Tips for Shrimp Keeping
Is grading only for competition?
Shrimp grading should not only be used during competition or sales. I think it is a good tool for hobbyist used wisely and appropriately can help improve shrimp quality.
In general the shrimp grading would consist of a few broad spectrum and they are :
- Size
- Color
- Pattern
- uniformity
In these grading list we will need to look into a few areas like for example color, the overall color of the shrimp, how does it look. What about the legs are they colored as well.
If we based everything upon 100% you can actually develop your own grading ranking chart to improve your shrimp quality.
Setting up the grading
Size and colour is critical because if the shrimp is able to maintain the colors when they are of big size 2cm,2.5cm the scoring increases. The reason behind this is because as the shrimp grow large, their colors fade so if the shrimp is able to attain to the max size and maintain the color it will be scored highly.
As you can compare the size on the left and right, the right Boa have a much large size, max size with full colouration. This would have scored very highly.
The color is also uniform with little to no transparent in the body nor legs. Also the colors of gold/blue and black are all colored well.
Next as we come to pattern, it is critical to score highly here too, while color comes first followed by pattern, it does not mean it is not important. Pattern as you can see from the size of the shrimp vs pattern.
The patterns are well shown on the body with respect to body size.
Now with that in mind, we understand this is how the grading chart works. So if i take this as a benchmark, i’ll work my shrimps towards this grade. I benchmark the boa grading with Skyfish as i have his shrimp also authenticity to understand and learn what entails Grade 1, 2, 3 and Championship grade.
Selective breeding helps to improve the shrimp grading eventually if done properly. However, that is the external features of the shrimp which is done through selection. There is another critical point the internal factor of the shrimp health being attributed by how well the food, water parameters, grazing material and overall tank condition.
These 2 factor, internal and external need to be done hand in hand for better results. One focuses on the exterior beauty of the shrimp, the other focuses on the interior health of the shrimp.
Internal vs external beauty
While we can grade external features of the shrimp such as colors etc we cannot grade the health of the shrimp and i think both internal and external features are important.
Usually if the internal health of the shrimp is fundamentally sound, the process of selective breeding will breed very successful shrimps.
What does that mean? For example, a healthy shrimp may not be within the grading chart, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good shrimp. The environment it was bred in is ideal, there is good food, grazing material and regular water change. In short, the husbandry is taken care well. The health of the shrimp is in good shape regardless of the grading of the shrimp. This is what i call the internal health of the shrimp.
Now with good husbandry associating with good selection we can start proceeding with selection process which is now the external features of the shrimp.
Only when 2 of these internal and external concepts forge together will deliver the outstanding results you are looking for. One cannot work independently and this has been proven and seen from time and time again.
We have breeders who get the same shrimp from the same source and it was hand selected at the place 20 pieces. It was then brought back home and pass to 2 breeders, each of the breeder get 10 shrimp randomly, but one of the breeders faces issue with the coloration of the shrimp for most of the shrimp he keeps whereas the other does not have any issues with it. Persist on and remained like that.
Once is probably a coincidence but it happened more than once and i’m sure you have experience this too. Even the same shrimp kept at different breeders place will result in different colouration. So this exemplifies that both internal and external factors for shrimp breeding is critical.
Improve Internal health
Improving internal health can be understood as the external environment such as water parameters, inhabitants, hiding area, food, grazing material. All these sums up to achieve the Gold standard of the external environment.
Water parameters :
- GH 3-4
- KH 0
- pH 5.8
- TDS 85-90
- Water change weekly weakly (5-10%)
- Filtration : Totto hangon
Hiding areas:
- Mosses/plants
Food:
- Hwa Version 1 daily pad
Grazing material:
- Moss
- Lubao
A simple list that i use and used by many renowned breeders in Taiwan.
The direction
Having dreams and Goals
When i first started i always thought that having one type of shrimp per tank and i can keep multiple types if i have multiple tanks. That was my initial plan, setup more tanks so i can house more of them. However, as i grow and learn deeper into the shrimp breeding process i met with renowned Taiwan breeders who shared with me over many years the How’s and Why’s.
