Java fern and wood shrimp... where's that Sabrina?   1/22/06
<<In and out, hopefully mostly in for a while....>>
Wow, and double wow with regards to the, very, useful forum at Wet Web Media.  In a 30 gallon tank  (pH 7.4,
KH 4, no nitrates, nor ammonia).  Four month old, natural sponge filter on a powerhead, producing decent
current and bubbles. Good fluorescent light. Substrate and gravel bottom, 26 degrees Celsius. It is a fresh
water setup for, now, two wood (or flower) shrimp. Stuff seems to thrive, like daphnia, hydra and some
plants (some grass and a well established lotus that can't be stopped, cut from another tank setup).
<Neat>
  This is a second tank, because the first ten gallon has a very mean skunk loach (didn't know they come equipped
with knives along the gills which to stab at Chinese algae eater and others attempting to share space under
bogwood), so now it gets it's own tank.  The first shrimp, a larger one died, but the two much smaller
ones seem to be doing fine once I started to hand feed them with microalgae via eyedropper injected into the current they filter from.
<Good technique>
<<To be quite honest with you, I have only once seen truly healthy wood shrimp in an aquarium store....  And that was at Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco - Justin's tanks are nicer than any of mine will ever be.  Happy shrimp.  Uhh, the point I'm trying to make here is that it is VERY hit-or-miss whether you can rehabilitate newly purchased wood shrimp....  I would say you have a 50/50 chance of your newly-purchased Atyopsis living past a week.  If you can get 'em past their first moult and they end up with a less "foggy" look, you're probably in the clear.  I urge you to quickly get some sinking food that breaks into a "powder" in a short time after sinking - any/all freshwater filter-feeding shrimp will dip their "fans" into this powdered food and gobble it greedily.>>
They have settled, not looking for the exit, even at night.  From the many
unorganized questions about aquarium habitats, two are pressing.  I have some Java Fern and Java moss in this tank.  Not much salt and rather soft water. Will the fern do ok in the tank -- not brackish?
<Yes, likely so. Once established, is tolerant to a broad range of conditions/environment... just a slow grower>
They look fair now, darker green, some black spots, and some bearded algae did show up.  The second question, a more depressing situation.  That I have read up on, including aquaculture perspectives from overseas; no one has had luck in getting these shrimp to thrive in a closed systems.  Have you heard different? If not, why on earth are they sealing them as pets?
Mark
<Am going to send your question to Sabrina Fullhart, who knows most re this group... I do think that some of the Europeans, especially German aquarists have done better and better here. Bob Fenner>
<<These are very easy animals to care for if you observe a few key points - iodine, food, hidey-holes, and "clear" or "uncluttered" space.  Unless you do VERY frequent water changes, I recommend you add iodine to the aquarium - I use Kent marine iodine, at a rate of one drop per ten gallons every week - notice that this is NOT the marine dose!!  Regarding food....  Most folks are duped by the term "filter" feeder into thinking that these animals will get what they need right out of the water of our aquaria.  Not so, as you obviously know!  Feeding with microalgae, though certainly helpful, is likely not enough for them, unless it's constantly in the water in a high volume....  They really need a lot of food.  I've had a single wood shrimp completely clear a 70 gallon aquarium in which everything was covered by a fluffy diatom algae - in just a few days.  You could literally see the paths in the algae left by the animal.  Crazy.  Tetra makes a sinking tablet food that breaks into a fine dust; this is a very useful food item for them.  Larger wood shrimps or their giant African Atya cousins (A. gabonensis, A. "camarunensis"....) will be delighted with the smallest forms of the Marineland foods or Hikari's micro-pellets.  Do keep in mind that some of these animals are very secretive and like to be hidden.  Make sure there are plenty of spaces where they can pile up on or near each other in close confines.  A pile of driftwood or a piece of slate leaned against the back wall in the corner of an aquarium will please these guys.  And uncluttered space....  I sometimes think these beautiful fan-handed lovelies are as dumb as stumps.  They can really get "freaked out" by a lot of plant cover or just "stuff" in general that gets in their way.  They'll grow accustomed to it eventually, but try to let the bumbling beasties have some empty space to roam around, and try to feed them in that space.  It'd be nice if that space opened out right in front of their hidey-hole(s).  All in all, they can live for quite some time - my Atyas stuck around for some years, even carried eggs (though I never found young).  They're really quite interesting to watch, especially in groups.  A couple males to a handful of females is perhaps best.  One male will grow very large and display dominance - it's funny to see them "battle"; with no weapons, two sparring shrimp will "face-off" by walking headlong into one another and trying to climb each other.  Whoever gets bored and wanders off loses; the other is the winner.  They make excellent and fascinating aquarium pets, as long as their needs are met.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>>

QUARANTINE FISH TO SAVE SHRIMP
Hello! Just a quick question about my dear little Bamboo/wood/Singapore shrimp... I was unaware that these little guys could jump so well! I had a problem with a parasite on some of my other tropicals - Blue and Dwarf Gouramis and a couple stray fruit tetras, plus three Pictus Cats. The cats brought some sort of white parasite in with them.. much smaller than any ick I've seen, more like dust. I'm thinking (and treating for) fish lice, but the meds I have cover the bases for gill flukes etc as well. Any thoughts?  Anyhow, he needed to be separated since the meds said NOT FOR USE ON INVERTEBRATES on them. I had him in my hospital tank, just a 2g with a small filter/airstone and heater, but I left the lid off. Hearing a noise, I discovered he was GONE. I found him, about 5 minutes later, on the carpet. Will this kill him? Anything I can do to help him? He seems shocked. Well, any input appreciated! Thanks a million!
