Bamboo Shrimp - Care and Feeding

wcwirla

AC Members
Nov 23, 2004
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I recently added a couple of Bamboo Shrimp (aka Wood Shrimp) to a heavily planted 10 gallon tank. These are really great creatures! My first invertebrates in 38 years of fish keeping. They've scrubbed the tank clean like nothing else I've seen, churning through all kinds of gunk at the bottom. I'm concerned that these guys aren't going to get enough to eat in the long run. Is a 10 gallon going to be too small for a couple of these shrimp? What would be the best dietary supplement to keep them going strong? They seem to like algae tablets and just about anything else that comes their way.

WMC
 
Welcome to FW inverts - I think they are great as well.

My best experience w/Bamboo aka Singapore aka Wood aka Rainbow (I don't like that name, also used for some Caridina or Neocaridina shrimp) aka Donkey shrimp was in a circulating range central system, with them in a 20-long downstream of the Daphnia tank. They all lined up and jostled for the best positions facing the output from the Daphnia tank, catching any washed downstream. They were supplemented with micropellets and tiny pinches of the fine stuff from the bottom of flake food containers. They had great color and were all pretty big. There were 5 of them, so very close to the stocking level you are using.

My current tank for them is a 33XL, stand-alone but with a veggie filter linked to it. The tank does have pretty good current, so they do spend a good bit of time sitting in the current with their fans spread. Feeding is similar to my first tank for them, but now I use Cyclop-eeze as staple, with the prepared small foods as supplement. The tank was only recently set with them, six present at the moment, and I want to increase the number after I'm comfortable that the tank is going well. There is algae growth on the artificial rock towers in the tank, but they are not very adept at harvesting it.

I do small amounts of reef iodide after each water change if I'm behaving, if not I make sure they get it at least monthly (about one drop per 10 gallons changed, or per total tank capacity if monthly) . In my early shrimp-keeping I used to lose shrimp to molt death, and since my haphazard supplement that has become rare. I can't swear that the iodide is the difference - I'm sure I've been keeping them a bit better overall as well - but I don't lose shrimp in molt much if at all anymore - both these and others.

I've tried these in tanks with small fish as well, but have not had long-term success there. I don't think that they get enough to eat when they have to compete with the fish and with Amano or bumblebee shrimp.
 
An update on the bamboo shrimp. Both seem to be doing well. Both have successfully molted - quite an interesting process. The smaller one is grey-brown and hangs out at the bottom of the CO2 mixer, which has a nice down draft for filter feeding. I shoot some particulate food into the pump for this one. The larger one is a rich red-brown color and roams the bottom. When a section of the tank is replanted, or the gravel is disturbed, the shrimp immediately finds his way to the spot to clean up the debris. They aren't much use with algae, but they sure keep the bottom clean! Very enjoyable critters!
 
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