SO I went to the pet store today to buy a few fish. Saw a really neat looking shrimp called a Rock Shrimp. It was 8.99. Asked the lady about it, said she didnt know, they just came in.
I've been looking online and can't find anything on them, besides recipes.
I feel so stupid, I should have done my research before buying this animal. Bu tthe boyfriend kept bugging me for it, saying he wanted to name it Jacques. (after the finding nemo movie)
With so many names around it's hard to help you if you only give us a name. Do you have a picture? Or better, just go to the shrimp varieties page of this website and look there first. You should be able to find your shrimp there. I am almost positive it's a filter shrimp of some sort.
Last edited by Mustafa on Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Post a picture of your shrimp. Pet stores incorrectly label aquatic life all the time. Rock shrimp are marine shrimp commonly used for making popcorn fried shrimp and soups.. cooking like you said.
I have no idea, I actually did look through the shimp pics and found nothing even remotely resembling my very bland, brownish 2-3 cm shrimp.
I feel like such a fool for having bought it. The ladyt mentioned casually it was 'a jumper' and well... now I can not find my shrimp. There are plenty of hideouts in my tank and he is in none of them. I am assuming he jumped (my tank has a lid, with a tiny area at the back for a filter) and is now.... on an adventure?
I feel terribly because this 10 dollar shrimp is now missing in my house or a very keen hider.
I really do apologize for my ignorance, I have never really bought an animal without prior knowledge on it, I just figured this would be a larger cousin of the ghost shrimp. I was wrong. ANd now I meekly ask for assistance from those who know shrimp.
A tiny bit of help/... I saw they were advertised a lot for recipes. Was I purchance sold a feeder shrimp? The girl was telling me about how they often get extra animals in their stocks, such as lobster and crayfish??? She had absolutely no idea what this feeder shrimp did. The only thing I saw it doing was sitting on a rock, using its little arms to catch things flying by.
This 'rock shrimp' has completely disappeared. I have no idea how far it can jump, but we have searched the perimeter and it is nowhere. It is not in the tank, in none of the hideouts....
With no picture and no shrimp, the ID is just about impossible. I found this site though, see if this helps at all: http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Shrimp/
When keeping jumping fish or shrimp it is important that you have a top on the aquarium or keep the water level down to a point that they can't get out. If the water quality is not to the shrimp's liking, they will often find a way out no matter what.
It is not uncommon for them to molt immediately after getting them home. They will find a place to hide until they harden up.
She's talking about some type of filter shrimp, most likely the asian filter shrimp. She's just not familiar with shrimp body shapes to distinguish a shrimp from another. I have heard the african filter shrimp called "rock shrimp" a few times before and the price for a small specimen is about right too. But then, I have heard the asian filter shrimp called "rock shrimp" before, too. So, go read up on these shrimp on the shrimp varieties page. And yes, you have one of the those shrimp. Yours is just a juvenile and might not look quite like that yet.
And don't let anyone tell you that a shrimp is a "jumper." Shrimp usually only leave the tank if the water parameters are not to their liking or they are startled by something and literally jump.
You have no provided any details on your tank, possible fish, etc. If your tank is tiny and has cichlids in it (for example), then it would not surprise me if your shrimp either climbed out or got eaten or is hiding somewhere.
"rock shrimp' has not jumped ship, he was hiding in a tiny crevice in one of my fish "houses":oops: and I discovered him today. He had his little feeler sticking out, sensing out the water I guess lol.
He only has one feeler he can use, the other one is totally gone.
That shrimp you linked for me doesnt have the same body pattern as Jaqcues (thats his name hehe) but it does have the exact same type of grippers, as I call them. He just sits there and has his 'claws' fully opened and will grab at particles floating by and bring them to his mouth. They almost look like whale baleen. I read up on the Asian filter, and besides the difference in colour, they sound exactly the same.
