# My amano shrimp just walked out of the tank !!



## Mkb (Mar 19, 2011)

Our fresh water tank is just four weeks old and currently hosts 14 lambchop rasboras, 4 neon tetras, 4 Zebra Loaches, 2 Chinese algea eaters, 3 ghost shrimps and 1 amano shrimp. Tank capacity is 30 gallons. Temp. Is maintained at 75, ph is 7.2, 0 ammonia, nitrate, nitrite. We change 15 - 20 % of water every two days as it is still new set up. We feed small quantities thrice a day. There is lot od hiding place, natural plants, drift woods, some amount of white algea on th glass. We also drop algea cakes thrice a week.

This is our first ever water tank : but i wonder where we are going wrong! I do appreciate 

1. I noticed 1 tetra and 1 rasboro dead half eaten.
2. For no reason one amano fish is dead and turned ibto bubblegum pink at the bottom of the tank.
3. Today morning my daughter stepped on something which turned out tobe one of my amanos!! Now I notice that last amano shrimp is lurking near the filter tube on top. Could that be next?!

My water level is a bit high. I have plants going to the tank top, but now i have trimmed them.

Has anybody had similar problem?
Thanks, appreciate your time

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AL-PT1PvGqM/TYUrkvW5pAI/AAAAAAAABS0/0G0OEigz_fk/s512/DSC01723.JPG


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

What sort of cycle did you do to set it up? How long have the occupants been in?

Are you testing before or after a water change to get 0 ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

I take it your treating the new water for chlorine?


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## Mkb (Mar 19, 2011)

I am not aware of any particular cycle to set the tank. We set it up on feb 21st. The occupants started arriving from the second week onwards. Shrimps have been there for two weeks. Initial two changes we used nesltle bottled cans. We treat the tap water for chlorine. Water trace levels have been near about perfect. We have got it checked every water cycle. Now I use a home kit with solutions.


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## mcubed45 (Jun 30, 2010)

Mkb said:


> I am not aware of any particular cycle to set the tank. We set it up on feb 21st. The occupants started arriving from the second week onwards. Shrimps have been there for two weeks. Initial two changes we used nesltle bottled cans. We treat the tap water for chlorine. Water trace levels have been near about perfect. We have got it checked every water cycle. Now I use a home kit with solutions.


are you checking the _water in the aquarium_ BEFORE or AFTER the water change?

a tank usually takes at least a month to fully cycle. until then, there isn't enough "good bacteria" to process all the fish waste. dead bodies don't help either.


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

It sounds like your tank is uncycled then. I'm not sure how experienced you are so sorry if this is just repeating what you know. Cycling is the process of 'growing' the bacteria in your filter that turn the harmful waste produced by your fish (ammonia etc.) into less harmful nitrate. You can do a fishless cycle, where you add ammonia to the tank until the bacteria have built up enough to clear it or a fish-in cycle where you add a couple (literally) of hardy fish and then very slowly build up the number, adding a couple more fish every few weeks.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=2491

It sounds like you didn't do any sort of cycle, so you've got a lot of fish producing waste and no bacteria to control that. As you've started to increase the number of occupants the issue gets gradually worse. I'm surprised you're not reading ammonia or nitrite - you are checking the old water in the tank before you do a water change yes? Probably the only reason you haven't had more loses is the regular water changes which dilute them. Shrimp are particularly sensitive so it only needs a little to effect them).

I would definitely not introduce anything more. Cut down your feeding to once a day or even every other day, keep changing the water and if possible introduce an airline to minimise the effects. Do you know anyone with an established tank? seeding your filter with bacteria from an established tank is the quickest way to increase them.


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## Montbars (May 28, 2010)

I think amanos need a very well-established tank. Everytime Amanos did not like my water conditiions they would try to climb out or die. If they are happy they look really busy cleaning, not sitting with their arms motionless


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## Safez (Mar 4, 2011)

Out of a bunch of 10 Feeder ghost shrimp I find at least 2-3 crawl out almost immediately... the other stay and hide or get eaten


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

First things first, you should test your ammonia and nitrites to make sure they are not causing an issue.

The thing with aquariums is not all fish make it. You can buy 20 fish, but nobody says all 20 are going to make it to adulthood, or live a long and full life - just like if you take 20 people, certainly at least 1 is bound to die young from some disease or another. When a fish dies but the rest of the tank is doing very well, it really isn't worth fretting about. Test your levels to assure yourself the aquarium is in good condition, and move on.

Amano shrimp will jump occasionally, it really isn't a huge concern -IF the rest of the livestock is doing well and the aquarium is in good condition.


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## JshineTX84 (Jun 20, 2010)

Get a small bottle of stability and your tank will be fine.


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## feral13 (Jan 17, 2006)

I found an Amano Shrimp walking down my hallway over 20ft from the tank.

And it was one of probably a dozen or so different shrimp, fish or snails they have fallen out of my topless tank.

One thing I noticed is that shrimp will jump out accidentally if they are trying to escape harassment from another fish or shrimp.


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## Blax (Feb 8, 2011)

OMG the same thing happened with my amano shrimp! My brother woke me up outta my sleep and said the shrimp was in his room near his guitar! But then again...it could have been that one of the cats snuck in my room and grabbed him...


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## Vancat2 (Jun 23, 2010)

nah, they do that. I just found one myself.