Krystin
< Most aquatic arthropods can handle some terrestrial time as long as the gills are not allowed to dry out too much. Your problem stems from not quarantining your new fish prior to placing them in your main tank with the shrimp. Many medications can harm and even kill shrimp so treat your new fish in a hospital or quarantine tank to keep your invertebrates alive and well in the regular tank.-Chuck> 

Ich medication is not working
Hello there, I am having a problem treating ich in my tank.
I have a 29 gallon freshwater tank. I have a few hatchet fish, and some black phantom tetras (I did have cardinal tetras, but they all died)
<A tough fish to keep, indeed; very, very sensitive to medications and water parameters.>
The hatchet fish were the first to show symptoms.  I also have a wood shrimp, which I took out before adding any medication.
<Ahh, good move!>
First I got Kordon RidIch, I have been using this for over a week and it does not seem to be doing anything.
<It may take a while for the meds to become effective, especially if you are using it half-strength (recommended with sensitive tetras, etc.).>
After I started using it, I noticed that the black phantoms started to get spots, it looks like the hatchet fish have more ich now than when I started.  
<It may appear to get worse before it gets better.  I would strongly recommend reading the following article for a better understanding of this illness:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm >
I have been following the directions, and doing a water change before each treatment.  
<Wonderful.>
I went to the pet store today and bought some Mardel CopperSafe, it doesn't give me very much information about it. I also read some where that if I use copper in my aquarium, I won't be able to put any invertebrates in the tank, and I would like to put my wood shrimp back in.
<You are *exactly* correct!  Copper will adhere to your substrate, decor, etc., and leach out slowly over time.  Returning the shrimp to the tank after copper treatment is very, very risky - I would not use the copper, at all.  Ananda introduced me to a product called "Eco-Librium FW" made by Fish-Vet; she has informed me that it works very, very well, and has thus far been safe for her scaleless buds - but I do not know how shrimp-safe it would be; no ingredients are listed.  Here is the manufacturer's rundown:  http://www.fishvet.com/pages/disease2.tmpl?sku=09202001140509 .>
Do you have any suggestions?
<By far, your best option is to remove the fish from the tank and use whatever medication you prefer on the fish in a separate quarantine/hospital tank.  Then, you will not have to worry about the shrimp, and he can go back to his home after you clean the RidIch from the tank.>
Thank you so much,
<Any time.>
Leeann Pippert
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Wood Shrimp
Have just acquired a Wood Shrimp. Have looked at many web sites, but have not really found that much information about them. The LFS I buy from is long established, well-respected, and staff is quite knowledgeable and always available and helpful. They always have healthy live-stock; both Marine and Freshwater, and interesting inverts. They admit they also are not yet completely knowledgeable about the shrimp. 
At any rate, the first one we bought home this past Friday was dead by this past Sunday morning. I tested our water quality with two different test kits: pH=7.4, KH=4.5, GH=9, Nitrate=0, Nitrite=0, Ammonia/Ammonium=0. 
The tank is well-planted (all plants doing well), it is a 46 Gallon Bow Front and has the following members:
4 quarter-sized Angelfish
1 small Pearl Gourami
1 dwarf Flame Gourami 
1 dwarf Honey Gourami
6 Amano shrimp
3 Kuhli Loaches
3 small Clown Loaches
2 Blood Fin Tetras
5 ghost shrimp (I am fairly sure, but not absolutely positive these have all been eaten by now; have not seen any in about 2 weeks)
6 small Siamensis
5 Otocinclus
6 pygmy Corys
3 green Corys
3 Sterbai Corys
3 Panda Corys
11 Harlequin Rasboras
1 Pair- Sailfin Mollies
1 Pair- Sword-tails Mollies
3 small Clown Plecos 
3 very small Borneo Plecos (butterfly loaches) 
The tank has been up since 3/26/04. Everyone doing fine, looking fine, eating well. I bought the Pearl Gourami, 3 of the Amano Shrimp, The 6 Siamensis, and one of the Angelfish at the same time I got the first Wood Shrimp. I returned the deceased crustacean along with a water sample to the LFS, and they agreed with my water tests. They believe as do I, that the Wood Shrimp dying that quickly is more than probably a reflection that something was wrong with it to begin with. They gave me another Wood Shrimp that has appeared and behaved much more actively and interested than the first one.
