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Hello,
I need to know a couple of things about shrimp. I would like to breed some type of shrimp in my 2g, preferably one that eats algae with long arms or one with claws. I was wondering if I could breed this kind in a 2g and if it would be eaten by a severum, silver dollars, or a parrotfish (Blue Crayfish, Maybe). I was wondering if I should Also go with a shrimp of Crayfish. Thanks.

Chris

Shrimp with long arms/claws usually have them so that they can attack other inverts or fish and eat them making them carnivores not algae eaters.

Second absolutely none of those fish or blue crayfish fit in a 2g tank. A 55g more likely or at least a 20g for the crayfish.

All those fish will eat inverts and the crayfish will either eat other shrimp/snails/crayfish or fish. If the crayfish can't eat the fish whole it will still take chunks off them along with the fact most of those fish will try to eat the crayfish. Something will end up dead.

If you want to breed an algae eating shrimp that will fit in a 2g tank you want small neocaridinia species such as cherry, rainbow(malaysian), snowball, etc...

in a 2 gallon tank, sham is right, and you can pretty much only breed the small algae-eating shrimp. Is this tank going to be filtered? If you're breeding anything, even shrimp, you want at least a rudimentary sponge filter, or one of the small world air-powered filters.
For breeding a shrimp like red cherries, all you really need is clean water, no predators, and lots of hiding places and/or java moss. Females with eggs under thier tails are easy to spot, and it takes about two to three weeks for the young to be released. You don't really need to feed them anything special. I just crush up flake food or spirulina flakes to supplement my shrimps diet, and a calcium rich pellet food like crab pellets is good for helping them survive molting.

Yes larger carnivorous fish will eat these shrimp if you plan to raise them for use as live food. Aquabid.com usually has tons of people selling cherry shrimp and other kinds in varying amounts for varying prices. I started with 5 red cherry shrimp, and when I finally retired my shrimp tank a little over a year later, I sold 30 of them, and I'm pretty sure I didn't get them all.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Well, This is what I was thinking... I was going to cover the bottom of the 2g completely with Java Moss and maybe a rock or two. I was going to start with about 5 Cherries and breed them. The tank will be filtered by a air pump. How do I make a sponge filter? What I was asking about the Blue crayfish is if I could put it in a 30g with a severum, parrotfish, knifefish, and silver dollars (I know it's crowded)?

Chris

I'm sure it's possible to build your own sponge filter since they aren't complicated but it's even easier to buy them. They are quite cheap and work fine for cherry shrimp.

A blue crayfish really only belongs in a species tank. These guys are fairly large, agressive, and carnivorous. They have no problem with grabbing even a 12" fish and removing body parts. If the crayfish doesn't hurt the fish then large cichlids will most definitely pick on the crayfish. Do not put any fish with a crayfish that you can't stand to lose. If you want fish in the tank you'd be better off using livebearers that are expendable. The crayfish will eat them a bit slower than they manage to multiply.

yea, it wouldn't make sense adding a blue crayfish which will run about 20 usd at a store, and 5 at wholesale in a fish tank where it is hit or miss. It will kill or be killed. Plus if it is overstocked why add more.(i have found cray fish to be very messy animals)

anyway, a sponge filter is about a buck each, and it should be at you lfs. probably alot easyier than making on.