Petsmart Now Selling Shrimp

[Anon]

I received an email that Petsmart is now carrying shrimp in their stores. Thoughts?

My shrimp friends act like they're the hardest thing ever to keep alive. I wonder if Petsmart will do anything different than normal to keep them stocked.

When I was originally in the hobby, I didn't even know these guys existed. It's awesome to see how popular they're becoming. 

[BigJ]

All of those besides the Amonos are neocaridina which from everything I have heard and my experience(I have only kept neos) are fairly easy to keep and breed, being a little more sensitive to parameter changes then most beginner fish. I have heard that Caridina shrimp such as crystal red are more difficult although like I said I have never kept caridinas. And as for the amonos I have heard they are even hardier.

[BuzzDaddy21]

On 5/23/2022 at 9:29 AM, Anon said:

Petsmart is now carrying shrimp

Thats interesting, when I need a break from life, I watch all the activity, shrimp are always busy.🙃

[Guppysnail]

I agree neos are not so hard. The best way is to get them from someone with similar water parameters as yours.  From a big box it may be harder to find out what water they were raised in.  My local big box store (the other one) started getting them in. I know the fish manager fairly well and she does a nice job taking care of them. She says she gets about the same store survival rate as I got ordering from sources online. Adaptation to new parameters are the hard part for these guys. Good luck they sure are fun!

[laritheloud]

Neos and amano shrimp are very hardy! Just start with 10 to 15 of them in an established, well-cycled tank (preferably with plenty of scuzz) and they will take off. Keep water changes to 25% or less and hardness stable, that's all. I also exercise caution and drip acclimate all of my shrimp, but I've heard you technically can just float and add water to the bag in increments and they'll mostly be fine.

Caridina shrimp (bee shrimp, crystal shrimp) are tougher for a lot of people. I wouldn't feel good trying to keep them because my water is too alkaline for their liking; I would need an RO filter to mix up their preferred parameters myself.

[Scapexghost]

I figured they always carried shrimp. Maybe that was petco?

[Brian]

My local Petsmart has been carrying shrimp for years.   I don’t know if that is good or bad.  I don’t buy aquatic animals from them.  i only walk past in hopes their selection will improve.  I only visit Petsmart when the dogs might need something 

 

[JettsPapa]

On 5/23/2022 at 8:29 AM, Anon said:

My shrimp friends act like they're the hardest thing ever to keep alive. . . .

 

They aren't at all difficult to keep alive, but there are a few things that need to be right.  They don't like sudden changes in water parameters, your pH and hardness need to be correct for the species you're keeping (the overlap between caridinas and neocaridinas is so small that only experts should try), and since they spend most of their time grazing on biofilm they don't do well in new tanks.

[Tihshho]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:16 AM, Brian said:

My local Petsmart has been carrying shrimp for years.   I don’t know if that is good or bad.  I don’t buy aquatic animals from them.  i only walk past in hopes their selection will improve.  I only visit Petsmart when the dogs might need something 

 

My region is split with them. About 50% of the stores have always carried Cherry's or Rili Neos for about the past 5 years and more often than not had Amanos since the early 2000's. I don't generally purchase livestock from these stores, but can't help but walk and see what they have when picking up cat litter. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/23/2022 at 7:46 AM, Scapexghost said:

I figured they always carried shrimp. Maybe that was petco?

Mine only ever had ghost shrimp, rarely had amanos (have to go to petco for that).

Will be nice if they can actually keep them well enough for people to buy.  I feel like it's more difficult to keep shrimp and they barely can keep fish alive most of the time 😕

On 5/23/2022 at 8:58 AM, JettsPapa said:

and since they spend most of their time grazing on biofilm they don't do well in new tanks.

Oh they definitely have crusty tanks... Not enough in the tanks to actually hold a biofilm.  Too much plastic and not enough wood in the tanks.  At best, they add a lava rock.

[Brandon p]

Mind also have had only ghost shirmp which is fine because I have well established ghost shrimp colony and a second so-so colony because I like them but I get them from lfs. My petsmart had cherry shrimp but I don’t go there much 

[Gumbo99]

My local PetSmart recently added a spot for cherry shrimp, but they seem to be having trouble getting any in stock because I've never seen anything it. They have always had ghost/glass shrimp however.

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

They have been selling shrimp here in socal for the last couple of years. Unless you get them right after they are delivered, all you'll find are partially eaten, dead shrimp.