Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Choosing Freshwater Invertebrates For Your Aquarium That Will Not Cause Death

The author identifies certain freshwater
invertebrates species you can use in your
aquarium and some you certainly cannot. These
include snails and shrimp and if you do not make
the correct decision there will be a lot of dead
creatures and missing plants!

Shrimps are a popular choice amongst the
invertebrates when it comes to adding them to
your freshwater aquarium. But you have to be
careful as depending on their size and/or nature
they may either be eaten by the fish in the tank
or they themselves may become the predator and
eat your fish!

Suitable for Community Tanks

Bamboo shrimp are great for community aquariums
because they do not have claws, they have fans.
And they only reach two to three inches in length
so are unlikely to be eaten by smaller fish but
think about how big your fish will get.

Their fans are used to collect food from the
environment so they need a water flow to enable
them to feed and therefore your aquarium needs to
have a filter in it with plants and rocks nearby
so they can access the water exuding from the
outlet.

Food wise, if a bamboo shrimp is noticed using
its fans on the bottom of the tank then it means
there is not enough food for it. One way of
ensuring they get the food is to use a syringe to
squirt it near their fans. Food for the syringe
includes daphnia, algae wafers, flake food and
young brine shrimp.

Amongst the snails, Pomacea bridgesii is a good
selection for a community tank but you need to
make sure that this is the snail you have
purchased. If you buy the wrong species your
plants may disappear very quickly!

Not suitable for Community Tanks

Long arm shrimps are species of Macrobrachium and
some of them can grow to over twelve inches, are
territorial and aggressive and will eat most
things they can catch so are definitely not
suitable for a community tank. As a warning, look
out for this species as they can be offered to
aquarists for their aquariums.

Snails: There are species of snails that can grow
up to 6 inches wide and clearly will not be
ideally suitable for a community aquarium.
Pomacea canaliculata (Apple snail) fits into this
category and should be avoided, unless of course
you have a tank big enough. You cannot miss their
eggs, they are bright orange in color.

And you may well find that you have hitch-hiker
snails. These are small snails that get a ride on
the plants that you buy for your aquarium. Be
warned though. They can multiply rapidly
(threefold in a week?) and give you water quality
problems due to their waste, so check your plants
before putting them into your tank. Some folk
just squish them against the glass and let their
fish eat them!

At the end of the day you have to make specific
choices regarding the inclusion of freshwater
invertebrates into your aquarium.

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Paul Curran is webmaster at
http://www.fresh-water-aquariums-guide.com where
you can get a free e-course on how to set up and
maintain a beautiful aquarium and have the
healthiest, happiest fish around. You can also
access a fresh water aquariums care information
system.

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