Bamboo shrimp not filtering.

T

Trigger1985

AC Members
Jul 31, 2009
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Arlington Heights, IL (near Chicago)
I've got a bamboo shrimp in my 20 tall community, it's got lots of places to get into the current- on top of slate that I placed specficly for it, a rock covered in java moss, or like I saw in PETCO right up the silicone, haha. But he won't filter- he just constrantly scavenges the sand bottom. I've tried grinding up flake, adding hikari baby bites into the water colum, and I already use bottom feeder disks that send up clouds of food when the kuhli's eat. When I got it, it was on the silicone in Petco's tank, filtering with several other shrimps, now it just won't even try.
Do they do better in groups, or should I just leave well enough alone.
Water parameters are 0-0-10. PH is between 7.4 and 7.6 Temp shifts 76-78. I do dose 10 ml a week of Leaf Zone for my Moss, C. Wendetti and Hornwort.
Current stock of tank- 2 dwarf gourami (m/f) 3 Platies (1male/2female), 2 Kuhlis, 2 otos, 2 danios, a 1 angel (I got him before I knew any better, I think I'll be finding him a new home, though he seems to have stopped growing, and shows nice vivid coloring) and an unknown number of pond snails that just won't go away, they will soon be food when I get my Dwarf Puffer tank going. Have RCS and MTS on the way to help clean up and stir the new sand.

I did lose a danio and an oto, but I never saw a spike, and never found them- just changed from gravel to sand- no spike on that either- I credit my plants and overfiltration.

I've never witnessed a fish go after him- he tends to "tickle them" with his feelers if they get within range, and that freaks them out enough they no longer go near him, and he spends a lot of time out of cover on the substrate, so I don't think it's worried about agression. And I don't think I over feed- only thing that ever hits the bottom is the bottom feeder disk- but that's the idea behind that.
 
Mine spends alot of time on the bottom too. They say it is because they aren't getting enough to eat in the water stream. Mine has a couple of perches but for the most part she follows the fish around and grazes off the bottom and plant leaves. Mine also pokes the fish if they get too close, it is pretty funny to watch. I have had her for 18 months and she is always brightly colored and active. I know that doesn't say much but you are not alone.
 
Mine has snared an entire flake before. Hangs out on the plants near the water return.

How often do you water change? They like those.
 
How long has your tank been established? You are not supposed to add them to new tanks because there isn't enough microscopic food for them to filter yet. You are supposed to wait until the tank has been set up for year or so. You will need to give him a supplimental food until you see him filtering and quite awhile after that.
 
make sure they can have a place in the current where they can hide as well. i used a large java fern suction cupped to the wall of my tank where i had my filters outflow. they all hid in the fern and felt comfortable sitting in the curent at the same time.
 
That may be it, this tanks been running for about 6-7 months. Finally saw him filtering early this morning, but I'll keep adding powered food to make sure he's still got enough to eat for a while. Added some drift wood today that's a bit higher and closer to the outlet, I'll figure out something to make sure he has some cozy cover up there. I've been keeping fish since I was a kid, but I gotta admit I'm a newb when it comes to inverts so the help is much appreicated.
 
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