# Suicide Shrimp best way to save them?



## andyone (12 Aug 2017)

Hi all

Stocked about 25 Amarno shrimp into my 200l open topped tank to keep hair algae at bay (brilliant result). Anyway my little helpers keep jumping out overnight for me to find their dryed up bodies. I've lost about 7-8 now which is a shame.

I have a Arcadia 4 tube luminair over the tank. Any ideas? I thought about netting the top but it would look a bit ugly.


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## Konsa (12 Aug 2017)

Hi
Amanos usually try to escape if the water quality isn't good or there is sth that stressed them(fish that picks on them).I had the same issue with them in one of my tanks 22l betta duo.In all other tanks they never tried to escape.
Regards Konsa


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## zozo (12 Aug 2017)

Or when it's racing time, especialy the males go completely berzerk.. Never noticed an obvious trigger, such as shedding skin after a water change.. I guess it's when a female randomly is in heat than the males go bonkers and race around the tank like little chainsaws on ethanol. Sometimes jump on eachother, if this happens close to the surface the chances are high one leaps out of the tank. They can jump liike flees, even submersed they are fast as lighting in all directions. And also if you have floating vegitation regularly caught one climbing on it going for a walk. If they get startled from another shrimp tickling them from bellow they jump. For a short while i used a little HOB filter, the plan was to use it as plant holder and regularly found an amano in that hob. They managed to crawl against the hobs falling water stream to party on the sponge.






So numerous reasons why a Amano can end up on the floor.. Unfortunately it is about impossible to buy them sexed, but less males is less racing and bumping.. I still have 5 left, 4 girls 1 boy, seems to be a better combination none of them jumped for over a year.. Before that i had over 20 and regularly one on the floor. Was the second batch, lost over 60 Amano's in about 2 years time. That's almost € 120,- shrimps.   Nothing wrong with the water quality.. My tanks are to adventures for Amano's, not going to put them again in an open top tank in high numbers.


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## Nigel95 (12 Aug 2017)

A glass lid on the tank, but it will cut your lights by about 15%. Yeah it's not good for the looks but you have to do something... If you wan't to keep the amano's. I'm Lucky mine never jumped, I got them for sale as I don't trust them with delicate mosses lol..


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## Natasha (12 Aug 2017)

Providing lots of hiding places and a shortterm drop of water level usually helps mine settle. Worth checking water - especially TDS, PH and oxygenation.


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## andyone (12 Aug 2017)

Thanks guys. 

They have loads of hiding places and the water quality is good as I change 60% every 2 weeks and don't go mad with ferts. Circulation is rapid from a Ehiem 3 Thermo plus a internal circulation pump.

I'm going to try some mist netting attached to a internal frame.


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## Natasha (12 Aug 2017)

Do you have other livestock in the tank?


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## andyone (13 Aug 2017)

Natasha said:


> Do you have other livestock in the tank?


Yes just a shoal of Harliquins, Emporar, Cardinal, Embler tetras, two very small "plecs" and a Botia to eat any snails.


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## LondonDragon (13 Aug 2017)

If you inject CO2, high levels of CO2 can also make shrimp jump out of the tank!


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## andyone (13 Aug 2017)

LondonDragon said:


> If you inject CO2, high levels of CO2 can also make shrimp jump out of the tank!


I'm a low tec on this front after loosing all my previous shrimp to liquid CO2 as an addtion to CO2, nasty stuff. Now just inject about 2 BPM 2 hours before lights on and stop 1 hour before off. My drop checker is a mid green. But yes its possible something in the water might be irritating them. Just a thought I wonder that given the number of shrimp if a shortage of algae is stiring a desire for them to "migrate" as the seem to be able to walk a fair way out of water.


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## LondonDragon (14 Aug 2017)

Just lower the water level to at least 3cm from the top of the glass and that should keep it in control for now, and just perform regular water changes and filter maintenance to ensure its all up to scratch.


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## Lindy (14 Aug 2017)

Hi, you say you are doing 60% wc s? Do the shrimp walk after a wc or is there no pattern? Shrimp usually like stability but maybe your parameters are changing drastically each wc. I'd do more frequent water changes and not do more than 20-25% at a time. 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


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## Cadfiel (14 Aug 2017)

LondonDragon said:


> Just lower the water level to at least 3cm from the top of the glass and that should keep it in control for now, and just perform regular water changes and filter maintenance to ensure its all up to scratch.



This is something that worries me and while my tank has a lid I'm in two minds to use it as people tell me it cuts light significantly so I'm happy to hear this is a viable solution.


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## roadmaster (14 Aug 2017)

I suspect most people(except for lower lit tanks) could stand to decrease light intensity 15 % or more without issues regarding plant growth, so proper glass top would not be much of an issue.(keep it clean)
Would provide added benefit of making possible shortcomings with regard to CO2  less of an issue, if indeed  CO2 is not on the mark or up to the amount of light being used.
I have had Amanos climb up heater cables,filter uptake tubes and escape.


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## andyone (14 Aug 2017)

They seem to jump/climb out at various times between water changes. On thing for sure is that during a water change they seek out and revel in the flow/bubbles and go a bit mad until the O2 reduces down to normal levels. After all they are a type of river shrimp right?There are filter in/outlets and cables in the corners which make good escape routes!


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## HiNtZ (18 Aug 2017)

I'll echo the water quality statement, but will say it's not about having bad quality water.... it could just be softer, or harder, and IMO cleaner than where they come from.

What I've learned with Amanos after having them for 5 years and breeding them.... they don't like change. If you can keep the tank covered somehow for a few weeks till they adjust, they won't want to jump out. It's either that, or they forget/give up.

Once I moved some upstairs from downstairs and when I came home I found four of them in a perfect line following each other towards the stairs. Obviously they were dead, but I swear they were heading back together. 

They're clever creatures - my females remove their eggs out of spite before they're ready because they know they're going in the nursery tank soon.


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## andyone (18 Aug 2017)

I'd agree they are smather than your average shrimp! Just watching them outsmart the fish when there is food to be had makes me laugh there not stupid creatures.


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