
Shrimp like green food such as spinach and nettles, and vegetables such as kuri squash or zucchini are also suitable for feeding shrimp. Besides vegetable food, shrimp also need a certain amount of protein to keep them from assaulting younger or weaker conspecifics.
What fish can I keep with my shrimp?
Top Shrimp Tank Mates
- Endler’s Livebearer. Bright, colorful, and varied. ...
- Fancy Guppy. The Fancy Guppy catches some flak from experienced aquarists, but it’s a winning combination with your shrimp.
- Neon Tetra. Neon Tetras are another easy option, and a favorite in the planted tanks you’ll find shrimp thriving in.
- Cherry Barb. ...
- Betta. ...
- African Dwarf Frogs. ...
What should you feed your shrimp?
What do you feed shrimp?
- Various flake foods.
- Hikari Crab and Lobster Bites.
- Shirakura Shrimp Food.
- Several varieties of Ken’s premium sinking sticks (see Kensfish.com)
- Pears (very small pieces)
- Spinach.
- Cucumbers.
- Mosura Shrimp Food.
What types of fish eat shrimp?
Which Aquarium Fish Eat Shrimp?
- Goldfish. If your shrimp community comprises of brine shrimp or ghost shrimp, then there’s a good chance that a goldfish will eat them.
- Discus. Adding a shrimp population to a tank containing Discus is a bad idea. ...
- Cichlids. Cichlids are vigorous shrimp eaters. ...
- Gourami. If given a chance, Gourami will also go after shrimp. ...
- Angelfish. ...
- Betta. ...
What fish are safe to feed with?
- shark
- swordfish
- king mackerel
- tilefish

What human food can shrimp eat?
Unfortunately they will not eat string / hair algae so they are not a good control measure for those types of algae. Blanched vegetables make an excellent food for Red Cherry Shrimp. Vegetables such as Zucchini, Lettuce, Spinach, and Carrots are commonly used.
Do shrimp need to be fed?
Most shrimp keepers will feed their colonies somewhere between every day and every two or three days, depending on the tank's age and conditions etc. Well-aged tanks that have been up and running for months will normally have a decent amount of biofilm and algae, giving them plenty to graze on throughout the day.
Can I feed my shrimp fish food?
What Do Shrimp Eat? Shrimp are scavengers and eat a huge variety of foods as they travel along their native waterways. A shrimp will eat anything that doesn't eat it first. Including, but not limited to, algae, other dead shrimp, left over fish food, living plants, and any decaying organic matter.
What can I feed my cherry shrimp?
Here is a list of foods that cherry shrimp commonly eat:All kinds of algae (however, they may be uninterested in blue-green algae, green spot algae, and staghorn algae)Uneaten fish food.Bacterial film and biofilm.Plant debris and dead plant matter.Blanched vegetables.Plankton and phytoplankton.Copepods.Bloodworms.More items...•
How many times should I feed shrimps?
Depending on the tank set up, and how much natural food (algae and biofilm) there is, you can feed shrimp from 1 to 5 times a week. The optimal dose is usually determined empirically. Based on shrimp reaction, they need to eat the food in 2 – 3 hours. Leftovers must be removed.
Can shrimp eat fish flakes?
Red Cherry Shrimp feeding is not difficult at all. Their diet includes commercial food like fish flakes, shrimp pellets, fish pellets, and algae wafers.
Will shrimp eat cucumber?
So, if you want to give your aquarium inhabitants something a little bit more natural in their diet, especially your snails and shrimp, things like zucchini, cucumber, lima beans, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, and etc.
What is the natural food of shrimp?
In the natural habitat, shrimps feed on other small crustaceans, finfish, molluscs, polychaetes, ophiuroids and other slow-moving benthic organisms. They catch food with their pereiopods, take to their bucal cavity and nibble slowly. They are omnivorous but cannibalize if food is insufficient or of poor quality.
How long do shrimp live for?
1 – 6 yearsCaridean Shrimp / Lifespan
How can you tell if shrimp are happy?
If your shrimp are always roaming around and at feeding time they all come out in a feeding frenzy then they are happy. Feeding time is the best way to observe your shrimp and get a good indicator on their health/happiness. Regardless of the amount of algae in the tank, when it is feeding time they will still eat.
