Bamboo Shrimp!

[Paulcm10]

I have been wanting one for months now but I have always been told that my tank is not matured yet for them to filter feed....
so its been about 6 months since i asked. and I've had my tank set up since April.

sooooo can i have one now?
I really want oneeeeee!

 

[Autumnsky]

Hi,
If you
have had a stable tank, then go for it!

How are your other shrimp doing?

 

[Paulcm10]

they are doing good!
i have like 60 in my tank now but i haven't seen any saddled ones lately so i might test the water tonight. and i recently got my CPDs and a stiphodon goby.
also i still have one otto alive so that must be a good sign

 

[ianeberle]

I want a bamboo shrimp in my tank too... Would they be okay with an angelfish?

 

[Paulcm10]

I've seen people do it but i personally wouldn't cause the angels might pick at them. if you want inverts that bad get CPOs

 

[Autumnsky]

Preparing for your new Addition...

I would do a good substrate cleaning one week, then the next week a filter rinse (tank or treated water of course) then fairly soon after get him or her, then test to keep an eye on things on a regular basis, and for 2-3 weeks only pwc/add for evaporation, if necessary to keep water in safe levels.

Most places you get them from don't have the optimum environment for them, so they haven't been eating very well. Personally I think not changing the water for a couple weeks if parameters are good helps them get established and well fed. Therefore a better chance at getting a good start in your tank.

An additional point, I have found that a feeding of Hikari First bites for the Bamboo and Cherry shrimp works great. Just be careful since one tiny pinch can cover the top of the water with what looks like zillions of ity bity "bites".

If you feel you fed too much just skip a day or so feeding the shrimp. From experience never tap the bag over the water to feed.

What I probably need is a special teensy measuring spoon for the bag so I can make my feedings more standardized. Or maybe one of those toothpicks with a flat end...would be easier to find! lol I feel like I get half of the powder on my fingers and waste it since I'd rather not rinse them off in the tank!

Sorry I didn't answer with all this on my last post, I was in a hurry.

 

[Paulcm10]

ohhh i hope my bamboo does well! I'm afraid i can't skip water changes cause i get algae like crazy so ill just get him the day after i changed the water so he can have a whole week to adjust. I hope he does okay..

 

[Autumnsky]

Goo

Sorry about the heading, meant to say good shrimp keeping! But the cat distracted me lol!

The algae problem could be over feeding, and/or too much lighting. I would start by cutting the quantity of food you feed in half, for a week, then on your lighting, I would make sure you have a 2-4 hour siesta period in the middle. My plant aquarium book says doing that disrupts the algae growth pattern. You will still get a lot of light, and much less algae.

If you have the tank in direct sunlight, that will also be a problem.

Make sure you select the most active and best colored ones. If I remember correctly, the females tend to get larger than the males. Not sure how to tell the difference otherwise.

 

[Paulcm10]

oh its fine. what do you mean by siesta period?

active and most colored ones?
like colored as in brown or red? cause I've seen red ones too haha.

 

[Autumnsky]

Siesta is a rest period/nap with lights off.

Yes pick one which is more richly colored, not pale and faded/stressed out. Mine is more reddish too.

 

[Paulcm10]

ohhh okay i gotcha. i will set it up tomorrow then! how long should i usually have lights?
I'm thinking about rescaping though. I'm not too happy with my aquascape lol
and okay i will do that. i might get it tomorrow

 

[Paulcm10]

ok so i got my bamboo shrimp yesterday. i picked the darkest one possible. and he is hiding so far... =/. how long will it take til i start seeing him actually out and filtering?

 

[ianeberle]

I want a bamboo shrimp in my tank too... Would they be okay with an angelfish?

Took your advice... Found someone willing to sell me four CPOs for $24 shipped. STEAL! He's shipping them Monday.

 

[Paulcm10]

wow thats a great deal!
I've seen CPOs get harassed by bettas. hopefully your angel fish wouldn't be aggressive towards them =p.
or it could be the other way around. so keep an eye on that haha

 

[ianeberle]

They're super small and have no chance at getting my big angel...

But if I see the angel picking on the CPOs, I'll move them to my shrimp tank with cherries and OEBTs (also shipping Monday).

 

[Paulcm10]

ah i didn't know u had a shrimp tank! the bamboo could of gone in there! haha.
and CPOs should be okay with your big angel. I've seen people do it.

 

[Autumnsky]

Hooray!

I think you should look where ever it is hiding and see if it is filtering! Some times they crawl on the HOB filter tube and just sit filtering, where you can't see them.

Keep an eye open.

Otherwise, they will get curious as long as there isn't too much sudden activity may climb around some...so the answer is anytime! They are so fun to watch.

You can crush up some flakes or pellets to dust and spread them around and see if that get the Bamboo shrimps attention!

 

[Paulcm10]

yes i am excited! i did see him on my java fern. the fans are open but i don't think he is filtering anything.
I'm trying to keep an eye on him

 

[Autumnsky]

They will alternate fans into their mouths every so often. That's all they do, oh, and look awesome!!!

 

[Paulcm10]

i will let you know if they any changes tomorrow! hopefully he starts filtering soon!