My Rams are eating my RCS :-(

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Cris
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Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:51 pm
Location: Kensington, MD

My Rams are eating my RCS :-(

Post by Cris »

OK, I know that's what cichlids do...
I was hoping, since the shrimp were fairly big (for RCS) and the rams are fairly small, that the shrimp would fend for themselves and be able to coexist. Not so. This morning saw one of the rams kill and then eat the largest shrimp in the tank. It was not pretty.
So my question to you: is there anything I can do to help the shrimp survive (maybe floating plants?), or is it hopeless? Any suggestions from your personal experience?

Thanks for your help.

C.
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Jeff120
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Post by Jeff120 »

Add lots of cover, moss, thick plants, I dont know if floating plants will help much. Shrimp stick to the bottom. Good thing about cherrys is they are so proflic that hopefully the rams wont kill them off, just keep the population in check. I watch my apistos pick off lots of cherrys as I up root plants. But I can look in the tank at any time and still see 10-15 shrimp without searching!
Jeff U.

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ingg
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Post by ingg »

This is the plan I'm going to run with in the 180g, too. I fully plan to have dwarf cichlids in it, but with enough of ahead start of shrimp breeding stock, they'll simply add some live food to the diet while still being a viable colony... I hope.
Last edited by ingg on Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dave
Cris
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:51 pm
Location: Kensington, MD

Post by Cris »

Thanks for your replies. Sounds like I have to wait until the tank fills in a little bit more.
In the mean time I've put in the tank three pieces of plastic pipe - about half an inch in diameter and a couple of inches long. I'm hoping the shrimp - however many are left - will use them as a refuge...
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RTRJR
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Location: MD exurbs

Post by RTRJR »

The shrimp will appreciate the post-molt refuges at least. Jeff's suggestion on the moss and dense plants is the best for long-term survival. Thus says the man who darn near lost his Red Cherry colony to Rainbows.
Where's the fish? Neptune
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