New loaches -- shrimp stopped eating

[cowgrlw]

Hi everyone,

I have a freshwater 29 US gallon tank with gravel substrate. Up to this week, it contained two guppies and one 3-yr-old female amano shrimp. I also have a 10 US gallon tank that I use as my quarantine tank. About 3 months ago, I got 2 yoyo loaches and 1 burmese loach for my quarantine tank, where I was keeping some new plants -- frogbit, and two types of hygro. The plants were new purchases and were loaded with snails and hydras. After 5 months of handpicking them with no end in sight, I bought the loaches to get rid of them and they did an amazing job of it.

I also got a good case of cyanobacteria going on, due to the tall plants crowding the surface and causing a lack of circulation. Once I got that cleaned up, I moved the plants into the 29 gal. tank, and I built a nice multi-layered rockery for the loaches and the shrimp.

I fully intended to take the loaches back to the store after the snails were gone, but I fell in love with their energy and antics. I was nervous about moving the loaches into the 29 gal. tank because I know they are diligent gravel cleaners and I was afraid they might eat or bother my amano shrimp. I love her and I don't want her to stress out or die. I finally decided to bring the loaches into the big tank this past Monday. The shrimp at first was scared, but she got out of their way easily and she seemed to cope well. Or so I thought.

Yesterday, I noticed she is now hiding at the top of the tank in the plants. She won't come to the bottom anymore at all, and I'm afraid she isn't getting any food. It looks as though she is filter feeding, but I'm not sure amanos can do that. She used to clean up after the guppies once the fish pellets softened up, but now there's nothing left for her to eat because the loaches vacuum everything clean.

So I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice as to what I can do. I love the loaches and I don't really want to take them back, but I love my amano more because she's been with me longer (and she's huge!). The way I see it, I can do one of three things:

1) take the loaches back and hope the shrimp calms down and returns to the bottom

2) divide the tank so the loaches are on one side and she and the guppies are on the other (did that years ago with two goldfish and it's not a very pretty or easy solution)

3) move the loaches back to the quarantine tank and continue to keep two tanks going

None of those solutions appeal to me, but I'm out of ideas. Has anyone ever had this problem with loaches and shrimp? If so, how did you handle it? Also, does anyone have any idea how I can feed the shrimp up where she's currently hiding? I thought of trying to hand feed her thawed bloodworms, but she doesn't like to be that close to fingers and I doubt it will work long term.

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to solve this quickly before something bad happens to my shrimpy gal.

Thanks,
Wendy

 

[Autumnsky]

Hi Wendy,

She is scared of the Loaches for good reason. They are fast moving and predatory. Their mannerisms are something a shrimp wants to stay away from. I might be concerned when she needs to molt she could be eaten.

She will pick at film and things in your tank most likely. Amano Shrimp do not have filters, do you possibly have a Bamboo Shrimp? You can put in a tweezer perhaps near her and she might go for it. If it is a Bamboo shrimp they want to be where there is a good flow in the tank.

Some Bamboo shrimp look like this sort of like a prehistoric monster but shrimp sized, the other variant, the body looks similar to a very large Amano with at least 2 sets of fans

One I had - Pic from a few years ago, I have also had the other kind.

https://aquaticarts.com/products/small-bamboo-shrimp

or these kind of shrimp which are awesome, not the best pic of one
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atya_gabonensis

Amano kinda could look similar when young
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/...JDU5EpAbzo-v6DAi_AL6TMhxoLcE4ESOR0aAnaQ8P8HAQ

What are your water parameters?

 

[cowgrlw]

Thanks, Autumnsky. I'm glad you replied! My initial misgivings about putting the loaches in with the shrimp was that they might eat her. I worried about it for weeks beforehand, but she's pretty big, so I eventually figured she'd be okay. I watched them all closely after I put the loaches in and they didn't make a move to go after her. I didn't think about how vulnerable she will be when she molts, though, so thanks so much for pointing that out.

I came up with a different really good solution yesterday after posting: I moved the shrimp to the 10 gal. tank instead of moving the loaches. The loaches are very happy in the big tank and I really like how everything looks and works there, so I decided to let them stay. (They keep uprooting my plants, but that's another story.)

Shrimpette is super happy now. She's on the bottom all the time, constantly exploring, and is noticeably more relaxed and more herself. I also put in some of her favourite plastic plants, a rock, and a guppy who was a loner, and they're very happy together.

So thanks again for pointing out her vulnerability. I'll keep that in mind if I ever run into this type of situation again.

Wendy