bioload of this, I was wondering if I got 5 or 6 cherry shrimp to add to the tank if this will cause problems down the road with anything? I was thinking maybe the dominant fish could eat and population control the cherry population but not sure. Reason being is color of the shrimp to look at, and because amanos like to hide..

I am running no plants in my tank, all fake silk plants, but I do supplement my 6 amanos with shrimp pellets, they love em. Will 5-6 more cherry shrimp cause a problem or anything if I decide to get 8 more black neons and 1 more 2" fish?

 

You can expect 10+ shrimp per gallon with minimal impact on bioload. Shrimp poop frequently but their waste is so small and finely processed that it breaks down and is utilized very quickly and efficiently by plants and bacteria.


29 gallons could easily hold 300+ shrimp.

 

Fahn So with it being a minimal bioload, that answered my question.. but would a stocked tank comfortably fit them as well, or would cramped swimming space/food competition start to come into play? Thanks

 

Fahn So with it being a minimal bioload, that answered my question.. but would a stocked tank comfortably fit them as well, or would cramped swimming space/food competition start to come into play? Thanks

Most of their diet is biofilm, which in a mature tank should be plentiful, so that would take care of most of their needs. Even though I feed my shrimp 3 times per week, I still dose Bacter AE daily in tiny amounts to encourage biofilm growth. Adding in dried leaf litter is also a good way to provide a long-term, nutrient-packed food source. Indian almond, oak, guava, magnolia, jackfruit, and several other hardwood and fruit tree leaves make great shrimp and snail feed.

The biggest issue with a stocked tank is that most fish will try to eat shrimp, especially baby shrimp. It's up to you if you want to take that risk, as cherries are much smaller and less feisty than Amanos.

 

Fahn I don't mind having cherry babies getting eaten, id use it as population control since they apparently get pregnant so often. I think I am going with Neon Tetras instead and will try to find a peaceful 2" fish that wont eat the shrimp, but let it eat some baby shrimp. It would be nice if every once in a while a cherry survived to adulthood, while babies were snacks for other fish.

Thank you for your help, I think I will add 6 cherries and see how they do with the 6 amanos.

 

Fahn I don't mind having cherry babies getting eaten, id use it as population control since they apparently get pregnant so often. I think I am going with Neon Tetras instead and will try to find a peaceful 2" fish that wont eat the shrimp, but let it eat some baby shrimp. It would be nice if every once in a while a cherry survived to adulthood, while babies were snacks for other fish.

Thank you for your help, I think I will add 6 cherries and see how they do with the 6 amanos.

You probably won't even see them in the tank, let alone have any breeding with so much space and a small population. If you can, I recommend starting off with about 20. Low-grades or wild-types aren't as pretty but you can usually get them really cheap, especially if they're bred locally.

 

You probably won't even see them in the tank, let alone have any breeding with so much space and a small population. If you can, I recommend starting off with about 20. Low-grades or wild-types aren't as pretty but you can usually get them really cheap, especially if they're bred locally.

Ok great, that would be way better! I'd love to see tons of them around. Was worried about too many and swimming space and what not with other fish. My Amanos sometimes like to swim in the current and around the tank, its fun to watch. I can def add 20 Cherries. That would be awesome, but not sure if theyd breed too much. Lower grade is nice but it would be nicer to have a red shrimp colony to look at

 

Ok great, that would be way better! I'd love to see tons of them around. Was worried about too many and swimming space and what not with other fish. My Amanos sometimes like to swim in the current and around the tank, its fun to watch. I can def add 20 Cherries. That would be awesome.

If you have seen Chris Lukhaup's tanks the population density of the shrimp is INSANE. I'm talking THOUSANDS of bright, colorful shrimp dog-piling on food.

As long as there is sufficient food and a decent tank volume, their population will increase.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=a196abf8b922bbc98460d5ee0a70157c&oe=5F03EBA4

 

Dude that is awesome! Thank you!