Newbie Invert owner in need of some advice please

S

slammin

AC Members
Jul 4, 2007
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0
Bedfordshire UK
Hi,

I've got a 20 gallon planted community tank that I started about a year ago. Today I bought what I believe to be a cameroon armoured shrimp, well its blue and its a fan feeder, the bloke in the lfs couldnt remember the latin name for it. I put ''claude'' into the tank and he seemed fine for an hour or two - didnt move much, but i didnt expect it to. Now it keeps going over on its side, and seems unable to right itself. It also seems to have a bit of bother walking on the substrate which is small round gravel... this is when he tends to fall over. Its moving its legs like its trying to get up, but cant....

whats wrong with it?.... is this normal behaviour? Im guessing its anything but normal?... any ideas why its doing this, or what i can do to help it? My waters ok... no nitrite or ammonia... and i use a water conditioner that removes heavy metals....

any help would be greatfully appreciated.... I dont want it to die!
 
It sounds like you have an Atya gabonensis. They are commonly called 'Vampire shrimp' and tend to be blue, gray, or even black.

I would get the shrimp out of the tank ASAP. Second, have you used fertilizers in your planted tank? Copper and other common metals in aquarium fertilizers are highly toxic to invertebrates. Marine medications and pesticides are also deadly. If you can, test for all types of metals.

On a side note, filter feeders need a fairly good current to help them feed. I would strongly recommend using a power head in the tank to get the water moving.

I have a tank with four bamboo shrimp
 
hiya!

thanks for your quick reply! Ive taken him out of the tank and put him in a container with fresh water, which i added nutrafin aqua plus water conditioner to,(supposedly nutralises metals) gave him some rocks and some vallis. I also put a pf mini in to give him some current.... hes clinging to the vallis as i speak.

I used flora boost last week, but i dont think that has any metals in it. I did use a single root tab the other week, and i think that might be the culprit. On reading the packaging it send you to a website regarding the contents and levels of metals in the product... and i cant get the **** thing to load... (dodgy pdf file)

how do i get rid of metals in my tank?.... additives?.. water changes?... start again?.... ARRGGHHH....

on an brighter note, claude is looking a bit happier now..... thanks!
 
You get rid of metals by doing frequent water changes and test for copper. When the copper is no longer present try putting the shrimp back in the tank. If it acts odd then take it back out.

You might need to return the shrimp, or get a new permanent home for it. It can take a long time to get rid of toxins.
 
I've been reading through some of the info on here regarding metals, and thats what i thought.... i'll probably have to return him :( If he lives til morning that is! I've got bogwood in and silicone seals on my tank so im assuming that the metals will probably have leached into those aswell... :(

The last thing i wanted to do was bring it home, stress it out and then nearly kill it. I explained my set up to the man in the shop and he said that they didnt have any special requirements and it should be fine.... serves me right for believing him i suppose.... poor shrimp... i feel really bad :(

thanks for all your help, much appreciated.

lorraine
 
Yep, the shop workers are out to make money, or unfortunately ignorant of the creatures they sell.
 
Well Claude has lived to see another day......He's SO cool! I really dont want to take him back to the shop :( Especially if they are just gonna sell him on to someone else whos gonna kill him.

what If i get him a totally new tank and set up, what would i have to put in the water for him to eat? daphnia? sea monkeys?....would he do ok in a ''new'' tank or is he like the algae eaters needing a mature tank to feed from?

and how big a tank would he need to be happy?.... would he be ok on his own? do shrimp get lonely?

sorry for all the questions, but if i could, id much rather keep him - even if it means setting up a new tank for him.

thanks
lorraine
 
For a vampire shrimp, I would go with a 20g tank, with a power head to create a strong current, a HOB filter may work, but won't be as effective. If the shrimp isn't very large now, it has the potential to grow to approximately eight inches long, or more. Full grown, a 10g tank would be a tad cramped. :)

Filter feeding shrimp feed on microbes and such. They are also social and will hang out with others of it's species. I've four Atyopsis moluccensis (bamboo shrimp) in a 40g tank and they regularly group together, though not always. But don't feel obligated to go get more. Claude wont suffer for being the only shrimp.

If you do get a new tank for him, get some non aggressive fish to be tank mates. The fish poop will help to feed the food that Claude eats. But until the tank fully cycles, you can 'feed' him by grinding some fish food to a fine powder, with a mortar and pestle. Be cautious not to add too much food though. I would just add a pinch every other day, at first.

Sandy substrates are also something that filter feeders like. They will sift the sand with their fans, glean food, and clean the sand at the same time.
 
Thanks for the info!!!...

Hes at home in his new (temporary) 5 Gallon plastic tank for the moment, hiding between some rocks :) I crushed a tiny bit of tablet food into the water so there should be something for him to eat and gave him some vallis as he seems to like hanging on to it LOL

I'll definately be setting up a proper outfit for him(and some friends) in the next month or so - probably another 20gallon, bigger if i can persuade the other half ;) , we are going to be moving house soon and i dont fancy trying to move two set ups..... the thought of trying to move the one i have is frightening enough.

what do you keep in your tank fish wise with your bamboo shrimp? Can you keep other species of shrimp in the same tank?
 
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