RCS are yummy

[cyberhog05]

Well just about 3 minutes ago I got to see my discus chow down on 1 of my RCS. I new it was gonna happen and atleast I got to see it. They went bananas for it! It was a little under a 1/2" and he some how made it from one end of heavily planted tank to the other which is the lower light end with swords and crypts. So my question is will they eat a 1"+ amano?? The discus are 4.5-5" head to end of tail.

I am under the impression that anything red my discus want to eat or taste it whether its pellets, worms, flakes they are instantly attracted to it. They must of made a connection from the FBW they love so much.

[bs6749]

If they can fit it into their mouths they will try. My belief is that they can't see Amanos and ghost shrimp well and that's why people have success with them. Also, I believe that if you were to make sure that your discus were completely full and then introduced the RCS to the tank you may have had different results assuming that there was ample cover for the shrimp to hide. Could also try introducing them to the tank with the tank darkened so that the discus can't see them as well. I put two RCS into my 55g tank, a male that was pretty transparent with some red and a bright red female. The female didn't last more than 10 seconds, meaning that she was in their bellies in that amount of time while the male lasted several days at least before I stopped looking.

[cyberhog05]

I put the RCS in a few months ago. They have ample coverage. They actually had to tear the little gal into pieces before they could eat her. Im definatly gonna put the amano's in at night! There is also several that stay in the plants that are alive. This one just went for a monday stroll and became a treat!

[Richy44]

I had a bunch of cherry shrimps in with my domestics and they did well for well over a year. they never even looked at them.

I put some smaller amanos in with my wilds and they were gone in 10 seconds flat.

If you are keeping domestic's then I would say hit and miss depending on each individual fish.. With wilds I would say not.


Cheers

Rick...

[bs6749]

I put some smaller amanos in with my wilds and they were gone in 10 seconds flat.


This plays into my theory that the discus view them as a source of food when you introduce them to the tank. I think if the discus were full and THEN you introduced them you would have been much better off or at least seen better survival rates.

[Eddie]

This plays into my theory that the discus view them as a source of food when you introduce them to the tank. I think if the discus were full and THEN you introduced them you would have been much better off or at least seen better survival rates.

I don't know about that, Discus can and will eat until they explode. That last shrimp might put them over the edge. LOL

Eddie

[rickztahone]

ive tried to introsuce RCS twice and twice they've bacame lunch. i also have some ghost shrimp which i had since they were about the same size as the cherry shrimp are and they are now about 2 1/2" long so they can no longer fit in the discus' mouth. how big do RCS get? ive had mine in QT for a long time and they do not grow much or show color but when they are in the tank they grow quick and turn dark red.

[bs6749]

Female RCS will get slightly over 1" and males will get 3/4" max in my experience.

[rickztahone]

Female RCS will get slightly over 1" and males will get 3/4" max in my experience.
not that big at all. id hate to let a third batch in the main tank for a snack. hey Bryan if i were to set up a 10g for the RCS what kind of lighting do you use? are there heaters that small? what do you feed yours? i only feed the algae discs but i think i need to expand their diet. it would be nice to have a fully planted 10g for the shrimp soley

[bs6749]

You don't need any lighting at all for them. If you do choose to go with plants I highly recommend mosses such as Java, and Java ferns as well. These plants are low light and don't require much care. The mosses would provide lots of surface algae and bio film to grow, which is the main constituent of their diets. In an established tank you don't need to feed them often at all. Some people feed them as little as once every two weeks. I feed mine every other day or every day if I can. I use Tetra Microcrabs for the most part. In addition to that I wll also use frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp. If you feed them regularly you will notice great mass put on them in a little amount of time. You could potentially have a shrimp that hatched out (~2mm) be 1/4" in 10-14 days, 1/2" about 4-5 weeks from hatching, which is when they can start to breed.

Depending on your weather, and ambient temperatures throughout the year you could most likely keep them in a 10g tank with no heater whatsoever. They breed mainly in water that is low 60's to low 80's. If you can keep it there you will have good luck with them. They can survive at temperatures slightly above freezing so they are very tolerant of temps.

Honestly, the easiest way to keep them in my opinion would be in a tank that has a substrate for plants (I recommend ADA Amazonia series soils, or Eco Complete), some plants such as mosses and Java ferns (don't bury the rhizome in the soil), and a sponge filter powered by an airpump. That's all you need IME. Heck, I didn't even have a filter nor airline in several of my shrimp tanks for months with no issues at all so that's not really a necessity.

[rickztahone]

You don't need any lighting at all for them. If you do choose to go with plants I highly recommend mosses such as Java, and Java ferns as well. These plants are low light and don't require much care. The mosses would provide lots of surface algae and bio film to grow, which is the main constituent of their diets. In an established tank you don't need to feed them often at all. Some people feed them as little as once every two weeks. I feed mine every other day or every day if I can. I use Tetra Microcrabs for the most part. In addition to that I wll also use frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp. If you feed them regularly you will notice great mass put on them in a little amount of time. You could potentially have a shrimp that hatched out (~2mm) be 1/4" in 10-14 days, 1/2" about 4-5 weeks from hatching, which is when they can start to breed.

