Bamboo Shrimp; sys., nutr., I2   11/24/11
Hi Crew,
<Laura>
Just a few questions. First though, I love this site. The crew is truly amazing in their knowledge content and their willingness to share it with those of us who lack that knowledge.
<Our pleasure as well>
This question is directed at Sabrina since she is the shrimp-obsessed one.
<Ahh, will send to her in the hope that she will see, respond, as well as try to do so myself here>
I have recently acquired two Bamboo shrimp. They are in a well established
75G tank with 3 Danios, about 6 glow light Tetras, 3 glass cat fish, two Cory catfish, 1 Otocinclus, and two rather large Angel Fish. I have an ornament in the tank that looks like a stump. It sticks up far enough that the shrimp can get in the current of the outflow from the filter. That is how I feed them. I squirt the Kent's Microvert into the outflow and they get it. I crumble up flake fish food and put it in the outflow and they seem to eat that way too. I also put in three or four algae wafers for the car fish and the shrimp should they want to munch on them. Is this way of feeding ok and how often should I give the Microvert to keep them healthy?
<Yes and yes>
I do not see any of the other fish pestering them and when I turn off the light at night they go inside the stump to hide. I read several of your posts where you state to put in Kent's Iodine for the shrimp. At my LFS all I could find was Kent Iodide, is this the same thing or a comparable substitution?
<Any commercial aquarium iodide/ate solution will do and is advised>
Do I need to see if I can find Iodine instead of the Iodide?
<Not Iodine... too toxic... though commercial prep's are often (wrongly) talked of as such, this valence state of elemental I2 is not safe, nor very useful for "getting into" the animals we'd like. A fave line here:
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/ReefIodide.html>
Is the dosing the same for Iodide and it is for Iodine (1 drop/ 10 gallons)?
<Half-doses for freshwater (from products intended for marine use) is about right...>
I read on a one other website that the shrimp only have that white line down their back if they are upset or stressed, is that true?
<Not always in my experience. Seems this presents itself when they are excited period... when very happy as well>
Both of my shrimp always have that stripe. One is a nice shade of red and one is a wood brown color, which I think is what they are supposed to look like.
<I as well>
Thank you for your time and knowledge,
Laura
<Again... Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Bamboo Shrimp, Sab chimes in     11/24/11
Hi Crew,
<Laura>
Just a few questions. First though, I love this site. The crew is truly amazing in their knowledge content and their willingness to share it with those of us who lack that knowledge.
<Our pleasure as well>
This question is directed at Sabrina since she is the shrimp-obsessed one.
<<Who, me? Shrimp-obsessed? Yes, I think that's a fair description.>>
<Ahh, will send to her in the hope that she will see, respond, as well as try to do so myself here>
<<I see and respond.>>
I have recently acquired two Bamboo shrimp. They are in a well established 75G tank with 3 Danios, about 6 glow light Tetras, 3 glass cat fish, two Cory catfish, 1 Otocinclus, and two rather large Angel Fish. I have an ornament in the tank that looks like a stump. It sticks up far enough that the shrimp can get in the current of the outflow from the filter. That is how I feed them. I squirt the Kent's Microvert into the outflow and they get it. I crumble up flake fish food and put it in the outflow and they seem to eat that way too. I also put in three or four algae wafers for the car fish and the shrimp should they want to munch on them. Is this way of feeding ok and how often should I give the Microvert to keep them healthy?
<Yes and yes>
<<I think what you're doing is fine. They'll learn quickly that you feed sinking foods and will probably start to go for that more than anything. General rule of thumb is, if they're fanning into the current, they're hungry. My best success with fan-type shrimp was with Atya gabonensis and the (now non-existent) Marineland sinking foods, but really, any sinking foods are great. You might try something in a very small pellet form that they can search around the substrate for. It's possible that the boisterous cories might outcompete them for food, so maybe consider feeding sinking foods in two very separate locations at the same time.>>
I do not see any of the other fish pestering them and when I turn off the light at night they go inside the stump to hide. I read several of your posts where you state to put in Kent's Iodine for the shrimp. At my LFS all I could find was Kent Iodide, is this the same thing or a comparable
substitution?