Having a dream is important and having goals is even more important to get to your dreams. Whatever your dream might be for shrimps it is achievable as long as you set your heart and mind to it. Have goals so that you will eventually reach and get what you wanted.
If you dream is to have the best PRL you have in the country, start learning what it takes to get there.
Focus
When you have your goals, it is important to focus on what you have. Everyone is different and so is space, time, money, etc so you’ll need to ensure that the goals you set is achievable by yourself. I have this discussion few years ago with a group of breeders and it is clear that while breeders in Singapore are generally constraint by space, we had to re-think to get better at what we do.
So focus was the topic of discussion for many weeks and months and eventually we came to realize to be great at what we do, we need to understand what to do with what we have. This particular local breeder is very successful with Gold Standard breeding methodology and he is one true example of breeding successful and awesome looking shrimp.
For him, he focuses on 1 type of shrimp which is the PRL and really do very well on it. Focusing all his time, effort, resources into it rather than to spread it all out. Like mentioned on the onset, everyone is different so if you want to be good at breeding, you will have to make a plan and goal that suits you. Remember that focusing doesn’t mean you only can keep 1 type of shrimp, you can keep a few type but choose which to focus based on your resources.
When the going get tough
All great breeders started somewhere and would have fallen down many times before they got to where they are today. It takes decades to fully appreciate the journey. None of the renowned breeders had it easy and this is a great lesson for those who are starting and also those who are already in this for a long time. There will be times when you feel down because your shrimp just die, it is part of the breeding process and does not define if you are a success or failure. It is simply part of the process. Learning from it is important because we try not to make the same mistake.
If you are not failing, you are not even trying. To get something you never had, you got to do something you never did. This is important because when we think that we are too good, we don’t learn or further tweak to be better. This is a very dangerous place to be at so it’s better to understand why some people are more successful. Learn from them both their success and failures.
Learn as much as you can, try and keep trying even very season breeders continue to learn. It’s a life long journey. At the end of the day, the focus is on the shrimp, if you can get to your goal of a beautiful shrimp you are halfway there. The other half is sharing. Not much use holding onto everything in my opinion. When you reach your goal, remember to pull someone up, each one, teach one.
Time is limited
Everybody have the same amount of time a day, so it is limited and by focusing your time on what matters is important. Being better tomorrow should be your personal goal as well, this means that you’re using your time wisely and to improve your breeding process, your setup and program altogether. In my previous post about time, it is important to know that shrimps life span is very short. There is only so many times a shrimp can breed and by focusing on that it becomes clear that there is really no time to waste.
Time can be invested or wasted, so do not waste time on the naysayers along the way because they will not be supporting you in getting where you want to go. Let them go. They will tell you a thousand reason why you cannot do it but they never tell you how you can do it (Only holds you back). That is why it’s better to learn from breeders who are successful and have results to show. Hence, i take time to share what works, as i was fortunate to learn from the best and i wanted to share it with the rest.
Hope you had a good read!
Are you confuse at times?
Shrimps are Shrimps
Yes, Shrimps are Shrimps and i believe everyone agrees with that. Why did i bring this up? One of the important elements during the setting up phase of shrimp keeping is the tank setup, introduction of shrimp, feeding and water change. As we go deeper into the biology of shrimp, we tend to think what is best for keeping our shrimps in the most ideal condition.
So what really am i driving at? Shrimps are by nature scavenges and they have a fairly straight digestive system unlike human. In general the food takes a very short time from consumption to passing out and there are 2 important factors here.
Firstly, shrimps would need to have sufficient nutrients such as staple food, vitamin and trace minerals for healthy growth. In addition, because shrimps feed and digest quickly it is necessary for shrimps to have a comprehensive food to provide the majority of the nutrients and also feed frequently. It is better to feed lesser but higher frequency vs feeding more but lesser frequency. However, i think it is difficult for many to feed 4 times a day including myself. If we can feed them once or twice a day, i think it is considered a luxury. The science behind this is so that excess food does not foul the water and hence i use snails to clean up the rest of the food.
