Rethinking Bioload Contribution of Shrimp?

[NoDeltaH2O]

Many have flatly stated that shrimp are minimum bioload contributors (MBCs), and little disagreement has risen up in opposition to this statement, but I must admit that in my 20gallon loach/shrimp tank, the amano shrimp have way more visible waste than do the fish. The shrimp continuoulsy eat algae and since their bodies are clear, I can see the long black trail of waste going along the length of their backs, often hanging out.

In light of this, should we still think of these shrimp as minimum/marginal bioload contributors? Is our assumption of them being MBCs based on their small size only, or on their digestive and excretory characteristics? Obviously, when compared to a cichlid, shrimp contribute minimally to the waste production, but do you think when we compare them to a fish of the same magnitude of size are they really any different?

 

[derajer]

I think that you would have to a) find out what the composition of their solid waste is and b) find out how much amonia they release into the water, after all when we refer to the bioload of a system aren't we generally speaking in the context of the amonia/nitrie/nitrate cycle?

 

[Bruckm]

I think that you would have to a) find out what the composition of their solid waste is

Get right on that, would you Delta?

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

Waste composition analysis is NOT fun. In my undergrad engineering cirriculum, there was a mandatory course called Environmental Engineeirng. Well, poop is part of the environment I guess, so we had to visit a wastewater treatment facility and take home gallon jugs of what they lovingly refer to as mixed liquor, which is a strange name for raw sewage. (I really would have preferred to go to the zoo and get a fridge magnet of a seal instead.) We had to weigh our little bowls of slurry, first evaporate off the water, then re-weigh to determine solid content, then bake it at high temps to determine noncombustibles (?). NASTY process, lemme tell you, nasty process. I'll not be cooking any shrimp poop for you guys!

 

[FroggyFox]

Awww c'mon delta PLLEAASSE

I think generally I say shrimp have a pretty low bioload on the tank because of their tiny size (this would exclude any shrimp that get larger than say a big ghost shrimp) and the fact that for the most part they dont get fed! I'm not putting food in my tanks to feed the shrimp...they happily live off of bottom stuff, algae, food they snag from the fish at feeding time etc. So, even though they're in there and they add a little...I'm doubting that its much more of a load than someone who tends to feed on the high side. There are always exceptions...and I would disagree with anyone saying that they add NO bioload. But I think of a ghost shrimp in a 10G tank as being pretty much invisible.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

Well, FroggyFox, since you requested, I went ahead and did the analysis.

It took me a while to come up with this, so I really hope you all appreciate the amount of work that went into this.

73% water
27% solids

Amano Shrimp Solid Waste Analysis:
55% Ammonia
12.4% Phosphourous
3% Potassium
14% carbon
1% iron (non-chelated)
6% undigested algae
33% unidentifiable elements
100% total BS.

 

[Cutlass]

Waste composition analysis is NOT fun. In my undergrad engineering cirriculum, there was a mandatory course called Environmental Engineeirng. Well, poop is part of the environment I guess, so we had to visit a wastewater treatment facility and take home gallon jugs of what they lovingly refer to as mixed liquor, which is a strange name for raw sewage. (I really would have preferred to go to the zoo and get a fridge magnet of a seal instead.) We had to weigh our little bowls of slurry, first evaporate off the water, then re-weigh to determine solid content, then bake it at high temps to determine noncombustibles (?). NASTY process, lemme tell you, nasty process. I'll not be cooking any shrimp poop for you guys!

Haha I visited a wastewater plant a few years ago when I worked for a construction company that was bidding on a project to re-seal some concrete holding tanks. Fascinating place to visit, if you have the stomach for it.

My uncle used to be mayor of a small town, and they had something go wrong with some mechanical component inside a raw sewage holding tank. They had to send in a diver to jump in and fix it

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Most people have NO idea how nasty that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[Lotus]

Shrimp have a simple/inefficient digestive system, so they're probably not getting rid of as much waste as you hope they might. I have to say my large amano shrimp are almost twice the size of my rasboras, and I assume they put out their fair share of waste. My shrimp-only tank also gets pretty nasty. I think I have about 100 or 150 shrimp in there (10g tank, various sizes), and there is a lot of waste, and nitrates do get to about 15 within a week (and it is heavily planted, and lots of hornwort).

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

Lotus, I just checked out your tanks again, and they look really nice, exactly the kind of look I am striving for. The 87 gallon tank is a beauty. You really seem "understocked" by and large. Do you feed your shrimp at all or just let them scavenge?

 

[Lotus]

In the shrimp-only tank I feed once a day a rotating feast of algae wafers, flakes, marine algae, shrimp pellets, shrimp and crab food and carnivore pellets. Those pics are pretty old now. I hope ecotank will update soon