FishForums.com - View Single Post

lochness · 01-17-2006, 02:50 PM

i think the culprits would more likely be the puffers - as for the zebras being more active - are you feeding more meat foods since you got the shrimp? are you feeding more algae foods like spirulina wafers since you got the shrimp? if the answers to either of these 2 questions is yes, then the zebras are enjoying the food as well. Btw, zebra plecos are meat eaters as well (they've been seen eating broiled /boiled pieces of chicken left behind by Oscars) and love zucchini, insect larvae, daphnia and brine shrimp (tho brine shrimp doesnt have much by way of nutrients) -- but without actually having observed them attack the shrimp, i can't say it was them - puffers are crustacean lovers tho. if you can find one, get a red hollow sheath for your lights or some filtered red lighting and turn off the room lights at night and see if you can observe the activity (better yet, instead of staying up all night, if you have one, place a web cam and record the night's activities several nights in a row)

if the wood shrimp are not housed in with the puffers, then it may be the tank needs more aeration/oxygen and when they die, the zebras may be found eating the corpse.

one more question: did you simply add the shrimp to the tank right away or did you acclimitise them slowly first or have them in a quarantine tank at all?

note: the zebra pleco is relatively new to the hobby (1989) and so we're still basically learning about them -- it would be amazing if they were indeed fancying the wood shrimp and would be worthy to add to the profile of the catfish. but unless it can be proven, it is all circumspect.

***

some info on the wood shrimp and the zebra pleco:

http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_zebra.php

01-17-2006, 02:50 PM	#2
lochness Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA Age: 39 Posts: 382	i think the culprits would more likely be the puffers - as for the zebras being more active - are you feeding more meat foods since you got the shrimp? are you feeding more algae foods like spirulina wafers since you got the shrimp? if the answers to either of these 2 questions is yes, then the zebras are enjoying the food as well. Btw, zebra plecos are meat eaters as well (they've been seen eating broiled /boiled pieces of chicken left behind by Oscars) and love zucchini, insect larvae, daphnia and brine shrimp (tho brine shrimp doesnt have much by way of nutrients) -- but without actually having observed them attack the shrimp, i can't say it was them - puffers are crustacean lovers tho. if you can find one, get a red hollow sheath for your lights or some filtered red lighting and turn off the room lights at night and see if you can observe the activity (better yet, instead of staying up all night, if you have one, place a web cam and record the night's activities several nights in a row) if the wood shrimp are not housed in with the puffers, then it may be the tank needs more aeration/oxygen and when they die, the zebras may be found eating the corpse. one more question: did you simply add the shrimp to the tank right away or did you acclimitise them slowly first or have them in a quarantine tank at all? note: the zebra pleco is relatively new to the hobby (1989) and so we're still basically learning about them -- it would be amazing if they were indeed fancying the wood shrimp and would be worthy to add to the profile of the catfish. but unless it can be proven, it is all circumspect. *** some info on the wood shrimp and the zebra pleco: http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/ http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_zebra.php Last edited by lochness; 01-17-2006 at 03:25 PM.