Depending on your weather, and ambient temperatures throughout the year you could most likely keep them in a 10g tank with no heater whatsoever. They breed mainly in water that is low 60's to low 80's. If you can keep it there you will have good luck with them. They can survive at temperatures slightly above freezing so they are very tolerant of temps.

Honestly, the easiest way to keep them in my opinion would be in a tank that has a substrate for plants (I recommend ADA Amazonia series soils, or Eco Complete), some plants such as mosses and Java ferns (don't bury the rhizome in the soil), and a sponge filter powered by an airpump. That's all you need IME. Heck, I didn't even have a filter nor airline in several of my shrimp tanks for months with no issues at all so that's not really a necessity.

cool, thanks Bryan. i would like to have a light just to look at them once in a while though :D. i think my ambient temp in my house is in the mid to high sixties for the most part. so just a sponge filter is all they need? that's great news, and i have a small pump for it too. i will go shopping for a 10g, it can't be more than 20 bucks right? the substrate I was leaning towards sand but maybe i will do the soil thing, do they sell it in such small quantities though? thanks again for the great info, much appreciated

[bs6749]

I have my RCS in a 29g tank and I'm using the stock lighting that came with my 55g tank, which is an 18W fixture. The other fixture is on my Endler/GBR growout tank. It provides ample lighting for viewing them.

Stick with a sponge filter so that the tiny RCS don't get sucked up into something like a canister filter or a hang on back style filter. A 10g around here goes for about $10. I know I can get one at PetSmart not on sale for $13. I wouldn't pay anything more than that for one to be honest. I can get 29g tanks for $35 each and I'd rather spend that much on a 29g than about half of that on a 10g.

You can get ADA Amazonia in 3L or 9L (volume) bags. A 3L will be sufficient for a 10g tank. I've only seen Eco-Complete in 20lb bags, which would be comparable to the 9L bag of the ADA. Also, you might want to look at Tahitian Moon Sand if you want a dark colored substrate. This will help the shrimp to color up nicely.

[rickztahone]

I have my RCS in a 29g tank and I'm using the stock lighting that came with my 55g tank, which is an 18W fixture. The other fixture is on my Endler/GBR growout tank. It provides ample lighting for viewing them.

Stick with a sponge filter so that the tiny RCS don't get sucked up into something like a canister filter or a hang on back style filter. A 10g around here goes for about $10. I know I can get one at PetSmart not on sale for $13. I wouldn't pay anything more than that for one to be honest. I can get 29g tanks for $35 each and I'd rather spend that much on a 29g than about half of that on a 10g.

You can get ADA Amazonia in 3L or 9L (volume) bags. A 3L will be sufficient for a 10g tank. I've only seen Eco-Complete in 20lb bags, which would be comparable to the 9L bag of the ADA. Also, you might want to look at Tahitian Moon Sand if you want a dark colored substrate. This will help the shrimp to color up nicely.

thanks gain Bryan, i will venture down to a petsmart or petco today to check out prices. one last question though, i currently do not have any seeded sponge filters that i can use to put in that 10g. would it be ok to just put a new small sponge filter in there which has no colonized bacteria? i'm not sure of the shrimps needs as far as bio goes. i'm assuming WC would not be that often correct?

[bs6749]

I've always used uncycled tanks for my shrimp with no problems at all. They have an incredible small impact on the bioload of the tank and you can keep 300 easily in a 10g tank. The only thing I'd suggest is that you make sure that there is some plant material or something else like large rocks or driftwood that has been in an established tank for a couple of weeks. This is simply to provide the shrimp with food in the form of bio film. Java moss is strongly recommended.

Look for a Hydro #2 sponge (preferrably) or #1 if you can't find a #2. That's all I use in my shrimp tanks. Anything larger than a #2 is overkill. A good current in the tank from the air pump will also encourage the growth of Java moss.

As far as water changes, I basically just top the tank. I keep CRS and CBS and for them you are "supposed to" do weekly water changes. Well, mine are breeding for me at pretty good rates and I haven't changed the water in the tank since maybe October. All I've done is top the tank and make sure the water is where it should be. Why mess with it when they are producing for me? Know what I mean?

[rickztahone]

I've always used uncycled tanks for my shrimp with no problems at all. They have an incredible small impact on the bioload of the tank and you can keep 300 easily in a 10g tank. The only thing I'd suggest is that you make sure that there is some plant material or something else like large rocks or driftwood that has been in an established tank for a couple of weeks. This is simply to provide the shrimp with food in the form of bio film. Java moss is strongly recommended.

Look for a Hydro #2 sponge (preferrably) or #1 if you can't find a #2. That's all I use in my shrimp tanks. Anything larger than a #2 is overkill. A good current in the tank from the air pump will also encourage the growth of Java moss.