Do shrimps eat Carrots?
Vegetables such as Zucchini, Lettuce, Spinach, and Carrots are commonly used. Red Cherry Shrimp are considered omnivores. That means they will eat both plant matter as well as meaty foods.
Do shrimp like bloodworms?
0:408:21Shrimp Versus Bloodworm - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut what basically blood-borne does is it gives the shrimp more protein. And it gets them on ironMoreBut what basically blood-borne does is it gives the shrimp more protein. And it gets them on iron source on more minerals okay and I'm going to show you how.
How do you take care of shrimp?
Maintain good filtration and do a 10% to 20% water exchange every week using an Aqueon Aquarium Water Changer or Siphon Vacuum Gravel Cleaner. For soft water species, use reverse osmosis or deionized water supplemented with Aqueon Water Renewal.
Why are my shrimp not eating?
Poor water condition – Do periodically check water parameters. If the water conditions are poor then shrimps wont eat anything. Even the finest of cuisine in the world wont get their nod. If water parameters are fixed then you can notice shrimps readily accepting processed food.
How long do shrimp live for?
1 – 6 yearsCaridean Shrimp / Lifespan
What do you feed snails and shrimp?
Snails help keep the tank clean by eating any algae that might grow in there, but they also enjoy commercial flake and pellet foods. Lobsters, crabs and shrimp must be fed pellet food that sinks to the bottom of the tank. Feed them as much as they can eat in three minutes, twice a day.
1. Hikari Shrimp Cuisine
Hikari is a long-lived company known for its excellent, delicious fish foods in the aquarium hobby, and their Shrimp Cuisine is no different. These tiny sinking pellets are great for breeding crystal and cherry shrimp because they’re tiny enough to be eaten by both babies and adults.
2. Xtreme Shrimpee Sinking Sticks
While most shrimp foods dissolve quickly into tiny particles to make sure the babies can get a bite, all the excess nutrients floating around in the aquarium can lead to cloudiness and dangerous water quality issues if you’re not careful.
3. Sera Shrimp Natural Sinking Granules
In the aquarium hobby, we often try to simulate an aquatic animal’s original environment and diet as closely as possible. That’s why Sera came out with the Sera Shrimps Nature Food that uses a mixture of natural ingredients with no dyes or preservatives.
4. Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp Formula
The proteins in shrimp and fish food usually come from fish and crustaceans, but don’t forget that insects are also a naturally occurring part of a shrimp’s diet.
5. Repashy Gel Food
As tiny scavengers with tiny stomachs, shrimp prefer to constantly graze all throughout the day. That’s why Repashy gel food makes it onto our list. Simply mix the powder with hot water to form a nutritious gel food that stays water stable for up to 24 hours and yet is soft enough for shrimp to easily grab a bite.
6. Zoo Med Nano Banquet Food Blocks
Vacation food blocks are usually thought of as a specialty fish food you only feed if you’re going out of town for a while and don’t want to hire a pet sitter.
7. Vegetables
Canned or blanched vegetables are a readily available food that helps increase the plant content in your shrimp’s diet. One of their favorites is canned green beans because of the nutritious content, soft texture, and ability to sink immediately.
How to blanch vegetables for feeding shrimp?
While freshwater shrimp aren’t particularly picky about what they eat, it is crucial not to introduce any pathogens in your tank during feeding. Blanching consists briefly boiling the food and then chilling it in ice coldwater, it is a necessary precaution before throwing anything new into your tank.
Best shrimp food for breeding and molting
There are two main food supplements that you will need to provide to your shrimp which they may not be able to obtain from the plants in your tank: protein and calcium. These are especially important to ensure that your shrimp can grow healthy and reproduce, as their body needs both for successfully molting and breeding.
Can you feed shrimp fish food?
Shrimp are not picky eaters and will scavenge on pretty much anything you throw at them. That said, it is better to avoid feeding shrimp food that is meant for fish. This is because most commercial fish food contains copper, which is poisonous for inverts in large amounts.
What do baby shrimp eat?
Shrimp that have just hatched from their egg will initially rely on the energy reserves in the egg yolk itself. At this stage, the shrimp larvae (“ nauplii “) are almost invisible to the naked eye.