I am interested in your opinion, (s) regarding this death and my tank numbers. I would also be very interested in any and all info about Wood Shrimp and Vampire Shrimp. I enjoy research and reading and do not mind technical jargon ( I give anesthesia for a living). I appreciated Kevin's remarks regarding setting up my 275 Gallon reef tank and am looking forward to hearing from you regarding the above matters.
Thanks so much, Dave Harvey
<<Dear Dave. Here are some sites for Atyopsis moluccensis, a filter feeder:
http://www.plantedtank.net/woodshrimp.html 
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/shrimp2.htm#wood 
http://www.azgardens.com/shrimpfactory.php 
etc etc...I get the feeling there isn't much info because there isn't much to say about them :P basically, they're filter feeding inverts that look cool but are a tad more sensitive than other shrimp species.
Dave, btw, your tank is WAY overstocked. I am very concerned regarding the fact that your NITRATES measure zero, to me this means something is wrong with your testing kits. I have not seen such a stocking rate with zero nitrates. It is physically impossible unless you have so many plants in there that you can't fit any water in. Is there a freshwater plenum being used? Please re-test your water. You may want to keep an eye on your pH, if it starts to fall, the substrate may be becoming anoxic. Chances are, there are sections already anoxic (or anaerobic) in the tank, small gaseous emissions like sulfide or methane may be killing your shrimp. You can read up on anaerobic substrates here: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/roots.html or you can check the WetWeb plant section, or do a Google search.
You might not want to add any more shrimp for a while, it is obvious they will not survive in this tank. When you do decide to add them, you may want to drip them, as you would a saltwater invert. A nice slow drip may make the difference in acclimating the sensitive shrimp to your tank parameters. Or better yet, put one into a small cycled quarantine tank, and observe it for a week or so before adding to the 46g. But please, buy yourself a new nitrate test kit. Ammonia and nitrites at zero are logical. Nitrates need to go somewhere, but in your tank, I fail to see where! -Gwen>> 

Atyopsis moluccensis; Molting, Behaviour - 06/14/2004
Hello Bob,
<Hi, Michelle, Sabrina (the freshwater shrimp-obsessed) with you, today!>
Recently we bought 2 bamboo shrimp for our tank a couple days ago. We thought that one of them died because he was laying there. But when we looked at it we found both shrimps and what we saw was a shell.  My question is if they shed or lose their shells, or why are they doing that?
Thanks, Michelle
<This is totally normal, Michelle.  All shrimp - and even crabs, lobsters, and crayfish - shed their exoskeletons (their shells) as they grow larger.  They form a new shell beneath their old one, and when they've grown too large, the old one splits and is shed off.  The new shell is soft when this happens, and then hardens after the old shell is off.  This process of shedding shells is called 'molting', very much like lizards or snakes shedding their skin.  If you feed them well, your shrimp should molt regularly.  Wishing you and your shrimp well,  -Sabrina>

Diatoms, and the shrimp that eat them
Hello!
<Hi, Lemia!  Sabrina here, today, fighting the algae war with all you algae-hatin' folks>
I've been reading the many FAQ's and other info on your site concerning Diatoms.  Most of them seem to address this issue with regard to marine/saltwater aquaria (unless I am misunderstanding some of the abbreviations).  
<Nope, no misunderstanding, you're right.>
I have a freshwater aquarium that is almost 4 months old.  Some of the specs are as follows:  46 gallon, Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel filter.  No live plants or rocks.  Water levels as follows:  Ph-7.0, Ammonia <.5 ppm, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=60 ppm (I will be doing a water change tomorrow). KH=5 dKH and GH=9 dGH.  
<Fish, yet?  Get that ammonia to zero.  And YIKES! at that nitrate reading!!  There's the cause of your problem (or at least part of it)!>
My problem is that over the past 2 months I've been developing diatoms that just keep getting worse not better.  Before I confirmed they were diatoms I tried increasing the lighting,
<Increasing lighting will only help the algae grow....>
an algae eater (neither helped at all or made things worse)
<Depending on what fish you mean by this, it might not even recognize diatoms as food.>
and a chemical algaecide (only helped a little).  
<Yuck.  This should be kept as an absolute last resort.  Could be quite harmful to plants, should you ever choose to keep them.>
I have since confirmed through my local fish store that I definitely have diatoms.
<Kind of a brown, mucky, dust-looking stuff?>
They believe (as do I) that it is due to excess silicates in the tank.  