As far as water changes, I basically just top the tank. I keep CRS and CBS and for them you are "supposed to" do weekly water changes. Well, mine are breeding for me at pretty good rates and I haven't changed the water in the tank since maybe October. All I've done is top the tank and make sure the water is where it should be. Why mess with it when they are producing for me? Know what I mean?

i know what you mean exactly. i just called a few LFS and the cheapest 10g tank was 29.99 for a 10g :laugh:. these guys are crazy, i called another and they tried to sell me one at 59.99 with lights and a filter, but i specifically asked for just the tank, go figure. i will go to petco which is the closest and i'm sure i've seen the smaller tanks for like 15 bucks or something. i will also pick up some java moss, i have this one plant that i have with them currently that i do not know the name of but they love it and it grows like crazy. let me go get a pick

[rickztahone]

there's also a small bit of wisteria in there but it's the main one that i want to know the name of. i got this plant from when i got my RCS, they got sent out with it in the bag. also, i might be interested in buying some RCS from you Bryan because when my last batch got eaten up i had been left with only like 2-3 females and all of these came from that and i'd hate for them to be inbreeding, will that affect the color you think? i wish i could keep the yellow ones but i remember you saying that if they mate back to the RCS they will lose the color

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/DSC03306.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/DSC03308.jpg

[bs6749]

I'm not sure on that plant. My best guess would be that it's some sort of rotala or myrio, but it doesn't look too much like a myrio to me. I'm pretty much a plant noob when it comes to stem plants like that.

If you want my honest opinion, I'd tell you to get rid of those red cherry shrimp. They are pretty unspectacular and I don't say that to be hurtful but they are all nearly transparent and that's not at all how they should look. You just can't enjoy them if you can't see them! You can get MUCH better quality for a relatively small price. Even my males have more color than the females in your picture. I can see several saddled ones and those females should be RED. If you are interested in getting some of mine just send me a PM. I won't be able to ship out until Tuesday this week because I have finals on Monday. You could still keep the pale ones as a source of food for your discus but I don't recommend keeping them with other RCS since it will diltute the amount of red in future generations.

[rickztahone]

I'm not sure on that plant. My best guess would be that it's some sort of rotala or myrio, but it doesn't look too much like a myrio to me. I'm pretty much a plant noob when it comes to stem plants like that.

If you want my honest opinion, I'd tell you to get rid of those red cherry shrimp. They are pretty unspectacular and I don't say that to be hurtful but they are all nearly transparent and that's not at all how they should look. You just can't enjoy them if you can't see them! You can get MUCH better quality for a relatively small price. Even my males have more color than the females in your picture. I can see several saddled ones and those females should be RED. If you are interested in getting some of mine just send me a PM. I won't be able to ship out until Tuesday this week because I have finals on Monday. You could still keep the pale ones as a source of food for your discus but I don't recommend keeping them with other RCS since it will diltute the amount of red in future generations.

i appreciate your honesty but i have noticed that when they were in my QT box they never really colored up. the RCS in the pic is from just 1 day in the actual tank out of QT. he use to be translucent and had no color but after a few days in the tank they color up nicely. this particular one is no longer with us, his redness was his downfall. also, a pic of a ghost shrimp and they just had eggs but i'm not sure what happened to them

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P4170235.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P4170233.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P4170228.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P4170230.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b284/rickztahone/discus%20tanks/P4170219.jpg

[Ed13]

Hornworth

[bs6749]

That coloring is a little bit better. From my experience, ghost shrimp need brackish conditions in order to survive. The young are released as larva and they pretty much float or hover in the tank for about 3-4 days. Then they start to take the shape of adults.

[rickztahone]

Hornworth

thanks, i will get some off of aquabid

[wall_o_fish]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is RCS? I'm always interested in easy food cultures.


Well just about 3 minutes ago I got to see my discus chow down on 1 of my RCS. I new it was gonna happen and atleast I got to see it. They went bananas for it! It was a little under a 1/2" and he some how made it from one end of heavily planted tank to the other which is the lower light end with swords and crypts. So my question is will they eat a 1"+ amano?? The discus are 4.5-5" head to end of tail.

I am under the impression that anything red my discus want to eat or taste it whether its pellets, worms, flakes they are instantly attracted to it. They must of made a connection from the FBW they love so much.

[bs6749]

RCS is the acronym for "Red Cherry Shrimp", which are Neocaridina heteropoda if you want to research them.

[domx]

I have small plecos in my tank, about .5 inches and they all are in my Discus's stomache now.:angel: They will try to eat anything that will fit in their mouths.

[TankWatcher]

Do you think the discus would eat these ones? Says they are sold as specimens 2cm or bigger
http://www.aquagreen.com.au/plant_data/Caridina_sp_NTnilotica.html

or there ar these ones http://www.livefish.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_12&products_id=48 these are clear. I think someone said clear ones have a better chance as the discus can't see them so easily?