Kamakaze Shrimp

[Underwurlde]

I have kamikaze shrimp!

I initially added a single amano to my tropical tank and after just 2 days it simply disappeared - there were no signs of it having been devoured by its mates..

2 weeks later I decided to add another 2. 24hrs later now thay have dissappered.

Now the wierd thing is, is that I have just found a dead & shrivelled up shrimp on my floor on its way to what it must have thought was some sort of freedom! I am guessing that the other 2 have decided to follow him but I have yet to find them....

What on earth is going on? Why are my shrimp behaving in this manner - they seemed happy enough in the water, so why get out of it and die? Is this representative of normal behaviour???



Andy

 

[Bloo]

It's not entirely unusual for shrimp to try and climb out, but so many "might" be indicative of a potential water problem. If they don't like their setup, they will try and make a bid for freedom.
Is your setup perhaps new ?
Do you use dechlorinator that also removes chloramines and renders heavy metals harmless. Shrimp are very sensitive to those. As well as ammonia and nitrite.

That said, they are masters at hiding. So are you sure they all climbed out and died ? They often hide behind heaters, filter inlet/outlets or wooden logs.

 

[Underwurlde]

Hi bloo & thanks for your rapid response.

You are correct, my setup is new as it is only >3weeks old.

Do you use dechlorinator that also removes chloramines and renders heavy metals harmless.

Yes, I use Aquasafe.

As well as ammonia and nitrite.

I tested ammonia levels (before doing a 30% water change) & this indicated nothing (0).

I have yet to purchase a nitrite test kit...

That said, they are masters at hiding. So are you sure they all climbed out and died ? They often hide behind heaters, filter inlet/outlets or wooden logs.

True - but I have a small tank - I don't think my eye sight is that poor....

I have read elsewhere on the internet that shrimp can perform back flips and it is not uncommon for them to jump out of the tank.... this is really bloody annoying because a.) I don't want to be cruel as a result of pure ignorance b.) I love to watch these little critters but if they do this all the time then I guess I can scratch them off my list. & finally c.) The main purpose for having them is that they are great at cleaning the tank environment!

Thanks again,

Andy

 

[Bloo]

They are absolutely fabulous cleaners and an asset to any tank with the right setup.
They can indeed jump incredibly high and far - and it's quite frightening - so be aware of this if ever you have to catch one by net.

Well it sounds like your water is fine and you're doing the right things. And the tank mates definitely do not pose and threat or harm.

Odd

I would suggest you try and close all possible gaps and give them a try again. Some shrimp do not travel well (even just in a bag from the shop) and losses in the first couple of weeks are not uncommon at all.

Give it a few weeks just to make sure your tank gets properly settled, and get some more

 

[Underwurlde]

Excellent post - thank you because you have to some extent put my mind at rest (as a beginner I was getting a bit down hearted with this I must admit )

I was reluctantly going to give up on keeping shrimp (re: point a) above) but now I shall give it a few more weeks for the tank environment to settle down and I will try again with them.

(Also if I leave it a while I won't get too embarrassed by asking for yet more shrimp when returning to my LFS with them all giggling at 'Mr Jumpy Shrimp' )

Thank you again,

Andy