# Feeding the shrimps



## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

How often do you feed your shrimps? 

I throw some algae wafers or spinich in once every 3 weeks, but other than that, i don't feed them at all. 

i'm starting to worry i'm not providing them with proper nutrition. How often do you feed your shrimps? 

NB: The shrimps are cbs and pfr


----------



## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

thinkshane said:


> How often do you feed your shrimps?
> 
> I throw some algae wafers or spinich in once every 3 weeks, but other than that, i don't feed them at all.
> 
> ...


Now, I'm beginning to think im overfeeding my shrimps. I feed them spinach or wafers every other day. I should probably change that to once a week, huh?


----------



## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Depending on how many shrimps you have, the kind/size of shrimps, how big the tank, the kind of food, and your filtration. In general, if you feed the amount that can be finished in 3 hours then it's okay to feed 3 to 6 times a week provided you don't have nitrate problem. 

The more they eat the fast they grow/breed, but that is countered by bad water quality and other ill effects from overfeeding. You have to find the balance for your shrimps. Feeding less is always safer as they won't starve to death easily even if you feed them once/twice a month provided you don't have that many shrimps (plants help too).

I have a Flora (7.9G) I had one male and one female crystal in there, I fed them probably once a month if that, but there are about 20 - 30 shrimps in there so I feed them once to twice a week. I also have a 10G tank with 200+ crystal in there and I feed them 6 times a week, that tank I need to do 10% WC once every two weeks to keep nitrate under control.


----------



## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I have a mixed fish/shrimp tank, which started with about 13 or 14 fire reds, and I added 8 CRS and 2 Amanos. I put in a bit of food for the fish, and the shrimp get a bit from that, but I never put food in specifically for the shrimp. There is moss and plants, and I can often see the shrimp grazing on that, which is as best I know a good food source for them. They have reproduced, so they seem to be doing well. 

If you have some moss and plants in a mature tank, only very minimal feeding should be fine.


----------



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I feed my shrimps every other day! I feed BW grow, Mosura Bio Plus and Gravidas, Hikari algae wafers, BW Barley pellets, and Dennerle Shrimp King.

I vary the diets so they get a variety of foods.


----------



## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

Both 10 gallon tanks and there are about 20-30 shrimp in each tank, i still only need to feed every three weeks. I hear people who throw in some indian almond leaves and it disappears in a week, but it takes quite a while for my shrimps to get through those as well.

strange, i wonder if i'm doing anything wrong. 

The nitrates aren't really a problem, and i do water changes once a week, about 10%. Do you suppose there could be enough biofilm in the tank that it's unnecessary to feed extra, other than to colour them up?


----------



## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

It's not that you need to feed them, but without feeding them they just won't grow/breed as fast. It's very hard to starve shrimps to death, myself have yet to seen one. If you have enough plants and your tank is matured, 30 shrimps can definitely go through weeks without being fed. Is that optimum for their growth? I don't think so.


----------



## Shrimp Daddy (Mar 30, 2013)

bettaforu said:


> I feed my shrimps every other day! I feed BW grow, Mosura Bio Plus and Gravidas, Hikari algae wafers, BW Barley pellets, and Dennerle Shrimp King.
> 
> I vary the diets so they get a variety of foods.


That's too much to feed every other day. Try only feeding one item every other day. Feeding all of those items will guarantee you dead shrimp.


----------



## mr_bako (Dec 23, 2010)

*feed*



randy said:


> It's not that you need to feed them, but without feeding them they just won't grow/breed as fast. It's very hard to starve shrimps to death, myself have yet to seen one. If you have enough plants and your tank is matured, 30 shrimps can definitely go through weeks without being fed. Is that optimum for their growth? I don't think so.


I agree, its all about growth rate wanted and breeding rate desired.

If i'm driving my shrimp to breed fast with lots of berries, I feel them up to 6 times a week with 1 starvation day. And even sometimes if i have the time. I feed them grow in the morning, and spinach overnight. Of course I take the unfinished out before I introduce new piece of food in.

In some tanks i've let go, 2 months is the longest I havent fed my shrimp. none have died, but growth rate and breeding rate is much much slower then if i feed frequently.


----------



## Shrimp Daddy (Mar 30, 2013)

I like mine to grow fast and big. Sometimes I feed twice a day, 8 days a week for a wile to fatten them up.


----------