Secondly, between feeds, shrimp need to graze continuously and it is important here to have a few natural biofilm producers such as mosses and lubao. Mosses are great for cover and biofilm for shrimplets to survive as they need those food in the first couple of weeks before they can consume larger food item. I have received feedback from Netherlands breeders that the shrimplets are always on the lubao that they got from me. This is great for the growth and development of the shrimplet as they get their first food which helps increase survival of shrimplets. I have written it here in detail :
https://www.shrimpsanctuary.com/tips-on-increasing-shrimplet-survival/
Lastly, it is important to note that there are a variety of staple food and i have been using Hwa v1 pads for a long time and it is really have a strong pull/draw factor (written here: https://www.shrimpsanctuary.com/hwa-food-lubao/) with comprehensive ingredients. In addition, i also recommend having a couple of biofilm producers such as plants, mosses and lubao. While lubao is a natural producer of biofilm, it need some learning to use it well. It took me two years at least of trial and error to learn how to control using it.
Maintaining water quality
Other than feeding the shrimps and reminerize after water change, i don’t add other elements into the tank. The reason is because the lesser you add into your tank, the more stable the water parameters will be. Not all shrimps are kept the same and the higher the grade the shrimp, the purer it is and a slight change in water parameters they get uncomfortable and that had taught me to be discipline in breeding high grade shrimps. Keeping the water as consistent as possible with little fluctuation.
Good water filtration is still at the fundamental of shrimp breeding and while there are a range of filtration available, choose one that you be able to stick to. i have tried a range of filtration, box, perm ugf, etc and i stuck to the Totto filtration due to space constraint. Sponge filter will work too i think a large sponge across the tank will also be a good method.
Deciding your method and Taking Risk
I often remind myself, If i want to achieve something i never had, i need to do something i never did.
Taking risk is not just about breeding shrimps but it’s about knowing what you know and what you don’t know. There will be people who will encourage you and people who pull you down. Embrace both.
As Sarah Ban Breathnach mentioned “Consider the track record of your naysayers. How many dreams have they successfully brought into this world?“
Keep trying and never give up. Fall down 9 times, get up 10. Taking risk is also about accepting new views and new opinions. It may be frightening at times but is also rewarding, the changes you take, the people you meet, the faith that you have, that is what going to define you. People who keep trying after the first attempt generally start to see results. Brushing teeth for one day doesn’t do anything, going to the gym or running once a month doesn’t do much. It is doing it consistently day in day out and keeping at it that makes a difference. T
Time can be invested or wasted, and all the failures are time invested to be even better. With all the setbacks you have experience, do not be discourage or disappointed, it is simply a setup for better things to come.
So never be discourage, never hold back, give everything you got and while you fall down along the way, remember to always stand up and keep trying and moving forward. End of the day if you are better than yesterday, you have made progress.
Hope you guys have a good weekend!
You are successful
A different perspective
I often get this including myself. Am i a failure if i have dead shrimp? Frankly you are successful and the long and short of it is that if you don’t fail, you are not even trying. Only through failure we learn what was the fundamental knowledge behind why we fail. We dust it off stand up and keep moving forward. I have some tell me that they feel disappointed when their beloved shrimp die and all the time and money that goes into it is gone.
For me it is clear that if i want to get something i never had, i need to do something i never did. For example, if i want to do selective breeding, i need to try, i need spend time, effort and money to have a setup and than go for it. I rather fail trying than not try at all because at least i had some learnings. Shrimp breeding especially high grade shrimps are not straight forward but the learning from it will be beneficial.
There cannot be success without trying. If you don’t start, you will never have a chance of being successful. Not everyone succeed, but those who keep pushing forward, does.
Many don’t even start, some give up after the first fail attempt, the rare few keep persisting on and tweak their process and than stuck to it. Keep trying, keep moving, keep pushing forward.
Knowledge is key to understand and having the will to keep trying is as critical. Many aspire to have the best shrimp but don’t have goals and plans to reach there, all the excuses started to come in, oh i don’t have this, i don’t have that. There are thousands of reasons for not starting, but it only take one to begin.
