One shrimp completely disappeared!

[Noraelle]

I have 5 shrimps in an open ecosphere that's waiting to be transferred to a bigger space once I get it cycled. For the last 2 days I cannot find the juvenile shrimp. I tried to change the light setting and move the jar to different locations but it has completely disappeared! I thought maybe it died but I checked the ammonia level and it's fine. I know that shrimp is small enough to hide in a small lava rock but is it possible for it to not come out at all for 2 days? I'm all paranoid that I sucked it out with a pipette during a recent water change (just 10%) even though I was pretty sure I checked the water before I dumped it out...

[i<3Opae]

It could be hiding or just paler than the others so hard to find especially when it's hiding.

[SuperProofer]

In my sphere, I used to have one that would hide for weeks. At the time, there were only 3 of them so it was easier to notice. One day I looked and there were only 2. I was sure he died. I mean, its a small sphere - where could he possibly go?? Then 2 weeks later, there were 3 again. And so the dance went until the weeks stretched into months and I realized he was finally gone. They are good at hiding.

But part of me still thinks he's in there somewhere and that when I do this transfer he's going to come out of hiding, like an old hermit man coming down off the side of his mountain after 50 years of isolation. LOL

[Noraelle]

Thank you Superproofer; your response was very reassuring. He's hidden for a whole day before but never this long (today's day 3). He's also half the size of others so it's easy to tell. I do plan on transferring them to the new home once that finishes cycling in about a month - so hopefully he'll make a reappearance that day if not before.

By the way, I know you are prepping a new home. I'm actually leaving mine by a window (blinds half closed) that gets some direct sunlight in the day to speed up the algae production. I figure there's no shrimp in there so I'm not concerned about overheating.

[SuperProofer]

I've been thinking about doing the same thing. They are *near* a window, just not directly in front of it.