ReeseADHD Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 (edited) 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 April 25, 2022 by Lucid_Reese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 (edited) 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 April 25, 2022 by lefty o 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 (edited) 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. Edited April 25, 2022 by nabokovfan87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 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)  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 On 4/25/2022 at 8:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Can you show a top view. On 4/25/2022 at 8:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said: what is the actual temp you're at? The heater is set to 73f and my thermometer reads 73f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 (edited) On 4/25/2022 at 6:58 PM, Lucid_Reese said: 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 April 26, 2022 by nabokovfan87 missed an n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 Give them few days of a break from food And see what happens after that break. Are the amanos moving around at night or no?   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022  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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 That's a good sign. Most shrimp are going to be most active at night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Parker Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 On 4/26/2022 at 1:01 PM, Lucid_Reese said: I didn't want to get too many Amano shrimp 😂 It's definitely not possible to have tooooooo many. Maybe that's just me? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 26, 2022 Share Posted April 26, 2022 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 26, 2022 Author Share Posted April 26, 2022 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Parker Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 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!! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzDaddy21 Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Well, I got three Amano's back in late January then added two more and they are all over the tank, the first ones are getting bigger and seem to eat all the time. I don`t use heaters and there are other shrimp with them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeseADHD Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 On 4/27/2022 at 8:21 AM, hannah662parker said: I think the addition of cherry shrimp will help them feel safer too!! 🙂 You were absolutely right! I added some cheery shrimp now they're having a shrimpee party lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Parker Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 On 4/27/2022 at 7:06 PM, Lucid_Reese said: You were absolutely right! I added some cheery shrimp now they're having a shrimpee party lol That's great! I'm so happy to hear that they're more comfortable, they must be so fun to watch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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