Hey there! As a marine biology enthusiast and shrimp keeper for over 8 years, I’ve learned quite a bit about these fascinating little creatures and their eating habits. Today I’m gonna break down everything you need to know about what shrimp eat – whether they’re living in the wild oceans freshwater, or in your home aquarium.
Quick Answer
Shrimp are opportunistic omnivores that eat pretty much anything they can find! Their main diet includes:
- Plankton and algae
- Decaying plant matter
- Small mollusks and crustaceans
- Bacterial films
- Parasites (for some species)
- Detritus (dead organic material)
Different Types of Shrimp and Their Diets
Pink Shrimp
These guys can grow up to 8 inches and love to munch on:
- Bacterial films
- Small mollusks
- Algae
- Diatoms
- Crustaceans
- Dead aquatic plants
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp
These little fellows are nature’s cleaning service! They primarily eat:
- Parasites from fish
- Dead fish tissue
- Plant matter
- Small organisms
Vampire Shrimp
Despite their scary name these 12cm shrimp prefer
- Algae
- Detritus
- Diatoms
- Small insects
- Microorganisms
How Do Shrimp Eat?
It’s pretty interesting how shrimp get their food! They use:
- Multiple legs and tiny claws to grip food
- “Jaw feet” (maxilliped) to pump water
- Front legs with claws to grasp and lift food to their mouth
Fun fact Most shrimp are night owls! They prefer to feed during the dark hours when predators are less active
Shrimp in Different Environments
Freshwater Shrimp
In freshwater environments, shrimp mainly eat:
- Decaying algae particles
- Microscopic insects
- Decomposing plants
- Biofilm
Saltwater Shrimp
Ocean dwelling shrimp enjoy:
- Various types of algae
- Dead skin from other organisms
- Seagrass
- Tiny invertebrates
- Plankton
Feeding Your Pet Shrimp
If you’re keeping shrimp as pets (like I do!), here’s what you should know:
Recommended Foods
- Commercial shrimp pellets
- Algae wafers
- Blanched vegetables (spinach, kale, cucumber)
- Snowflake food
- Bee pollen
Feeding Tips
- Feed only what they can eat in 2-3 hours
- Remove uneaten food to prevent water pollution
- Use a feeding dish to keep substrate clean
- Vary their diet for best health
Holiday Care
Going on vacation? No worries! Shrimp can actually survive without added food for up to 2 weeks in a well-established tank. Just add some snowflake food before you leave – they’ll be fine!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overfeeding (I’ve been guilty of this myself!)
- Relying on single food type
- Not removing uneaten food
- Using non-organic vegetables (pesticides can harm shrimp)
Why Understanding Shrimp Diet Matters
Getting your shrimp’s diet right isn’t just about keeping them alive – it’s about helping them thrive! A well-fed shrimp colony will:
- Molt successfully
- Breed more readily
- Show better colors
- Live longer
Final Thoughts
Remember, shrimp aren’t picky eaters – they’re nature’s little cleanup crew! Whether in the wild or in your tank, they play a crucial role in their ecosystem by eating all sorts of stuff that other creatures won’t touch.
Pro tip: If you’re keeping pet shrimp, start with high-quality commercial shrimp food and gradually introduce variety. Trust me, your shrimpy friends will thank you with their active behavior and beautiful colors!
Got any questions about feeding your shrimp? Drop them in the comments below – I’d love to help out fellow shrimp enthusiasts!
Should you remove uneaten food?
It depends on the type of food, but as a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to remove any food which hasn’t been eaten within a couple of hours, just to be safe. Having said that, some foods like snowflake can be left in the tank until it disappears because it won’t pollute the water.
Adding snails to your tank will help to prevent you overfeeding the tank as they’d love to come and eat the extra leftovers before they have a chance to rot and pollute your water. You shouldn’t add more food if you can still see leftovers from their last meal, but if left for too long it could breakdown and become a source of ammonia and potentially stress or harm your shrimp. Having a clean up crew ready to deal with this is helpful, but if you keep overfeeding you could end up with a snail population explosion, try to keep a balance you’re happy with.
What do dwarf shrimp eat?
Cherry shrimp and Bee shrimp are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and vegetation, and this allows them to enjoy a lot of different types of food in their diet. They will happily eat common foods like algae wafers, pollen, snowflake pellets, as well as decaying plant matter and biofilm.
Just like us, they’ll benefit greatly from having a varied diet to ensure they get all of the nutrients and minerals they need to thrive so it’s recommended to alternate the food you give them.
If you only provide a single type of meal that isn’t designed specifically to contain all of the supplements the shrimp need, then you could encounter molting problems. Some examples being protein and calcium, which are very important nutrients for shell growth after molting.
You might not see much interest in new food if they’re not used to it yet, make sure to give the new food a chance to grow on them. You might also notice this if the shrimp simply aren’t that hungry as there could already be plenty of food available in their tank.
A reasonable guideline is to feed only as much as they can completely eat within two or three hours.
This can obviously vary quite a lot depending on what you’re feeding them but over time you’ll learn how much to add. Start with adding a very small portion and then monitoring how quickly it gets scoffed, if it’s gone before an hour you can add more next time.
Most shrimp keepers will feed their colonies somewhere between every day and every two or three days, depending on the tank’s age and conditions etc.
Well-aged tanks that have been up and running for months will normally have a decent amount of biofilm and algae, giving them plenty to graze on throughout the day. If you have a tank like this then you can reduce your feeding schedule to the every few days kind of scale, unless you’re trying to get a big population boom – in which case the extra tasty food will be greatly appreciated.
One grim and morbid aspect of shrimp life is that large colonies are content with eating their deceased. This sounds a bit grizzly but why should they let those nutrients go to waste? You might never even notice this happening, a good sized group can eat a single dead shrimp in hours. It’s still wise to remove dead shrimp if you’re still dealing with only a small number of them because if not eaten quickly enough, it could become a source of ammonia.
What Do Red Cherry Shrimp Eat? FEEDING RED CHERRY SHRIMP THE BEST FOODS FOR COLOR, GROWTH AND EGGS!
FAQ
How long can shrimp go without food?
What not to feed shrimp?
Meat from mammals has no business in the shrimp aquarium. Shrimp do not have intestinal muscles, they just push the food through. So you need a certain amount to make digestion work smoothly, and it shouldn’t be too substantial. So fibre is really very important to them.
What do shrimp eat in the ocean?
In the ocean, shrimp primarily eat algae and plankton, but they are also opportunistic omnivores and scavengers, consuming a wide variety of organic matter. This includes dead and decaying plants and animals, as well as small fish, worms, and other invertebrates.
What to feed shrimp to keep them alive?
In a community tank, no specific feeding may be needed, as the shrimp will consume uneaten fish food, algae, and biofilm. In a dedicated shrimp tank or a tank with a sparse fish population, the shrimp can be fed a few times a week (with any uneaten food being removed after an hour or so).