Omg my lfs has Amanos!!!

WELL aren't I just slow!!! Of course, the "algae shrimp" my lfs carries are Amanos! Well I was wondering why they're so expensive : (as in 8 bucks apiece, while the Ghost Shrimp are 99 cents... )
Well anyway I NEED them!!! Shrimp are just the coolest little guys ever...and Amanos are super hard to find...and they could take care of my bits of algae growing everywhere ;D

So I'll calm down enough to ask my question. I figure if I do get Amanos, expecially since they're so expensive, I should try to breed them. I know they are super hard to raise (which is half of why I want to try it ). I guess I will have to experiment with how much salt to use in the fry tank since I can't find any numbers...but my question is how much salt per gallon is generally added to a brackish tank?...and a saltwater tank?

Also about feeding...I think infusoria is the best bet and I've read it works but I'd also appreciate any info on how much to feed and if there is anything else they would eat.

Oh and my other question. I want to stick them in my 20 gallon at least for a while to get rid or the algae (I can get rid of the green water but not the stringy stuff... ), but I am also planning on getting a female Betta for the tank. I'm assuming that would be a bad idea to put a Betta with Amanos, even though they're a bit bigger than say Ghosties, right?? In that case I could just set them up their own tank. Which leads to my final question...anyone know guidelines for stocking shrimp in a species tank? I know they can be stocked a lot more heavily than the in per gal rule for fish...or at least I think from what I've read about them.

Any other general advise on Amanos would be much appreciated as there is not a ton of info out there on them.

 

google them

They like hair algae the most, there really not that expensive, lfs just raises the price really high.

 

Sorry I know nothing about shrimp other than to say unless you are planning to supply Ms. Betta with an expensive breakfast or dinner you should probably not put them in the same tank...  .

I am guessing the otos would not appreciate the salt either so they shouldn't be put in with them either.

Rose

 

Yeah I've got a bunch of hair algae in my 20 for them to feast on ;D But I'm not sure they're that unreasonably priced, since from what I've read they're hard to find. My lfs doesn't have too bad prices actually.

Whoops I guess I didn't explain myself enough...I was thinking of putting Amanos in the 20 for a little while to eat up the algae and then move them to their own tank before the hungry Ms. Betta arrives.

Adult Amanos don't like salt either...only the babies do. (the adults live at the mouths of rivers and when they have their babies they drift downstream into brackish water or saltwater, but once they're a bit bigger they swim back up the stream). If I did breed them the fry would get a separate tank...it would start off freshwater, put the female in, take her out after she has her babies, and then gradually increase the salinity. Sounds like a pain but oh well ;D

Well, when I went to my lfs the other day they did have "Algae Shrimp" but they were definitely not Amanos, and only 2 for $5. So I was either remembering wrong about the 'Amanos' or else they got different and cheaper "Algae Shrimp". Anyway for the life of me I can't id them. they look sort of like Amanos just without the red spots. A sort of milky tan color, some of them with a darker brown coloring on the head/back. I have looked at millions of pics of shrimp and I can't find one that looks like them. Any ideas anyone?
I think I might get some but it'd be nice to know what I was buying :

 

cherry red or bamboo shrimp

 

They're not Cherry Reds, I'll google Bamboos

 

OK well there are shrimp sites out too, talk to the store owner maybe he/she can order some for you, I'm getting some in Feb.

 

bamboos are awesome little guys I saw some at petco AND petsmart if you have either one near you they are only like 6 USD ea which isn't too bad I guess :/ anyway I have noticed that mine and my finacee's bamboo shrimp LOVE brown algae I got one orginally 'cause I thought they looked cool but it turns out the they will eat brown algae as well as filter feed off the bacteria in the water. my finacee had it bad in her tank and she got a small one who for some reason doesn't like shrimp pellets...and he chowwed down on the brown algae mine however likes shrimp pellets but since the cories kill those things faster than they can falls, he eats w/e he can get including brown algae just so everyone knows.

~inari

PS any info sites about amano shrimp would be awesome

 

I'll post some this weekend when I find them again, all mine do is filter feed, one just shedded last night.

 

I love it when shrimp molt Nessy did that here recently ht was so cool I even got to watch him break out of his exoskelton it was so exciting and you want to reach in and help but you know if you do u'll do more harm than good anyway thanks I look forward to those links :-D

~inari

 

If you don't see them by sat. night make a post here reminding me, I should have time to find them, finish my exams tomorrow. ;D

 

alright sounds like a plan

 

I'll probably get them tomorrow but just in case......

 

thank u in advanced!!!

