# Amano shrimp turning blue???



## Hanzo (Mar 9, 2004)

One of the admin's over at the norwegian forum just reportet that one of his Amano shrimps turned blue, and indeed he even has potographic evidens of this 

I myself have keept about 50 of this guys, but never seen any colorchanging in them. It would be fun to know if anybody else has seen this? Here's the link to the post with pictures: http://www.diskusjonsforum.no/akvariet/showthread.php?t=11213


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## aquoi (Mar 21, 2004)

I have one which had a blue head and mid section.
http://www.egeis.com/aqua/fhimage/Critters/Shrimps/yamato02_310304.jpg

Is it changing??


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Maybe it's a mating signal? Show of dominance? :?


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## mm12463 (Mar 5, 2004)

Nah its just radioactive. No big deal.  

You think it could do with its environment? They build their exoskeletons form calcium right? So maybe there was something else in the water that gives it's shell that color?

I don't know just tossing ideas out.


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## jn91669 (Apr 11, 2004)

O.K. I have one that is a bit stranger my amano shrimp have all turned a dark brown almost black, and are in no way translucent. They seem to be doing real well though.


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## guppy (Mar 7, 2004)

i had a few before and i had one that turned green and then it died the next day...


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## Daemonfly (Mar 21, 2004)

Well, the blue lobsters & crayfish are supposedly a red species that just has the blue come out. The blue ones are a result of a more rare trait that gets passed down, I'd guess similar to albinoism. I'd guess it could happen with regular shrimp species as well.


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## Hanzo (Mar 9, 2004)

I don't have a clue myself, but from what I could gather, it turned blue after he bought it. If it was gene's, I would guess he would be blue from day one? All my shrimps are happy with the coloration they have


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## Daemonfly (Mar 21, 2004)

Any kids around who could dump food coloring into the tank? :lol:


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## aquoi (Mar 21, 2004)

I notice my Yamato changing back to tan after I stopped dosing CaCO3 as my tap KH is 3 already.
Maybe calcium will bring out the blueness?


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## INXS (Apr 9, 2004)

The blue as in blue lobsters is a rare trait such as albinoism I guess just as Daemonfly said.

However the Oceanographic institute at Woods Hole , MA had/has a study/research exhibit on lobsterfarming and in it they mentioned the blue lobsters.

Since it was some time ago that I went there I don't remember all the details but they claimed that they could farm blue lobsters and that the color would revert to normal if the lobsters were fed crab/shrimp/lobsters or other crustaetians. So I guess from what I read that it is part genetic and part dietary.

The Mystic aquarium had a bright blue lobster in one tank and said it happens once in a million if I remember correctly. I have seen lobsters with some blue on them at fish stores a few times too.

I will say this about amanos/yamatos: I did notice them changing color quite a bit - pink, brown, green and various shades of it. I think that has to do with their mood and stress level.


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Did he use medications on the tank? My guess is that they could have stained the shrimp. 

If its diet, where would these guys get the pigment for blue in the first plce?


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## Hanzo (Mar 9, 2004)

To my knowledge he was not doing anything but feeding the normal flake food. This just happened to one of four shrimps.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

I remember that adding a little Ca once a month keeps Shrimp healthy. I think this maybe the case, since aquoi noted that his "blue" Amano turned back to it's normal color after he stopped dosing Ca.


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