Amano Shrimp Missing!

[electro_cute]

Hey guys,

So my tank has finally cycled and therefore I decided to get three Amano shrimp to eat some of my hair algae. However things are not really going according to plan for the following reasons:

1) Besides the first day, I can only ever see one of the three shrimp in the tank. The other two seem to have disappeared. They could be hiding, not sure.

2) My hair algae is as long as it was before I added the Amanos... Not sure why they are not eating it.

Am I doing something wrong here?

Are shrimp notorious for hiding?

Any insight would be very helpful.

[bruinsbro1997]

It's possible they are molting maybe. Did you check every crevice? Shrimps are very good at hiding.

[tarpon]

Yeah I only have two in a 30 gallon and at least one dissapears a lot. I don't even have a lot of hiding spots.

[Faame]

When i got my 7 amano's they were quite timid for about 2 weeks, now they are exploring all around my tank, give them time. Another reason may be because they are very social shrimp, they will be quite timid in smaller numbers, especially when there are fish swimming around.

[Oscarr19]

When i first got my shrimp i had trouble finding all of them in a 5 gallon. It is normal since you just added them. Give it a week or two and they will be out and about.

[LyndaB]

I have 3 of these guys and it wasn't long before they were exploring their new environment. I had some branches sticking upwards in the tank and they were always perched on them surveying the other fish. Now, I have one that schools with the rummies, silly shrimp.

[rasbora]

Is it possible for amano shrimp to escape from the tank by climbing the tank wall or filter's hose ?

[Ziggs180]

I've heard of Red Cherrys do that, but not Amano shrimp. Dont worry to much, Shrimp are Hiders. I've gone days without seeing my shrimp, assume they died somewhere, and then see them out in the open minutes later. I've read people on this forum who have not seen shrimp in months for them to pop out later perfectly fine.

[tarpon]

Originally Posted by rasbora

Is it possible for amano shrimp to escape from the tank by climbing the tank wall or filter's hose ?

Haha I asked the same question. Up the tank wall is impossible. But they can jump out of the water! I was paranoid so I cut a thick piece of plastic to fit perfectly over the opening in my hood for my filter. Now I don't have to worry about jumping or crawling

[electro_cute]

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for all of your responses. I am not sure if the two shrimp that are missing could be molting as I don't know much about shrimp behavior just yet.

I have looked all over the tank for them except for one place. I have the Fluval Edge Zen Wall in my tank and they could easily be hiding in behind. I can't really take it out to check as it houses two of my plants. Here are a couple of pictures.

Could my Guppies/Tetras have eaten them?

I think the shrimp are most likely just hiding because they are new to the tank. I didn't realize they were shy animals.

I'll keep you guys posted if anything new happens.

P.S. Any clues as to why the hair algae is not being eaten?

Thanks again for all your help!

[LyndaB]

That is a very weird, yet at the same time, very cool tank.

[electro_cute]

Originally Posted by LyndaB

That is a very weird, yet at the same time, very cool tank.

I really like it even though it is very hard to stock due to its mini size. You can take a look at my actual tank here:

Fluval Edge Aquarium - YouTube

[Ksuyen]

Yeah very cool tank indeed. I also like nano size tank, especially if planted nicely with some artistic touch. My current 10g also has shrimps in it: 5 of each red cherry, crystal red and glass shrimps. They all live under the driftwood, you will hardly see them going out due to the fishes in the tank. They all are still alive until now.

[electro_cute]

Originally Posted by Ksuyen

Yeah very cool tank indeed. I also like nano size tank, especially if planted nicely with some artistic touch. My current 10g also has shrimps in it: 5 of each red cherry, crystal red and glass shrimps. They all live under the driftwood, you will hardly see them going out due to the fishes in the tank. They all are still alive until now.

Do you find that shrimp add a lot of bioload to your tank? I'd like to get more but I'm scared of overstocking my tank.

I can't seem to find two of my three shrimp so far. I guess they'll come out at some point. If they haven't come out in 2 weeks I'll definitely start to worry!

[Oscarr19]

Shrimp have little to no bioload.

[electro_cute]

Originally Posted by Oscarr19

Shrimp have little to no bioload.

Excellent. Thanks for the info!

[tarpon]

Yeah you can get a buncha shrimp. Just keep in mind if you get like red cherries they're gonna breed a lot.

[electro_cute]

Originally Posted by tarpon

Yeah you can get a buncha shrimp. Just keep in mind if you get like red cherries they're gonna breed a lot.

I was thinking of getting either:

• More Amano shrimp... since I have "3" (two are missing), I was thinking of adding 7 more for a total of 10 Amanos

OR

• 2 more Amanos PLUS 5 Crystal Shrimp.

I have never had crystal shrimp before so I'm not sure if they breed a lot or not and if they would be good tank mates to the Amanos/Guppies/Tetras I already have.

Suggestions??

[bruinsbro1997]

I say cherries, they are very pretty and I love their red coloration.

[tarpon]

Yeah I like red cherries too. They breed a lot but if u have another tank with bigger fish u can use the babies as fish food