How to Portion a Bag of Shrimp Food for a Small Colony

A bag of pellets can last a surprisingly long time when you’re feeding a handful of cherry shrimp. You open it, break off a little piece, close it up and do the same again next week. Meanwhile, a second bag sits behind it, and a third is waiting for the day you fancy trying something different. It’s easy to forget which packet you opened first or how long a handful of loose pellets has been in a spare tub.

If you’re buying for one small tank, a simple way to organise the cupboard can help. Decide what you’ll use regularly, work out roughly how long it will last, and keep a small working amount separate only if that makes feeding easier. You’ll be able to see what’s open and use it in a sensible order.

Look at what you actually feed in a normal week

Put your current foods on the worktop and think back over the last couple of weeks. Which one did you reach for most often? Which one is for an occasional feed? Which pack has stayed shut because the shrimp are getting on well with what they already have?

Write a short list with the pack size, the best-before date and the date you opened it if you remember. Follow any separate use-after-opening directions. If the date has rubbed off, the original packet may still have a batch number you can refer to if you need to ask the seller. Keep the packet even if you take a little food out into another container.

Now think about a normal portion. A small colony may get through a pack slowly, especially if you rotate several foods. The guide to feeding a small shrimp colony is useful if you’re still working out what an ordinary feed looks like. Base any buying decision on what’s going into your tank today, with room to adjust as the colony grows.

Estimate how long the pack might last

You can do this without weighing every meal. For a wafer or pellet, count how many feeds you get from a couple of pieces. If you break a wafer into several feeds, it’s easy to see why a large bag may last longer than expected. For a powder, keep a tally of how quickly a small working amount goes down. A normal kitchen scale may struggle to register the amount you use for one small feed.

Make a rough estimate and leave yourself room to be wrong. If you use a particular food about once a week, six portions will see you through roughly six weeks. If you also use that food for another tank, write down the feeds for both. An estimate is enough to decide whether you’ll make good use of a larger pack or whether the smaller pack is more practical.

When you look at the Shrimp Foods collection, check the available sizes on the individual product pages. Snowflake Pellets, for example, come in different pack options. Think about how often you use them and how much of the pack you can get through while following the storage and date guidance.

Keep a small working portion if it helps

The original sealed pack may be all you need. If you keep opening a larger bag beside the aquarium, you could take out a small working amount for the next few feeds and leave the rest in the original packaging. Do this at a dry worktop with clean, completely dry tools and a clean dry container with a tight lid. Avoid doing it just after you’ve had your hands in the tank.

Choose a container you can see into easily and label it with the food name, the original date information and the date you transferred it. Keep different foods in separate containers. Dry crumbs can look much the same when you come back to them after a few weeks, and each food may have different directions. A simple label also lets somebody else feed the tank without guessing what’s in the tub.

Open the main pack long enough to transfer a little food and close it properly. Keep both containers somewhere dry and out of direct sun, following the maker’s instructions. A shelf next to a steamy tank lid or a damp cabinet can be an awkward place to keep something you want to stay dry.

Use up the working portion before refilling it

When you get near the bottom, check what’s there. If the food looks or smells different, has taken on moisture or shows signs of mould, discard the affected food. The guide to keeping shrimp food fresh after opening goes into what to look for and how to protect an open pack.

Finish the working portion before adding more. If the container needs cleaning, wash and dry it fully before refilling. Pouring new food over a layer of old crumbs makes it hard to tell which batch you’re feeding. The same goes for putting the working portion back into the main bag after it’s been opened repeatedly near the tank.

Put the pack you’re currently using at the front of the shelf. If you keep a spare, leave it sealed until you need it. Write the name of the open pack on your shopping list when you’re getting low. That’s often easier than trying to remember what’s already in the cupboard when you’re browsing the shop.

Give each open pack a job

An everyday wafer and an occasional grazing food might cover a small colony comfortably. Other foods can come in as you have a reason to use them, such as when babies start appearing around the moss. Check the amount you’re actually getting through every so often. A pack that once lasted months may go much faster once you’re feeding two tanks or a much bigger colony.

If you open the cupboard and can tell at a glance what you’re using, what’s still sealed and what you’re likely to finish next, the system is doing its job. Feeding a small colony should take a moment. Finding the right dry packet and knowing how much you’ve got left should take about as long.