# amano the algae ignoring shrimp



## siliconcarbide (Mar 8, 2006)

I have five amano shrimp in my 55 gallon tank and although I like them and find them interesting, they are particularly useless for eating algae. They will walk on it and clean it of bits of matter, but really show no interest at all in eating it. This was first evident with bba, but extends to all the several varieties I have in my tank. I thought they would like the fine hair algae, but I think my neons eat more of it than they do and the fish don't eat much.

Perhaps if I gathered the algae and formed it into a tablet they would eat it. 

Is this just my shrimp, or are they overrated as algae lovers?


Alan


----------



## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

My amano shrimp pick at the BBA, and also at whatever else is on the ground, plants, heater, etc. With only 5 shrimp for your 55 gallon, that's a lot of space to cover for the shrimp. I think if you had more shrimp (10-15 more) you'll notice a slight reduction of algae, detris, and other things you can't see with the naked eye.

Shrimp won't necessary get rid of your algae but help minimize the mess.

-John N.


----------



## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I agree with John about getting more shrimp for your tank but also perhaps look into why you have an algae problem...

Are your levels of nitrate and phosphate ok?

Is the tank fairly new?

Is the tank getting any direct sunlight?

Is the tank light on too long?

I find freshwater nerites to be the big time algae eaters in my tanks. One of my 10 gallon tanks was seriously "algaed" through too much light and I could hardly see through the glass....I added two nerites and within a week or so the glass was clear. The only downside to nerites is the females lay white, hard eggs over the wood and filter casings which are near impossible to remove. Mine don't seem to lay eggs on the glass thankfully but I have heard from others that theirs do.

Best of luck.....it's so frustrating when you spend so much time on your tanks and then dreaded algae rears it's ugly head.


----------



## southpark (Oct 9, 2006)

keep in mind, its not like they're wonder-vacs, i'm sure they're eating as much algae as their tiny hands can cram into their mouths..

but..even if the amano is the dyson of the algae eating shrimp of the world, you're basically asking them to vacuum a convention center with 1 vacuum cleaner.. while a convention is going on..

sure they'll pick up algae, but its going to be covered and regrown by the time they travel through the tank just on a once-over..

for comparison i recently was gifted about 200+ cherry shrimp/juveniles from a friend's tank tear down

i placed them in a lightly planted 20 gallon long that had rocks with algae crust and etc..

they have stripped almost all the rocks of visible algae.. but it still took them 2 days to do it! thats 200 shrimp estimated shrimp! (which by the way are really cool when you add them in, i barely submersed the container i brought them home in.. and they swam up to the edge, and leapt off into the fish tank in waves of 20-30 shrimp at a time)

so you'll need to add a lot more amano to get adequate coverage for a 55 gallon if its got an algae problem!

i'd say go for 20 or more at the least, or if you have a friend that wants some amano, buy yours, and his, and put them together into the tank for a week or so

this way they can "catch up" to your current growth.. then you can give some shrimp away once you've reached a "clean" slate.. and the smaller shrimp population should be able to keep up with "regular" algae cleaning.. versus the "omg the whole tank is covered in algae,here! eat it all fast!"

if you really really want fast cleanup though, go buy some cheap ghost shrimp (like 50-100), and some cheap cherry shrimp (20-40) and let them go nuts on the algae and detritus, and once they're done, take as many out as you feel necessary and give/sell/donate/feed them to something else.. and then enjoy watching your pricier amanos keep up with the maintenance..


----------



## siliconcarbide (Mar 8, 2006)

Shrimp&Snails said:


> I agree with John about getting more shrimp for your tank but also perhaps look into why you have an algae problem...
> 
> I wouldn't say that I have an algae problem, but I do have some algae. Am I to believe that one can have a tank that is totally free of algae?
> 
> ...


----------



## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

My three tanks have no visible algae......hubby's tank does though. Perhaps it's because I keep tiger shrimp, amanos, cherries and nerites and he doesn't and/or because I do more water changes.


----------



## Nowherman6 (May 1, 2006)

As previously mentioned, they're more effective in large numbers.

Also, make every effort to clean off the strands of algae you can see mechanically. get rid of the old stuff and the shrimp will take care of new growth. 

But definetely get more.


----------



## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

siliconcarbide, my amanos are just like that. I have 5 in my 20 gallon tank, and they completely ignore algae. I got them from a LFS, so my hunch is that they were fed flakes and such before they came into my hands, which would explain why they don't much care for algae now


----------



## siliconcarbide (Mar 8, 2006)

I think that the shrimp object to being called "the algae eating shrimp" and they are showing their collective irritation by ignoring it. They like algae pellets and so maybe should be known as the "algae pellet eating shrimp". Would that influence sales?


----------



## southpark (Oct 9, 2006)

have you tried killing the algae? i noticed that some brushy algae (staghorn? bba? who knows, i didn't let it grow much) wasn't being touched and i squirted it with excel and it turned red and died, and then the shrimp were all over it..


----------



## siliconcarbide (Mar 8, 2006)

southpark said:


> have you tried killing the algae? i noticed that some brushy algae (staghorn? bba? who knows, i didn't let it grow much) wasn't being touched and i squirted it with excel and it turned red and died, and then the shrimp were all over it..


Yes, I have tried excel on the algae and yes, it does work and is then eated by shrimp and snails. It is just that the reputation of the shrimp based on its love of algae is overrated in my opinion. Enjoy them for their appearance and activity (including the vain attempt to reproduce in fresh water), but don't count on them being an algae seeking missle.


----------



## hedson_25 (Sep 20, 2005)

maybe if you add a litle bit of salt, the shrimps may consider your algae tasteless, if they are amano shrimp maybe they only like black algae rolled with rice....


----------



## Dv4 (Nov 15, 2006)

The last time i mixed a batch of 10 adult Amano Shrimps, with 20 small Cherry shrimps, the Amano hunted the Cherries down and had themselves a great feast of Cherries. Sad, but true....


----------



## aquaboyaquatics (Feb 22, 2006)

I believe that all animals are algae eaters by circumstance. Lets face it, NOBODY likes to eat algae. The animals that specialize in algae almost always come from an environment where other food sources are scarce. So now your Amanos have had a taste of the good life like flake and pellet foods. Why would they eat that nasty slime and algae with almost no nutrients compared to those tasty commercial foods?

Stave them. Sounds cruel but i have seen Amano Shrimp clean a tank like an army of plecos with scrub brushes when starved into eating algae. The make the glass look as if you just scrubbed it. All that is left is tiny little pellets "Terds" that do not stick to glass.


Mike


----------



## aquaboyaquatics (Feb 22, 2006)

DOPE!! Not Stave Them.....Starve Them.


----------



## southpark (Oct 9, 2006)

stave!.. thats in good form along regarding the post about vampire shrimp.. perhaps you really have vampire shrimp instead.. and you should make wee little staves and cleanse your tank of evil!


----------



## BiscayneBoulevard (Nov 18, 2006)

Southpark, you make me laugh


----------