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## demonr6 (Mar 14, 2011)

I had one of my shrimp appear out of the tank and it was swimming in the dog bowl. The tank sits on a corner of a kitchen island and just below is where the bowl is. The dogs would not drink the water, they sat there barking at it so when I looked in one of the stupid shrimp was in there frolicking. You have to keep an eye on those shrimp I tell you..


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## FlyingHellFish (Nov 5, 2011)

demonr6 said:


> I had one of my shrimp appear out of the tank and it was swimming in the dog bowl. The tank sits on a corner of a kitchen island and just below is where the bowl is. The dogs would not drink the water, they sat there barking at it so when I looked in one of the stupid shrimp was in there frolicking. You have to keep an eye on those shrimp I tell you..


Hahahhaha. How did it make it so far?


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

demonr6 said:


> I had one of my shrimp appear out of the tank and it was swimming in the dog bowl. The tank sits on a corner of a kitchen island and just below is where the bowl is. The dogs would not drink the water, they sat there barking at it so when I looked in one of the stupid shrimp was in there frolicking. You have to keep an eye on those shrimp I tell you..



Haha, did you take a photo?

I've never been able to keep amanos in my open top tank. They either die or climb out(all dusty, crusty). My cherries are doing fine, maybe I'll try amanos again, since I have a minute amount of black brush algae in the tank, I want to find out if the amanos will eat it.


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## fusiongt (Nov 7, 2011)

A glass lid or mesh top could help out on the fish/shrimp jumping out. Of course your main problem is like what others said, an uncycled tank.


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

I wish the question of if he is testing the water before or after water changes would be answered. He is changing out water every other day, but you'd think with his bio load he'd still have some ammonia reading in the tank.


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

Not to thread jack...but I have a cycled tank that I added 3 Amanos too. With in a few hours one jumped out, but lucky I was right there so I was able to put him back in the tank. The next day the same shrimp molted and was doing perfectly fine, but the next day he is no where to be found. I assumed he jumped out again, but a body is no where to be found. The other two Amanos are doing perfectly fine. Any ideas?


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## Al Slick (Jan 22, 2012)

Sometimes after molting they seem to hide out while their new exoskeleton hardens. Mine have disappeared after molting and I assumed this is why. They always come back though.


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## zainey_04 (May 24, 2011)

That's the thing. I've searched the entire tank. There really isn't a place for the shrimp to hind. I just have some blyxa and 3 crypts and nothing else in the tank.


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

zainey_04 said:


> That's the thing. I've searched the entire tank. There really isn't a place for the shrimp to hind. I just have some blyxa and 3 crypts and nothing else in the tank.


It may have jumped out, walked somewhere, dried up and died. I have an open top tank and have trouble keeping Amanos. My cherries jump out too, but I have a sustained population.

Once, I found a dried up amano in a corner of my shoe rack 5 feet from tank, all dusty and crusty.

I would think it jumped out, especially since you can't find it, and don't have much hiding places.


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## Al Slick (Jan 22, 2012)

chiefroastbeef said:


> It may have jumped out, walked somewhere, dried up and died. I have an open top tank and have trouble keeping Amanos. My cherries jump out too, but I have a sustained population.
> 
> Once, I found a dried up amano in a corner of my shoe rack 5 feet from tank, all dusty and crusty.
> 
> I would think it jumped out, especially since you can't find it, and don't have much hiding places.


Yea I'd say check the filter... other than that it may have walked! One of mine jumped while I was cleaning the tank so luckily I was there to put him back in.


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## laqu (Oct 17, 2012)

Thank you everyone...

I bought 3 amanos ... i had one tank that had 'issues' water tested fine but plants were dying and alge growing (of course my betta was happy as a clam)

i put in an amano and couldn't find him and hour later .. i thought, well maybe i put all 3 in the big tank (the betta tank is 2.3 gal square) so i put in another one.. it too was gone in the morning.. i KNOW i put that second one in... now i have one poor lonely amano in my 6 gal and none to clean my betta tank (the betta thinks cherry shrimp are fun to 'play' with, the shrimp not so much)
..
any other ideas for a tank mate for a betta (who is very large for a fan tail and always curious)? 

glad i saw this before i got more amanos ... now i wish i could find those bodies (though something tells me my fluffy dog, who threw up a day or so later may know something about missing shrimp)

on the plus side.. my cherry shrimp had babies! 2 are swimming around


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

In a 2.3 gallon tank, the betta will have pretty much zero suitable tankmates. That's pretty small for a betta by itself, but that's another issue. You should not really need any cleaner crew for such a small tank, either.


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## laqu (Oct 17, 2012)

TexasCichlid said:


> In a 2.3 gallon tank, the betta will have pretty much zero suitable tankmates. That's pretty small for a betta by itself, but that's another issue. You should not really need any cleaner crew for such a small tank, either.


you'd think... BUT i got a 6 gallon tank, plants, etc for my betta (that's what started it all) and while my betta thought the 'all you can eat sushi shrimp bar was great, he didn't love the tank... as a "you stop that and go to your room" move I put him in a 8x8x8 tank.. and he was happy as a clam (bubble nests daily, and no more sad look) ... I think he likes being in the middle of the table where i work and see/talk to him during the day (he has a nice tank)

the question becomes, how to keep everything alge free if i don't have a little cleaner for him. I have 2 betta (both hated the big scary tank even with the filter baffled), they have heaters, lights, plants, and are front and center when i work.


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## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

I've had Amanos jump many times. A lot of times they will crawl out on the filter pipes. They can walk quite far too. They will do it even if the water is perfect. It's normal for them to crawl between waterholes in their native habitat.


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