Where have they gone?

[ShrimpGuy]

Last night, I came home from work. My little Opae's were out and about. I decided, that since it's been weeks since they've been fed, it was time to give them a little something. I dropped in one pellet of shrimp cuisine. I thought it would be easy to get out if they didn't like it. It took about 5 mins for the first one to find it. He didn't seem interested, as he dropped it and swam away. That was my signal to remove it before it got lost somewhere. Before that could happen another grabbed it and started picking at it. Finally, he held on tight and swam away with it! Suddenly, some of the others must have sensed it because some much activity started! Before I knew the tank was going crazy! Many of the shrimps would pick up grains of sand and swim around with them. What a sight to see! I was like a little kid, and so excited! To see what seemed like 100's (only 30) of shrimps swimming and doing acrobatics in the water was just amazing to me. I can only imagine what it would be like if I DID have a 1oo or more like many of you do. How fun and exciting it must be! Then...about an hour or so later...... the amazing show ended..... crickets...... not a single opae in sight. Haven't seen many since.

Now I wonder how much to feed. I know only every 2 to 3 weeks and in tiny tiny amounts. But considering that only 1 shrimp latched onto the one pellet, what about the other 29 shrimps? Clearly 30 pellets is WAY too much.... but how much is enough without going overboard?

[Harry]

I like to place in a single flake of color enhancing fish food. The foods has lots of different animal and vegetable content and the shrimp go for it. With flake food, they tear off tiny pieces and swim around with them. One shrimp can't hijack the entire flake. Usually the flake has a huge cluster of shrimp on it. If there is anything left after a few hours, I easily remove it with a straw or syphon tube. I feed a flake size of about 1/4 inch by 3/8 inch. It is almost always fully consumed by my tank of 40 Opae or my tank of 20 Opae. Takes them a few hours to eat it all. But sometimes I will see an Opae that has grabbed a tiny piece and he still is holding onto it many hours later.

[KenCotigirl]

Like Harry I usually feed flakes. I find the same things happening. First one, then another and before you know it a feeding frenzy. Within a half hour things have calmed down and the food is gone. If you look closely you may notice a number of the shrimp have grabbed a tiny piece of food. If I feed pellets they are baby aspirin size and they begin to fall apart within minutes. Then the above begins again. I feed small pellets in the past but like shrimpguy said some shrimp would and could grab a small pellet and swim away with it. Left the other without food.