Feeder shrimp
Feeder shrimp, ghost shrimp, glass shrimp, grass shrimp or feeder prawns are generic names applied to inexpensive small, typically with a length of 1 to 3 cm (0.39 to 1.18 in), semi-transparent crustaceans commonly sold and fed as live prey to larger more aggressive fishes kept in aquariums.[1][2]
Types
They can belong to these families and genera:
- Family Palaemonidae[3]
- Genus Palaemonetes
- Genus Macrobrachium: Macrobrachium nipponense, Macrobrachium lamarrei (Indian whisker shrimp), Macrobrachium australiense[1]
- Family Atyidae
- Genus Caridina: Caridina flavilineata
Advantages of using feeder shrimp
They almost always available for sale at local pet stores as well as at the larger chain stores. At the pet shop, they are frequently kept in a small tank with other shrimp of their kind. They are also relatively easy freshwater aquarium shrimp to keep.
They are a scavenger type of saltwater or freshwater shrimp and a good aquarium cleaner[3] for being constantly on the prowl searching for something to eat. They are omnivores and will subsist on a diet tiny bits of uneaten food, dead, decaying plant matter or other soft edible matter accumulating on the bottom of the tank.
Ghost shrimp are safe with most fish and inverts and will not eat live aquatic plants. They look good when kept in a tank with black aquarium gravel or substrate and also good to keep them in a tank with a black background.
They help enhance the coloration of aquarium fish by containing high levels of carotenoid pigments, like astaxanthin and canthaxanthin.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Feeder Prawns Macrobrachium australiense". Crayfish Traders. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Why buy Saltwater Feeder Shrimp". Aquatic Live Food. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b Robert Woods (17 July 2018). "Ghost Shrimp: Complete Care Guide, How to Breed and More…". Fishkeeping World. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Matt Clarke. "Boy gets patent for live fish feeder". Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2006-11-30.