freshwater shrimp vs saltwater shrimp as food

spotfin

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I was in a local grocery store the other day picking up squid and tilapia for my rays when I noticed "freshwater shrimp" for sale in the freezer section. It is farm raised somewhere in Asia. I have always fed shrimp to my rays but it (the shrimp) has been of the saltwater variety. I recently switched shrimp brands from farmed raised shrimp to a wild caught product from the Gulf of Mexico.
It seems most frozen seafood products (including the freshwater shrimp I mentioned above) contain sodium tripolyphosphate to preserve the product. Would there be any advantage to feeding the freshwater shrimp to my rays rather than the shrimp I currently feed now? They all have added salt.
 

Brent

Jack Dempsey
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Apr 19, 2005
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i dont think there would be any benefit ... also ive noticed the freashwater shrimp are more expensive and tears apart easier making a mess in the tank thats what i dont like about them the ones here are big so the rays shred them up ....
 

motoro magic

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I feed my rays frozen prawns from the supermarket and give them an occasional treat of live river shrimp (brakish water) and they totally destroy the live and will hunt every inch of the tank to make sure there are none left. I dont know if there are any different benefits to feeding fresh water shrimp but i know which my rays prefer.
 

Just Toby

Fire Eel
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Apr 22, 2010
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I think the reason the Rays go mad for the brackish shrimp is the fact that they are alive and sparking off mini electrical currents which the rays would use to hunt down in the wild.

Do you just by frozen prawns like the ones you would buy to make a prawn cocktail??? I am keen to try these myself.
 

spotfin

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i dont think there would be any benefit ... also ive noticed the freashwater shrimp are more expensive and tears apart easier making a mess in the tank thats what i dont like about them the ones here are big so the rays shred them up ....
Thanks. Will stick with the shrimp I feed now.

I feed my rays frozen prawns from the supermarket and give them an occasional treat of live river shrimp (brakish water) and they totally destroy the live and will hunt every inch of the tank to make sure there are none left. I dont know if there are any different benefits to feeding fresh water shrimp but i know which my rays prefer.
I have fed live river shrimp (caught in brackish water too) and the rays really like them. Caught many today at work but didn't bring any home. Next time though.
 

motoro magic

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Apr 2, 2011
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I think the reason the Rays go mad for the brackish shrimp is the fact that they are alive and sparking off mini electrical currents which the rays would use to hunt down in the wild.

Do you just by frozen prawns like the ones you would buy to make a prawn cocktail??? I am keen to try these myself.
Sorry i did not answer sooner Toby. Yes they are the cocktail prawns from the frozen section in Morrisons, dont get them from the fresh fish counter as these are rubbish. I have tried my rays on cocktail prawns from loads of different supermarkets and frozen food outlets but they prefere Morrisons own. Who ever says rays are stupid is mistaken as they know the difference between good and bad prawns for sure lol.
 
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