bamboo shrimp

[erc2995]

so last week i purchased a bamboo shrimp at patco it looked real cool and i had to have one..
i didnt realize i had the ideal set up for him till i came home and did some research.. i have 2 strong fake plants right infront of my power filter that move a little in the current, my shrimp just hangs out for hours with his catcher things out.
it has actually gotten brighter and color and the stripe on his back has gotten noticable.
these are pretty cool additions to tanks and i would recomend them to anyone but i was just wondering if anyone knew if when they sit in the current with there catcher hands(i guess i would call them that) and they bring them to their mouth like they got something, is that what just happend or do they just frequently do this to clear anything off them?
i guess im just wondering b/c if it does this everytime it catches something mine is getting plenty of food

 

[OrangeCones]

As long as they are staying in the current of the water, they are finding food. If you see them starting to pick around on the gravel, that indicates they are not finding enough food in the water currents. Add powdered algae to the current if you see them trying to eat from the gravel.

 

[riseabovethesun]

I had two bamboo shrimps for quite some time, right now I only have one. They do need that strong current and when they bring their fan feet to their mouth they are eating and although they may do it a lot if you pay attention sometimes you can tell how big the particle is, and it still may not be enough food even if it is frequent. Mine absolutely LOVED bloodworms, I'd syringe feed mine because I didn't have a lot of debris or organisms in my water column. And like all other invertebrates (and of course fish!) they love live plants for hiding out, molting, and what not.

My one had died due to old age, you cannot very easily predict how old they are, the bigger ones are either female and at times older. I have yet to find out about anyone being able to breed them in captivity, which is why you just get older ones at pet stores. So if it doesn't live for as long as you'd imagine, that'd be why -- just a heads up.

 

[erc2995]

i added another plant infront of the filter and it was in it tonight he spends hours in these plants so i guess hes happy ive had him for a week now and no gravel picking so i guess hes getting plenty to eat

 

[Alex2290]

Does anybody know the minimum gallons recommended for the bamboo shrimp?

 

[Newman]

idk, I would not put them in anything less than 15-20 gallons.

erc, I suggest you feed yours around 3 times a week. do something like riseabove does with the bloodworms.