Zombie shrimp? Or, "They're alive ... ALIVE!!!"

irishspy

irishspy

There is a stargate in my aquarium.
Nov 6, 2002
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Well, it seems I accused the famed Rocky T. Betta of mass-murder too quickly. After several days of not seeing a single shrimp, I saw at least three (and I'm 99% sure all four) under the mopani wood last night happily picking away at the gravel! Imagine my surprise ... make that "my shock."

So, I guess he's not a little psycho, I'm not out $10 for the shrimp, and that "I swallowed a marble" look he had was just from eating the bottom-feeder pellet I had put in for the shrimp.

The only thing I can figure is that they were all hiding in the crevices of the wood on its underside.

So, this spurs a question for the invert experts here: are they hiding because there's a possible predator in the tank, or are japonica shrimp more active with the lights out? I'm glad they're all still with us*, but it's not too much fun if they never show themselves.

*(Unless, of course, these are real "ghost shrimp," and they've come back to haunt their killer! :lipssealedsmilie: :eek3:)
 
it may be a little bit of both. My shrimp in tanks with fish are much less visible. I am not at all surprised that they are picking at the wood as they graze on it and tend to hide out in plants anyway.
 
My red claw in my 55 hides in a little hole I dug for him under some driftwood. He seems to like it there and comes out pretty often at night and once in awhile at feeding time in the morning if a flake drifts nearby. He seems to enjoy roaming the tank at night and either collecting the snail shells that my loaches have emptied or emptying them himself.

My japonica did about the same thing when I first got him. Tucked into a nice safe spot and hid until lights out. Unfortunately I returned home one night and he'd escaped my canopy I had at the time.

My green lace shrimp I haven't seen since the night I put him in there. He could well have been picked apart either by the red claw or by one of my loaches or gouramis.
 
I think you owe Rocky a big fat blood worm for falsely accusing him!:silly:
 
It's both. I have kept amanos in a fish+shrimp tank and they hide most of the time until lights out. I have some amanos in my crystal tank to help with algae (since crystals don't do anything to algae) and they're very outgoing. Swimming around all the time and climbing over rocks. They're certainly not shy when there are no fish in the tank. I usually see about 5-6 out of 9 of them in the day. All, if not most, come out at night. That applies to my crystals and cherries as well. I assume to most other shrimp.

On a side note, I'm glad your shrimp are alive :-)
 
Shrimp are often naturally nocturnal. Since most fish are active during the day, and are preditors of invertebrats, it makes sence that shrimp would try to avoid them.

However, there is one important thing to remember, shrimp, like humans, don't do well with stress. If they live in a tank where they are not relaxed, their life span is shortened. I can easily see a Beta harassing shrimp, forcing them to avoid the open spaces.

All of my tanks are geared towards invertebrates. Only one tank has fish, incidentally the fish are there for my monster 9" crayfish to munch on. You're not really doing anything wrong by housing fish and shrimp together, again that's how they often live in the wild, but it isn't the optimal situation.

Good luck with your shrimp. And, every once in a while, put your ear to the tank's wall, and listen to see if you can hear their call...


braaaaaaiiinnnnnssssssss:eek3:
 
I just picked up a little coconut shell half for mine to hide in. Hoping the moss will grow over it as well to make it fit in a bit better.
 
noodles62 said:
I think you owe Rocky a big fat blood worm for falsely accusing him!:silly:
Click to expand...

It might be the only way I can keep from hearing from his attorneys. :eek:
 
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