MrEd Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hi I have found a tidal lake, possibly slightly brackish, which has 10's of thousands of 10mm long baby shrimp in it. I have harvested a small amount and 3 days on are still doing fine in the original water which was green (asumed that is what they are feeding on) with no smell, with a bubble stone going and have been feeding them to my Angels. The question is how much of a risk am I taking feeding these things netted out to my fresh water fish? I have been alerted to Camillanus worms! I have also noticed other creatures swimming around that look like water bourne sand hoppers which are dead after about 1 minutes exposure to fresh water plus some heaps of microscopic life and figure most harmful parasites would be dead from the osmotic shock. Also if it is a good safe food source, how to I keep them alive for a long period. I figure you Salt water lovers would have the best answers! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Feed them and keep the water aerated - that is about it. As far as diseases go, that's a bit of a lottery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 :-? i wouldnt risk it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 What if I mixed up a salt water tank and transfered them over and fed them on something (Sera micron?) for a week or two? Seems an excellent food but of course if it compromises the fishes health I'll give it a wide berth! Are shrimps, being a crustacean, actually a carrier of parasites/disease that can be transfered to fish? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I've only ever heard of wild-caught freshwater species like Daphnia transfering disease - Most of the 'danger' stories I've heard about marine shrimp relate to the spikes on their exoskeletons harming (becoming embedded in) the fish's digestive tract - some commercial foods make quite a to-do about the fact that they have processed their shrimp in such a way as to eliminate the spines. The problem is that you can't be certain what else you are transfering to the tank - some bugs will obviously be OK in both fresh and brackish water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Some of us salties, me included, feed wild caught salt water shrimps to our fish from time to time, haven't heard any ill effects but that doesn't mean it's impossible. The type of water you are catching them in could harbour various parasites, especially if young fish larvae are in it. But the great majority of parasites are salt / brackish, or fresh, not both. One solution would be to keep the shrimps in a stronger seawater solution to eradicate any potential fresh water nasties. Keep it aerated, and if need be they can be fed fish food, don't overdo it though. But there will always be some risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I just got out the microscope and at 10mm long they have no spines on their exoskeleton! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Why don't you blanch them before you toss them in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I have fed wild caught daphnia, bloodworm, mossies, tubifex, and all the other little creebies in a pond (including a sewage pond) and never had a problem yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Hmmmm blanched shrimp ...... sounding too good for the fish! alanmin your a desperate man to get food from a sewage pond ..... presume that was for bloodworms! Did the wife want to know you after? I raise my own tubifex and Daphnia and Fruit fly but the Altum Angels are really getting through them and want to breed (the fish as well) so am looking around for alternate safe sources. I really need one of those legendary mozzie locations close to home and in big numbers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Most people are paranoid about shit. I used to manage the sewage works when the operator was on leave so had pretty good access to the ponds. The operator used to tip me off when there was a daphnia bloom in the ponds so I only had to hold a net over the outlet to get a good bucket load. The fish loved it and never had a disease in all those years. The wife was never too happy with me freezing them into ice cubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEd Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 I was just given a link about "Brackish Water NZ Shrimp" and it said; Brackish Water Shrimp can live quite happily in a fresh water environment. Both in cold and tropical tanks or ponds. Excellent to keep with fish fry as they clean the tank of algae and left over food which keeps water extremely clear and in perfect condition. Also as they lay 1000's of eggs every week (which are unlikely to hatch in fresh water see breeding for more details) this provides baby fish and fry with an excellent source of fresh highly nourishing food to accelerate growth. When Fed to adult fish they trigger the spawning process almost immediately. Another reason they are good for your fish is you may see them picking at fish like tetras (not big fish as they will eat the shrimp). Do not be alarmed by this as they are removing parasites that could harm or kill you fish. If you have any bigger fish with parasites i.e. fluke worm e.tc then place a lot of shrimp in the tank. They will eventually get eaten but not before eating all the unwanted parasitic creatures in the tank. With all this going for them it is no wonder they are so sought after and so hard to acquire. They sound excellent and can be gradually turned from brackish to fresh water. I think I'll bite the bullet and give one tank a go and see how long they'll keep! Thanks everyone for your imput. Power of the internet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Just wondering, the frozen shrimp purchased in a grocery store for human consumption...can these be given to fish? Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Yep - that's what I feed mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Careful if you buy pre-shelled ones. While the fish will love them, they are often sprayed with a solution high in phosphate to keep them looking fresh. Not great for water quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 The phosphate is to help hold the moisture when it thaws out. Good money in selling people water (like your supermarket bacon). I didn't think it was a permitted food additive for fish in NZ (didn't use to be). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 :lol: I got a friend who had a trip to Egypt, he bought some oranges from a roadside stall. While he was standing around, he caught a glimpse of someone out the back injecting water into the oranges with a hypodermic syringe! They were sold by weight of course! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.