Are they very shy creatures?
Because I often wonder if my shrimp is alive ever, seeing as how he climbs up inside of our rock decoration and sits there all day, or days sometimes, and then only comes out at night to feed.
Is this normal?
Mine were pretty shy when I first got them but I see them quite often and they wander most of the tank. Being filter feeders, they're prone to hanging out where the current's best. In my case, a piece of driftwood under my filter's outlet, but I do catch them moving around, sometimes they choose the amazon sword leaves or check the moss at the other side of the tank. Doesn't seem to make a difference as to the time of day/lighting. Is your decoration in a good flow area? That may be why they like it so much. Or, if you have very active fish that pick on them during the day, they may feel safer inside and that would explain the nocturnal behavior also.
They will stay in areas of high flow, like the output of your filter perched on a rock or piece of wood with their fans spread out feeding. What do you mean by comes out at night to feed? Do you see him picking at the floor with his fans?
Where he sits is in a little cave in the rock, and that's where the current flows mainly, so that could be why he sits in there. Its where him and the pleco both sit most of the time.
I haven't noticed if any of the fish pick on him, they seem to ignore him if he is out.
But we have a piece of bamboo right by the current flow that we bought for him (we figured a bamboo shrimp would like bamboo), but he hides most of the time.
Its strange.
That and I haven't ever noticed any of his molted shells laying around when we've cleaned the tank.
He's an odd little fellow.
Reading all that, it sounds like it's because he likes the current there. Maybe if you moved the decoration to another spot in the tank, and added something by the current for him to perch on that he couldn't go in, and you'd probably see him sitting on top quite often.