<Any commercial aquarium iodide/ate solution will do and is advised>
<<As Bob said - but with one important exception; do NOT use anything labeled "Lugol's Solution". This is FAR too concentrated for any freshwater use, and will cause more harm than good. The Kent Iodide is fine, and what I use and recommend.>>
Do I need to see if I can find Iodine instead of the Iodide?
<Not Iodine... too toxic... though commercial prep.s are often (wrongly)
talked of as such, this valence state of elemental I2 is not safe, nor very useful for "getting into" the animals we'd like. A fave line here: http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/ReefIodide.html>
Is the dosing the same for Iodide as it is for Iodine (1 drop/ 10 gallons)?
<Half-doses for freshwater (from products intended for marine use) is about right...>
<<Less than that, even. Just a drop or two per ten gallons every week will suffice, unless you have hoards and hoards of shrimp breeding....>>
I read on a one other website that the shrimp only have that white line down their back if they are upset or stressed, is that true?
<Not always in my experience. Seems this presents itself when they are excited period... when very happy as well>
<<Agreed.... And in some, it's constantly present.>>
Both of my shrimp always have that stripe. One is a nice shade of red and one is a wood brown color, which I think is what they are supposed to look like.
<I as well>
<<Some are greenish, some red, some brown, some orange.... Quite a rainbow of possibilities, and sometimes they'll change color, too, possibly due to foods, water chemistry, dominance....>>
Thank you for your time and knowledge,
<<And thank you for your thoughtfulness and care for your animals.>>
Laura
<Again... Cheers, Bob Fenner>
<<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>>

Food for Bamboo Shrimp 10/2/08 Hello. I'm always using your site for various information but I could not find the info I needed so I decided to ask you. I have a 60 gallon freshwater tank and I have 3 Bamboo shrimp. (I had 4 but 1 suddenly passed away 1 week after purchase). <These are Atys or Atyopsis spp.; the most common species is Atyopsis mollucensis. Like all shrimps, they are sensitive to a few things that don't necessarily bother fish, most notably copper. So be sure and treat the water with copper-removing water conditioner (most brands do this anyway) and avoid using copper-based medications in the tank. As with a marine reef tank, you need to quarantine new livestock before adding them to the community tank with the shrimps.> I religiously do my water changes of about 30-40% every other week and my ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites are always at 0. I keep the tank at about 78F. <Slightly warmer than I'd recommend; 25C/77F is best for most tropical fish anyway, and with shrimps being particularly sensitive to poor oxygen concentration, raising the water temperature has the potential to stress these animals (warm water contains less oxygen).> My tank has been going for about 1yr now. I have had the 3 for about a month and they seem to be doing well, and 1 had its first molt the other day (no I do not add iodine to my water but I plan on buying some in the next few days). <Good; while iodine seems to be less of an issue with shrimps than crabs or crayfish, it won't do any harm.> Anyways, they seem to be eating ok but I do not want them to prematurely pass away and I read on your page that they like macroalgae (the kind you feed corals) bc they don't usually get the nutrients they need just from the water. (I crumble fish food to a dust and drop it in along with frozen baby brine shrimp). Anywho, my question is this: can I buy macroalgae @ my LFS to feed to the shrimp <Yes; "herbivore flake food" is based on algae, often Spirulina. Algae wafers, such as those fed to Plecs, contain algae as well. Do also remember Sushi Nori, widely sold even in British supermarkets, as well as Asian food stores, is good quality algae ideally suited to feeding fish and invertebrates.> or are there other things u suggest other than food that dissolves to a powder (what brand/kind do you suggest of that)? Also is there a such thing as freshwater microorganisms I can buy to stock my tank (kinda like saltwater tanks and copepods?) <Usually not necessarily to do this. Atyopsis will usually find enough to eat in big tanks, provided at least some food is left out for them and not eaten by catfish or loaches. Periodically using a pipette or turkey baster to squirt a suspension of finely powdered flake food or even drops of Liquifry-type baby fish food will augment their diet well. Do this a couple times per week, or more if you want, but do take care not to put so much food in the water you cause water quality problems. Less is more!> Thanks for your help its always appreciated. <Cheers, Neale.>

