I am new to shrimp...

[FriendlyLoach]

Hey everyone,

I am picking up some cherry shrimp today! They are my first shrimp! I was going to put them in my main tank, but I realized that I may have copper in there via fish food, and I am not sure what else I put in there that may have had copper. I was thinking about using my tap water (different than my main tank). But I am on a well and have lots of heavy metals (maybe copper). I was wondering if there are any ways I could get copper out of my well water (does water conditioner work)? I have seachem prime as my conditioner.

I feed my main tank a lot of different foods (types of flake, pellets, and more). However it is planted, can the plants take out the copper. I just don't know where I could put them. 😞 

Thanks

[test.tin]

I honestly think you are gonna be fine adding them to your main tank. As Cory mentioned on some past livestreams, shrimp food actually has copper in them. Small amounts of copper is totally safe for shrimp and is needed.  Kind of like how water is essential for humans, yet drinking excessive amount of it can be fatal.

Cherry shrimps are very hardy so I don't think you're gonna have much to worry about. When you get them, i would slowly drip acclimate them with water from your main tank. Do that for about an hour, let them get used to your water and temperature. 

Edited December 5, 2020 by test.tin

[Daniel]

Some copper is important for shrimp so you don't want zero copper. There are lots of metals that it are harmful if there is none, but toxic if there is too much. Copper is one these. The main thing shrimp like is a mature aquarium. Copper might be important, but it wouldn't the first thing I worried about.

[FriendlyLoach]

All right, thank you for the quick replies, my main tank is old #STT. Will my honey gourami eat the shrimp, I know they will eat the babies but how about the adults. 

[test.tin]

I think you'll be more than fine, honey gouramis tend to be on the peaceful side.

[FriendlyLoach]

Okay, thank your for helping me chill out. 🙂 

[Ben Ellison]

I believe he will eat some of them. If you have a lot of cover it should be fine. I suspect it will only be young ones.

[Maggie]

My API water conditioner (used to remove chlorine and chloramine) says it also removes copper and other undesireable metals from tap water. 

[JettsPapa]

1 hour ago, test.tin said:

I think you'll be more than fine, honey gouramis tend to be on the peaceful side.

There are a few exceptions (otos come to mind), but almost all fish see shrimp as a food source.  I'll agree that some will actively hunt them more than others, but they'll all eat one if they happen upon it and it will fit in their mouth.  Whether or not fish will eat shrimp has very little to do with their level of aggression, or whether or not they're peaceful

To really enjoy shrimp it's my firm belief that it's better to have them in dedicated shrimp tanks.  When I first got mine I had them in a tank with a few guppies for the first few weeks.  Within hours after moving the guppies out I could see twice as many shrimp every time I looked at the tank.  Even though the guppies weren't a big threat to the adult shrimp they still saw the guppies as predators, and would spend a good bit of time hiding instead of being out and about foraging.

Edited December 5, 2020 by JettsPapa