What shrimp to breed and feed?

Hey, I have had a 5 gallon sitting around and got the idea to get some shrimp to breed and then feed them to my fish. I have guppies, corys, goldfish, betta and pleco that I could feed them to.
1. What shrimp are best to feed my fish?
2.What shrimp work well in a 5 gallon?
3. What shrimp are “Easy” to breed?
Do cherry shrimp work good for all these? ^^
I want something that will look somewhat cool or fun in use of this tank.

 

Hey, I have had a 5 gallon sitting around and got the idea to get some shrimp to breed and then feed them to my fish. I have guppies, corys, goldfish, betta and pleco that I could feed them to.
1. What shrimp are best to feed my fish?
2.What shrimp work well in a 5 gallon?
3. What shrimp are “Easy” to breed?
Do cherry shrimp work good for all these? ^^
I want something that will look somewhat cool or fun in use of this tank.

Well you can do Cherry Shrimp preferably low grade since they aren't near as expensive as the higher grades, or you could do ghost shrimp, both of them breed like Rabbits, but ghost shrimp will get you more bang for your buck and just for note, lower grade cherry shrimp are about 2$ a piece, but ghost shrimp cost 39 cent at my petsmart so check that out, in a 5g you could get about 10 ghost shrimp or 10 cherry shrimp its really your choice i would personally breed ghost shrimp since they are Feeder shrimp, and in my experience they are a lot easier to breed and they breed a lot more of course your fish wouldn't eat the full grown shrimp but my fish love to eat shrimplets, they are a good boost of protein and it gives your fish a food that is entertaining. and i dont think the pleco or corys would eat the shrimplets, but its always worth a try, Good Luck!

 

I think cherries are the easiest to breed. I feed culls to bettas and dwarf cichlids and they seem to like them though some of the betta tanks have been colonized as a result of a few surviving to adulthood. I doubt the pleco would predate on them and guppies would only eat the tiny babies, same for corries as I feel corries would have a hard time catching adult shrimp. I'd personally not feed shrimp to goldies simply because they are mainly herbivores, some goldies like those with wens (fleshy foreheads) benefit from more protein but I still think it's iffy IMO.

 

Well you can do Cherry Shrimp preferably low grade since they aren't near as expensive as the higher grades, or you could do ghost shrimp, both of them breed like Rabbits, but ghost shrimp will get you more bang for your buck and just for note, lower grade cherry shrimp are about 2$ a piece, but ghost shrimp cost 39 cent at my petsmart so check that out, in a 5g you could get about 10 ghost shrimp or 10 cherry shrimp its really your choice i would personally breed ghost shrimp since they are Feeder shrimp, and in my experience they are a lot easier to breed and they breed a lot more of course your fish wouldn't eat the full grown shrimp but my fish love to eat shrimplets, they are a good boost of protein and it gives your fish a food that is entertaining. and i am not sure the pleco or corys would eat the shrimplets but its always worth a try, Good Luck!

Sorry didnt mean to put this just ignore it lol

 

I think cherries are the easiest to breed. I feed culls to bettas and dwarf cichlids and they seem to like them though some of the betta tanks have been colonized as a result of a few surviving to adulthood. I doubt the pleco would predate on them and guppies would only eat the tiny babies, same for corries as I feel corries would have a hard time catching adult shrimp. I'd personally not feed shrimp to goldies simply because they are mainly herbivores, some goldies like those with wens (fleshy foreheads) benefit from more protein but I still think it's iffy IMO.

I also have Mbuna cichlids that I’m guessing would eat them. And thanks for the suggestions and advice. I would probably not feed my goldfish the shrimp Because one has swim bladder and I don’t want the others to get it or the one to get worse because I’m pretty sure it makes it worse but maybe not. Do tetras eat the baby shrimp?

 

Well you can do Cherry Shrimp preferably low grade since they aren't near as expensive as the higher grades, or you could do ghost shrimp, both of them breed like Rabbits, but ghost shrimp will get you more bang for your buck and just for note, lower grade cherry shrimp are about 2$ a piece, but ghost shrimp cost 39 cent at my petsmart so check that out, in a 5g you could get about 10 ghost shrimp or 10 cherry shrimp its really your choice i would personally breed ghost shrimp since they are Feeder shrimp, and in my experience they are a lot easier to breed and they breed a lot more of course your fish wouldn't eat the full grown shrimp but my fish love to eat shrimplets, they are a good boost of protein and it gives your fish a food that is entertaining. and i dont think the pleco or corys would eat the shrimplets, but its always worth a try, Good Luck!