He is about 6 cm long (total guestimate), and his body is solid, you cant see through him on most parts. He has a red stripe running lengthwise along his body, and then a brown stripe, then yellow stripe, then brown, then yellow, then brown, etc going in the same direction. His tail is reddish.
I know it's not much info, but those are my observations. He seems pretty content in his little hideout, I think he may have been stressed when he came home. I dont think he was at the pet store very long. And there is absolutely no hiding places in those pet store aquariums, so I can imagine he wasnt too happy there.
I have a 20 gallon tank, I have one fancy male guppy, one bottom feeder, one algae eater (not a pleco, a long striped one), three red platys, and 4 zebra danios. And this rock shrimp. None of these fish are aggressive in the least bit. I have plenty of plants, and three large hideouts for the fish (and shrimp) to seek shelter in. I have a filter, and have a tank light. The temperature is between 70-80 F (I strive to keep it around 78), I check my water temp daily. Oh, and there is a lid, there is just a very small part at the back that is open where the filter is. I guess if he had really good aim he could jump outta there lol.
I hope this makes identifying my shrimp a bit easier. I really appreciate it!!!!! If he is an Asian Filter shrimp, then I have him in pretty perfect conditions, and he should be fine eating the particles left by fish food, right??
Should I call PetSmart and oh so kindly tell them what type of shrimp they are really selling is??
Thanks for your help, everyone. I've discovered from this that i really do like shrimp, and possibly crayfish. I'll be looking into buying some more down the road. From experienced, qualified breeders of course
I think you must have an Atyopsis species, probably a bamboo shrimp. Their colors are quite variable, but what you describe sounds a lot like what I have.
As I have recently discovered, they prefer soft acidic water, but mine have done fine for over 3 months in hard basic water. They like it warm, but do fine at 75 degrees but prefer 80. I am setting up a 20 gallon low tank for these guys and my bumblebees. The tank need to cycle a while yet.
If you feed flake food and grind some up between your fingers when you feed they will get plenty to eat. Give them a perch under a high flow area in the tank and a good place to hide when they molt. Expect them to hide for a few days after you see the ghost shell in the tank. No need to remove the molts as the other tank mates will enjoy it.
badflash, that looks EXACTLY like my shrimp! Except his stripe down the middle is red.
Yesterday, he was out of his hiding spot, chilling on a big rock I have right under the filter, catching the particles going by. He is really fun to watch lol. He hides a lot though. Is this normal, or is he just adjusting to his new surroundings? Yesterday was the first time he had fully been out of his hiding spot.
Will he be happy with just one of him in the tank? And about the food, that is what I always do for my fish actually. I have small fish so I grind up the food for them.
I'm glad to hear he will be okay in his setup. I am going to call PetSmart and advise them on what animal they are really carrying.
I think I actually now want to get into shrimp and crayfish. But I will ONLY ever buy from qualified breeders, like the store on this site.
Thanks!!!!!!!! And I will have pics of Jacques soon!!
OK, then you have a Bamboo shrimp Atyopsis moluccensis AKA Wood shrimp, Asian Filter Shrimp, rock shrimp and a bunch of other names.
They take a few weeks to settle in, but always like to be a little secretive.
The rocks you can get with holes in them are ideal for them. Put it in the direct path of the flow and they will be happy.
As far a crays are concerned, be sure you get ones that don't eat shrimp. Most do. You may find it hard to find ones that do well in acidic water. Shrimp are easier to find that meet the conditions
It would probably be best if you made some sort of land mass so he could get closer to the filter water output. I've got two and they like to piggyback each other where the fresh water comes in. They've both molted once and are doing very well. Filtering really is their preferred feeding method though.
I had one by itself for a while in my tank. Then i read at this site that shrimp like to live in groups so i decided to get him a much bigger tankmate. The moment i put in the new shrimp the old one got a lot more active. Now they are rarely apart.
Rock shrimp are marine shrimp commonly used for making popcorn fried shrimp and soups.. cooking like you said.
