scared to siphon in my shrimp tank

I know this sounds weird, but I got some RCS about a week ago. I was doing my weekly water changes today and was scared to siphon in the shrimp tank. Has anyone ever siphoned up their shrimp? lol. I'm getting really attached to these little guys.

 

I know exactly what you mean!! I have RCS breeding in a 2.5G tank. And, I use a turkey baster or airline tubing and drain it into a bucket so I can check for any shrimp before dumping. I make sure to never overfeed. Even feed every 2-3 days to give them a chance to pick up the remaining bits before adding more foods.

 

I use larger tubing than airline (3/8" ID). I siphon into a small bucket, use one hand to steer the tubing and the other hand to hold in to the end in the bucket. I keep my thumb over the end of the tubing in the bucket, and stop the flow very frequently; I aI'm for debris and avoid the shrimp. Also, you can sort of nudge them with the tubing

 

I have ghost shrimp and yes I sucked one down just the other day. I have a community tank with about 8 babies and 10 ghost shrimp in it. I try to watch very carefully to see if I suck one down the tube, because babies and ghost shrimp are almost impossible to see in a 8 gallon bucket of water. When I did do it, I just reached in and picked that little shrimp out of there and put him back in the tank. Never seen a shrimp look so happy to swim away.

 

I use 1/2" tubing, but I cover the end with a mesh filter media bag when I'm worried about small fish or fry. Should work for shrimp also.

 

Well you shouldn't really be digging into the substrate, just changing the water to keep it fresh for the shrimp, so ther shouldn't be a problem siphoning them up!

 

I've had shrimp for over a year and haven't had any problems. I always syphon into a clear bucket. I examine the water before watering the plants.
I have ghost shrimp only tank now and no worries.

 

My shrimps seem to be smart enough to stay away from the gravel vac.