Shrimp are a popular choice of animal in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums but if you want your pets to thrive and grow well, you must ensure that they are having the best possible diet. Whether you opt to provide your shrimp with a fresh diet that can include a range of vegetables or use a premade shrimp mix, these options will always give them ultimate nutrition.
We have been checking out some of the best food for shrimp and we would love to share what we have found. While there are plenty of options on the market, there were some that really stood out from the crowd.
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What Do Shrimp Eat In The Wild?
Shrimp are perhaps one of the least fussy eaters in your aquarium. They are often known to clear up the last bits of leftover food from the fish and in the wild, they are just as diverse when it comes to diet. These are omnivores which means that they will eat a variety of plant and meat-based foods, particularly on the bottom of the ocean or river where they live.
Shrimp surprisingly eat a variety of decaying matter which might include plants, mollusks, crabs, dead fish, and pretty much anything else they can get their ‘hands’ on. These scavengers make great pets since there is a great selection of foods you can offer them when they are kept in captivity.
Many people ask the question what is a shrimp’s prey but in truth, this isn’t something that can be easily answered. You see shrimp are opportunistic and tend to forage more than they do hunt. When they are searching for food, they will use their sense of smell as opposed to their eyes. This is because of a series of feelers that are located on the shrimp’s head that make it easy to sense out a meal.
But in addition to feeding on dead worms and other meat-based foods, they are also known to feed on the biofilm that builds up on all aquatic surfaces both in the wild and in an aquarium setting.
What Is The Best Food For Shrimp?
If like many hobby aquarists, you have a collection of shrimp in your tank, you have probably been wondering what options are best when it comes to giving your pets a nutritious diet. As we have discovered, these animals are not picky eaters and so you do have quite a lot of choices.
Fresh Foods
Before we get into looking at some of the best shrimp food products that are out there, it is important to point out that you might also choose to offer fresh foods to your shrimp. Since they are omnivores, they will vastly enjoy a variety of meat and plant-based foods with the latter being an easy option for fish keepers.
You can give your shrimp things like pieces of cucumber and spinach. Not only are these incredibly easy to source but they also provide a good level of nutrition for the animals. Another shrimp favorite, as surprising as it may be, are pears. However, if you are going to use these to feed your shrimp, you must ensure that you cut them up into very small pieces.
Another great option for shrimp keepers to consider are canned vegetables. Not only do these contain all of the important nutrients needed for healthy shrimp but they are also incredibly affordable and readily available. Green beans are a great option here since they will quickly sink to the bottom of the tank and are soft enough for the shrimp to eat easily.
You might also consider using tinned carrots which are packed with beta carotene, an ingredient that will serve as a serious color enhancer for the shrimp. Whatever types of vegetables you decide to use, you must be careful not to put too many into the water as any that are not eaten will quickly disintegrate and affect the quality of the water.
Hikari Shrimp Cuisine
Known as one of the best aquatic food brands, you can trust that anything you purchase from Hikari is going to be of the best quality. What’s more, aquatic life seems to go mad for these products so if you are looking for something that your shrimp will enjoy, you won’t go far wrong with this. The shrimp cuisine food is a packet of small pellets that sink quickly to the bottom of the tank. They are particularly good for cherry shrimp and crystal shrimp when they are breeding as they can be eaten by the young as well as the adults. However, if you have larger adult shrimp and need something bigger, then Hikari also does a Crab Cuisine which is ideal for these animals.
The cuisine is made up from a variety of nutritious ingredients that will vastly benefit the health of your shrimp. Things like spirulina and seaweed feature prominently but you will also find krill which will enhance the color of your shrimp. The food is also bursting with vitamins and calcium which are ideal for encouraging healthy growth so this makes a great food for younger shrimp. You will also notice that there are trace amounts of copper in this food and while a lot of people worry that this is harmful, it is needed for blood production, but only in tiny amounts.
Fluval Bug Bites Shrimp Formula
Shrimp require a good amount of protein in their diet and in the wild, they will normally obtain this from dead fish and things like crabs. However, it is also possible to get this from insects and that is why we think the Fluval Bug Bites are perfect for aquarium shrimp. They do eat insects in the wild when they can, and this comes as a surprise to many beginner shrimp keepers.
The Fluval Bug Bites are primarily made up from black soldier fly larvae and these are packed with all of the important nutrients that your shrimp need to thrive. Moreover, it contains good levels of vitamin D3 and calcium which will help to ensure that the exoskeleton remains healthy and robust. But aside from this, the Fluval Bug Bites also have lots of other nutritious ingredients like green peas, salmon, and alfalfa all of which will promote a healthy digestive system and boost growth.