Cleaner Shrimp Question, FW   3/28/07 Hi Crew,  I've written two or three times previously regarding my 150 gal planted tank.  It used to house 2 large pond fish, then I realized I just couldn't keep up with their messiness.  Last summer I gave away the pond fish and added tropical fish and plants.  The tank is stocked with a red-tailed shark, 7 gold barbs, 9 SAEs, 6 Otocinclus and 11 kuhli loaches.  About a month ago I added 3 algae eating shrimp, one pretty good sized and 2 smaller.  Since they immediately went into hiding I almost forgot they were in there.  Till about a week ago.  I've tried hard not to overfeed the fish so once a day I give them Hikari micropellets and I toss in one sinking wafer.  Once or twice a week I supplement their diet with frozen brine shrimp or blood worms.  Anyway, last week after I tossed in the wafer,  the larger of the shrimp scurried out of hiding and snatched it away. <Heee. Typical> He/she scurried back into hiding leaving the loaches searching for the wafer.  I thought it was pretty funny and threw in another wafer for the loaches.  The same thing has happened every feeding since.  As soon as I throw in the wafer the shrimp appears and makes off with it.  However,  I started wondering if that was defeating the whole purpose of having algae-eating shrimp.  Would it be better to stop feeding wafers and just feed more micropellets, or just let the shrimp have the wafers? <Mmm, I would keep proffering the wafers... these shrimp are not really "cleaner uppers" in captive systems> I used to break up the wafers but then the barbs would grab the pieces and the loaches were left searching for the wafer.   I know this is kind of a silly problem, but I'd like to make the best decision possible.  Thanks a lot,  Kerry <Perhaps a wafer placed at both ends of the system at the same time... will grant all a bit? "Just one thin little wafer..." This last for Graham and his Monty Python fix! Bob Fenner>

Ghost Shrimp Hi! Can you tell me what ghost shrimp eat? <Just about anything you offer them meat based.> Thanks, David Muir <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Iodine And Freshwater Shrimp - 12/15/2004 I recently picked up some ghost shrimp for my two aquariums.   <Yay, welcome to the world of freshwater crustaceans!!> All is well, but I want to be prepared for molting if/when it occurs.   <No "if" about it - ghosties molt a lot and often.> I know iodine is important for crustaceans.  Is there some sort of Iodine supplement the shrimp will need or is the weekly 10-20% water change I do going to be enough for them?   <Some SERIOUS kudos to you for thinking of this!  Yes, freshwater shrimp require iodine to facilitate calcium uptake and successful molting.  Though you *might* be able to get by with your regular water changes alone, I have found that adding iodine *dramatically* reduces the chance of a "bad molt".  Before adding iodine to my tanks, I would lose a few shrimp each month.  After adding iodine, I haven't lost any shrimp to bad molts, that I know of - and they started breeding right away, as well.  I use, and heartily recommend, Kent marine iodine, at a rate of one drop per ten gallons each week.  This amount may seem insignificant, but it has proven seriously beneficial in my tanks.> I feed a varied diet of plant and animal foods, they also have in the tank a piece of real driftwood and several species of live plants.   <Sounds perfect.> Thanks for your help guys!  :-)  (Almost forgot, they are also in the tank with some Zebra Danios and Otocinclus algae eaters in one tank, and a Betta and Otocinclus in the other tank.) <All sounds good.  Wishing you and your shrimp well,  -Sabrina>