 

Omorrokh look through the first one to identify the shrimp you saw. Not sure all the info is accurate on these as I'v not read through all fo them but I'm fairly certain it's fairly accurate. All you have to do is google different words inari, it's fairly easy, I'll see if I can get some more later.

 

Thanks for the links. I just love drooling over the petshrimp site. ;D And yet still I cannot find a picture that looks like these shrimp. Maybe they are Amanos that just haven't colored out yet?? They must be some sort of Dwarf Shrimp, presumably a Cardina but I've seen all the Cardina species and if it's a species I haven't found pics of then I'm sure they'd be selling for a heck of a lot more than 2 for $5. And all the Neocardinas are much more colorful (and expensive)...argh this is frustrating.
I think I may buy some anyway. ;D My only guess at this point is that they're Cardinas or Neocardinas who are stressed and lost their color or are young and haven't gotten their color yet. Or else they're some random species related to all the ghost/glass shrimp and just looked darker to me in the tank...

 

Thanx atm I appreciate I'll get to you those links when I finish my homework :S

~inari

 

Ya go for them, almost all shrimp are harmless, just buy a few so they have friends.

 

Well I've done it. ;D I was at my lfs and they had a bunch of those cute little "Algae Shrimp" (whatever they are)...and I couldn't resist getting some. Three to be exact. I'll post pics if I can get some another day and hopefully one of us will figure out what they are.
Now I have to decide what to name them...I thought about Sh, Ri, and Mp... ;D but then maybe not... :

 

weird you get those names from LOL

 

Well the shrimp seem to be doing well. I have seen 2 of them the past day or two. I also saw 2 molted exoskeletons... scared me a little the first time I saw one. Funny the shrimp are molting at the same time. I wonder if there are certain times of year when they all molt? Or if the move and possible slight change in water parameters caused them to molt? Well, I still can't id them but unfortunately I also can't get a decent pic that looks like more than a tannish blob... They are about an inch long, get to like 2 inches according to the lfs guy (who seems to be knowledgable unlike pet store workers). They are reddish-tan to greenish-tan colored (the guy said they turn really green when they eat lots of algae). No markings. Typical dwarf shrimp body shape. Any ideas on what they could be anyone??

 

Nope, shrimp shed I think every month or so, most I think.

 

Yes I believe you're right but I was wondering why they did it all at the same time.

 

Probably like you said change in environment and they may be on the same molting scedules.

 

Well, since moving to my tank they've put on more color so I finally identified them as Indian Dwarf Shrimp. I'll post pics of them if I can get some decent ones. They're pretty cool.

 

Nope, shrimp shed I think every month or so, most I think.

Actually most animals that shed do so when they feel like it....if their nutrition is correct then they will generally molt pretty easily there are other factors as well!

 

Shrimp that are growing and healthy will generally need to molt around once a month from what I've read too. They molt because they outgrow their "shell", not because they feel like it.

Well I got some pics of the shrimp, although they're not great. The first pic has my Oto Mist in it as well. You can see how much the color of these shrimp vary--anything from grayish green to bright cherry red, and they can change color too. They all have a white to tan stripe down their back though.

 

could u get a more clear picture for us I think what ur talking about might be a bamboo shrimp if I can see a more clear pic it would be easier to tell!

~inari

 

No they are definitely not Bamboo Shrimp. They also sell those at my lfs, and these are just little guys. Here's a link to Indian Dwarf shrimp--mine look pretty similar just a different color, but profile says they can be lots of different colors.
I will post a better pic if I can get one but they are hard to get a clear pic of, Idk why that is...

 

If that is exactly what they look like then cool I just wanted to make sure that you did not get ripped off. I have a friend who thought he was getting a shrimp like that but it turned out to be something totally different that was extremely cheap. just watching out for ya

~inari

 

Wow cool shrimp

 

Thanks atm and inari--actually I think they're even cooler than the ones in the pictures there cause two of mine are bright red-orange ;D (the other one is more of a grayish color I think)

Inari--actually if they were Bamboo shrimp I wouldn't be ripped off at all...Bamboos go for 15.99 each at my lfs while my guys were 2 for 5.50. So I wish they were Bamboos...

I want to get more of them and set up a breeding colony...currently trying to decide whether to keep the shrimp in their own 10gal and the betta in the 20, or keep the shrimp in the 20 and the Betta in the 10. hmmm...

 

You would have to learn how to raise them first. I'v gotten ghost shrimp to breed.

 

what?!?! How???? did any of the babies survive??? sorry I wanted mine to breed but I think they just got eaten o well ....

 

Stuck a whole ton in a two babies survived, don't know how but they did. I have over 23 ghosties now, maybe some will breed.

 

wow I thought they needed brackish water to survive huh shows what I know I guess!!

 

They do, but two made it for me.