Controsoil

[JamesHe]

There are two major benefits from soil based substrate if you keep bee shrimp.

 

Everybody knows about the first one:

buffer the pH to proper range.

 

but no many people knows the second one:

 

bee shrimp eats dirt from soil substrate.

it's crucial for shrimplets to survival.

 

and for adults to reproduce.

 

I did experiment to keep CRS in bare bottom tank, I manage to breed it but very low survival rate.

Once I just added few cup of soil to the tank, everything back to normal.

[Jadenlea]

I had never heard that James!

[Shrimpy Daddy]

There are two major benefits from soil based substrate if you keep bee shrimp.

Everybody knows about the first one:

buffer the pH to proper range.

but no many people knows the second one:

bee shrimp eats dirt from soil substrate.

it's crucial for shrimplets to survival.

and for adults to reproduce.

I did experiment to keep CRS in bare bottom tank, I manage to breed it but very low survival rate.

Once I just added few cup of soil to the tank, everything back to normal.

For point 2, it is partially correct.

Shrimp eats micro-fine minerals to supplement their nutrient intake via diet. Hence, it is not eating dirt per se. This is also why those mineral balls or rocks are almost useless. To further prove this, most of my tanks, including JRB tank is using inert black lava sand instead of expensive Aquasoil. You can see my substrate from the pictures in the link: http://www.shrimpydaddy.com/blogs/moments/16172401-japanese-red-bee-shrimps

Any form of substrates that is not too fine will be capable to trap debris. The trapped debris will be feeding the microbes and smaller zooplankton and they will them down properly so that water is not polluted. The microbe and smaller zooplankton will feed the big size zooplankton, and it will feed the shrimp. If there is no substrate, this micro-ecosystem will not exist for shrimp to graze and the water column will be easily polluted. As such, bare bottom tank is a terrible idea.

[Trotwood]

Thanks for that explanation Shrimp Daddy; that makes a lot of sense.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Thanks for that explanation Shrimp Daddy; that makes a lot of sense.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You are welcome.

[Ch3fb0yrdee]

There are two major benefits from soil based substrate if you keep bee shrimp.

Everybody knows about the first one:

buffer the pH to proper range.

but no many people knows the second one:

bee shrimp eats dirt from soil substrate.

it's crucial for shrimplets to survival.

and for adults to reproduce.

I did experiment to keep CRS in bare bottom tank, I manage to breed it but very low survival rate.

Once I just added few cup of soil to the tank, everything back to normal.

Well, that's good to hear folks subscribing to the idea that shrimps need substrate. For a while some folks were actually subscribing to the idea that a bare bottom tank would be better because they could "control" shrimps food intake better and "clean" their tanks better. Half bare and full bare bottom tanks were the trend for a while and I was beginning to worry such a silly idea was wide spread.

Good to know you're on the same page about substrated tanks. I can't recall exactly who spread that idea but good to know a respected breeder like yourself agree with substrate over no substrate. [emoji4]

[JamesHe]

For point 2, it is partially correct.

Shrimp eats micro-fine minerals to supplement their nutrient intake via diet. Hence, it is not eating dirt per se. This is also why those mineral balls or rocks are almost useless. To further prove this, most of my tanks, including JRB tank is using inert black lava sand instead of expensive Aquasoil. You can see my substrate from the pictures in the link: http://www.shrimpydaddy.com/blogs/moments/16172401-japanese-red-bee-shrimps

Any form of substrates that is not too fine will be capable to trap debris. The trapped debris will be feeding the microbes and smaller zooplankton and they will them down properly so that water is not polluted. The microbe and smaller zooplankton will feed the big size zooplankton, and it will feed the shrimp. If there is no substrate, this micro-ecosystem will not exist for shrimp to graze and the water column will be easily polluted. As such, bare bottom tank is a terrible idea.

 

Shrimp daddy,

 

Just want to point out that lava sand is pretty much same as volcano ash based the aqua soil (ADA AS, Controsoil, Brightwell, etc)

the mineral is the key to prompt shrimp overall healthy. aiding reproducing.

[Shrimpy Daddy]

Shrimp daddy,

 

Just want to point out that lava sand is pretty much same as volcano ash based the aqua soil (ADA AS, Controsoil, Brightwell, etc)

the mineral is the key to prompt shrimp overall healthy. aiding reproducing.

 

Eh.... If you look closely, it is not Brightwell that type of processed substrate. They are tiny rocks, just like river sand. They are usually used by Japanese to mix into bonsai substrate.