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What they eat
Cherry and bee shrimp are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and vegetation, and this allows them to enjoy a lot of different types of food in their diet.
Quantity
A reasonable guideline is to feed only as much as they can completely eat within two or three hours.
Frequency
Most shrimp keepers will feed their colonies somewhere between every day and every two or three days, depending on the tank's age and conditions etc.
Holiday preparation
When you're planning to go on holiday or leave your tank unattended for anything up to a couple of weeks, you don't necessarily need to hire a shrimp-sitter. With careful preparation you should be able to leave your tank alone for up to two weeks.
Food types
Biofilm is what makes up the vast majority of their natural diet, especially in the wild. Biofilm is an almost invisible layer of bacteria/microorganisms that grows everywhere, including all of your glass walls, rocks, plants, substrate, filter sponge, etc.
How Often and How Much to Feed Shrimp
So, how often and how much to feed dwarf shrimp in the tank? These are one of the first questions new shrimp keepers typically ask. And while it might sound like simple ones, the answer is anything but.
What Dwarf Shrimp Prefer to Eat
Now, we know that our shrimp have a wide variety of food options but do they have any food preferences to meet their taste?
How Often Dwarf Shrimp Eat in Nature
Strictly speaking, shrimp eat all the time. The digestive system of dwarf shrimp is pretty short and simple. It does not allow shrimp to store food, therefore, they have to eat constantly.
How Often and How Much to Feed Shrimp
Now, when you have some background knowledge regarding shrimp’s nature, we have come to the most important questions of this article – how often and how much to feed dwarf shrimp in the tank.
How to Prevent Overfeeding in Shrimp Tank
Overfeeding is a variable parameter. There are many processes happening in our tank every day and most of them will affect how much you need to feed your shrimp. Let me give you a few examples:
In Conclusion
There is a lot of confusion around how often dwarf shrimp should be fed. The more natural feeding grounds you have in your tanks the less you have to feed shrimp.
ABOUT ME
Hi everyone! I’m Michael and this is the place where I nerd out about shrimp. So, if you are interested in getting into this hobby or just want some extra tips and tricks, well this is the right place for you. On this blog, I share all the things I learn about shrimp breeding as I go.

Biofilm
Pellet Food
- Aqueon Shrimp Pellets 100ml contain premium ingredients and unique formulas, and they are free from artificial flavours and colours. The colours of the shrimp pellets are attributed to the natural ingredients in the formula. They help bring out the natural colour of your fish. They contain a combination of oats and rice bran, which is a natural food additive for shrimp. Aqueon Shrimp P…
Plant-Based Food
- In recent years, more people have embraced plant-based diets. While some people cut out animal products completely, others still eat a portion of these foods. In any case, the transition from eating meat to a plant-based diet is a significant lifestyle change, and there may be some initial side effects. While it is common to fall back into old feeding habits once a plant-based diet is ful…
Vegetables
- To feed shrimp, you can slice fresh or frozen vegetables and cook them in boiling water. They’ll digest the vegetables and sink to the bottom of the tank. Be sure to remove any leftovers at the end of the day. Once cooked, the vegetables are a good source of protein for shrimp. The color of your shrimp will depend on the amount of beta-carotene the...
Live Foods
- While live foods are great for maintaining healthy populations, feeding your shrimp can cause problems if the amount of protein is too high. Large portions of protein may interfere with the digestive processes of shrimp, causing them to become ill and eventually die. Live foods should only be fed to your shrimp once or twice a day, or as recommended by your caretaker. Dependin…
Leaves
- There are many benefits to using leaves to feed shrimp. These leaves contain plenty of fiber and are rich in vitamins and minerals. Once cleaned and boiled, they are a great source of protein. You can feed your shrimp once or twice a week, and they should be satisfied with a single leaf. But do not forget to avoid using stems because they are fibrous and do not contain the necessary nutri…
Infusoria
- To grow your own infusoria, start with vegetable matter. These can be lettuce leaves, raw potatoes, or even the debris left over from active filters in your aquarium. Leave these in the sunlight for a few days, and you’ll soon see an increase in infusoria production. After a few days, the water will become cloudy or green. That’s a sign that your infusoria have reproduced.