Adding A Full Size Dead Prawn To A 20g Tank

[MossyFroggyLove]

Hey guys, I just added a dead prawn to my tank. It is the kind you get in seafood markets. I just wanna hear your thoughts. I got a few photos. This is my first time doing this in a 20 gallon tank. Hardly anyone in here, just one hermit crab, a banded shrimp and a camel shrimp as well as bristle worms and spaghetti worms. Before i could get a photo, my hermit crab already started digging into it.

 

[Euphyllia97]

I also feed my fish seafood 2-3 times per week (I peel it myself). For me I always make sure it has been frozen, and once I have unfrozen it, I soak it in hot water for a minute. Just to make sure it is parasite free. Then I place it on a noriclip so I can remove the uneaten parts easily as they break down rather fast and contaminate your water.

The bigger fish rip of parts that the smaller fish will then eat, which is great as some of them are too shy to come up to the clip. They love it and I have noticed their health improving since I have been feeding seafood.

I think as long as it is well managed, from a good source there are only positive things about it :)

Edit: I dip it in some seachem nourish. Even my snails come up to the clip for the feast

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Cool, though i dont have any fish. Originally i thought i wanted to cut it up, but then i thought it would be quite interesting to add a whole prawn in. I didnt peel it as i wanted to see if the cuc could handle it. So far only my hermit crab has been fiddling with it.

 

[Euphyllia97]

Cool, though i dont have any fish. Originally i thought i wanted to cut it up, but then i thought it would be quite interesting to add a whole prawn in. I didnt peel it as i wanted to see if the cuc could handle it. So far only my hermit crab has been fiddling with it.

Might take them a while to get theough, but Pretty sure they will be able to handle it. With a whole prawn in a 20 gallon it’s just important to keep an eye on your ammonia :) I normally feed half a shrimp every 2-3 days but I only leave it in for 1-1,5 hours. After that they seem to lose interest so I take out the unnecessary nutrients. As a reference this is in a 120 gallon tank stocked with a couple of fish (most are small), +-20 snails, 5 blue legged hermits, 3 emerald crabs, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 peppermint shrimp and a fire shrimp.

 

[fish_collector]

Let your critters enjoy the meal and then take out what's left so you don't create unnecessary burdens on the tank's biological abilites.

 

[mcarroll]

This isn't normal. But also not the weirdest thing I've heard of. ;) ;) ;)

Will be interesting to watch if you keep us updated!

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Ok, so my hermit crab did break the shell at the head but then moved towards the tail part and spent about an hour trying to break the shell. Eventually it broke the shell, but then i decided to take the prawn, cut off its tail (since theres no meat there) and then cut off 3 small pieces from the body part which i peeled, one for my nem, one for my banded shrimp and one for my large mushroom. I then helped to peel a tiny patch from the remaining prawn and gave it back to the hermit crab. After about 5 mins of eating, the hermit crab grabbed the head of the prawn and started pulling it away before realising it was too heavy and just dropped it. Then, i think maybe 10 mins later, the hermit crab returned and started eating. Now, about 1 hour later, the crab is still eating.

 

[Subsea]

Glad you are enjoying your aquarium adventure. I feed my tank bivalves: clams, oyster & mussels.

 

[MossyFroggyLove]

Had to toss the prawn out today. It turned pink (a sign that it is spoilt) and originally, i wanted to cut the remaining meat to feed my corals, but when i took it out, i stinked soo bad that i did not dare to bring it anywhere close to me or the reef tank. I also dosed some Microbe-Lift Nite-Out II to take care of ammonia spikes. This bottle of Microbe-Lift Nite-Out II has been my best friend for so long, too bad it is almost completely finished.