Shrimpy Question..

[Aisha]

I've had my two amano shrimps for quite a few months now and they were REALLY shy for quite a while, then they came out odd times, then more frequently when i went to feed the fish.

A few days ago i bought some plants, both shrimps and fish seem sooo much happier (not that they werent before!) and spend most of the day out and about exploring and LOVE this particular plant, then this morning i find some of the leaves on the plant looking white and stringy but still intact, i have to assume its the shrimp because theyre always on it.

Have they eaten the plant, do shrimps even eat plants???
Since i took it out they seem to have gone back in their hide out, will they do the same to my other plants???

Thanks

 

[Corleone]

I don't think the shrimp would have done that much damage, at least not so quickly. I get leaves like that in some new plants occasionally. They may have been in poor shape or had their roots damaged at some point, or they may have been grown out of water, in which case they might die back entirely before growing back. I just pluck off the bad leaves and the plant usually survives.

 

[Aisha]

Thanks for that, i did ask this lady at a lfs and she said that shrimp and fish naturally eat plants as a source of food and there nothing that can be done unless i get artificial ones... well to be honest i dont think she knows alot about the tropical world thats why id ask on here

Thanks again!

 

[Nick16]

i have 6 amanos and they have never eaten my plants. you see them on it but they are eating the microscopic bits of food and algae. its more likely to do with a nutrient defficency

 

[Aisha]

Thanks for your comments.

I have an exact same plant in the other side of the tank and that is fine, i have looked more losely at the plant that went stringy and the remaining leaves have some light brown patches, and its only been few days since ive bought it, i added lpant food when i put them in.

I guess im just goin to have to see how it goes.

Nick, i have fry in the tank which where VERY unexpected and when i found them they were hiding in the coconut shell where the shrimps live in, i read somewhere that shrimp eat fry, now i dont know how many they were originally but the fry seemed to be close to the shrimp (as if the shrimps had been looking after them) since you know shrim quite well what do you think? im just interested

 

[Nick16]

well i have 6 amanos and they are bigger than my 50 or so cherries, and the amanos dont touch anything. they will not eat and babies. they will only eat the dead fish, but that is still unlikely as it will begin to rot. the fish will eat the fry. what fish do you have in the tank with the fry bbe?

 

[Aisha]

the fry are in a net within the tank, im going to leave them there till there a llittle bigger, althought there growing fast by the day!!! My tank is now just mollies and this other fish, species unknown.. its about 3+ish inches inc its beautiful long tail, its orange then its fins and tail is black, its mouth/lis is also black (looks like she has a tash!!)

amanos are much more comfortable around the fish now, maybe because ive put more plants in the tank??

when i first intro'd the shrimps there were only the large fish mentioned above and a male molly, a month or so ago i intro'd 4 female mollies

btw, ive always wanted cherries but none of the fs sold any, and only one had amanos!

Aisha

 

[Nick16]

where are you located?? the more shrimps you have of one particualr species the more the come out as they feel safe in numbers. also the more plants/hideouts you have the better as they have a place to 'bolt' to if they need to.

 

[Aisha]

im in Leeds. I wanted to get more... actually i just remembered, there werent 2 fish when i got them, i had quite a few more but cant remember how many, sadly they died with whitespot which was inroduced by a new fish i bought (sad story, fault was on my part.. didnt quarantine..)

what do you mean by bolt?
they swim around the tank and everything, they hadnt really done this before, but when i bought them they were in a tank with fish that were much larger and no hide outs..

 

[Nick16]

i would make sure there are hideouts like a little cave under wood etc as they can cling on and eat and sleep and hide if they need to. when you got in the room or swich the lights on or a big fish goes near the shrimp the bolt as in leg it! towards a hideout, if you have none they will get stressed.

 

[Aisha]

O i see! Well before getting them i made them a coconut cave and theres this big rock with lots of hidin places and the other half of the coconut shell is upside down with gravel and plant in it with a hide out, its in the corner so space there too. it doesnt really bolt, except for when it was first intro'd and maybe the odd occasion when the fish get fed and the larger fish goes in its direction. other than that the fish arent bothered by them and they keep themselves to themselevs.

i was concerened that they werent feeling the whole being in pairs rather than in larger numbers but i dont think having more would be practical (correct me if im wrong!) its a 15gal tank, hexagon shape so theres not much 'floor' space as the tanks slightly taller than width ways. would more shrimp disrupt the pair?

i dont know how to sex them, ive read up on it but i just cant really tell, and would you recommend to make there environment more brackish coz it isnt at the moment..

 

[Nick16]

no they will be fine, you know you will not get any babies from amanos?? so it doesnt matter about the pair, you could get two more, but make sure they are withing the stocking.

 

[Aisha]

why cant i get any babies from amanos?? im not trying to breed or anything but its nice to know that they could if they wanted to... how do amanos breed then??

 

[Nick16]

the eggs/babies have to go in salt water, and the mother doesnt so, unless you have a salty soloution ready at exactly the right time you wont get any. i had a female with eggs and nothing happend becuase i dont have a salty soloution 24 hours a day, plus the shrimp are cheap so its not worth the hassle.

 

[Aisha]

ok, thanks. do you out salt in your tank?