<Although silicates are likely a contributor to the problem, the extremely high nitrates are very much to blame, too.  Also high phosphates are definitely suspect.>
They recommended use of the Phosguard product by Seachem.  I began using the product a week ago with no noticeable improvement.  
<Cool stuff, really.  I've not had need of it in my freshwater aquaria, but it is helpful in my nano-reef when necessary.>
I purchased a silicate test kit and determined that the tank has 1.5 ppm of silicate.  My understanding is that for freshwater aquaria that level should be at .02 ppm.  I have tested my tap water, which is what I use for water changes and evaporation top offs and determined that it has over 2 ppm of silicates.  
<Yeah, probably a contributing factor, but you've got a lot going against you what with the super-duper high nitrates.  I'd like to know your phosphate levels, too, I bet they're high.>
As a result, I believe that continued use of the Phosguard will not remedy my diatom problem.  
<Correct.  You need to get to the source of it, cut off its nutrients.  Phosguard will help, though, in starting to control the problem.>
I have been reading up on diatom filters but from what I read, I'm just not sure if they are the correct solution.  I also saw on your website notes on Reverse Osmosis water?? Where would I be able to get that?? I also saw info on Deionization units/water??  
<Please start reading here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/rofaqs.htm  , then if you're still uncertain, read some of the gobs and gobs of related FAQs :)  I think you'll have more than you ever wanted to know.>
I am hoping you can expand on what some of these items are, what they'll do, how will they effect other factors in my aquarium, etc.  Also, if you can give me your feedback on what the best solution would be to remove the diatoms and manage the tank to prevent future breakouts I would be most appreciative.
<Ahh....  Now I start in....  First off, please do consider planting the aquarium.  Anacharis/elodea will help with sucking up some of the nutrients, as well as feed some fish.  You might want to plop some water lettuce in the top of the tank, to provide shade as well as to soak up nitrates.  Water sprite, Vallisneria, Amazon swords....  the list goes on and on.  But even more fun....  Bamboo shrimp.  Also called wood shrimp or Singapore shrimp, Atyopsis moluccensis are EXTREMELY adept at consuming diatomic algae.  When first starting out my 72g planted aquarium, I had major diatom issues while the tank was still extremely sparsely planted.  I grabbed some Amano shrimp (Caridina japonica) to try to help, but they weren't too adept at nailing the diatoms (though they did a number and a half on some green algae that was forming).  Just for kicks, I dropped in a wood shrimp.  The thing was a diatom lawnmower!  He truly left an obvious path behind him where he'd been grazing.  You could track him by the path in the stuff.  Just one single wood shrimp in a 72 gallon aquarium cleared up the diatoms in less than a week.  However, I will caution you - there is a drawback to this shrimp - once the diatoms are gone, you'll have to drop in food for him regularly, or he will starve.  These are filter feeding animals by nature, and will simply hold their 'fan-hands' open in the current in the wild to catch bits of food suspended in the water.  But our tanks are just too clean for that to happen; they really must have food that will break into particulate matter (I use Hikari sinking wafers/pellets) for them to 'shovel' into their mouths.  If ever your shrimp is 'fanning' in the current for long periods of time, this is likely indicative that he is starving to death.  From my experience, when well fed, they will only filter-feed when they are at rest.  One more drawback is that you can never, ever use copper in a tank containing invertebrates.  If interested in shrimp, you may also want to dose your tank with iodine weekly at a rate of one drop of Kent's iodine supplement (made for reef tanks) per ten gallons of water.  After I started doing this in my tanks, there was an extremely noticeable increase in health, activity, growth, and color in all of my shrimp species.  Wonderful animals, they are.>
Thank you in advance for your assistance and for your patience in reading my lengthy note.
<And thank you for my patience in my lengthy reply!  (I'm shrimp obsessed ;D )
Lemia M.

New bamboo shrimp  02-05-06
Hello,
<Hi there>
I just got a bamboo shrimp tonight and am super excited that there is a shrimp out there that can live with my goldfish and snails!
<Can>
I have been trying to read up on what I should feed this new guy and understand now that he or she will eat A LOT.
I keep running across, "see on the net re: cannot live on pellets alone," but cannot seem to find it, so if these questions are redundant I truly
apologize.
<... try to use the Google search tool as described here: http://wetwebmedia.com/faqstips.htm
Putting in the terms "Bamboo Shrimp Feeding": http://www.google.com/custom?q=Bamboo+Shrimp+Feeding&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com
Look at the cached versions...>
I feed the snails sinking algae pellets that break down, and flakes to the goldfish. Does "cannot live on pellets alone" mean algae pellets, fish food
pellets or something else entirely? Do I need to buy special food for this shrimp?
By the way, he seems to be enjoying himself so far, running around the tank and checking out the intake tube.
xxx
Kuniko
<Read. Bob Fenner>