Feeding Bamboo Shrimp

[LordOfTheFish]

Hello everyone! So, I recently had an algae problem, and since I had so much algae in the water, I figured a couple bamboo shrimp would love it in my tank and got some. I guess I thought they'd clear it up but that obviously didn't help. They did, however, love my tank since it had so much food. I eventually got a UV sterilizer and now all the algae is gone. Although that's great, I have caught my shrimp scraping the ground for food, which I understand is a bad sign. What should I do to supplement them? I've read that you can dump ground up algae wafers in the water, but I feel like that would end up in the filter. Any suggestions? Thanks everyone!

 

[nic1]

You could grate up the algae wafter in a pot of tank water and suck it up with a pippet/syringe and squirt it in front of him? theres more of a chance that it wont all go down the filter.....
What about Baby brine shrimp?

 

[stanleo]

Do you have live plants with a high flow area? Live plants shed material in the water that the shrimp can eat when there is an area of flow. My tank is heavily planted and I have a small powerhead in one corner for my filter feeding shrimps. They stay in that area pretty much all the time feeding in the current and have been happy and healthy for over a year. 
 
Also finely ground algae wafers released in front of the shrimp can do the trick. I have also caught my viper shrimp breaking up an algae wafer with his forelegs and eating the particles 

 

[LordOfTheFish]

Do you have live plants with a high flow area? Live plants shed material in the water that the shrimp can eat when there is an area of flow. My tank is heavily planted and I have a small powerhead in one corner for my filter feeding shrimps. They stay in that area pretty much all the time feeding in the current and have been happy and healthy for over a year. 

A powerhead is that fan-like thing right? I have a canister filter that creates a small current by having water go in and out on opposite sides of the tank. Is that enough? I'll try the algae wafers for now.

 

[stanleo]

A powerhead is an adjustable underwater fan basically, yeah. If the shrimp can get into the current created by the filter and sit there comfortably than yeah its definitely good enough. The powerhead I have in there is very small and only pushes the current about ten inches or so so it doesn't effect anything else in the tank and the current isn't that strong at all. 

 

[StevenF]

I eventually got a UV sterilizer and now all the algae is gone. Although that's great
 

 
I would turn off the UV sterilizer for now.  The Algae may or may not come back without the UV. You could always turn it back on if it does come back.  These shrimp feed on any plant material, algae bacteria, or Diatoms floating in the water.If there is enough in the water current  they will seldom walk around looking for food.  Ideally try to achieve a balance the water nutrients, microbial and floating algae in balance so that Algae will not take over the tank while still providing enough for the shrimp.  I'm trying but I am not quite there yet.  So occasionally I do feed them.