Problem with Amano

[shumen]

Hello! I've bought four Amano shrimp and put them in a new 10 gallon tank. There's no fish the tank yet, just a few plants. I have tested the water quality and it seems fine.

The first few hours they were quite active but then they stopped moving around and I think they look like they have their backs much too curved (like having humps). They would occasionally move from one place to another but they would mostly stay in one of the corners of the tank.

And the biggest one of the four seems to have a problem moving its front legs. Sometimes it tilts to one side or turns upside down and looks like it's dead. But it's not.

Please give some advice!!! Is their behavior normal or what should I do to make them feel better?

Thanks!

[TKD]

Hi shumen,

Have you tested for copper or Iron in the water?
It sounds like what happened to me before I had the above under control.

TKD

[badflash]

Shrimp need cycled water and should not go into a brand new aquarium. Other fish should live in there for several weeks before the shrimp go in, or snails for several weeks at a minimum. Check this link:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html

Did you use conditioned water or tap water? If you used straight tap water the chlorine in the water is a death sentence for the shrimp. If your water has metal ion contaminants, especially copper, that can be lethal too.

Get a good water conditioner like seachem prime. Also check your water for pH. You can get cheap pH test kits. A pH of 7.5 works in my tanks for amanos.

[shumen]

Thanks! I'll check if I can get a metal contaminants test in the local pet shop. There should be no chlorine in the water because I had the tank set up a week before introducing the shrimp and the water had been going through a canister filter for a week. I introduced two snails to the tank yesterday.

Today all the four shrimp look better! But they still look too curved to me, and it looks like they curve and try to scratch their backs with their legs. Maybe it's what they usually do. And they like to stay all together in some of the corners, either besides the opening of the filter, or besides the heater.

I forgot to say that just after introducing them into the tank one of them molted. I saw its skin but I don't know which one. Do you know how often do they molt?

[badflash]

Mine did the same thing until they got used to the tank. Now they are quite bold, so just giver them some time. Amanos are pretty hearty shrimp.

How often they molt depends on how fast they are growing, and how much they eat, and a lot of other things. Mine turn white on the inside before they molt. They usually look for a place to hide just before they do. I freaked out the first time I saw this because when most shrimp turn white, they either are dead or will be shortly.

Mine are a little over 1" and have been molting about once every2-3 weeks. I've got around 15 in a 10 gallon tank, so someone is always molting. My apple snails make short work of these.