do your green shrimp swim a lot too?

[Baby_Girl]

I've noticed my green shrimp swim quite a bit more than my other shrimp varieties. In particular, the juveniles (probably male, based on shape and coloration) like to swim at night. Then after water changes, every one of my green shrimp seems to take 'flight' including adult females. I believe the first is due to a natural, internal rhythm. It looks pretty relaxed and happens night after night, so I assume it's normal. If other people confirm this observation, I'll know it's nothing to worry about.

It's after the water change that worries me. I believe it's probably the arsenic and chemicals in my tap water that is bothering them. I run activated carbon in all my shrimp tanks now, and it seems to help. In particular, I used to get post water-change deaths. It wasn't a mass death, just a couple here and there but always the day after a water change. Since using carbon, I no longer get deaths. But they're still swimming frantically. I'm sure they're doing this because the carbon hasn't removed those compounds yet.

I am seriously considering switching my shrimp tanks to 100% reconstituted RO/DI water. I plan to use Electro-Right for minerals and a buffer like Reef Carbonate to bring up alkalinity. If anyone could give me their opinion yay or nay in this matter, I would appreciate it.

[joachimp]

My green shrimp keep(Cardina spp.) pretty well hidden in the top of the bushy plant, that is seen in the background of the below image most of the time. Whereas most all of my other shrimp are very active during the day. But active shrimp are happy shrimp? Is this not the case for the green shrimp?

Then again I have a White Spotted Pearl Shrimp, (Macrobrachium mirabile) that also likes to stay hidden most of the time. He seems to like the to hang out deep in a mass of dead java moss that I have, He is always active eating away at the dead moss, this is how I usally can spot him, as his coloration matches the dead moss very well.

[Neonshrimp]

I am seriously considering switching my shrimp tanks to 100% reconstituted RO/DI water. I plan to use Electro-Right for minerals and a buffer like Reef Carbonate to bring up alkalinity. If anyone could give me their opinion yay or nay in this matter, I would appreciate it.

I have been using RO/DI water ever since I started keeping shrimp and they have done well. The only deaths I have seen are from week and stressd shrimp which were new to the tank. So in my experience RO/DI water seems to work. By the way I get mine from the drinking water vending machines.

[Mordaki]

my green shrimp have only been in my tank for a couple of days but seem active like all my shrimp, but most of my shrimp i cant see maby they dont like being wached or maby i just have too many plants and stuff so its harder to see them and they may all be happily grazing away on the back of my rocks or plants. see alot of my amano shrimp tho.

[Neonshrimp]

but most of my shrimp i cant see maby they dont like being wached or maby i just have too many plants and stuff so its harder to see them and they may all be happily grazing away on the back of my rocks or plants.

When feeding shrimp you can put the food in the front and all of your shrimp will show up to eat

[Baby_Girl]

thanks for the replies, everyone.

So no one else has noticed their greens zooming around at night? My greens are pretty reclusive during the day, like everyone else has said, but once the sun goes down there are what looks like hundreds of them flying around the tank. If it weren't for that nightly burst in activity, I would have no idea how many I actually have.

Neon, I'm almost certain I'll purchase my own RO/DI unit now. I thought about doing the dispenser thing, but then I'd have to schlep 4-5 of those 5-gallon tubs back and forth every week. Back-breaking AND a mess. So I thought I'd save myself the trouble and do it at home.

I'm thinking of this unit. Has anyone used it before with positive or negative results?
Aqua-Safe 'AQUARIUM II' RO Water Filter
It is most certainly cheaper than other units out there (thus the appeal to this poor graduate student), but there might be a 'you get what you pay for' phenomenon.

[Mordaki]

but most of my shrimp i cant see maby they dont like being wached or maby i just have too many plants and stuff so its harder to see them and they may all be happily grazing away on the back of my rocks or plants.

When feeding shrimp you can put the food in the front and all of your shrimp will show up to eat

verry good idea will try that tomorrow and will lokk at the shrimp at night from the glow of the street light i should see them

[Mordaki]

now i took my fishies out(put them in a tank i set up for my mom and dad) my green shrimp swim alot more so do all my shrimp but the greens are being verry active. diddnt check when i turned the light off tho thismorning i put tiny amounts of flake food at the frount so they sank to the frount and most of them came out.

[Neonshrimp]

Our plan worked! Now we need to try and train them to do little tricks

[Mordaki]

hehe one of my green shrimp was getting a piggy back on my mountain shrimp. it swimming around then saw the mountain shrimp and dived for it and was like a little green parrot lol. they are even more active now i think they all realise the tetras that i put in my moms tank are gone so arent as shy

[Baby_Girl]

now i took my fishies out(put them in a tank i set up for my mom and dad) my green shrimp swim alot more.

yeah, the presence of fish will change shrimp's behavior. In particular, they hunker down and try to be as invisible as possible. So thanks for clarifying that.

Wait until one of your females gets close to ovulating, you'll see TONS of activity when the males work themselves into a frenzy over her pheromones

yeah, and there's no need to place the food in a special place for easy access to shrimp. They'll come out and eat if they're hungry. It's a great way to do a quick census of everyone too

[shrimpbaby]

Mine are pretty active at night.