Thank you, can I mix the shrimp or is it better to do all one type?

 

I also have Mbuna cichlids that I’m guessing would eat them. And thanks for the suggestions and advice. I would probably not feed my goldfish the shrimp Because one has swim bladder and I don’t want the others to get it or the one to get worse because I’m pretty sure it makes it worse but maybe not. Do tetras eat the baby shrimp?

Yes they should the shrimplets when first born are usually less than a quarter of a inch to a quarter inch long which really anything bigger than 1in should be able to eat them.

 

Thank you, can I mix the shrimp or is it better to do all one type?

Well it should be fine but i have heard that some people had interbreeding issues but if you are feeding them to your fish its all the same lol, so yea should be ok maybe 6 cherrys and 6 ghost shrimp would be good

 

Well it should be fine but i have heard that some people had interbreeding issues but if you are feeding them to your fish its all the same lol, so yea should be ok maybe 6 cherrys and 6 ghost shrimp would be good

Also just to note i would buy some algae wafers and also some shrimp pellets, this is how i feed my shrimp one day i give them some algae wafers and the next day i give them shrimp pellets, and just keep doing that and that will ensure they do not get too much nutrients or too much protein, and also you get some Java moss, you can never have too much when breeding shrimp, they love it and helps influence breeding! you can also get some Shrimp Calcium blocks, or hermit crab mineral blocks, which is mostly calcium, which will help them when they malt, here is a paragraph from a site talking about it and how much to use calcium blocks and such it says 4g per 10g so you should use 2g and add more every 2 weeks, but if you do get them read the instructions that come with them.
Calcium blocks contain a proper amount of calcium and magnesium. Therefore, they will benefit the health of all shrimp and snails. Compared to cuttlefish bones, calcium blocks dissolve faster and affect GH quicker. They usually do not cloud the water.

Dosage: 4g per 50 liters (10-gallons) to reduce any change in water parameters.

Note: It is recommended that any block remaining after 14 days should be removed and a new one added.

Note #2: Although manufacturers recommend them as a regular addition to the tanks for ultimate long-term health benefits. Mineral blocks are more of a luxury than a necessity.

 

Also just to note i would buy some algae wafers and also some shrimp pellets, this is how i feed my shrimp one day i give them some algae wafers and the next day i give them shrimp pellets, and just keep doing that and that will ensure they do not get too much nutrients or too much protein, and also you get some Java moss, you can never have too much when breeding shrimp, they love it and helps influence breeding! you can also get some Shrimp Calcium blocks, or hermit crab mineral blocks, which is mostly calcium, which will help them when they malt, here is a paragraph from a site talking about it and how much to use calcium blocks and such it says 4g per 10g so you should use 2g and add more every 2 weeks, but if you do get them read the instructions that come with them.
Calcium blocks contain a proper amount of calcium and magnesium. Therefore, they will benefit the health of all shrimp and snails. Compared to cuttlefish bones, calcium blocks dissolve faster and affect GH quicker. They usually do not cloud the water.

Dosage: 4g per 50 liters (10-gallons) to reduce any change in water parameters.

Note: It is recommended that any block remaining after 14 days should be removed and a new one added.

Note #2: Although manufacturers recommend them as a regular addition to the tanks for ultimate long-term health benefits. Mineral blocks are more of a luxury than a necessity.

Thanks, I’ll look into these. I have some algae wafers so I’ll make sure to give them some and get some java moss.

 

I also have Mbuna cichlids that I’m guessing would eat them. And thanks for the suggestions and advice. I would probably not feed my goldfish the shrimp Because one has swim bladder and I don’t want the others to get it or the one to get worse because I’m pretty sure it makes it worse but maybe not. Do tetras eat the baby shrimp?

A side note on the mbuna, feeding too much protein can lead to Malawi bloat. While the Africans would surely love to kill and devour some shrimp, they might be adversely effected by it. I've had issues with bloat and Africans a couple times, mainly with new juveniles that didn't take well to the foods I was feeding. None of mine survived Malawi bloat.

 

A side note on the mbuna, feeding too much protein can lead to Malawi bloat. While the Africans would surely love to kill and devour some shrimp, they might be adversely effected by it. I've had issues with bloat and Africans a couple times, mainly with new juveniles that didn't take well to the foods I was feeding. None of mine survived Malawi bloat.

Good to know, will a feeding once in a while be ok or does the protein cause the bloat easily?

 

Good to know, will a feeding once in a while be ok or does the protein cause the bloat easily?

Once a month shouldn’t cause harm, just don’t over feed and you should be ok.