# Disappearing RCS - snack food, or ninjas?



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I had a female RCS give birth in my 3 gallon breeder to about 50 babies. They've matured to about 1/8" and are developing color, so I figured it was time to add some back into the main tank. I have added two installments of about ten each, and I can't find any of them! Are they dying, are they becoming snack food for my 7 1.5" bloodfin tetras, or are they just ninjas that are masterful at hiding? I've even tried scouring the tank at night in the LED moonlight I have to try and spot them.

I'm pretty sure it's not the water quality, since I see the 3 existing RCS (the mom, another mom, and one male) all the time.

Also, just FYI, I'll be breeding MTS if anyone wants some in a few months.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

baby RCS can hide VERY well in tanks that have a lot of hiding places, like dense plants and driftwood. I didn't even know I had RCS babies the first time in my 30 gallon until I broken the tank down getting ready to move it, LOL. so that is a possibility.

the other thing you have to watch for is them getting sucked into the filter. I've had full grown RCS sucked up into my Fluval 305 canister before I put a sponge pre-filter on the intake tube. luckily this usually doesn't kill them though; they get stopped in the filter material before ever reaching the impeller, and they'll crawl around inside the filter and pick stuff from it to eat, and they can live in there for quite some time actually. I pulled my filter apart for it's routine cleaning about a week and a half ago, and found a bunch in there again! because I didn't have a pre-filter on the intake tube again... I've since wrapped some filter material around in the intake and rubber banded it in place



YouTube - ‪Cherry Shrimp found alive in canister filter.mp4‬‏


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

*i/a*

I was going to say the same. Shrimp are the best hiders ever! I've got about 18 RCS and 16 BDS and at any given time I can only see about 6 of them. 

Some _may_ become a snack, but if they are quick enough and are good enough at hiding, they should be fine.

I was also going to say they may be inside the filter, but that's been suggested.  I use a sponge over my filter intake because even the adults were getting sucked into the filter.

Good luck! Let us know if you find them!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I took a good long look at the tank and I can see about ten in there. I've got a prefilter on my AC50, but not on the impeller for my CO2 reactor.

Thanks guys!


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Put a pre-filter on that C02 intake! It may eat your baby shrimpies!


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

It's a Red Sea Max 500 CO2 reactor - google it for a good pic, and try to tell me how in the world I can prefilter it - the intake is on the back corners where the reactor suction-cups to the tank wall. They're also on the corners, making prefiltering difficult to do at the least.

On the same tangent - what could be snacking on my RCS? The tetras eat sparingly, which gives me the impression they aren't that hungry. Plus I overfeed the $%^@ out of my tank, in hopes food gets to the bottom for my numerous critters (ADF's, RCS, 2 Amano's, Nerite snail and now MTS as well). I've noticed the ADF's can be grouchy, but they also have horrible eyesight and a good sense of smell. Would they be pestering my RCS to death? The only other inhabitants are 3 microrasboras, and I'm 100% sure the RCS aren't being eaten by them since the RCS are their same size.

Thoughts?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Could also be the assassin snails. I have read on other forums of them eating the shrimp once in awhile.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I don't think it would be too difficult to make a pre-filter for that reactor. Any fibrous material could be used. Holding it in place may be a challenge.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Assassin snails will eat a baby RCS if they can catch it. The adults are usually ok.

ADF's will snap at shrimp if they get too close, because any moving shadow looks like food to them. So, a frog may get one once in a while. I'd think they would just damage the shrimp more than eat it though.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Man, sounds like I had better keep my RCS in another tank if they're getting munched on by Assassins, ADF's and tetras all in one! No wonder they hide!

My 10 gallon sounds like a much more hospitable locale, except that I have an L204 who has the chunk of Malaysian driftwood well guarded.

I'll look into getting some prefilter material for that reactor, but it probably won't matter in a month or so because I'm buying a new canister filter setup and will have an in-line DIY reactor.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I wouldn't worry too much. My ADF's haven't eaten any, and I've also got Black Diamond Shrimp, which are a little smaller than the Cherries.

I'm just surprised yours are breeding in a tank that isn't a shrimp only tank. I was told the mine aren't breeding most likely because of the presence of the frogs and cards.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

mine bread for the first time when I had 2 DG's in the tank. and apparently they're still spawning now even with a Blue Ram in there, and I KNOW he'll eat babby RCS, lol


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Grrr! Mine won't breed for anything! Water params are great, plenty of food, plenty of plants, plenty of hiding spots..... male and female shrimp..... no 'berried' females or babies!


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

my Ghost Shrimp even "berry" all the time, but I know I'll never see any babies from them. if I do, then HOLY CRAP, lol


I've found that mine like wood that they can craw up underneath and REALLY get away from any possible predators in the tank. when I need to pull a piece of the wood out of the tank for whatever reason, I have to pull it out and dip it back in the tank several times to make sure all the shrimp let go of it and fall back into the tank, and even after that I spend another minute or so once the wood is out of the tank looking over it for movement of any that were stubborn enough to still hang on, lol. they'll wedge themselves into the smallest cracks and crevasses they can


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Well then.... I need to get some real wood in that tank! Lol.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I just caught one of my RCS cruising around out in the open (actually swimming about mid-level in the tank) and a few of the bloodfin tetras eyed him, but they left him alone.

I had a female become preggers in my big tank and I netted her and transferred her into my 3G where she gave birth, and man did I ever get a ton of them! The females I've left in the small tank now have yellow saddles, but I think they're still too small to give birth. Hopefully I'll have an army in no time, then I can sell some!

@holly - I've noticed my RCS like driftwood and very mossy things as well. They love the Marimo moss ball in the breeder tank, the riccia fluitens I have growing just under the surface in my main tank, and the prefilter on my AC50. I guess it's a good place for them to cruise and grab some snacks.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Update:

Found a completely uneaten but very dead RCS in my main tank yesterday morning, so it's something to do with my water quality that is killing my RCS I think. I'll be testing my parameters tomorrow night, but in the meantime I've completely stopped dosing fertilizers, since last time it was elevated phosphate levels that were causing me concern.


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## bolram (May 17, 2011)

When i read the title of this post all i could think of was ninjas coming into your house and stealing your RCS and leaving a note saying "<3 from the ninja company" lol

But yeah my RCS rarely can be seen and are such good hiders and call behind the filter their home and stray out once or twice a day


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Yeah, RCS are great hiders.

Update:

I've found that my main tank is definitely inhospitable to RCS. I say that compared to the population I just transferred from the breeder tank into my 10 gallon - ALL the females are now carrying yellow saddles (indication of being preggers), and I saw one berried already as well this morning. Their colors are also much more vibrant than the 29 gallon inhabitants. Going to wait until the 3 gallon breeder is cycled again (just overhauled it to put an UGF in) before I transfer a berried female like I did last time.


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## mk4gti (Jun 15, 2010)

My girl has like 200 RCS in a 20 long. We just let the cherry barbs eat the ones that they can get, its pretty densly planted so enough survive. My CRS tank how ever, the only fish are 3 otos and i cover all the intakes with the fluval edge spong replacment peice.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Yeah, I've got my filter inlet and my CO2 reactor covered. The entire tank is one giant mass of wisteria, riccia moss, and frogsbit (thanks to a 48W T5HO and yeast fermentation CO2, along with awesome substrate). I have to rip out handfuls to give my tetras swimming room.


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