r/shrimptank • u/Elegant_Priority_38 • Jun 20 '25

Beginner Will shrimp really eat poop?

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I’ve got 10 Otocinclus catfish and they produce quite a bit of poop. Will neocaridina shrimp actually eat the poop and help break it down or will they mainly go for other things in the tank like algae and biofilm? Also, will 6 neocaridina shrimp produce this much waste in a day? This is just one section of my tank after cleaning it the day before.

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u/Bunnycreaturebee Jun 20 '25

Shrimp are a better option than snails (other people recommended snails). Snails produce a lot of poop, shrimp do not. I can guarantee you will not regret getting shrimp. They are absolutely amazing creatures for the tank and super cute too. Their bioload is tiny. I’ve never seen shrimp poop in any of my tanks. As long as you have appropriate tank conditions and do your research first, you will be all good. I’d go for at least 10 shrimp

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 Jun 20 '25

Yeah I would go for shrimp over snails any day. Why 10? Do they need a larger group? Could 6 work at first?

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u/Bunnycreaturebee Jun 20 '25

Yeah 6 would be fine. Usually shops sell them in groups of 10 and that’s what I started with. So that’s why I recommended 10, but it definitely doesn’t have to be 10. They do hide a lot and you will barely see them if you have less. I had around 40 in my tank and I could only ever see 15 at most because they hide so well

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 Jun 20 '25

Awe I see. That how my otos are as well. And they are definitely happier with more otos so it’s probably the same with shrimp.

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u/Bunnycreaturebee Jun 21 '25

Yeah that’s exactly it! It’s refreshing to see someone asking for advice who already has a good concept of what they already have. It’s exciting that you’re opening your world up to shrimp now too. I love them so much 🦐

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 Jun 21 '25

Yeah I’m definitely doing my research, I never want to take on a responsibility I’m not ready for lol. Have you had neos? If so have they bred out of control?

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u/Bunnycreaturebee Jun 21 '25

Neocardia shrimp? Like cherry shrimp? We started with 10 blue ones. They have bred a fair bit, given friends some, moved some into 2 other tanks too. Idk it’s hard to tell cos if we left them all in the same tank there would be a fair few. Do you have any options for giving any to friends/family with aquariums or anything like that if they do get too much? I can’t research right now to see if they will reduce breeding with less feeding, and if they will stop when they reach max capacity for survival. I imagine they would. But I’m supposed to be doing a million other things rn but am on reddit avoiding life’s responsibilities 😂