Now, if not when?
Start now. There is no better time than now, set a goal and then move towards it. Shrimp life cycle is very short, 2 years or lesser so we need to ensure that we provide the best opportunity and probability for the shrimp to breed out their next generation. While we human may have a longer life span compared to a shrimp but the idea is the same.
Don’t count the days, Make the days count. Get your female shrimp ready by ensuring the water parameters are spot on, the male:female ratio is good, have sufficient food, grazing material and hiding space. Get the female shrimp ready before they molt. Make the days count.
Like most things in life, we often delay, wait another day, think too much and eventually life takes control. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and then look back and say i should have done something back then.
There isn’t a day call “Some day”, there is Monday to Sunday and Some Day isn’t in there. So instead of telling some day i will do it, make a plan and make it happen.
So start now, if not when?
if not you, who?
If not you, who?
Keeping $5 shrimp and $1000 shrimp doesn’t define if you are successful or not at least to me. I love my $5 shrimp as much as the high end ones. I have seen some breeders who are truly good and understand the fundamental of shrimp breeding and selection. Even normal $5 shrimp are being selective bred for excellence.
Don’t listen to your inner voice and say oh no, i’ don’t have the time, and it’s not me, i can only dream because i don’t have good stock shrimp. Again you beat yourself to it because whether you can or cannot, you are right. If there is a will, there is a way. Probably it doesn’t happen now, but do you have the faith to keep trying?
Maybe now you may not have good stock shrimp but you can start off the selection process and see if you get successful results from that, once you are more confident over the years you can than move on to higher grade shrimp. So why not take a chance and believe in yourself that you can do it. Learn, unlearn, relearn.
Don’t be afraid to try because you get one chance in life because if not you who?
I trust you have benefited from this post and keep trying!
Keeping things simple
A list of things needed
Setting up a shrimp tank is fast and easy provided you keep it simple. I have tried many methods of setting up a shrimp tank from sponge filter, permanent UGF, box UGF, overflow etc. In my opinion, choose one that will suit your availability of time and effort when you need to reset the tank later on.
Things you need:
- Aquarium Tank
- Active Soil
- Filtration
- RO water
- Reminerizer
Optional items (added after cycling or during) :
- Moss
- some plants
- quick start bacteria (liquid or powder)
- Microorganism ball (Lubao)
Setting up
The steps are fairly simple and if you have everything ready, setting up the tank would probably take 15 minutes.
There are different methods and my method is to ensure during reset it also takes a much quicker time. Reason being is that if you have to use 45 mins or 1 hour to reset your tank, multiply that with the number of tanks will determine the total time required. Also resetting tanks require some form of effort and if you have a lot of tanks, it will also take a lot of effort physically.
People ask why do we need to reset a tank? When breeding slows down and the soil has slowed down in it’s buffering than changing it will help kick start the breeding too.
Coming back to the method of setting up:
- Pour active soil into the tank until it reaches 1cm
- 45 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm tank will use about 1L of soil
- Add water into the tank and reminerize to TDS of 85-90 with GH of 3
- Setup filter (i use Totto hang on and powerhouse S size Soft water filter media)
- Wait 40 days.
This method of cycling is the traditional method and it works as active soil release ammonia which then kick start the nitrogen process.
During this period some will add liquid bacteria (can be any brand) to ‘kick start’ the beneficial bacteria colonization. More importantly is these beneficial bacteria will then convert ammonia to nitrite and then the less harmful Nitrate.
Source:http://theaquariumwiki.com/w/images/1/1f/Cycling_graph.png
Once it reaches 40 days it is then where the Nitrate is the highest and Ammonia and Nitrite becomes 0.
Few methods to Seed the tank:
- Use existing mature shrimp tank water
- Use existing filter media
- Add Lubao
The first 2 directly place beneficial bacteria colony into the new tank but an ammonia source is needed to keep them going. Active soil and lubao emits sources of ammonia to allow beneficial bacteria to feed on and multiply.
