Re: [APD] Bamboo shrimp requirements

[Bill Wells <wwells1 at concentric_net>]

Pete wrote:
> Hello, been trying to find info on bamboo shrimps but it's hard to find 
> so thought I'd ask here.   I'm always looking for the 'different' animal 
> look in my tank ;)
> First I have a 90 gal with a med fish load (lots tetras and small fish), 
> lots of plants, CO2 inj.
>
> - Eating requirements.  Do they need any supplementary food or could 
> they fend for themselves? How many would the tank support?
They are a filter feeder.  They will often position themselves to face 
the current in the tank and hold their "fans" out waiting for food to 
come to them.  To support this feeding habit they need a fair amount of 
water flow to bring the food to them.  They can filter out very fine 
particles such as OSI Micro-Food and Artemia food.  They will also eat 
larger items such as enriched Artemia nauplii, frozen cyclops and even 
small pieces of flake food.  In addition to straining the water they 
will also walk along the bottom picking up bits of food that have 
reached the substrate.  I have never seen them eat healthy plants, but 
they will eat decaying plant matter; had to add a plant connection 
somewhere :).  The way to know if your bamboo shrimp is getting enough 
to eat is to look for its droppings.  They look like little rounded 
cubes and there should be a lot of them.


> - Colours?  I saw them at the store a while ago (unlabeled as new 
> delivery) but didn't get any as I wanted to research them first, these 
> were a nice deep brown colour.  But now the ones I see at the store are 
> called African Wood Shrimp and they are a dull yellow colour, not nearly 
> as nice.  Was it the Singapore one I saw before.
There are several different species that get labeled as bamboo shrimp. 
The Singapore shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis), AKA Wood shrimp, AKA Flower 
shrimp is from Singapore and has a nice brown color; the males have a 
white strip down their back.  The Cameroon armored shrimp (Atyopsis 
gabonensis) is from Africa is more reddish brown and looks dangerous 
although it is harmless.  I expect there are other species I am not 
familiar with, but the all need similar conditions and food.



> - Are they jumpers? Currently running without a glass top on my tank for 
> more light.
They don't really jump, but they do crawl around so driftwood decor that 
leads out of the water might not be good.  I have mine in an open top 
tank and never had one escape.


> - What's the usual cost.  Store has them at $19cdn which is the most 
> I've ever seen for any type of shrimp.  Don't know if that's standard or 
> a premium for a new 'exotic'
Arizona Aquatic Gardens (http://www.azgardens.com/shrimpfactory.php) has 
them for $6.99 each.  Frank's Aquarium 
(http://www.franksaquarium.com/freshwatershrimpfarm.htm) sometimes has 
them for a similar price, but is out at the moment.  Both places offer 
several other shrimp species if you are interested in getting something 
different for your tank.  They are both located in the USA, I don't know 
if they can ship to Canada.


> - Any other special requirements, hiding places etc.  I have good water 
> flow which I guess they would need.
>
> Many thanks
> Pete.

They need some hiding places to feel comfortable.  They also need a 
secure hiding spot (a cave works well) for when they shed their 
exoskeleton.  They need some Calcium in the water to form their shell. 
Also their is anecdotal evidence that adding a little iodine can help 
with their shedding process.  I just add a drop of iodine with each 
water change.  You can use the same iodine that is used for marine tanks.

Later,
Bill Wells


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