I have 6 amano shrimp split between 2 tanks, and one of those tanks doesn't have a cover. Will amanos jump (or even crawl) out? Do I need to throw a screen onto the uncovered tank?
Are amano shrimp jumpers?
- Thread starter pik01
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i have not seen mine jump but they do swim pretty fast to the surface when theres something there they want. I would put on a cover as a pecaution lol.
Yes they jump. Found that out the hard way during a water change when I almost stepped on the creepy looking "bug" on the floor by instinct (who was returned to the tank safely) and found another one dried up on the floor that had jumped out within the first 24 hours of being in my tank. Not sure if they were spooked or what, but the params were all fine so I'm sure it wasn't to escape poor quality water.
I doubt that any species of shrimp has the leg strength to 'jump'. They can flick their tail for a quick boost, much like crayfish. Any species of shrimp is able to to climb out of an uncovered tank, if the waterline is high enough.
The only things that I've had that have decided to vacate their aquatic homes are; frogs, red crabs, and suicidal gourami, who would see how far it could leap out of the water, whenever I opened the lid to feed. I found that if I opened the lid just a bit, then closed it, making a clunk noise, it would attempt to escape and hit the lid. I could then open the lid and safely feed them. His record leap was about four and a half feet from the tank. I hung a little gold medal, with a note, to honor the achivement.
The only things that I've had that have decided to vacate their aquatic homes are; frogs, red crabs, and suicidal gourami, who would see how far it could leap out of the water, whenever I opened the lid to feed. I found that if I opened the lid just a bit, then closed it, making a clunk noise, it would attempt to escape and hit the lid. I could then open the lid and safely feed them. His record leap was about four and a half feet from the tank. I hung a little gold medal, with a note, to honor the achivement.
I know athletes push their bodies to the limits to earn gold metals... so maybe it is a good thing you do not let him compete anymore. :grinno:
This thread is an eye opener for me. I'm planning on setting up a shrimp tank in the spring and had no idea that they were great escape artists. Something to keep in mind in the planning stage.
Mine have never left my tanks, but they should have some ability to jump or climb out of the water. I believe they do this occasionally in the wild in order to reach closer to brackish/saltwater to release babies.
I have had amanos walk out before and I would find dried up shrimp bodies behind the tank. Walk-outs are generally most commonly seen with new amanos who aren't "used" to the new water parameters. So basically, if your amanos have been in the tank for about 2+ weeks now and they still haven't walked out, then they probably won't be walking out anytime soon, if ever. Thus, open tanks will be fine.
New amanos on the other hand have a higher tendency to walk out of the tank. A sudden change in parameters probably makes them think, "Wow, I'm ditching this place. I'm going back to my old home." Therefore, triggering a walk-out. Whatever the case may be, once you hit a 2+ week mark, you're generally safe.
As for other dwarf shrimp, yes, they can walk out and/or jump out too. However, it is very unlikely. Though it has happened to me before a couple times. Maybe 3-5 times in a year that I've been keeping various dwarf shrimp. All of these times occurred when I topped my water off reaaaally high and all of them were from cherries. My other neocaridina sp. has never experienced any casualties from jump/walk outs. My tiger shrimp has been seen to climb onto my output area of my HOB filter. They just sit there and eat the gunk off the output area. Looks real creepy because they're kinda like half out of the water and half in the water. In the sense that the only water they're in is the water that is being spat out by the HOB filter.
New amanos on the other hand have a higher tendency to walk out of the tank. A sudden change in parameters probably makes them think, "Wow, I'm ditching this place. I'm going back to my old home." Therefore, triggering a walk-out. Whatever the case may be, once you hit a 2+ week mark, you're generally safe.
As for other dwarf shrimp, yes, they can walk out and/or jump out too. However, it is very unlikely. Though it has happened to me before a couple times. Maybe 3-5 times in a year that I've been keeping various dwarf shrimp. All of these times occurred when I topped my water off reaaaally high and all of them were from cherries. My other neocaridina sp. has never experienced any casualties from jump/walk outs. My tiger shrimp has been seen to climb onto my output area of my HOB filter. They just sit there and eat the gunk off the output area. Looks real creepy because they're kinda like half out of the water and half in the water. In the sense that the only water they're in is the water that is being spat out by the HOB filter.