Prawns/shrimp tails and shell?? On/Off

[DIDYSIS]

Is it just time waisted to be removing the shell and tails?? Who just throws them in whole? Who buys them clean or takes the time to remove all that extra?? Also is it worth cutting them up? At what size is it good to throw in full size medium large prawns and shrimp?

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[Reedmaster16]

The tail can be pretty sharp. I remove the outer shell and tail. I also chop them up into 1/3 size pieces before feeding.

Leaving the shells on in the past led to me picking them out of the tank later.

 

[Keister]

I buy shrimp in 3lb bags with shell on and just thaw them and remove the shell and tail.


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[808_fairladyz]

+1, most monster fish can deal with the shell and tail, but the nutritional benefits are insignificant. I negate the risk of possible dmge by shelling them before use. No harm, no fowl.

 

[ShadowStryder]

I feed them with tail on. Never an issue. I would think the ruf***e would help to clean them out. And they surely dont have someone cleaning their food for them in the wild.

 

[peterp63]

I feed them with tail on. Never an issue. I would think the ruf***e would help to clean them out. And they surely dont have someone cleaning their food for them in the wild.

+1. I thaw, rinse, and feed with shell on. Even when I cut them into pieces I leave shell on. Who de-shells the shrimp/crabs for them in the wild??

 

[snake8myelbo]

I feed shell on cut in half 40-50 in a lb I was told not to remove shell for nutritional value?


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[DB junkie]

I know nobody but me de-shells my filter. Nobody de-shells this stuff for them in the wild, but nobody cleans up after them either.....

If you guys want real nutritional value maybe the answer is "bait shrimp" completely entirely whole shrimp, even the long feelers. They're cheap and everything's there.

In my opinion it's not worth washing filter socks daily or jeopardizing water quality with fouled shell leftovers for something that "should" be good for them, but seems the jury is still out on the actual nutrition of the shell that my rays don't seem to eat.

Now toss stuff like bait shrimp in the blender when making home made food and you have something...... IF they'll eat it.

 

[xboroinc]

i buy the shrimp that already come cleaned frozen in a bag of like 40 for $19

 

[spotfin]

Sometimes I buy shrimp with shell on, sometimes with out the shell. I do cut the shrimp into smaller pieces. Smaller rays I found won't eat the shell. Sometimes my larger rays will, or they will suck the meat out of the shell.
I would guess there is some nutritional value to the shell as rays do eat hard-shelled prey items in the wild. Like DB said, whole bait shrimp would probably be better too. Does anyone feed whole krill? I do on occasion and I also catch river shrimp in the summer.