The difference over here is lubao whilst a grazing material will also help condition the water.
Using Microorganism ball
Using microorganism ball to seed the tank can have multiple layers of benefit while it creates biofilm for shrimp to consume, the biofilm creation is due to the fermenting of material in the ball which invariably also feed beneficial bacteria thus in return increase beneficial bacteria numbers.
While the creation of biofilm cannot be controlled as there are no shrimps in it to feed on, what i do is to scoop out excess biofilm that i think the shrimp will not be able to feed upon when they’re release into the tank after cycling. Incorporating microorganism ball as part of tank reset or setting up new tank what i’ll do is to soak the ball for a day in RO water to leech out the tannin and then let the process begin.
After 40 days
After 40 days i’ll then measure the water parameters and if the parameters are fine, i’ll do a 20% water change, reminerize and wait for another 2-3 days and re measure the water parameters. Once everything is fine, i’ll add mosses, a claypot of plants and frogbits. By day 47 the tank will be more or less ready.
However, there is this unspoken feeling, gut feeling based on experience that if the tank doesn’t appear to be ready, i’ll continue to keep cycling till day 50-60. Once that is done, i’ll re-measure the parameters before adding the shrimp.
The shrimps will have sufficient food in the tank and i’ll hold off feeding for a few days. If you’re adding new shrimp in hundreds, they’ll strip off biofilm very quickly so you can then start feeding after 3-4 days in the new tank.
Thanks for reading and i hope you have learn something from this post.
Using Cellphone to take Shrimp Pictures
Introduction
There are many ways to take a good picture. I picked up photography when I was young and spent countless hours in the field taking macro photography.
Certainly it will be great if everyone can afford a DSLR a macro lens etc to get the perfect shot. However, what dictates a good photo? In my opinion a good photo is one where you can capture the moments.
In this blog post I will not be sharing how to use a DSLR to take shrimp pictures but simply using your phone and a clip on lens.
Clip on lens
Using this clip on lens is what i need to achieve clear pictures, and i have tested quite a few of them and this inexpensive clip on lens works great for cellphone with 1-2 lens. I haven’t yet test on a 3-5 lens cellphone. The whole idea is to use just 1 of the cellphone lens and then use this clip on. You can view the inexpensive lens $15 here: https://amzn.to/3yvHCVm
There are some other types as well which i think serve the same purpose:
Trying on
- I will also make sure that area is the feeding area. Shrimp will know eventually that is the feeding area.
- I prefer taking pictures horizontally so I tilt my handphone sideways.
- When focusing tap and adjust the brightness of the photo to reduce exposure and snap away.
- Phone camera in general uses light optics to capture image so a good strong light for focusing will be good.
- I like taking my shrimps horizontally due to the depth of field in phones.
Things to take note:
- Keep the shrimp and camera lens as parallel as possible as the Depth of Field is horizontal and if you capture the subject in a parallel, your picture will be crisp and sharp
- Most aquarium light nowadays are very bright, it is recommended to dial the brightness down using the phone function to capture more details
- Just keep practicing and in doubt please let me know and i can certainly help you out
Taken together
The clip on lens will do wonders after trying so many types. Give it a try and keep shooting!
While i have written on the 4 elements of good shrimp keeping here (https://www.sgshrimp.com/the-4-main-elements-to-good-shrimp-keeping/) this post is to share with breeders who have just started and advance breeders on some key tips of a sustainable shrimp breeding tank.
Tank size: If you have a 20L/40L or bigger tank, it is important that you cycle the tank a full 40 days based on nitrogen cycle. A bigger tank with higher water volume will have more stable water parameters, the margin of error you are allowed to make is also bigger.
Soil: Now you have got your tank, what soil do i recommend? I still recommend ADA but i know there are other soil out there which can be suitable as well. For example Tropica is another great example of soil that can be use. As long the soil is active and has the capability to lower pH and keep the water soft with consistent buffering throughout the soil life can be considered.
