coolest addition yet!

[newguy]

just added a small cleaner shrimp to my 6 gallon tank to help get rid of any food that my pj cardinal and my clown don't eat. They don't seem to want to eat off of the bottom. This cleaner shrimp is a kick, he fits right in, sarted eating off of the bottom, and the rocks right away. A question I have, is will the addition of his fecal matter be worse than any uneaten food, or will it be a draw?

 

[justinx]

It will acutally be less on the bio load as the shrimp will consume and convert the majority of the previoulsy uneaten food into energy. There will be less waste as they are rather active animals. It should actually (if there was a lot of uneate food on the bottom before) lighten the bio load.
HTH
Justin

 

[newguy]

thanks, I appreciate your response. He is such a cool guy, and to know he may even be doing my tank some good is even better

 

[jeo]

you have 2 fish in a 6 gallon tank? I think you might be best off with just the shrimp, or at least get rid of the clown seeing as they are active fish. The cardinal is questionable but I know its hard to have an aquarium without a fish in it. Cleaner shrimp are great though and they will not add to the bio load.

 

[justinx]

You know . . . I didnt catch that. But I do agree though. two fish in a 6 gallon is too much IMO. I think that the clown would be fine on its own, but the cardinal from that I have read will not do well if in a tank by itself. I think that your best bet is to get rid of both fish, but if you must, then keep the clown or get a bigger tank.
HTH
Justin

 

[jeo]

I don't really think any fish should be in a 6 gallon tank, but if you have to have a fish in their I don't think that the cardinal or the clown is a good choice. Your best bet would be a small goby like a Green clown goby- which are very cute little 1" fish. Gobys don't need as much swimming room and generally stay in a small area in the wild.

 

[newguy]

I understand that I am pushing my luck with the two fish and a shrimp in a 6 gallon tank, well at leat that has been the consensus on this board. So far so good, they are going on 2 weeks now, after a 4 week cycle, and seem to be very healthy, and are eating fine. So far I have been able to keep my water in check, I may be a little high on Nitrites, .5ppm, but I may have been overfeeding just a bit. I hope to get that under control, by cutting back on feed, as well as the addition of the cleaner shrimp. Last water change helped also. I must say, for someone who had never attempted a salt water tank before, I am learning a tremendous amount thanks to all of the input from you guys. Thanks for having me in your group. I realize that I may be a bit foolish for undertaking a 6 gallon tank, but I figure that if I succeed with this one, when I upgrade to my big one, it should be a snap. Thanks again.

 

[jeo]

Well, good luck newguy. You do sound to be doing very well for your first saltwater tank. Part of my concern was for the bioload but I also feel bad for your fish with so little swimming room. But I suppose they are better off than they could be in some other people's tanks.

 

[john reed]

In time you will see your cleaner shrimp clean off your clown fish. Also if you happen to stick your hands in the tank he will even come up to you. You make even be able to take him for a very short ride. Cleanershrimp are pretty cool.

 

[ophiura]

I do have to add that I do not feel the addition of another animal- the shrimp- will "help" the tank or lighten the bioload. The temptation will then be to feed the shrimp too. Basically, if there is food settling on the bottom, that is an overfeeding issue, and it is not solved by the addition of the shrimp. Simply because an animal eats the food, does not mean that it disappears from the equation. These are closed systems, and it all adds up eventually. The shrimp does add to the bioload of the system, as it produces waste.

 

[newguy]

as usual, great input guys, so far this hobby, if you can call it that, it is almost a way of life for many, is a joy. The input from all of you is my primary source of knowledge. My hat is off to one and all.