Algae Shrimp Molting

[SuperColey1]

Hello 5 days ago I received 10 Algae eating shrimp approx 1 inch each.

They are either Amano or Ghost but am waiting to find out.

After 2½ hours of water in water out they were freed into the tank, where (I presume) they still are.

I occasionally see one in hiding somewhere but they are not the most visible of creatures.

I am assuming that when they went into the new environment that they all molted and are waiting for their new shells to harden before coming out of hiding.

How long should this take or are they going to hide forever. lol

Andy

 

[GoldLenny]

You are right that they could be molting. Shrimp often will molt when being moved into a new tank or even after a water change.

Are they in a shrimp only tank or a community tank? Heavily planted?

Have you tried feeding them anything yet? My shrimp stay busy in the plants but if I drop a single flake of Spirulina Algae flake food into the tank, there will soon be about 1/2 of them eating around the "dinner table" and the others eventually make it by for a little feast as well. This is how I get a count on how many egg carrying females I have. If they are in a community tank with fish that might eat them, this might not be a good idea though.

 

[Invader Xan]

Actually, if they're new to the tank, they'll hide for a few days, moult or not. They need to get used to the tank. Once they feel safe, you should see them a lot more. They're very shy little creatures -- my ghost hid for about a week.
As for amano vs ghost, look about for some pictures. The shapes of the two are quite different. Ghosts have a more noticeable 'bump' on their back and have visible claws (albeit small ones). Amanos have a much straighter body and a series of markings down their sides (a row of dots on a male, a broken line for a female).



As for when they moult though... The whole process usually takes a few days.

Mine generally spend a day or two beforehand becoming a bit withdrawn. They'll just find somewhere safe and sit there, probably not eating much. If your 'algae shrimp' are amanos, you may notice their eyes turn a brownish colour instead of their usual black.

The moult itself should take seconds. I've watched mine before -- They old shell splits behind the carapace and they just climb out and swim away.

After that, they'll usually hide for a day or two (depending how many potential predators there are about, possibly a little longer). If you're not sure if you're shrimp's moulted yet, there are two signs I've noticed with mine. Their new shell will be very shiny and their antennae will seem a lot more flexible and wibbly.

 

[SuperColey1]

The tank is as in the avatar very heavily planted with loads of cover.

They are in a 125Ltr community tank with
4 Pitbull Plecs (2.8" max size)
4 Mollys
4 Glolight Tetra
5 Danios
1 Betta Male

As for colouring, I only really saw them close up on the first day and they were a white to cream colour, no visible markings and about 1 inch long. You can see their brown stomach though

Andy

 

[rdd1952]

Mine always seem to molt at night. I get up in the morning and there's a shell in the tank. At first, I always panicked that I had lost one. Sometimes I still have to look close because the entire shell is laying there intact.

And you mentioned that you got algae eating shrimp but didn't know if they were amanos or ghosts. Ghost shrimp don't eat algae and can usually be bought very cheaply as feeders. They are basically scavengers and clean up excess food. The last ones I bought a couple years ago, I paid 29 cent each for them. Amanos are more expensive. I think I paid $3 or $4 for mine but it's been so long I really can't remember. If you paid more than feeder price for them and they are ghost shrimp, you got robbed.

 

[Invader Xan]

If you paid more than feeder price for them and they are ghost shrimp, you got robbed.

That depends. Feeders are treated terribly. Plus, given they're only feeders, they could be any kind of shrimp -- sometimes brackish or even saltwater. If you want a shrimp that's been treated with care as a pet, you shouldn't mind paying a little more.

The tank is as in the avatar very heavily planted with loads of cover.

They are in a 125Ltr community tank with
4 Pitbull Plecs (2.8" max size)
4 Mollys
4 Glolight Tetra
5 Danios
1 Betta Male

As for colouring, I only really saw them close up on the first day and they were a white to cream colour, no visible markings and about 1 inch long. You can see their brown stomach though

Andy

I suspect this is why you're not seeing much of your shrimp. Most of those fish would probably try and eat them, given the chance. I'd guess they're making the most of the available cover. With no visible markings, they're probably ghosts (and as their name might imply, they're extremely shy) -- amanos, even when pale, tend to have their distinctive markings down either side.
Give them a little while, and they should become a bit braver and venture out a bit more.

 

[rdd1952]

If you paid more than feeder price for them and they are ghost shrimp, you got robbed.

That depends. Feeders are treated terribly. Plus, given they're only feeders, they could be any kind of shrimp -- sometimes brackish or even saltwater. If you want a shrimp that's been treated with care as a pet, you shouldn't mind paying a little more.

That may be true but I've never seen ghost shrimp in any of the places I've bought fish selling for more than 40 of 50 cents each. I guess it's possible that he/she got ghost shrimp at a higher price but if they were sold as algae eating shrimp, he/she still got ripped off as ghost shrimp won't eat algae.

 

[Invader Xan]

Valid point... ghosts aren't too keen on eating algae. They will, however, do a very good job of scavenging any waste food which might otherwise foul the water, so I wouldn't say they're a bad investment.

I've just read a number of posts on this board of people trying to keep feeder shrimp as pets. The feeders usually die.

 

[rdd1952]

The ghost shrimp I bought a couple years ago were labeled as such and were 29 cents each. I bought 3 and they lived from between 6 months to over a year. I now have 5 amanos which have been in my 29 gallon for over 2 years. I agree that anything labeled "feeders" probably aren't worth trying to actually keep.

Edit: I guess I spoke too soon. I came home from work today to find one of my amanos dead. I hope that doesn't mean that the others are going to be close behind.