Amano Shrimp eating Water Sprite?

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RightTurnClyde

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 16, 2014
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498
Location
Northern California
I got 5 Amano Shrimp last week for my 29G and love how energetic they are in their scavenging and algae eating, but I've suddenly noticed a bunch of pieces from my water sprite floating around. I watched them for a while and when they land on that plant they really pick at it aggressively with their claws and they are starting to pick leaves off. Anyone else ever have that problem? That plant is just now starting to take off for me and I'd hate to see these little buggers kill it.


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Not had that specifically, but I bet they are hungry. They are the cranky type when they get hungry. Try feeding them an omnivore bottom feeder wafer like Hikari, these guys like meat, they are not vegetarians, they are scavengers.

I have a funny story about how I had mine in a tank with Cherry shrimp and was only feeding a tiny amount and only vegetable based for a long while then got some feedback to try the bottom feeder wafers so the Amano would be in a frenzy when I fed that and race like lighting to the wafers and stole them away so fast and would hold them like if you would be eating a hamburger and munched on them it was hilarious.

So I would try breaking up a wafer or two and see what kind of response you get. They seriously LOVE these wafers. Alternately you can try (Hikari) Crab Cuisine or Shrimp Cuisine which have the needed calcium, etc for good shell growth. I use that brand a lot for basic feeding due to the fact it doesn't cloud the water and also doesn't promote ammonia spikes.

I always drop in either a whole or chunk of Cuttlebone when I have shrimp in the tank so they can pick at it if they want to.
 
Good tips, thanks. I feel like they've eaten quite a bit in the last few days though. They destroyed a piece of Romaine lettuce in less than 48 hours. I did notice them running like crazy towards the NLS pellets that I drop in for my Cories. I also have some freeze dried brine shrimp. Would they like that? That stuff mostly floats, I think.


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Good tips, thanks. I feel like they've eaten quite a bit in the last few days though. They destroyed a piece of Romaine lettuce in less than 48 hours. I did notice them running like crazy towards the NLS pellets that I drop in for my Cories. I also have some freeze dried brine shrimp. Would they like that? That stuff mostly floats, I think.


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I think hungry for meat! Drop an extra pellet for each one of the Amanos and they will go get it!

Since I was told they were "algae eating shrimp" I was trying my best to only do the right thing for them! They would go berserk when I dropped the meaty food for the shrimp! From your comment you have seen them going crazy. Like maniacs! They would likely eat anything like Brine shrimp or other sinking, but I have seen them jump off the plant to the top of the water to grab something on the surface.

They calmed down quite a bit after they were getting an omnivore diet.
 
Ok. I'll keep trying. I try to feed sparingly for the overall health of the tank, but I guess I need to really dump in the pellets for these lunatics. So far they munch on them for a while and then go right back to destroying my Water Sprite. Maybe I'll ask in the planted tank forum as well.


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Don't think I have had water sprite in my shrimp tank. I wouldn't over feed though. If you can buy the hikari omnivore sinking wafers they just need one wafer.
 
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