Best live feeders for GSP?
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:46 pm
I'm searching for snails or live inverts to keep and breed as feeders for my 2 inch GSP. He's currently in his own cycled 30 gal tank, transitioning to brackish (now at .004, increasing slightly with each water change). Right now he mainly eats bottom feeder shrimp pellets, which he chews up while they're still hard. I give him one or two pellets every second day.
I have two other tanks, one is a 30 gal tropical community tank. It contains mollies, so it's also at .004. I don't plan to increase the salinity in this tank because I have a school of cory cats which don't tolerate salt well. I also have a 5 gal tank which is cycled and pure freshwater. It has a sponge filter. I used it at first for the GSP while I was getting his big tank cycled. it's running empty now.
My tap water pH is over 8 which is pretty high. I use a large piece of driftwood in the community tank to bring the pH down a bit. I have cuttlebones which I could use to provide calcium for anything with a shell.
I've been looking at the following options:
-setting up the 5 gal as a neocaridina shrimp tank
-getting some species of snail and breeding them (so far I haven't been able to find any that can tolerate salt besides nerite snails). I would probably have to put them in the 5 gal, except snails tend to produce a lot of dirt in general and I'd probably be only to keep one or two in there.
- getting and breeding a dwarf crayfish species, keeping it in the 5 gal or possibly the community tank. Dwarf crayfish tend to be mainly peaceful plant eaters unlike their larger cousins.
All of the above options are available locally.
Concerns:
- I'm wondering if shrimp would be too small or their shells too thin to wear down the puffer's teeth? Would they die as soon as I dropped them into his brackish tank?
- I read that nerite snail shells are very hard, and that they keep their foot and tentacles tucked in to protect themselves. Would this make them unsuitable as food for a 2 inch GSP? (maybe they could eat the juvenile snails instead)
- Has anyone tried feeding dwarf crayfish to a GSP or F8? As an example, here's the info on one common species:
Common Name: Brazos Dwarf Crayfish
Scientific name: Cambarellus Texanus
Origin: North America
Maximum Size: 3-4cm
If there's another feeder species that would be easy to find, can tolerate some salt in the water, and is easy to breed, I'd appreciate any suggestions! I read that Malaysian Trumpet snails can tolerate salt as well, but so far I've had no luck finding any around here.
I have two other tanks, one is a 30 gal tropical community tank. It contains mollies, so it's also at .004. I don't plan to increase the salinity in this tank because I have a school of cory cats which don't tolerate salt well. I also have a 5 gal tank which is cycled and pure freshwater. It has a sponge filter. I used it at first for the GSP while I was getting his big tank cycled. it's running empty now.
My tap water pH is over 8 which is pretty high. I use a large piece of driftwood in the community tank to bring the pH down a bit. I have cuttlebones which I could use to provide calcium for anything with a shell.
I've been looking at the following options:
-setting up the 5 gal as a neocaridina shrimp tank
-getting some species of snail and breeding them (so far I haven't been able to find any that can tolerate salt besides nerite snails). I would probably have to put them in the 5 gal, except snails tend to produce a lot of dirt in general and I'd probably be only to keep one or two in there.
- getting and breeding a dwarf crayfish species, keeping it in the 5 gal or possibly the community tank. Dwarf crayfish tend to be mainly peaceful plant eaters unlike their larger cousins.
All of the above options are available locally.
Concerns:
- I'm wondering if shrimp would be too small or their shells too thin to wear down the puffer's teeth? Would they die as soon as I dropped them into his brackish tank?
- I read that nerite snail shells are very hard, and that they keep their foot and tentacles tucked in to protect themselves. Would this make them unsuitable as food for a 2 inch GSP? (maybe they could eat the juvenile snails instead)
- Has anyone tried feeding dwarf crayfish to a GSP or F8? As an example, here's the info on one common species:
Common Name: Brazos Dwarf Crayfish
Scientific name: Cambarellus Texanus
Origin: North America
Maximum Size: 3-4cm
If there's another feeder species that would be easy to find, can tolerate some salt in the water, and is easy to breed, I'd appreciate any suggestions! I read that Malaysian Trumpet snails can tolerate salt as well, but so far I've had no luck finding any around here.