Red Cherry Shrimp Vs Bladder Snails.

So, I am still cycling the 5.5 gallons aquarium and I noticed as the red cherry shrimp population declined from 10 to 2, the bladder snail population rose from 1 to 10. Yes, I know I am supposed to cycle the tank before I add shrimp. Well I know now, I didn't know when I ordered the shrimp. So beyond that, my question is this. Will the bladder snails outcompete the red cherry shrimp to the point of starvation or vice versa?

I am asking because I am trying to hang on the two shrimp I currently have left and in two months from now the tank will be old enough and cycled to add more shrimp.

 

Yes if you aren't feeding the shrimp. And you definitely have more than 10 bladder snails. I would guess closer to 80 if you see 10.

 

On a side note but relevant... most crustaceans kinda need to go into a mature tank. Like not just cycled, but set up and cycled for several months. it allows for biofilm and such to grow on everything and ensures the tank is stable. In well planted tanks you can do a shrimp in cycle without much risk if you leave it plants only for a few months too.

 

Yes if you aren't feeding the shrimp. And you definitely have more than 10 bladder snails. I would guess closer to 80 if you see 10.

If there are 80 ballder snails in the 5.5 gallons after one month, they are probably very tiny. I will have to add one assassin snail. That's just too much of a problem on the bioload.

 

If there are 80 ballder snails in the 5.5 gallons after one month, they are probably very tiny. I will have to add one assassin snail. That's just too much of a problem on the bioload.

I wouldn't worry too much, but if you don't like the snails then definitely get rid of them. An assassin snail would be good, but only get one because two can breed, and you may eventually feel like you have too many of them too. Once the bladder snails are fine you can resell the assassin if your like.

I think starting this hobby can be pretty stressful at times and it can seem like any small thing can throw your entire tank into a tailspin, but aside from fish disease (like ich), Natural disasters, and cycling problems most things aren't an immediate issue IMO. The hobby involves some tweaking, research, and problem solving. That is actually one of the most fun parts for me.

But back to snails, I think we can help. First of, some bladder snails won't become a bio-load problem. The tank is practically a closed system when it comes to bio-load, which means that only the things you feed and how much you feed them contribute to bio-load. There's no need to feed the snails, and if you don't feed them and ensure you're only feeding any fish and shrimp that you have sparingly then they won't get out of control. What else is going on in your tank? Do you have fish or shrimp to feed? What kind of substrate did you use? Is there wood or live plants in the tank? Answers to these questions could all help identify why you have a growing snail population.

 

I wouldn't worry too much, but if you don't like the snails then definitely get rid of them. An assassin snail would be good, but only get one because two can breed, and you may eventually feel like you have too many of them too. Once the bladder snails are fine you can resell the assassin if your like.

I think starting this hobby can be pretty stressful at times and it can seem like any small thing can throw your entire tank into a tailspin, but aside from fish disease (like ich), Natural disasters, and cycling problems most things aren't an immediate issue IMO. The hobby involves some tweaking, research, and problem solving. That is actually one of the most fun parts for me.

But back to snails, I think we can help. First of, some bladder snails won't become a bio-load problem. The tank is practically a closed system when it comes to bio-load, which means that only the things you feed and how much you feed them contribute to bio-load. There's no need to feed the snails, and if you don't feed them and ensure you're only feeding any fish and shrimp that you have sparingly then they won't get out of control. What else is going on in your tank? Do you have fish or shrimp to feed? What kind of substrate did you use? Is there wood or live plants in the tank? Answers to these questions could all help identify why you have a growing snail population.

Hello Reed. Thank you for your reply. Yes, the hobby has a lot of problem solving and research, which I find fun as well. I don't mind the snails and I don't want to get rid of my uninvited guests. I am worried that they will get out of control since I have seen them breed and that worries me a little. But if the snail population is related to the amount I feed the tank, then all is well and I will feed once every 3 days to keep their numbers down.

I am currently still cycling the 5.5 gallons. Initially, I had 10 shrimp and 7 celestial pearl danios. The first day I lost 2 celestial pearl danios and 2 shrimp. Ever since I have not lost another celestial pearl danio (so I have 5 celestial pear danios now), but I have lost all but 2 red cherry shrimp. I lost the shrimp mainly because of water changes and prime overdose. The 2 shrimp that remain seem to be doing fine. Inside the tank I have 2 very large hornwort bushes and 3 large moss balls. I run a Marineland bio-wheel 100 that occasionally might jam from the substrate it takes up. I use imagitarium black sand which has no nutrients and is kind of hard to burrow into. My ammonia ranges from 0.25 ppm to maybe 1 ppm, pH is usually from 6.6-7.4 and temperature 76-78 F.

I feed the shrimp and the fish with flakes. They only eat when they are really hungry. I have not purchased bloodworms or brine shrimp yet. I also drop shrimp pellets and algae waffers for the shrimp. The fish eat only the flakes and do not touch anything else. Now with two shrimp I feed them less because they do not eat as much and my ammonia would spike.

I also have a 20 gallons tank that seems to have cycled. I have 5 juvenile Black Ruby Barbs in there that are very active and gluttonous. They will not attack shrimp that are bigger than 1 inch, but they will tear apart anything less than 1 inch including the bladder snails. I have tried with dead shrimp and have seen them intimidated by a shrimp that was 1.2 inches, which I placed upright as if it was alive. The 0.8 inches and 0.5 inches shrimp were devoured.

 

Ok, it sounds like thing are going pretty well, but your ammonia is still a concern even if it isn't killing anything, which I would guess you're aware of. It sounds like you might be feeding too much, which could be making your bio-load a lot heavier and slowing down your cycle. I haven't kept cherry shrimp yet (I have a tank cycling for them right now) but I'm 99% positive it isn't necessary to target feed them if you only have 2. They can eat the small particles that your celestial pearl danios don't get to, and you likely have some biofilm for them to eat as well. Are you familiar with biofilm?

 

Ok, it sounds like thing are going pretty well, but your ammonia is still a concern even if it isn't killing anything, which I would guess you're aware of. It sounds like you might be feeding too much, which could be making your bio-load a lot heavier and slowing down your cycle. I haven't kept cherry shrimp yet (I have a tank cycling for them right now) but I'm 99% positive it isn't necessary to target feed them if you only have 2. They can eat the small particles that your celestial pearl danios don't get to, and you likely have some biofilm for them to eat as well. Are you familiar with biofilm?

Yeah I will cut down on feeding. I am familiar with the term biofilm. I am not sure how much they have for a tank that has been running for one month, but for two shrimp and the snails it should be more than enough. Ammonia was 1 ppm two days ago because I didn't change the water and I fed them, but I did a water change and it has stabilized to 0-0.25 ppm. I added tetra safe start yersterday. I am not sure if I should add it every day, but I think it will take care of the ammonia if it is kept low. The shrimp are doing fine. When something is wrong with the water they don't move around at all. That is how I know something is not right.

 

Cool, sounds like you're on the right track!