# Amano shrimp not eating in new tank



## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

I recently set up a 4 gallon tank that I intend to be a shrimp tank. Loaded it with a ton of moss, buce, java fern, crytp lucens, and microsword. It's 3 weeks old and I never saw a ammonia/nitrite spike (which I attribute to all the plants soaking up the nitrogenous species). My last test on Monday was 0 ppm for both ammonia and nitrite and ~ 5 ppm nitrate.

Tank is 7.4-7.6 pH, 4-5 kH, ~10 gH, and ~225 TDS (same parameters as my 10 gallon). Only difference is that this tank is unheated and ranges from~70-75 given the time of day (lower at night, higher during the day).

I was getting a pretty big algae bloom so I decided to transfer one of the amanos I have in my 10 gallon so he could start munching on it. But that hasn't been the case, I don't see him eating much at all (and he doesn't have a vein, further evidence that he's not eating), but other than that, he doesn't seem distressed.

He hasn't tried to climb out of the tank and seems inquisitive about the tank. He's definitely not huddling in one spot and moves around alot. So, other than the not eating, he seems healthy/happy.

Any ideas what's going on? Is this just an acclimation period he's going through? Was planning on adding a couple more amanos this weekend to help attack algae before adding any RCS, but don't want to do so if there's something in the tank affecting the amano's health.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

still doesn't seem to be eating a lot, ive caught him grazing once or twice but definitely not like the other amanos are in the 10 gallon tank he came from. Double checked and tested parameters again and they're the same as in the original post (and confirmed the parameters were the same in the 10 gallon).

Thought maybe the hair algae that's in the new tank wasn't appetizing so I threw in some shrimp pellets but he hasn't touched those either.

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

They also need protein in their diet as they are not strictly algae eaters. I find mine love Krill.... especially the babies. The adults mope it up quick too so if you have fish food with hi content of krill give it a try. 

Dan


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Dman911 said:


> They also need protein in their diet as they are not strictly algae eaters. I find mine love Krill.... especially the babies. The adults mope it up quick too so if you have fish food with hi content of krill give it a try.
> 
> Dan


I've got Omega pellets that I dropped in today thinking that he wanted something besides algae,but he hasn't touched them as far as I know (I dropped them in and he didn't touch them for ~2 hours,but then I had to leave town for the night). 

Hopefully he has eaten them, I'll check when I get back home. I'll also drop some of the fish food I feed the 10 gallon with, the amanos in there go freaking bananas for it.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

aubie98 said:


> I've got Omega pellets that I dropped in today thinking that he wanted something besides algae,but he hasn't touched them as far as I know (I dropped them in and he didn't touch them for ~2 hours,but then I had to leave town for the night).
> 
> Hopefully he has eaten them, I'll check when I get back home. I'll also drop some of the fish food I feed the 10 gallon with, the amanos in there go freaking bananas for it.


Good plan. Just do as you were and check for the vein, it may just be stress from the new tank and could take a few days or longer to settle in.

Dan


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Have you tried 'seeding' the new tank with bottom vacuumings from the 10 gallon? He might be in need of the same mix of micro flora/fauna from the old tank.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

What was the temp of the tank he come out of? If he was acclimated then 70-75 would of been fine but if you just dropped him in there from say 79-80 down to 70-73 then that is a big drop and would cause stress. Just a thought.


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

GrampsGrunge said:


> Have you tried 'seeding' the new tank with bottom vacuumings from the 10 gallon? He might be in need of the same mix of micro flora/fauna from the old tank.


I had not, but that's not a bad idea. I'm cleaning the tanks tomorrow and will try that.

Bump:


clownplanted said:


> What was the temp of the tank he come out of? If he was acclimated then 70-75 would of been fine but if you just dropped him in there from say 79-80 down to 70-73 then that is a big drop and would cause stress. Just a thought.


original 10 gallon is heated to 74, new 4 gallon is unheated and fluctuates from ~70-73


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## aubie98 (Apr 22, 2017)

Never thought the following sentence is anything I would think, let alone share publicly: my shrimp pooped! Not sure if it was the big water change I did yesterday morning, or whether seeding the 4 gallon with some water from the 10 gallon to transfer any microfauna/flora did the trick, but the amano is now voraciously eating and seems just as active as the amanos in the 10 gallon.

Thanks everyone for their advice! Given his upswing in activity, I've already purchased and added three other amanos (all juveniles about 1/3 his size). At least two of them have already molted and they are all also attacking the algae in the tank.

Just a sense of how much bigger the transplant amano is vs. the new ones I just bought. David and Goliath.


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