Bamboo Shrimp

[stephen728]

Hi, I recently saw an ad in the local paper advertising bamboo shrimp for freshwater tanks. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with four fantail guppies (three babies, one adult) two marble mollies, one albino corydora, and one algae eating bottom feeder.
My questions about the shrimp are how big do they get, what is best to feed them and are they compatable with my tank?
Thanks for any of your help.
Stephen

[Hans]

they have webbed net like hands, that they strain stuff out of the water and eat, so i dunno

[125gJoe]

Here's a pic of one. I'm not sure how big they get...

http://members.fortunecity.com/pkvoy/bamboo.jpg

Looks like the Wood and Bamboo shrimp are the same.
Click the link for some good info on shrimp. Read on the Wood shrimp...

Link: Freshwater Shrimp (http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/)

http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/brine-icon.jpg

[Wippit Guud]

The few sites I found list max size at 3in.

As for feeding... if your water is a little cloudy, it has all the food your need until it's clean. If you have a very clean tank, you need to support micro-food (stuff you feed fry and brine shrimp), but if you have good filtration, you're gonna lose a lot ot it to the filter.

Most the pages I found were seafood pages, though :)

[125gJoe]

Here's more info...

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/shrimp2.htm#wood

http://www.characin.com/carey/trips/00/Denver/images/wood-shrimp_500.jpg

[Tim Bo]

I kind of hope RTR comes in with some input. I'm not completely sure if its the same type I once had but I had a very difficult time keeping them alive - they need lots of food particles in the water. Fascinating creatures to watch 'shirfting' through the water with their fans...I will try them again, successfully.

[geoffgarcia]

I snagged one of these guys a few weeks back, he seems very happy in my tank and doesn't seem to give any notice to the fish or snails.

While I have seen it filter feed a bunch of times (flipping open its fans) I also have seen it foraging through my gravel, picking up pieces, rolling them over near its mouth then tossing them aside.

I'm sure this could be construed as a sign that its starving, but its been goin strong for about 2 weeks now.

On a side note my tank is completely open topped, I have plants reaching the surface and a very climbable background, it has yet to venture near the surface of the tank (as far as I have seen). So I question the reports that this animal will always seek to evade the confines of a tank.

I've been turning off my filter and feeding in zooplankton along with my combination of freeze dried tubifex worms (or blood- can't remember which!), tetra color pellets and tetra flakes - which I have mashed all together into a big feeding tub.

[RTR]

I keep these only is species tanks these days, they are too hard to feed in mixed tanks for me (without overfeeding the tank) as they are slow feeders. Most will get to >3", a few will get larger. Dominant (?) individuals may show bright rusty-orange coloration. The dorsal stripe fades a bit with age. Cyclop-eeze (sp?) is a great food for them, but several foods should be use in rotation.

[Raskolnikov]

I have one in my 55g community tank that is doing fabulously. It has taken on a rich orange/red color since coming home from the pet store.

To feed it I've been successful in thawing a little micro food and squirting it into the water stream in which the shrimp is filtering using a turkey baster.

[Snake Eyez]

I looked at these shrimp in the past since they are very cool looking and active. But the whole feeding aspect was worrisome since various people have problems with starvation.

[geoffgarcia]

I looked at these shrimp in the past since they are very cool looking and active. But the whole feeding aspect was worrisome since various people have problems with starvation.
mine seems to be donig fine, rather than fan feeding (which it did for 1-2 days when I first got it) it just rubs its fans up and down on the algae on gravel/plants and then puts the fans in its mouth...

[Oddball~]

Hi, I recently saw an ad in the local paper advertising bamboo shrimp for freshwater tanks. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with four fantail guppies (three babies, one adult) two marble mollies, one albino corydora, and one algae eating bottom feeder.
My questions about the shrimp are how big do they get, what is best to feed them and are they compatable with my tank?
Thanks for any of your help.
Stephen


doesn't anyone think this is a bit much for only a 10 gallon??? Then again, im more used to the idea of 2-3 inches per 5 gallons...

[got_nailed]

I do know that shrimp need ____ I can’t think of it but it’s used in salt water tanks. It dose not need much but they need some.

it would be Iodine

[geoffgarcia]

here is a cool pic of mine btw
http://geoffgarcia.com/aquarium/pinchy.JPG

[Veneer]

There is no evidence to even suggest that aqueous iodine is even bio-available to shrimp (freshwater or otherwise); I have never dosed iodine and have experienced no problems whatsoever with my shrimp.

[QCppg]

I have three wood shrimp in a 10 gallon shrimp-only planted tank and IMO they are one of the most interesting shrimps of all, SW included. Mine pick bits of food out from the substrate and off of the plants and decorations (two pieces of artificial driftwood, added because it provides hiding places). So far I haven't tried adding Micro Vert because it seemed unnessary (though they do put their "fans" out in front of the UGF outlets occasionally).

[soojeong]

hi, i have one of them right now(male) and it's perfectly happy- but you gotta keep
the water about 73-87 degrees since it's a tropical species. and if it's full grown,
pay close attention to its first pair of walking legs- if they're normal, it's a female, and if it's kind of plump(maybe even fat) it's a male. and if it's happy, it should start to turn reddish, starting from the center of fans, end of its 'feelers' and/or develop whitish line down its back(starting from the tip of the mouth). most shrimp live about 1-2 years, but this one lives up to 5 years. DON'T put it with cichlids, even small ones.
observe closely, and if any of the fish is bothering it, put it in a separate tank. oh, also, it might seem like it's living contently for a few weeks with a colony of fish, but in most cases, it might be STARVING TO DEATH. in my case, i've got algae eater and 3 goldfish- and they're living in harmony.
the first time mr.shrimpy molted, i thought he turned transparent, although it's a stupid conclusion. i've discovered, in some cases, Mr.shrimpy eats the fish's POOP. ha.. ha...
p.s. if the tank is too big, it might be hard to find the shrimp.

[graphicdesign_r]

There is a heavy bioload in that tank (10G?) with the shrimp... You also mention a "bottom feeder". The fish should outcompete it for food, so there will definitely not be enough microfauna and algae in a 10 gallon tank to support this animal. In larger tanks with larger fish there is usually enough algae and waste to promote growth of the plankton and other food sources this animal needs (you would see this shrimp in the current around the filter, etc.). You are going to have to go to great pains to feed it and have it survive in a tank that small. If it starts starving it will go after guppy and molly fry as well if any are present.

I'm fairly sure the above poster has an overstocked tank (3 goldfish requires a lot of filtration & space), and if you're shrimp is eating mostly fish poop it's already starving, these shrimp should be eating algae and microorganisms.

[soojeong]

I'm fairly sure the above poster has an overstocked tank (3 goldfish requires a lot of filtration & space), and if you're shrimp is eating mostly fish poop it's already starving, these shrimp should be eating algae and microorganisms.

excuse me, but if you read CAREFULLY, you might find it does not say MOSTLY, but sometimes. and besides, mr.shrimpy has molted several times, and after molting it has a high level of dying, and if mr. shrimpy was starving, he would be dead by now, no? and my goldfish are just babies- they're only 3 inches. if they get big, i plan to move them into the pond.