Filtration: Sponge filter, hang on, external cannister, UGF, Uplift, etc. There are a ton of filtration out there that does the one thing: Filtration. Depending on how much time and budget you have, this is certainly the more important aspect in my opinion. Water parameters is the utmost important element in shrimp keeping/breeding and this affect directly to our shrimp. If you have a lot of tanks and want to keep cost down like how Taiwan breeders are doing than 2 unit of dual sponge filter per 100L tank is recommended. If you have a smaller tank and wish to put 2 x dual sponge filter, it is also possible. If you have a slightly higher budget and wish to provide more filtration, the matten filtration and external cannister is a good option. I’m a filter media person ever since i started aquarium hobby 19 years ago. So for my setup, i use a specialize Totto filter which i have mentioned in some of my post, it has the ability to remove nitrate as well. Yes Nitrate. The entire process from breaking down ammonia to nitrite and then onwards to Nitrate and eventually release as Nitrogen into the water column and dissipated. I enjoy having the ability to trust the system and view my shrimp given my very busy schedule, hence i opt for this option. I have tried many types of filter but this method suit my schedule the best. If i have slightly more time i would gone for sponge filter because they are really inexpensive and you have to just wash them in tank water once a month or more depending on how clog up it gets. So ask yourself how much time are you willing to allocate for maintaining the tanks, then it will give you an indication what kind of filter you can use. So far the better filter i have tried are uplift, sponge, cannister, hang on back, permanent UGF (not box) are possible ones.
Link to Dual Sponge filter Qanvee: https://amzn.to/3xvfH7c
More filter discussion: https://www.sgshrimp.com/tips-on-leaving-your-shrimp-tank-with-peace-of-mind/
Plants: In one of my post i have mentioned about the types of plants you can use. I would give a summary here that any aquatic plants are suitable however you have to ensure it is contain and not over grown as this is a shrimp tank vs a planted tank. A planted tank has the focus on the plants with shrimp as one of the inhabitants whereas a shrimp tank has focus on the shrimp and plants as inhabitants. I like a lot of aquatic plants and hence i setup planted tank to satisfy my love for plants. For my shrimp tanks, i usually use Taiwan moss and plants such as echinodorus, crypto or buceps. The key to all these is they don’t grow too crazily over time unlike many stem plants that require weekly trimming. We don’t want to be dipping our hands into the tank every few days. Floating plants are fine too to absorb excess nitrate.
Bacteria: Startup bacteria is often sold as to help speed up the nitrogen cycle, however there are a myriad different type of bacteria in the market. While i’m an old school aquarist, i still stick to the very traditional free method of cycling it 40 days. While i have easy access to beneficial bacteria but still i prefer to ensure i don’t speed up things that shouldn’t be sped up. You have a lifetime ahead of you to breed the shrimps well, 40 days in a grand scheme of things is not too long. Understanding the nitrogen cycle is simply to get the beneficial bacteria ready to convert ammonia to nitrite into nitrate.
Cycling: I’ll still put here a minimum of 40 days cycling time, there are ways to improve the speed of the cycling time however the key to stable water parameters is to start the note on the right foot.
Airstone: What? Yes i actually like placing an airstone either to the outlet of the filter to introduce more agitation to the surface thus having a higher O2 exchange. The reason for this is more true for countries where we use cooling methods to cool down the tank. When temperature rises, ammonia become highly dangerous and thus consuming Oxygen, that is also why when there is an ammonia spike fishes gasp for air at the surface, shrimp doesn’t really do that (no indication). This is to help prolong the time for you to diagnose what the issue is (faulty chiller, dead shrimp that was concealed resulting in an ammonia spike, etc. Airstone are inexpensive and last a long time so drop one into every tank can be beneficial.