Zoo Med Nano Banquet Food Blocks
For people whose tap water is extremely soft, these nano food blocks do far more than just offering important nutrition for your shrimp. You see, they are bursting with things like calcium and magnesium sulfate which is perfect to encourage healthy shrimp molting. While a lot of people will typically only use this food option when they are heading off on vacation as they slowly release food, it is a good idea to include them as a part of your shrimp’s regular diet.
What we really love about these blocks is that they release the food over the course of time but this doesn’t affect the quality of the water. There will be no clouding meaning that, even if you do use them regularly, you won’t need to worry. In addition, they are a versatile food that features a wide array of ingredients including spirulina and plankton that will be beneficial to the shrimp and all of the other aquatic life in your tank.
Repashy Gel Food
Because of their very nature, shrimp prefer to graze on foods over the course of the day rather than eating individual meals. Now this can pose a problem with some foods as they are not designed to be left in the aquarium over time as they will start to break up and ruin the water quality. However, that is where gel food is different. This food is mixed with hot water and turns into a gel which can remain in the water for much longer; up to 24 hours, without affecting the quality.
The texture is perfect for shrimp and this makes it a much easier food for them to eat and digest. When you are feeding baby shrimp, you can skip mixing the powder with hot water and offer it as is which will be easier for them.
The Repashy gel food contains a variety of ingredients but is particularly high in plant matter and algae which covers the herbaceous part of these animal’s diet. You will also find a range of things like alfalfa, peas, and seaweed to further boost that plant matter. But don’t worry, there is plenty of protein in the gel food with ingredients like squid and krill, making this one of the most well-balanced options on our list.
Indian Almond Leaves
As we have already mentioned, shrimp will often graze on biofilm which develops on surfaces in the aquarium. This will develop naturally, but there are ways to encourage this, and Indian almond leaves are one of the most effective methods. Besides this, having leaf litter will provide your tank with a lot of other benefits.
The reason that these are so effective is because these leaves have a lot of tannins that will be released into the water. It is important to note that this will turn the water a slightly darker color but boiling the leaves will prevent this. In addition to this, the leaves may upset the balance of the pH in the water but they do have antibacterial properties so there are pros and cons.
Over the course of time, the leaves will begin to disintegrate, which should take around a few weeks and as this happens, the shrimp will feed on the rotting leaves. In addition, the leaf litter will provide smaller shrimp with some cover which is great when they are feeding.
What To Consider When Feeding Shrimp
Feeding shrimp is potentially one of the easiest jobs you will need to do in your aquarium and this is related to their non-fussy eating nature. However, there are a few things you will need to consider to make sure that the animals are getting the best diet possible.
For starters, you will have noticed that the products we have talked about in this guide are all ones that will sink quickly. Shrimp are bottom feeders and so it is important that their food will reach them before it starts falling apart. That said, since they are also scavengers, they will make the most of any remaining pellets or flakes that have been left behind by the fish in the tank. In some cases, aquarists with a wide variety of other species won’t provide their shrimp with any specific food at all and will simply let them feed off the leftovers. However, we wouldn’t advise this as you cannot be certain that they will be getting all of the correct nutrients, and after all, we want the shrimp to have the healthiest and longest life possible.
How often you feed your shrimp will partly depend on how many you have in the tank. Let’s assume that you have a shrimp-only tank with between ten and twenty animals. In this instance, you would be able to feed them twice a week; you can select two days, equally spaced apart and offer food once on each of these days.
With that in mind, you should monitor how quickly the shrimp eat the food. If they are getting through it much more quickly than expected, then it may be wise to up the number of times you feed them each week. There are some owners out there that will feed their shrimp as often as five or six times a week.
One very important thing to keep in mind is that you should only ever put in as much food as the shrimp will eat in a two to three-minute sitting. If there is too much leftover, then this will sink to the bottom and begin to disintegrate which will then affect the quality of your water. You can always add more if the shrimp still seem hungry but taking it away is a much more difficult affair.
When choosing food for your shrimp, it is not only important to make sure that the food will quickly sink to the bottom but also that it contains all of the right nutrients. Things like calcium are super important for growth and for a strong exoskeleton. You should also look for foods that contain beta carotene which will ensure the orange and red hues of the shrimp are vibrant and stand out.
Conclusion
If you have a freshwater or saltwater aquarium, it is highly likely that you have already, or are considering taking on a group of shrimp. Not only are these animals an important part of any aquatic ecosystem they are also fascinating and beautiful to watch. However, if you are taking on shrimp, this comes with the responsibility of making sure that they are properly fed.
Shrimp will eat both meat and plants in the wild and their diet is primarily made up from foods that they have scavenged. This may include things like dead fish, snails, worms, crustaceans, and even insects. In captivity, you can offer fresh foods but there are also a wide range of prepared foods that are made especially for shrimp and will provide them with all of the important nutrients necessary to help them thrive
