Live food=better color?

[baruch mor]

I started to feed my shrimps with live microworms. After a few days their red color look stronger and healthier. Is it only my imagination or live food make better colors?

[Jane of Upton]

Mine often eat frozen and canned daphnia, and seem to enjoy it. I think the calcium in the exoskelaton of the daphnia, or "water fleas" is beneficial for them to consume.

Coloration can also be affected by "mood", or comfort level with the water parameters and environmental factors. I do think that a varied and calcium-rich diet has a positive effect on their color though.

Do they actually eat the live worms? I've never thought of the Neocardinia or Cardinia types as hunters of other live critters. Canned or Frozen daphnia, which are "dead", yes, but actually eating a live, moving worm is surprising.

Interesting.
-Jane

[gr81]

Mine often eat frozen and canned daphnia, and seem to enjoy it. I think the calcium in the exoskelaton of the daphnia, or "water fleas" is beneficial for them to consume.

Coloration can also be affected by "mood", or comfort level with the water parameters and environmental factors. I do think that a varied and calcium-rich diet has a positive effect on their color though.

Do they actually eat the live worms? I've never thought of the Neocardinia or Cardinia types as hunters of other live critters. Canned or Frozen daphnia, which are "dead", yes, but actually eating a live, moving worm is surprising.

Interesting.
-Jane
I saw CJ hunting, kill, eat small snails (Planorbarius corneus). First they eat crushed, past some time they hunt it :)

[baruch mor]

Microworm tend to sink to the bottom of the tank. the shrimps eat them even before they get to the bottom.
about calcium - what about dosing the water column calcium chloride? that's what i do anyway and never saw any Ca deficiency

[Jane of Upton]

A regular and varied diet should provide enough calcium. If you dose the water with calcium (for your plants, right?) that should more than cover the needs of the shrimp! I also have Brigs snails in some of the same tanks with shrimp, and they grow very quickly, and need a LOT of calcium in their diet for nicest shell growth. The Brigs snails will even eat the softened spine segments from canned salmon! I put one in as an experiment (its been canned, so is essentially cooked) and one (Pomacea brigsii) cruised over and started chomping on it. I put in a few segments now and then, and they're all eaten within an hour. I know that the snails are especially calcium-hungry. I just stay mindful that the shrimp get their fair share, too.

I think your shrimp should be fine for getting enough calcium. That is very interesting that they eat the live micro worms. I know the Macrobrachium shrimp are hunters, and I've heard of the C. japonica eating crushed snails, and some folks report that they eat snail eggs, too, but I'd never thought the Neocardinia types would eat a live food! I've seen the Brigs snails suck in live Brine Shrimp, which was pretty surprising.

That's really neat that your shrimp eat microworms. Wow!
-Jane