# Shrimp in overflow



## pondscum (Oct 27, 2005)

I try and try But these little guys always swim to the top and into the overflow. I tried a piece of screen but they stay near the top! anyone else with this issues?? I`ve lost alot of shrimp to the water fall.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I'm not sure if this is your case, but many times if shrimp want to climb out it's because there's something in the water bothering them.

Do you have anything else in the tank that may be harrassing them?
Sometimes if there's something about the water quality that they don't like, they will do that too.


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## Ben Belton (Mar 14, 2004)

I find shrimp in my Eheim living happily 

I know I know... doesn't solve your problem.


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

I'm sorry, I wish I could help, but I don't use an overflow and am not picturing what it looks like. Is there a tube? Is there any way to use nylon pantyhose to block the waterfall?


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## Gumby (Aug 1, 2005)

I have the exact same problem with my tank. I've got a 125 with a 1200GPH pump on it. Needless to say the shrimp get sucked into the overflow all the time. Recently I made a "shrimp saver" out of acrylic and fiber glass window screen. It's basically a box made out of acrylic with screen glues to it. It clings right on the overlow box. The number of shrimp ending up in the filter pads in the sump is miminal now. 

It's a pain to fix that problem, but if you're not worried too much about reducing flow rate, try using some fiber glass window screen. I'm not familar with your set up... whether you have a syphon style overflow box (like me) or a built in overflow box with a drilled hole. If you have an overflow box with a stand pipe on it you might try getting a strainer PVC piece and cutting a sponge to fit over the strainer. 

I check my filter pad daily and rescue any shrimp that happened to be stupid (smart?) enough to get past the strainer that I built. Most shrimp can live on the filter pad for about a day before finally dying.


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