How Often Should You Feed Crystal Red Shrimp?

Written by Noa in Crystal Red Shrimps

No shrimp breeder wants to see their shrimp die, especially after spending so much time, effort, and money to raise the shrimp. Crystal Red shrimp are one of those shrimp species you need to be careful of, ensuring you don’t overfeed them. Overfeeding Crystal Red shrimp can kill them, so it’s essential to figure out how often you should feed them.

You should feed your Crystal Red shrimp once a day only. These shrimp are omnivores. That said, you can feed them a variety of things, be it plants or animals. Most of their diet is centered around green bacteria, algae, and biofilm. 

In this article, I’ll explore the dietary needs of Crystal Red shrimp and the dangers of overfeeding them. Read on to learn more! 

How Often Should You Feed Crystal Red Shrimp?
How Often Should You Feed Crystal Red Shrimp?

What Happens When You Overfeed Crystal Red Shrimp?

You don’t want to overfeed your Crystal Red shrimp.

The waste in your shrimp tank can accumulate quickly and eventually become excessive if you overfeed your Crystal Red shrimp. Doing so will upset the balance of the tank’s water temperature, which can quickly lead to the death of your shrimp.

Crystal Red shrimp are very sensitive to changes in the water temperature and will die quickly. Bacterial infections can result from sudden temperature changes, leading to internal bleeding and eventually death for your shrimp. 

Fungi can also develop as a result of sudden temperature changes. The fungi will spread over your shrimp in white fuzz, eventually killing them. 

Water temperature fluctuations are typically the reason new breeders lose their shrimp. Sadly, it is easy to accidentally overfeed Crystal Reds since they are constantly scavenging for food. To prevent accidentally overfeeding, scoop any excess food from the tank. Doing so will help you avoid water pollution and the development of unwanted bacteria. 

You can prevent water temperature fluctuations by closely monitoring your tank. Additionally, you should only add new shrimp to your tank after quarantining them for a week. 

What To Feed Your Crystal Red Shrimp

Crystal Red shrimp feed on both plant life and animal matter. They’re scavengers, meaning they’ll eat almost anything they find in their roaming. In the wild, Crystal Reds would eat insects and larvae as well as the algae and plant life that they eat in captivity. 

Here’s a list of things you can feed your Crystal Red shrimp: 

  • Bloodworms: These worms will provide nutrients, frozen being the healthiest option. 
  • Algae Wafers: These are dried pellets of algae you can add to the tank. Of course, dried foods tend to lose some nutrients during processing, so only use them as a supplement alongside other options. Check out the Aquatic Foods Sinking Wafers of Algae & Spirulina from Amazon.com. They contain “high levels of vegetable matter” your shrimp will love. These wafers will immediately sink into the tank.
  • Calcium: An essential part of Crystal Red shrimps’ diet is calcium, as it helps them develop strong exoskeletons, which are crucial to their survival.
  • Green Vegetables: You can feed your Crystal Red shrimp a “homemade meal” with vegetables from your kitchen. Crystal Red shrimp will enjoy zucchini, cucumber, and broccoli. 

Only give as much food as your Crystal Reds can consume in a few hours to prevent overfeeding. If there’s excess food left in the tank after two hours, scoop it out. You want to make sure there’s no food left behind. Food leftovers will decay and create bacteria, leading to health problems for your Crystal Reds and potentially death. 

You could use a vacuum gravel cleaner to remove excess food for a thorough cleaning. A gravel vacuum is a tool that many shrimp enthusiasts use to remove waste from their shrimp tanks. It can also remove dirty water! 

Here are a few gravel vacuums on Amazon.com I would recommend: 

  • Londafish Electric Fish Tank Vacuum Cleaner: This cleaner is easy and safe to use in a dirty aquarium. It is perfect for both spot cleaning and complete aquarium maintenance. 
  • AQQA Aquarium Gravel Cleaner Siphon Kit. It comes with accessories to help make cleaning your Crystal Red shrimps aquarium simple and easy. This gravel vacuum can be extended to 33.6 inches (85 cm) or retracted to 16.9 inches (43 cm), allowing you to use it on aquariums of different sizes. 

Conclusion

You can keep your shrimp alive by monitoring your tank’s water parameters and ensuring that you don’t overfeed your shrimp. With the proper diet and environment, you’ll soon have a thriving Crystal Red shrimp colony! 

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