Bamboo Shrimp hungry?

[Foxtrot90]

3 days ago I brought home 3 healthy bamboo shrimp. I have read that they will sift through the substrate in a new aquarium for the first day or so. But its been 3 days now and two of them are still sifting. I've done my best to make sure they are fed, dropping in algae pellets and such. I would even crush them up a bit so there would be plenty of small pieces floating around.

My question is, to anyone with bamboo shrimp experience, do they just need some more time to adjust? Are they still exploring? Or are they going hungry?

Apart from the substrate sifting they seem very healthy

 

[Autumnsky]

Try buying some Hikari First Bites. They are teeny tiny pelleted particles of food for baby fish.

There is a juxtaposition in keeping Bamboo shrimp. As aquarium keepers, we strive for a clean tank without debris and little particles floating about in it, yet we purchase a Bamboo Shrimp, since they are one of the coolest little creatures to put in a tank, which feed on minute particles floating around in the tank!!!

So go figure.

The neat freaks who keep a squeaky clean aquarium are surprised when they die. Not criticizing any one but the little guys need particles floating around, AND very good water parameters, so routine pwc.

One of the best things is to do a big feed a few hours before you will for sure be doing a pwc.

You can use crushed up freeze dried brine shrimp, and some high quality flakes and crushed regular food, like sinking omnivore wafers by Hikari, or a little of the Spectrum New Life with garlic crushed up I use the back of a spoon in a bowl and do a little bunch at a time, put in snack ziplock.

Take out a 1/8 + tsp lets say soak for a couple minutes in tank water and disperse into the area where your Bamboo shrimp hangs out or is sitting. Most of the time it takes a bit for him to realize whats going on, but they love that huge influx of food in the water.

Lots of times, the best place for one in my opinion is in a fry tank, where you feed several times per day and do pwc every 3-5 days!!!

They will pick at the substrate sometimes, but mostly in a good healthy environment they will be in the filter flow fanning!

You can target feed them using a straw or a turkey baster, it often scares them though so try to get near but not too close.

 

[DrMandM]

Try buying some Hikari First Bites. They are teeny tiny pelleted particles of food for baby fish.

There is a juxtaposition in keeping Bamboo shrimp. As aquarium keepers, we strive for a clean tank without debris and little particles floating about in it, yet we purchase a Bamboo Shrimp, since they are one of the coolest little creatures to put in a tank, which feed on minute particles floating around in the tank!!!

So go figure.

The neat freaks who keep a squeaky clean aquarium are surprised when they die. Not criticizing any one but the little guys need particles floating around, AND very good water parameters, so routine pwc.

One of the best things is to do a big feed a few hours before you will for sure be doing a pwc.

You can use crushed up freeze dried brine shrimp, and some high quality flakes and crushed regular food, like sinking omnivore wafers by Hikari, or a little of the Spectrum New Life with garlic crushed up I use the back of a spoon in a bowl and do a little bunch at a time, put in snack ziplock.

Take out a 1/8 + tsp lets say soak for a couple minutes in tank water and disperse into the area where your Bamboo shrimp hangs out or is sitting. Most of the time it takes a bit for him to realize whats going on, but they love that huge influx of food in the water.

Lots of times, the best place for one in my opinion is in a fry tank, where you feed several times per day and do pwc every 3-5 days!!!

They will pick at the substrate sometimes, but mostly in a good healthy environment they will be in the filter flow fanning!

You can target feed them using a straw or a turkey baster, it often scares them though so try to get near but not too close.

Hey autumn i just put one of these guys in my cherry tank, will they eat the newborn tiny shrimplets?

 

[Autumnsky]

Hey autumn i just put one of these guys in my cherry tank, will they eat the newborn tiny shrimplets?[/QUOTE

No I don't think the shrimp are small enough! If they did it would be a rare situation. Where it was accidentally picked up while sweeping the substrate. Normally they would be filtering.

My guy survived a lot, and is coming up on three years kept, end of summer! I think

 

[Foxtrot90]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep trying to crush food for them and such. Perhaps they just need more time, like i said, its only been a few days. One of them has been filter feeding alot

I also have alot of live plants in my tank, and i've read that the shrimp will feed off of small particles and things that the plants release into the water

 

[jcolon]

How old is your tank?

Bamboo shrimp feed off microbes that colonize/grow in established tanks, especially the filter. That's why they try to find a spot to perch close to a filters output. You can keep the tank clean and still do your routine filter maintenance, but it's mature established filters that provide their main food source. If they're consistently sifting through the substrate say after a week, they're going hungry. Having a high rock, plant or DW in the output's flow will be greatly appreciated.

In all honesty, healthy happy bamboo shrimp are actually quite boring. Mine just stay in the same spot hour after hour, day after day fanning the filter output.

 

[Foxtrot90]

The tank has been running for over 5 years. I recently upgraded the filter from a whisper 60 to a Fluval 306, so there is plenty of water movement. My heater is currently in front of the outflow, and one of the shrimp has been hanging out on there lately

 

[jcolon]

The tank has been running for over 5 years. I recently upgraded the filter from a whisper 60 to a Fluval 306, so there is plenty of water movement. My heater is currently in front of the outflow, and one of the shrimp has been hanging out on there lately

In that case, sounds like they're adjusting. If you see the fans come out on the one on the heater, I'd say it found its spot.

 

[Autumnsky]

Since you have several, obviously more food is needed than for one. I think it would be good to supplement them on occasion as mentioned before.

These guys are wild caught so sometimes they don't quite adjust to tank life.

It is good news they are starting to find their favorite spots!

 

[Foxtrot90]

Since you have several, obviously more food is needed than for one. I think it would be good to supplement them on occasion as mentioned before.

These guys are wild caught so sometimes they don't quite adjust to tank life.

It is good news they are starting to find their favorite spots!

I've actually had mixed feelings about them being wild caught, hopefully people will start to farm raise them soon.

 

[jcolon]

I've actually had mixed feelings about them being wild caught, hopefully people will start to farm raise them soon.

It's ... From what I've read ... difficult to breed bamboo Shrimp as they require salt water to develop out of their larval stage.

 

[Autumnsky]

It's ... From what I've read ... difficult to breed bamboo Shrimp as they require salt water to develop out of their larval stage.

Yes, that is what I understand as well. It seems some great fish keeper should be able to get a handle on it and they would be so much more suited/healthy, in our home aquariums then.