Red Cherry Shrimp Q&A

Will cherry shrimp leave the water?

RCS are not strong enough to move when not supported by water. They will leave the water only under two circumstances. 1) when pursued by a predator or under extremely toxic water conditions cherry shrimp my flip themselves out of the water. 2) They may leave the water accidentally such as during a spill--the shrimp pictured to the right was pushed out of the water by bubbles from an airstone. Once out of the water the shrimp will bet trapped even by the weak forces of water surface tension. To rescue a shrimp wash it back into the tank with a splash of water. Avoid handling shrimp directly as they are very fragile.

* Index

GENERAL
Acquiring Livestock
The Problem with "Extras"
Tank Options
Water Linking
Care and Husbandry
Humane killing (euthanasia) of aquatic pets (under construction)

SNAILS
Aquarium Snail Species (under construction)
Apple Snails
Apple Snails
Ramshorn
Ramshorn Egg Watch
Colored Ramshorn Primer
Albino Ramshorn
Spixi
Spixi Egg Watch
Do spixi snails eat plants

SHRIMP
Best Aquarium Shrimp
Red Cherry
Why Aren't my Red Cherry Shrimp Red?
Three things you can do to make your Red Cherry Shrimp redder
Yellow
Tank Profile: One Gallon with Yellow Shrimp

FISH
Betta Fish
2 Gallon tank profile: Betta tank
Oto
Otocinclus
Mosquito Fish
Sexing
Pygmy Cory (Corydorus pygmaeus)
Cory eggs and fry

Gambusia sexing

The main difference between male and female gambusia is the same as for many livebearers, the shape of the pelvic fin. In the male the fin is longer and pointed, in the female it is shorter and more rounded. The male pelvic fin is referred to as the gonopodium and is used to tranfer sperm to the female.

Approaches to Ammonia (in progress)

Small tanks need to be watched rather carefully for accumulation of ammonia. A smaller water volume will tend to be more unstable and you can get a very rapid ammonia spike, which can be fatal to fish and other livestock. There are three basic approaches to testing for ammonia.

Approach 1: liquid Test Kits
Some people hold that only fresh liquid test kits give a reliable measure of ammonia.

Approach 2: Strip Tests
Others feel a strip test is close enough, and when you have a cycling tank you can even use a "sensor" that you clip on the inside of the tank to keep an eye on ammonia level and make sure they didn't get into the danger level for you stock (which will vary depending on how hardy they are.

Approach 3: Low Tech
Some people think: test-schemst, it isn't that hard to tell when you have an ammonia spike.
1) When you stir the water it has an unpleasant smell, and
2) bubbles on the surface of the water do not pop immediately. In fact bubbles may accumulate on the surface around the glass.


In any case, if you ammonia levels are high the steps you need to take are the same:
* Minimise rotting material in the tank by ensuring you remove dead livestock, excess food and other organic debris.
* Regularly replace 10-20% of the water with clean, dechlorinated water.
* Transfer bacteria sources from a stable, established tank to the spiking or cycling tank to make sure there is a population of ammonia-converting bacteria.

Ramshorn Snail Q & A (in progress)

What the hell is this?

Ramshorns have loose folds of skin that may sometimes protrude from the left side of the shell. It is thought to act like a primitive gill.