Shrimp update - you asked for it!

Blinky

Blinky

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Jun 22, 2004
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For those of you who wanted an update, here it is!
It's been a little while, and my three shrimp are settling in nicely. They've been coming out in the open a lot more, hanging out around the driftwood decoration and terracotta pot, combing the substrate for bits of food and climbing the plants to use their filter fans in the current. One of them has a favourite spot to perch: upside down clinging to the sponge over the intake tube.
They absoultely crack me up and my husband watches them all the time. Tonight I couldn't find one of them, and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed what I thought was a dead shrimp on the sand at the back. On closer inspection, I realized one of the shrimp has molted! I'm so happy to see a successful molt, I was worried after reading that sometimes these shrimp have trouble.
If I can get a decent picture of the shrimp I'll post it :)
 
Good for you! Shrimp can be cool additions to tanks. They have a unique style and are fresh change in a fish tank.
 
What kind of shrimps do you guys talk about when you say "shrimp"? Marine shrimps? Or ghost shrimps? Or some kind of cool freshwater shrimps?
 
I didn't see your original post - how long have you had them, and what kind are they?

I added 7 bumblebee shrimp to one of my tanks on Friday. I had to leave that night, and just got back. Now I'm worried because I can't see a shrimp anywhere, however I've seen two things that could be shrimp shells. Hopefully they are just hiding, I'll keep watching for them.
 
Aqualung, they're Atyopsis moluccensis (I've seen them labeled wood or bamboo shrimp, from Southeast Asia) - a filter feeding shrimp that can reach 4". If your bumblebees just molted, they're probably hiding. It takes time for their shells to harden and they feel vulnerable until it does - they'll probably come out soon :)

reiverix, I have been using iodide, and now that I've seen a successful molt I'll continue to do so. I really don't want to test the theory that they might be fine without it.

WinterWind, there are many types of shrimp and prawns, both fresh and salt water, that can be kept in an aquarium. Mine are freshwater. There are a few FW species available that I know of:
Ghost shrimp, completely transparant, small and often used as feeders
Amano shrimp which eat algae and stay small
African wood shrimp which can reach 6" and are filter feeders
Bamboo shrimp like the ones I have
And there are other small shrimp, some of which eat algae, and some species of shrimp that get absolutely huge, I forget all the names but if you search the general freshwater forum for 'shrimp' you'll find threads where they're mentioned.
 
Blinky said:
And there are other small shrimp, some of which eat algae, and some species of shrimp that get absolutely huge, I forget all the names but if you search the general freshwater forum for 'shrimp' you'll find threads where they're mentioned.
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The "small shrimp, some of which eat algae" are mostly Atyid shrimp of the Caridina/Neocaridina complex (the former also encompasses Amano/Yamato shrimp) - see http://www.petshrimp.com/shrimpspecies.html.

The "huge" shrimp are Palaemonids of the genus Macrobrachium, the 200-some species of which range from the burrowing 2-cm "pearl shrimp", Macrobrachium cf. mirabile, to the 26-inch predatory "blue Malaysian prawn", Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
 
Thanks for the update, Blinky. The bamboo shrimp I have seen are fascinating critters. I love shrimp. I have ghost shrimp in any tank I get usually. I've wondered about other varities, but I have such good luck with ghosts, I've shied away. I may just get the nerve up. How are you feeding them and is this a species only tank?
 
Yep, I've been dosing iodine at half the dosage on the bottle. My amanos and ghost shrimp are fine and I really do believe it helps. My ghost shrimp used to die during the molting process. Not anymore.
 
Harlock said:
Thanks for the update, Blinky. The bamboo shrimp I have seen are fascinating critters. I love shrimp. I have ghost shrimp in any tank I get usually. I've wondered about other varities, but I have such good luck with ghosts, I've shied away. I may just get the nerve up. How are you feeding them and is this a species only tank?
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It's a species tank. I think it was a good decision, for me anyway, to keep these guys on their own rather than with the fish. They're so slow and gentle, I think they'd have a really hard time getting a decent meal with my pushy little platys around ;)
I've been feeding them everything but the kitchen sink - crushed flake foods, brine shrimp (freeze dried), bottom feeder pellets (crushed and whole), bits of algae and bottom feeder wafers, daphnia (gel packets), and I recently read that feeding them Hikari crab food will help them obtain the vitamins and calcium they need, so today I bought some and will be feeding them that regularly.
They've really coloured up and seem comfy in their little tank. They're fascinating to watch - My husband goes into the bedroom to watch the shrimp tank much more than he looks at the 65g in our living room! I say take the plunge Harlock, you won't regret it :D
 
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