Cherry shrimp missing!!!

[Inferno080]

I have a densly planted 56 gallon tank(even floating plants) with only tetras and a pair of roseline sharks.It is a well set ecosystem. I have kept and bred many exotic fish over the years. However i have never been able to keep cherry shrimp!! I have kept amano for years and they have no problem in my tank. I dont think Roseline sharks are a problem as my tank is pretty densly planted. Also can assassin snails be the culprit? PS. The shrimps haven't crawled out... I checked. But over two dozen vanished overnight? It seems suspicious.

 

[Essjay]

The roseline sharks (aka red line torpedo barbs, Sahyadria denisonii) are the main suspects in my opinion. Most fish will eat shrimps, and these fish are certainly big enough.
But if the tank is densely planted, the shrimps may well be still there - you would need to remove all the plants and inspect them carefully to be certain the shrimps are not in the tank.



Side issue - roseline sharks are shoaling fish, they need to be in a group of at least 6 to 10.

 

[Inferno080]

The roseline sharks (aka red line torpedo barbs, Sahyadria denisonii) are the main suspects in my opinion. Most fish will eat shrimps, and these fish are certainly big enough.
But if the tank is densely planted, the shrimps may well be still there - you would need to remove all the plants and inspect them carefully to be certain the shrimps are not in the tank.



Side issue - roseline sharks are shoaling fish, they need to be in a group of at least 6 to 10.

The roseline sharks (aka red line torpedo barbs, Sahyadria denisonii) are the main suspects in my opinion. Most fish will eat shrimps, and these fish are certainly big enough.
But if the tank is densely planted, the shrimps may well be still there - you would need to remove all the plants and inspect them carefully to be certain the shrimps are not in the tank.



Side issue - roseline sharks are shoaling fish, they need to be in a group of at least 6 to 10.

I had a shoal.. But i have them for many years and now only 2 left

 

[Essjay]

Ah, that's OK. Wasn't sure if they were new and you needed more. It's always difficult when fish die leaving only a few of a shoaling species - do I get more, or just leave them as they are.

 

[seangee]

At any one time I can only see about 25% of the cherry shrimp in my tank. That's a guess because I have no idea how many there are now. They are brilliant at hiding. Once I thought I had lost the whole lot and even when I removed all my bits of wood and trimmed the plants right down I could not find a single one. A few days later they all showed up again. They will hide when they are moulting, very small or feel threatened.

If there are predators you won't see them too often, and if your predators actively hunt them for food there is a good chance they won't survive

 

[FishGuest5123]

If that many have become MIA overnight I’d say take a look at everyone else’s bellies. You’ll never get a large colony going because the fish will most definitely eat the shrimplets. They do hide very well but even with that I suspect a meal was had. That’s why I keep my shrimp in a shrimp only tank. My population is crazy!