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Amano shrimp never leave the heater & not eating much food?

ReeseADHD

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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Heyo everyone!

I have a couple questions about Amano shrimp. I've never kept them before so I'm not sure if these are normal behaviors. My Amano shrimp almost never leave the heater. My theory is that since the heater should technically be the warmest place in the aquarium that bio film grows there the fastest. Which would make sense because I can see them eating it. However, there isn't an infinite amount of biofilm available on the heater so shouldn't they find else where to eat? I'v tried raising the temp of the tank thinking they maybe they were cold but they still continued the behavior. My second theory is maybe I'm being impatient. They've were added about 2 weeks ago, maybe they feel safest hanging out by the heater. My second question is they don't seem to eat much. Considering the fact that Amano shrimp are known to be voracious eaters this seems strange. I've only ever seen them eat actual shrimp food once or twice. Sometimes they'll make their way over to where food is, take a couple bites then swim off back to the heater. There are no predators in the tank either and the tank is heavily planted. At the moment the only other inhabitants are mystery snails. 

*Edit* - They are juveniles and do not appear to be sick 

Parameters:

44 gallons

Ammonia - 0 ppm

Nitrites - 0 ppm

Nitrates - 10 ppm

pH - 7.4 - 7.6

GH - 200-250 ppm

KH - 80 ppm

TL;DR

Amano shrimp almost never leave the heater & they aren't eating much.

Edited by Lucid_Reese
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lefty o Grand Master

lefty o

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amano shrimp dont really need heat, so id not worry there. in a heavily planted tank it is very likely they are getting a good amount of their food off the surfaces of the tank, and along that line you are probably correct in assuming they like to eat biofilm off the heater. if these amano's are fairly young yet, they might be a little timid, but once they get some age on them, they will become bolder and more readily go after food.

Edited by lefty o
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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

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What is the temperature?

What is the filtration, hardscape on the tank?  Photos if you can please.

The only thing that jumps out as any different for me is that the PH might be high. It shouldn't be an issue. Ensuring they are getting enough calcium and proper food as well as grazing around is going to be the big question.  Females also tend to stay stuck in high flow spots when releasing their zoeys, but that's 1-2 days at most, not 2 weeks.

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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On 4/25/2022 at 6:52 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What is the filtration, hardscape on the tank?  Photos if you can please.

Filtration - Fluval 207 & medium Aquarium Co-op sponge filter. 

Hardscape - 20lbs slate/quartz rock

(Still trying to find a balance so excuse the brown algae lol)

 

252BA5D3-502C-47E9-B86A-3814F6893282.jpeg

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

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On 4/25/2022 at 6:12 PM, Lucid_Reese said:

Filtration - Fluval 207 & medium Aquarium Co-op sponge filter. 

Can you show a top view. I'm trying to figure out how the circulation off the canister is reaching the thermometer. Especially the eheims, I always have to blast them pretty hard with flow. It's extremely common for the shrimp to hang out there. 24/7 for 2 weeks is the issue. Second to that, what is the actual temp you're at?

I would check tonight well after the lights go out and see if the shrimp are being very nocturnal. It can happen, but amanos usually are either hidden or out care free. I would expect them to be in shaded areas of the tank, rock, wood, plants, etc.

It might be as simple as moving the thermometer closer to the output of the canister.

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

nabokovfan87

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On 4/25/2022 at 6:58 PM, Lucid_Reese said:

7513AC2E-4E73-4C90-B0FB-20DF2E00DF69.png.44f695e8b1e305e8e275565a82a9bba1.png

I would probably try moving the heater to the right side, mirror the angle you have now basically, but just to the right of the sponge filter and see how the shrimp react. If they still aren't active you might try rotating the output so the flow is L/R instead of surface / floor. 

What is your food that you offer them?  If you can, try an algae wafer (break it into 3-4 pieces) or try the small pellets or something easy for them to grab.  Mine will literally eat anything and spend all day on just about every bit of decor in the tank.

Edit: And just for clarity, temp is perfect 72-74 is where I keep mine. I would feel with your hand if there is any cold / dead spots and how flow is in the tank itself. That's the only reason I would think they hang out there that way is resting during the day.  Hopefully at night they have a party.

Edited by nabokovfan87
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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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On 4/25/2022 at 11:33 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What is your food that you offer them?  If you can, try an algae wafer

I feed a mix of Xtream wafers, Xtream shrimpee sticks and crab cuisine. I just fed about 20 minutes ago and nobody in the tank would eat it (mystery snails & Amanos). I’m starting to think that they’re just full off of biofilm and algae. 

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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On 4/26/2022 at 12:46 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Give them few days of a break from food And see what happens after that break.

I’m probably gonna hold back food for around 4ish days

On 4/26/2022 at 12:46 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Are the amanos moving around at night or no?

They were definitely out exploring when the lights went dim but a couple were still hanging out by the heater 

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

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On 4/26/2022 at 1:54 PM, hannah662parker said:

How many shrimp are there? My best guess is they're being timid, and the tank is big so maybe they're just not comfortable yet. I would guess the higher their numbers the more comfortable they will be

Good point. There are a total of 9. I didn't want to get too many Amano shrimp because I have cherry shrimp on the way and I didn't want to lose too many shrimplets to predation.

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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On 4/26/2022 at 5:27 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

😂  It's definitely not possible to have tooooooo many.  Maybe that's just me?

I mainly got them as algae eaters lol. I wish it was possible for them to breed them in freshwater but since they can't I'm opting for mainly cherry shrimp. I'm super fascinated by their life cycle. I also like the dynamic it creates where some shrimplets get eaten yet some survive. There's just something about creating a sustainable food chain that intrigues me.

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

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On 4/26/2022 at 3:59 PM, Lucid_Reese said:

I mainly got them as algae eaters lol. I wish it was possible for them to breed them in freshwater but since they can't I'm opting for mainly cherry shrimp.

I totally understand that. The other side of the coin is I wish that other shrimp ate algae like my amanos!

I think I "enjoy" having 10-12 per tank. I would never mind more. I'm right there with you, I totally wish they were easier to breed.

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ReeseADHD Enthusiast

ReeseADHD

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On 4/26/2022 at 6:10 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

The other side of the coin is I wish that other shrimp ate algae like my amanos!

That would literally be my dream species of shrimp. Hopefully the hobby discovers a breed that fits the bill 

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Hannah Parker Proficient

Hannah Parker

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On 4/26/2022 at 4:01 PM, Lucid_Reese said:

Good point. There are a total of 9. I didn't want to get too many Amano shrimp because I have cherry shrimp on the way and I didn't want to lose too many shrimplets to predation.

I think the addition of cherry shrimp will help them feel safer too!! 🙂

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