Macrobrachium Shrimp?! How to Remove?

[GoldeenTrix9898]

I recently started up a betta tank, and got some "ghost shrimp" along with some RCS to be the betta's tankmates. After being terribly confused for a week cause my RCS kept dying for no apparent reason, I realized that what the pet shop sold me wasn't ghost shrimp, it's either the dreaded Macrobrachium shrimp, or whisker shrimp. The "ghost shrimp" were hunting down and eating my RCS. Now I didn't realize this until I had added some lambchop rasboras and the betta, I only found out after I watched a shrimp chase down one of my rasboras and completely shred it's fins. I am keeping them well fed to discourage them from hunting as a temporary solution at the moment, but here comes the main problem, how do I get them out of my tank?

I did a little research and found out about shrimp traps. Tried it, didn't work, the shrimp don't fall for it, no matter what tasty stuff I put in there. It's a heavily planted tank, so netting them out is impossible. I know I can kill them off very easily with copper, but I don't want to, that's just cruel. There are about 10 half-inch-long shrimp in there, and I have no idea how to get them out. Is there any way to remove them from the tank without killing them off?


You can see their crazy pincers on these photos, I never gave them much thought until they used them to murder a fish.


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[Tbox]

Ferocious little buggers! How many are in there?
The net is a no go?

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[Fresh2o]

You could try siphoning them out (assuming the inside diameter of the tubing is 1/2" or more). Place your thumb over the end that is not in the tank and when the other end is close the the shrimp, lift your thumb and swoosh!!! Hopefully the clear tubing will allow you to sneak up on them.
Sorry to hear about the RCS and lamb chops.


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[Tbox]

Yeah saw you did indeed answer the questions.
Agreed with Fresh that a stealthy siphon approach will need to be executed.


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[GoldeenTrix9898]

Yeah saw you did indeed answer the questions.
Agreed with Fresh that a stealthy siphon approach will need to be executed.


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I tried the siphon, don't know if it's my problem or not, but I can successfully approach them, but the moment I try to suck them up, they zip away and all I suck up is water. I'm currently staking out in front of my tank and chasing away any shrimp that dare come near my fish. I managed to net one that swam out into open water in an attempt to eat one of my rasbora babies.

 

[GoldeenTrix9898]

Today I removed everything from my tank, fish and all, and proceeded to go on a manic shrimp hunt. I removed 7 shrimp, and because I didn't see anymore, I assumed they were all gone and that I miscounted when I first put them in there. Lo and behold, after I put the ornaments and the fish all back, 3 small ghost shrimp popped out of nowhere. I checked EVERY ORNAMENT. GOD DANG IT. THEY MUST HAVE BEEN HIDING IN MY HORNWORT. Anywho, I have decided to just let those three be. They are relatively small and survived the shrimp purges, so I guess they've earned their right to stay :/



The shrimp I caught are going to a friend of mine. She has a 3 gallon tank that used to house a betta, but the betta (Duke) recently died of dropsy. He lived to a ripe old age though, she's had that betta for years. But now her tank is empty and she wanted to try her hand at shrimp, so she's agreed to take in these 7 misfits. I am so glad I didn't have to resort to mass shrimp genocide. These little guys have a good home now



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[Tbox]

Im glad you overcame this shrimp debacle.
You dont sound convinced on letting the other 3 shrimp keep their current tank.

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[Tbox]

Their days are numbered I imagine.

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[Kazin]

Interesting story. In case you want to get rid of the other three when they get bigger, I recently left small shrimp net with an algae wafer inside for 30 minutes and caught about 90% of my RCS that were deep in the Java moss and couldn't be caught.

 

[GoldeenTrix9898]

Im glad you overcame this shrimp debacle.
You dont sound convinced on letting the other 3 shrimp keep their current tank.

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I am a little skeptical, but mostly just exasperated. I never thought shrimp would be so hard to remove.


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[GoldeenTrix9898]

Interesting story. In case you want to get rid of the other three when they get bigger, I recently left small shrimp net with an algae wafer inside for 30 minutes and caught about 90% of my RCS that were deep in the Java moss and couldn't be caught.

These shrimp of mine only eat things that move it seems. They don't care for food if it's just sitting there, unless I don't feed them, then they will begrudgingly pick at leftovers. I guess it's just their hunting instincts.


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[Kazin]

Interesting, I haven't taken care of shrimp with that kind of behavior before. RCS also seemed to like the feel of the net, so sometimes when I slowly bump the net into them, they head for the inside of it. It's a real pain though, but other than that, I'm not sure how else to do it. Good luck when they grow up ;/

 

[GoldeenTrix9898]

Interesting, I haven't taken care of shrimp with that kind of behavior before. RCS also seemed to like the feel of the net, so sometimes when I slowly bump the net into them, they head for the inside of it. It's a real pain though, but other than that, I'm not sure how else to do it. Good luck when they grow up ;/

I think it's because RCS are omnivores and not hunters. They will eat pretty much any food they find. They probably like the feel of the net because they can get a very good foothold and it's reassuring to them. But the Macrobrachium shrimp I have are carnivorous and hunters by nature. They also seem to be far more nimble than the RCS I kept and also have much better eyesight. They notice my clear siphon even if I approach them from behind one fraction of a centimeter at a time.


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[Tbox]

Im starting to root for these Macrobrachium shrimp.
If it gets really serious for you and you're at your wits end I'll hook you up with my special forces buddy who has tactical knowhow on friendly capture of predatory shrimp.

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[GoldeenTrix9898]

Im starting to root for these Macrobrachium shrimp.
If it gets really serious for you and you're at your wits end I'll hook you up with my special forces buddy who has tactical knowhow on friendly capture of predatory shrimp.

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These shrimp are hunters, but they are pretty lazy. As long as I make sure the food is still sinking when they see it, they'll go after the pellet and ignore my fish. Three pellets a day, one per shrimp. They seem pretty happy, and a lot meeker too now that my betta has taken a liking to the small cave they used to call theirs. They have now taken up residence under my Anubias nana. I have to admit, they are pretty cute in their own way. Too bad they have a taste for aquarium fish, or I'm sure they would be more popular among fish owners.


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