Food: A newly setup tank will have quite a lot of ‘food’ biofilm in the tank hence there is really not much you need to feed them after the first introduction. However, if you are going to introduce a lot of shrimp (50-100), they can strip off the biofilm in a matter of a day or 2. A good staple food i use is Hwa version 1 which is highly recommended as my main feed. It helps stressed shrimp to get to the food and consume as it has a strong drawing power. While the drawing power is important but more importantly the ingredients are all rounded. When there are a lot of shrimp, it becomes critical to introduce lubao as a grazing material as it has a long time duration in the tank up to 1-2 months per ball (i know some hobbyist use it even longer with no adverse effect – recommended still 1-2 months max). So in this section we listed 2 important word: Drawing power and Time Duration. Whenever i categorize the food and give ratings, i usually use these 2 as a basis for my understanding. Like for example, Moss is a very good ‘food’ as it harbors microorganism and also biofilm and time duration is endless. However the quantity it produces is fairly low. Indian Almond leaf is also another very good one, high creation of biofilm, medium time duration. While you can use a combination of those grazing material it is important to get that checklist tick.
There will be time when you have to be away from your shrimp tanks for a few days and sometimes a week or more. This can be due to work schedule or your shrimp tanks are being located in another place where you only can visit once every few days. This is totally possible given that the setup has to in a way that is catered towards sustainability.
Power Supply: One of the most important elements about leaving the tanks for a few days is the power supply running the setup. If you are in an area with a lot of power shortage, a backup UPS is probably a good investment. However, fear not, unless there are really very low or high temperatures, a few hours of supply cut will not be of any concern in general. However, there are many portable USB Airpump where it can run for a few hours per charge.
Filtration: if you like me enjoy over filtration, this is yet another critical element because if you need to have a peace of mind, a good filtration goes a long way. Sponge filters are great for multiple tanks as they are functional and inexpensive. There are also other types of filter like the lift sponge filtration which is also a good way. The reason for a good filtration when you are away is that it will have the capacity to ensure that the water is being taken care of. One of the more worrying point is there is a few dead shrimp when you are away and the rest of the shrimp hardly clear it causing a rise in ammonia. A good filtration will be able to reduce the risk of an ammonia spike. Drop in an airstone – this will be a lifesaver too. I have a few on standby just in case. Also i have a few large powerbank to ensure there are sufficient juice.
Link: https://amzn.to/3eHtwal
People often ask me what sponge filter do i recommend, actually there are many types of sponge filter and if you are just beginning to start with shrimp breeding and looking up and down for a sponge filter, you can try the tested and proven Qanvee filter. So what filters do i use? I actually use Totto filter which is a Japanese Filtration system that helps reduce nitrate as well. Yes you read it correctly.
I’m not sure if there are any distributor for Totto filter in your country but if you really want to get your hands on it, i have found it on a Japanese website.
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/melossakiki/6v8awki0l2xru9hf/
This is the official website link but no direct sales: http://www.totto.co.jp/en/test.php
Food: There must be sufficient grazing material for the shrimp to consume when you are away. Shrimps graze 24/7 and if you have a small tank without much surface area for biofilm to grow fast enough, it is risky. In addition if you have a lot of shrimp they can strip the biofilm in your tank in a day or 2. When shrimps start to go without sufficient biofilm it triggers cannibalisms, which means they will start preying on each other. This is detrimental if you are doing a selection process as your stock shrimp will be at risk. Hence, having a good source of grazing material not only is critical for a small tank, it enhances the probability of breeding as well.
I tried a variety of grazing material and i think more critically is if the tank is very dense with moss and plants, than additional grazing material isn’t required if the shrimp population is low. However, if you like me like to see a mass number of shrimp in an open area than yes having grazing material is important. Indian Almond leaf is also an excellent source of grazing material and if you would like to speed up the process, soak them 3 days prior to using. It will now be soft for the shrimps to feed on. One of the best grazing material which one can control and contain is the lubao. This is one that i really enjoy using and certainly helps shrimps breed better, increase shrimplets survival and many advantageous elements just in the small ball.
We have discussed on Electricity Power, Filtration and food and the next most important element to this is to go enjoy your holiday or weekend get away! If you are like me, where i use Lubao, the shrimp tank can easily go without feeding for a week. There are times when your work schedule is overwhelming, family need your time and other things you need to attend to. This lil’ method will help you get through those time yet giving you a peace of mind.
Happy weekend!