# Growing your own gammarus?



## roostarr (Jan 27, 2009)

can you buy gammarus eggs or live cultures from anywhere to grow your own?

i've googled but to no avail... anyone know the answer?


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## roostarr (Jan 27, 2009)

wow... i guess these really are impossible to find if nobody knows anything about them! 

you must be able to get them from somewhere, if they can breed them to freeze dry them you must be able to breed them at home too!


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Maybe try editting the title to call them "feeder shrimps" or "freshwater shrimps" so people actually know what they are?


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

can you not go to a lake and catch a few and try breeding from there?


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## roostarr (Jan 27, 2009)

i wouldn't know how...i couldn't even find instuctions for their care!

plus... don't want to risk bringing in any contamination that could harm my animals


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

are they just our native freshwater shrimpies? :blush:

not kept them but i used to go rumaging in the burn next to my house for beasties and used to find hundreds of them just under stones (sometimes already paired) so easy enough to catch  

only thing i can think of if you're worried about introducing any nasties would be to add some methylene blue or similar to their water? if that's okay for shrimps that is :?


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## roostarr (Jan 27, 2009)

yeah, they are pretty common all over the world so i don't know what species they grow for mass produced dried food.... but yeah essentially thats the ones. 

i don't know what chemicals are safe with them either Emma... hence my dilemma! thats why i figured buying eggs would be the safest option but i can't find them! so who knows what the best idea is!


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

should imagine they'd be really easy to keep.

coldwater tank, lots of plants/mosses. small sponge filter. dim lighting. feed on anything, but with some specialist shrimp food added. 

easy peasy.


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## Bearnandos (Nov 24, 2009)

Have you considered trying mysis shrimps ?? I use to breed these as they are not that difficult to source. As they are a marine species - once you breed them and feed them to your freshwater fish - there is no cross-contamination.
When I breed them for my seahorses - I would chuck a few into my freshwater tanks...my fish loved them.


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## xXcherryXx (Sep 7, 2009)

world of water sell them at 10 for a £1 at bicester.


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## roostarr (Jan 27, 2009)

Esfa said:


> should imagine they'd be really easy to keep.
> 
> coldwater tank, lots of plants/mosses. small sponge filter. dim lighting. feed on anything, but with some specialist shrimp food added.
> 
> easy peasy.


hmm.. i figured they might want fast moving water being river beasties... but maybe not! 



Bearnandos said:


> Have you considered trying mysis shrimps ?? I use to breed these as they are not that difficult to source. As they are a marine species - once you breed them and feed them to your freshwater fish - there is no cross-contamination.
> When I breed them for my seahorses - I would chuck a few into my freshwater tanks...my fish loved them.


hmmm... i'll look into these as well maybe



xXcherryXx said:


> world of water sell them at 10 for a £1 at bicester.


do they? hmm... could you maybe ask them a bit more about them next time you are in please, see if they know if you can get eggs or an online supplier of live ones?


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

roostarr said:


> hmm.. i figured they might want fast moving water being river beasties... but maybe not!


I dont see why they would need it, but yeah they might prefer it.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

roostarr said:


> hmm.. i figured they might want fast moving water being river beasties... but maybe not!


the emphasis in my wildlifey books is on the water being clean and well oxygenated (waffles about them being excellent indicator species)

you can but try and see what works best : victory:


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