Is An "amano" Shrimp That Doesn't Eat Hair Algae Not A Real Amano?

I have three Amano shrimp in my 23-gallon (together with four Cobra Endlers). I have some hair algae (not much at all, but certainly there are some hair filaments). The shrimp don't touch it. In contrast, in a Rachel O'Leary video, I saw the Amanos feasting on that stuff in minutes. My guys have been there for about a month now, and I don't think they ever touch it.

I got them at PETCO. I read about not real Amanos hitting the market. Do all Amanos eat the hair algae, in which case mine are not real ones?

 

They'll get around to it eventually.

 

They'll get around to it eventually.

Oh, that's good news! Thanks!

 

If they not hungry, they won't eat it. Starving them for a couple of days usually gets them in the mood.

 

If they not hungry, they won't eat it. Starving them for a couple of days usually gets them in the mood.

In fact, I am not even feeding them. I tried with shrimp pellets twice, but they were ignoring them. There is plenty of biofilm, I guess, and algae and debris, in the tank. I'm just surprised about the hair algae: I thought they like those especially.

 

Do you mind posting pics of your shrimp? Mine go after any and all food that hits the water... but I wouldn't worry about them not eating algae, they'll get to it

 

Do you mind posting pics of your shrimp? Mine go after any and all food that hits the water... but I wouldn't worry about them not eating algae, they'll get to it

Only this guy visible at the moment. Two this morning. I haven't seen all three for a while.

 

Yep, that's an amano, lol. Looks to be a male also. They'll get to the algae eventually, don't worry about it

 

Yep, that's an amano, lol. Looks to be a male also. They'll get to the algae eventually, don't worry about it

How do you see that he's a male? (I know that I will not be able to breed them, but just curious)

 

Amanos are funny, it's actually not that difficult to sex them. The males have narrower bodies, and the second row of dots/dashes from the bottoms are dots, whereas on females they appear more as dashes or a broken line. Females also have much rounder tails. And if you really wanted to try, you could try rearing the young, it would be difficult and has a high mortality, but people have done it. It's not the breeding that's the issue, it's that the eggs need to hatch in freshwater, then there are 4 days to move the larve to saltwater around 34ppm (idk if it's ppm to be honest), so you'd need like a gallon container, a light, bubbler, hydrometer, and marine salt (different from aquarium salt) and phytoplankton (though some don't feed them and just rely on algae), then once the young undergo metamorphosis, they have to be transitioned back to freshwater, but not all the young will turn at the same time so they would have to be removed individually. As you can tell, it's a bit complicated, which is why pretty much everyone doesn't attempt it. But hey, it can be done. I hope yours start munching on your algae soon.

 

Amanos are funny, it's actually not that difficult to sex them. The males have narrower bodies, and the second row of dots/dashes from the bottoms are dots, whereas on females they appear more as dashes or a broken line. Females also have much rounder tails. And if you really wanted to try, you could try rearing the young, it would be difficult and has a high mortality, but people have done it. It's not the breeding that's the issue, it's that the eggs need to hatch in freshwater, then there are 4 days to move the larve to saltwater around 34ppm (idk if it's ppm to be honest), so you'd need like a gallon container, a light, bubbler, hydrometer, and marine salt (different from aquarium salt) and phytoplankton (though some don't feed them and just rely on algae), then once the young undergo metamorphosis, they have to be transitioned back to freshwater, but not all the young will turn at the same time so they would have to be removed individually. As you can tell, it's a bit complicated, which is why pretty much everyone doesn't attempt it. But hey, it can be done. I hope yours start munching on your algae soon.

Mine breed like crazy but only a few survive to maturity. I thought the fish were eating them but maybe it's because I don't move them to salty water....
I'm 99% sure they're true Amano shrimp. They look just like the pictures

 

Mine breed like crazy but only a few survive to maturity. I thought the fish were eating them but maybe it's because I don't move them to salty water....
I'm 99% sure they're true Amano shrimp. They look just like the pictures

I'm sorry, but they can't be amano shrimp if they reproduce in freshwater. Do they look anything like wild colored cherry shrimp? Amanos produce several hundred eggs at a time, and all of them undergo a larval stage and always die without saltwater. If you want to start a conversation or another thread I can help figure out what kind of shrimp you have

 

I'm sorry, but they can't be amano shrimp if they reproduce in freshwater. Do they look anything like wild colored cherry shrimp? Amanos produce several hundred eggs at a time, and all of them undergo a larval stage and always die without saltwater. If you want to start a conversation or another thread I can help figure out what kind of shrimp you have

Ok I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow. They were sold to me as Amano shrimp and they're way too big to be cherry shrimp. Thanks, I'll start a new thread when I get pictures

 

I doubt they'll ever touch your algea, You have too much other good stuff in there. Cholla, detritus, fish food. Better off changing water more often and removing the algae manually.
Good luck