FRESHWATER Shrimp - Non-digestible (?)

[skimjim]

So one of my local grocers had WHOLE freshwater shrimp the size of my thumb for a ridiculous $3/lb. So i bought like 4lbs to stock up for feeding my saltwater fish (tangs, rabbitfish, grouper)

Now I'm reading freshwater shrimp have a certain protein that can cause SW fish to have liver-disease bc they cant digest it....
They end up bloating up after a month or two of feeding and basically die bc their internal guts get clogged with in-digestible freshwater shrimp.

IS THIS TRUE?

If you have some knowledge on this subject....lay it on us....plz

[Tripod1404]

You should generally not feed freshwater “animals” to saltwater animals. Because their tissues can contain elevated amounts of certain heavy metals and pollutants that saltwater animals are very sensitive to. And that could cause liver disease since liver is responsible for detoxification. But I doubt the story about indigestible shrimp protein that clogs fish intestines is true. If something is indigestible, it won’t clog intestines, it would cause diarrhea.


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[Smokey Stover]

Aren't Mysis freshwater shrimp?

[mpsteve]

Yes the pe mysis is from fresh water


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[Tripod1404]

Mysis relicta is exactly shrimp, it is shrimp like crustaceans. They actually have a very interesting evolutionary history.

They were once ocean-living crustacean. During the last ice age, as sea levels dropped, many of these crustaceans to get trapped in newly formed saline lakes. At that point there still saltwater animals, but they were living in lakes. As the ice age ended, melting glaciers gradually decreased the salinity of some of these lakes and shrimp living in these lakes adapted to it. So currently there are mysis shrimp living in both freshwater lakes, saline lakes and oceans.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

...which all goes to show, it's sometimes inaccurate to paint the world with broad brushes - including rules of thumb like "don't feed freshwater animals to saltwater animals."

Personally, other than notable exceptions (mysis, etc), I do try to stick to natural diets and/or prepared foods where possible. I don't think it's a problem of freshwater vs saltwater food sources, just appropriate vs inappropriate. There are probably just as many "bad" saltwater food sources as there are freshwater, when it comes to our livestock.

[McPuff]

Another thing to consider (excuse if this is obvious) but are those whole shrimp with shells ON? If so, that is the biggest problem. The shells are not really digestible and this is what leads to "clogs." You'd have to make sure and peel those shrimp before feeding and then it should be fine.

Otherwise, I would just stick to regular raw shrimp from the ocean. Cut into small pieces and feed AFTER removing the shell of course.

[ca1ore]

I'm not even sure that is true. I've read countless references to 'feed the entire prey animal'. Again, most of the Mysis I use is FW sourced, including the shells.

[Dmorty217]

I'm not even sure that is true. I've read countless references to 'feed the entire prey animal'. Again, most of the Mysis I use is FW sourced, including the shells.

+1 most books say not to feed freshwater feeder fish like rosey reds and comets to saltwater predators as their only food source. Mysis shrimp on the other hand only comes from freshwater and has been fed exclusively by many saltwater hobbiests for years on end with no negative outcome