Do Shrimps Eat Poop?

Many shrimp keepers often wonder if shrimps eat poop. It becomes easier for them to take care of the tank if shrimps can take care of the poop for them. I have done some research regarding this topic and I would share in this article what I found.

Some shrimps might eat poop whereas others don’t. Even if they do eat poop, they don’t get any nutritional value from the poop.

In this article, I’ll try to explain all the myths and facts that are related to whether or not shrimps eat poop.

What Kind Of Shrimps Might Eat Poop?

Amano Shrimp

Amano Shrimp are voracious eaters and I found in my research that one fish tank owner claimed that the Amano shrimps do eat all the poop in the tank. However, Amano Shrimps leave their poop in the tank which no one eats. 

Ghost Shrimp

Many fish tank owners also claimed that the Ghost Shrimp also eats fish poop. Some believe that 20 to 30 ghost shrimps would be sufficient to keep 30 gallons of fish tank free from fish poop. 

Do They Clean All The Poop In The Fish Tank?

According to my research, most people are not sure if their shrimps actually do eat fish poop. But almost all of them said that even if they do eat poop, they do not do it in sufficient amount. 

So if you are thinking of shrimps as a natural solution to keep your tank free from fish poop, then shrimps might not be the best answer for you.

Even if they eat fish poop, they are still going to poop, so there is no way that your entire fish tank would be free of poop because of shrimp. Besides, poop is not nutritional and doesn’t add any value to the shrimp.

What Did We Found From The Research? 

It was not easy to find the answer to this question whether or not shrimps eat poop. The opinions of people are divided in this matter so there is no exact answer to this question.

However, one thing is for certain that shrimps are not the best way of getting rid of poop in your fish tank. The reasons are simple. Poop adds no nutritional value to their diet.

It is also not necessary that if shrimps eat the poop then your tank health is getting better. Ammonia will still be produced regardless of the shrimp eating the poop or not. 

What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Fish Poop?

The best way is to schedule weekly scooping to clean all the fish excrements. It is easier to build up a weekly schedule so you can get rid of the fish poop from time to time.

Fish poops are organic wastes and they would get be broken down to nitrogen and ammonia naturally. Excess amount of ammonia and nitrate in your fish tank is unhealthy for your fish.

Conclusion

While there are differences in opinion about whether or not shrimps eat poop, there is no confusion that shrimps are not a solution for tank owners to get rid of fish poop.