Help with a Bamboo Shrimp

LordDragonFyre · Post by **LordDragonFyre** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:22 pm

I bought a "Marble Shrimp" from petsmart

Followed their directions and put 1/2 dose of aquarium salt in his water.

A few days later found this site and concluded that petsmart employees are idiots.

I have taken him out of the salt water and into a 20 gallon aquarium with no other animals in it.

He has developed a almost white haze of sometype coming off of his shell around him.

Any ideas?

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:17 am

It might be molting. I would leave the shrimp alone for a bit.

Pea-brain · Post by **Pea-brain** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:03 am

Could be. and yes I have found that a majority of LFS employees are. You find the occasional smart one, but only occasionaly. crazie.eddie is probably right, and it is probably molting. However (and this is unlikely) you may have a brackishwater bamboo shrimp. If it continues to be pale after a month or 2 you might consider moving it back to brackishwater. I have heard of brackishwater bamboo shrimp, but like I said it is unlikely.

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:43 am

In the wild, these shrimp live in fast moving freshwater streams where they cling to large rocks in order to filter water for food particles, so no salt is necessary or desirable. Make sure to provide an area where your shrimp can climb to an area of flowing water.

I've said it before, but it is worth saying again. 99% of anything I have ever heard come out of a chain petstore employee's mouth has been misinformation at best and outright lies at worst.

An easy way to test the knowledge of such an employee is to ask some simple but important questions that you already know the answer to such as:

"If I buy a 10 gallon fish tank today, how many of these baby Oscars and Pacus can I take home with me today to put in it."

If you do not receive an in-depth description of cycling a tank before you add fish and a stern warning about the space needed for a fish that will grow very large very fast, then you know for certain that this person is an idiot.

Hopefully your shrimp will be just fine. They often molt after a change in water conditions such as the move to your tank. Good luck and keep us posted.

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:37 am

Great advice ahs already been given. Welcome to the site! You are the proud keeper of one of my most favorite shrimp!

And yes, LPS and LFS employees are tools.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:29 am

An easy way to test the knowledge of such an employee is to ask some simple but important questions that you already know the answer to such as:

"If I buy a 10 gallon fish tank today, how many of these baby Oscars and Pacus can I take home with me today to put in it."

If you do not receive an in-depth description of cycling a tank before you add fish and a stern warning about the space needed for a fish that will grow very large very fast, then you know for certain that this person is an idiot.

Ah yes the Litmus test for store clerk competency. I try to make it easier on them and ask if I can have a nice a happy tank like their goldfish feeder tank and then ask them why the fish are gasping for air. If they respond that the fish are just breathing air on the top, then you know they are an idiot! The explainations get really bad sometimes

Best wishes with you shrimp, please keep us updated.

LordDragonFyre · Post by **LordDragonFyre** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:28 am

Thanks for the replys so far

I found a post leading to picture in the crayfish section that appears to be what he has.

viewtopic.php?t=1500&highlight=bamboo&s ... d513ed99ff

And from that post, its a fungus and nothing i can do.

Guess i will wait and see.

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 12:43 pm

Pea-brain wrote:However (and this is unlikely) you may have a brackishwater bamboo shrimp.

I have heard of brackishwater bamboo shrimp, but like I said it is unlikely.

There are no "brackish water bamboo shrimp" known to science or the hobby. Please, let's not speculate on hearsay without any solid proof. It just confuses people and starts new myths. Next thing you know people will be talking about the mysterious "brackish water bamboo shrimp" and where to get it.....

We want to give quality advice on this website that is not based on mere hearsay. While it's ok to think about possibilities and formulate hypotheses, pure, wild speculation has no place in the hobby.

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 2:48 pm

LDF: When I first started keeping my bamboo shrimp, they also had fungus. Please keep their water clean, clean, clean! Make sure they have enoug food in the water column. Mine are now healthy and having babies!

Oh, and with each molt, it will gradually go away.

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:28 pm

AnneRiceBowl wrote: Mine are now healthy and having babies!

Wow...wow....careful there!

You're about to *unknowingly* start another myth that will spread like wildfire ("I've heard somewhere that someone already has bamboo shrimp babies...so they can be bred in freshwater").

You don't have babies...you have females that are carrying eggs from which saltwater *larvae* have hatched, which will hopefully turn into little shrimp at some point if everything goes as planned. After all, human fetuses are not babies yet either...they are developing into babies. Larvae are comparable to fetuses in that regard. Of course pictures that you will hopefully take of the young shrimp will then prove to everyone else that these shrimp have actually been bred.

Just making sure that things don't get confusing, especially for new shrimp keepers.

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:40 pm

I didn't think of that!

Thanks Mustafa!

***Mine are hatching LARVAE!!!! LOL

Pea-brain · Post by **Pea-brain** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:42 pm

I heard of the "brackishwater bamboo shrimp". didn't make it up. Though it is very likely the person who wrote it made it up. I have no Idea where I heard it though. I just remember reading about it on a web page somewhere. sorry

I probably should have realized it was a lie by just connection. Where in nature would there be moving brackishwater good enough for that activity? I apologize profusely

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:51 pm

I'm going to have to back you up on that one, Pea-Brain. I saw them on a site for sale (I'm sooooo toein' the line on this! LOL). I don't know how much faith I would put into the shrimp actually being brackish though.

Mustafa or Pea-Brain, if you would like the link, I can PM it to you.

Post by **Mustafa** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:01 pm

Pea-brain wrote:I heard of the "brackishwater bamboo shrimp". didn't make it up.

That's why I said not to speculate on *hearsay*. "I heard about it" is hearsay...read above. I did not say you made it up.

As for the website that claims to sell brackish water bamboo shrimp...let's just say that *NONE* of those sites that are selling shrimp, and this includes the sites that offer mostly or only shrimp, have any idea about the shrimp they are selling. Their information is taken from other websites (guess mostly where...

) at best or plain irresponsible nonsense at worst. Don't believe the information presented there.

One of those "vendors", for example, recommends keeping crayfish with Macros....a death sentence for the crayfish.

So, bottom line...vendor sites as sources of information are as useless as information can get.

Anne...I think I know which site you are talking about but send me the link anyway. Maybe there is another site claiming this.

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 7:16 am

I sent it to you, Mustafa. Did you get it? I may have clicked on the wrong thing to send it. I was watching CSI: Miaimi when I sent it to you. lol