Can platys and tetras eat Amano shrimps?

[SusanneK]

Hi!
I'm trying to understand why my Amano shrimps are disappearing all the time... I have a 60 liters aquarium with good water parameters and are doing water changes 2-3 times a week right now. I have 11 cardinal tetras, 2 grown platys, 5 small platys, 3 octocinclus. Some weeks ago I bought 3 Amanos, and they all disappeared after the first day, and I haven't found them dead on the floor as if they would have escaped...So I bought 5 more, small Amanos this Sunday, and they immediately found a place to hide under a branch, but after 2 days they are all gone as well! This time I covered the sides of the top with plastic foil to prevent them from running away (if that was what happened the last time) but no, it didn't help. So now I'm wondering if it could be my other fishes that might have been eating up my Amanos?! They were never out in the open when I saw them, perhaps because they understood the danger and I didn't...

 

[Hanuman]

You know the say...if it fits the fish mouth... I would really say it depends on the size but I really doubt that those fish eat your amanos. Specially the tetras which are tiny fish. Unless your amanos were like shrimplets... which I doubt very much. Keep in mind that amanos can be very shy and can hide a fair amount of time eating things under wood or whatever they feel secure under.

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi!
I'm trying to understand why my Amano shrimps are disappearing all the time... I have a 60 liters aquarium with good water parameters and are doing water changes 2-3 times a week right now. I have 11 cardinal tetras, 2 grown platys, 5 small platys, 3 octocinclus. Some weeks ago I bought 3 Amanos, and they all disappeared after the first day, and I haven't found them dead on the floor as if they would have escaped...So I bought 5 more, small Amanos this Sunday, and they immediately found a place to hide under a branch, but after 2 days they are all gone as well! This time I covered the sides of the top with plastic foil to prevent them from running away (if that was what happened the last time) but no, it didn't help. So now I'm wondering if it could be my other fishes that might have been eating up my Amanos?! They were never out in the open when I saw them, perhaps because they understood the danger and I didn't...

Hi @SusanneK How big were those Amano shrimps vs the Platys? If very small Amanos it's likely the fishes might have considered them pray - I would rule out the Cardinals and Otos - I have tons of Cherry shrimps of all imaginable sizes and my huge Cardinals or Black Neons, albeit well-fed, never shows any interest in even the tiny shrimplets. Another option as you thought about is that they might have escaped - Amano are know to do that. I have never experienced it myself with Cherry shrimps.

So consider the following options:

1. They may be hiding and acclimating - getting introduced to a new tank might have triggered molting where they shred their exoskeleton and wait for the one underneath to harden up - during that time they are very vulnerable and will hide out.
2. The large platys considered them pray and killed and ate them - that comes down to the size of the platy's and the size of the Amanos
3. They might not have coped with the transition from the fish store water to your tank water and died. Make sure you acclimate them slowly if the difference in water parameters are large. I have always drip acclimated my shrimps (for an 1 hour or so) and I don't think I ever knowingly lost any.
4. They are simply hiding out and will show up eventually.

I had both 1 and 4 happening in my tank!

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Hanuman]

Another option as you thought about is that they might have escaped - Amano are know to do that.

I think that's really dependant on the tank situation. I used to think that before. Now not so much now. My humble opinion on this is that it depends on 2 or 3 major factors (assuming water condition is not one of them obviously):
1. space/volume
2. population of the tank
3. female/male proportions.

The amanos used to escape from my tank when 1 or multiple conditions above met. I haven't had any amano leave my tank for now a good year and none of the conditions above are met. I agree with all the rest.

 

[Wookii]

I think that's really dependant on the tank situation. I used to think that before. Now not so much now. My humble opinion on this is that it depends on 2 or 3 major factors (assuming water condition is not one of them obviously):
1. space/volume
2. population of the tank
3. female/male proportions.

The amanos used to escape from my tank when 1 or multiple conditions above met. I haven't had any amano leave my tank for now a good year and none of the conditions above are met. I agree with all the rest.

Interesting observation @Hanuman . I’ve had Amanos escape many times, even from long term stable tanks - their ability to crawl along carpet is astonishing, I’ve found them 30 feet away in adjacent rooms. In those cases 1 and 2 were certainly well met, but I had never considered 3 before - and searching for potential mates could be a very likely driver - how did you narrow this cause down, just through experimentation?

 

[Hanuman]

Not really experimentation but observation. They tend to escape more when my tank was overcrowded with plants or I had the Pearl gurami.

and searching for potential mates could be a very likely driver

There is something called the chasing when they mate and they'll start swimming round and round in the tank. Something like this:

 

[SusanneK]

Funny picture!

Thanks all for your answers!
I found one Amano and one small platy in the bottom of my external filter today! That was a nice surprise!
I had no idea the shrimps were molding, maybe that could be one reason as you say...
They were around 1 cm small and there is a lot of hiding places so perhaps they are just hiding at another place than before...
When you have Amanos in your tank, what is the "right size" of tank and population then? Should I perhaps skip fishes completely in an Amano tank?

I'm thinking about trying some other shrimps if the Amanos are to difficult to get to stay/live... Could you recommend some other nice algea eating shrimps or should I give it another try with bigger sizes of Amanos? I would so much like to see my shrimps in the daytime....

 

[Lemonhands]

I have amanos in a temperate tank with some wood protruding out of the top, a couple escaped and were sadly found crispy before i put in a makeshift barrier. I didnt see one of them for months tho and then just suddenly appeared again, so never underestimate their pro level hide and seek skills.
Also, you might consider having a separate safer grow out tank? Amano can get quite big and ive had succeess cycling mine since my earlier fiasco from a tank with smaller fish (relative to full grown platies) to slightly larger ones

 

[SusanneK]

I also have some wood protruding out of the top, maybe they jumped from there as you say...
But I believe you are right about their ability to hide, because then I did a water change yesterday, suddenly two Amanos appeared and I was so surprised! They also appeared bigger then I remembered them... I saw that one of them found a hole so maybe there are more Amanos hiding there... Guess I'll wait and see!
I think I buy some cherry shrimps to see if they are more visible than the Amanos...