Here it is.
Like it? Well, that's as much of it as I can see most of the time.
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Imageshack - 090729171921
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35 gallon. Planted with some mossball, Limnophila aromatica (which I attempted to plant, but now all but one stem is floating freely at the top of the tank. They're brighter-coloured than the still-planted one, strangely enough), lilaeopsis mauritiana, and that Madagascar Lace plant. One Gourami, 6 Kuhlis, an African Filter shrimp (Cameroon Armoured Shrimp, atya gabonensis, etc. etc.), and two (the third died on me without any indication of sickness) Red Irian rainbow fish.
Water is slightly hard, PH is 7.6. Current is moderate; powerhead filter. That pointy thing's driftwood.
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My shrimp, before I got the rainbows, was hiding all the time. Same with the Kuhlis. Then I learned of the dither fish concept - that shy fish will come out more if they see an active, non-predatory community within the tank. I only had one gourami in the tank in terms of free-swimming fish.
So I got the rainbows. The Kuhlis have become drastically braver - you'll see at least one or two with their heads out all the time, and I've even occasionally seen them out in the open. The shrimp, however, simply became somewhat more visible within the driftwood he hides in.
I got impatient. I chased him out of the driftwood two days ago. Perhaps a bad idea; I was inspired by this site. He didn't like that. He was back in it the next day, and started to hide whenever he'd see me. Now he's back to normal.
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This is ridiculous. From what I understood, Vampire shrimp, while being somewhat shy when first introduced, will become bold enough to stand in the open feeding after getting comfortable in their environments. Hell, the ones in the tank that I bought it from were all in the open; and i even saw one crawling the ground walking through bottom feeders.
I have a few hypotheses as to why he doesn't come out into the open.
1. He's not big enough to consider himself safe to exit from his bunker. This makes a lot of sense, but only if size is actually an issue. When I got him, he was some 2.2cm long. He's grown, but he's only at most 4cm long. I know these shrimp get some 15cm long. The only solution here would be to wait. It would really suck, but if it'll work, then whatever.
2. He's become attached to his cover, and doesn't want to exit it. I read somewhere that these shrimp have a tendency to do this, and become very stressed if their spots are destroyed/changed. But as I mentioned, I've seen these shrimp in the open and on the move.
3. He's just moulted, or my water parameters are interfering with his shell development. I doubt he's just moulted for the last 2 months. Also, he's grown throughout his time; however, I've never seen a discarded shell. Could he be stuck in some post-moult growing phase? Or do (these) shrimp tend to simply grow constantly without a shell for the first few months post-juvenile stage?
4. He IS being influenced by the dither fish, albeit a bit slower than the kuhlis. Today I saw him in plain sight (though still shaded by the cave and therefore his details were being covered up) on the edge of his cave, in the front, big entrance. He's even warmed up again to my presence a bit.
5. He's uncomfortable without fellow shrimp to feed with. I saw someone recommend adding an extra flower shrimp, noting that if they run out of microorganisms they can always eat small fish-foods. I have lots of frozen food that splinters into small, soft pieces, so I'm sure it contributes to the healthy detritus that they can eat. I could always get another shrimp - there are still some at the store, and they're larger now; they also look healthy. I think I have enough room for another shrimp - hiding spots just might be a little hard to find, that's all (and I can always form some more anyway). Should I do it?
I will add more hypotheses as I remember/think of them.
I'm thinking it's the fifth - he's, not leaving his wood, but he's up against the glass and he doesn't retreat if you move in slowly, so I'll deal with it. However, if I can get him to walk along the gravel, that'd be great, and if I have enough room for another plus a red irian rainbow, I'll do solve possibility 5 with no complaints.
So, I ask you - what do you think it is, and what can I do to change it, if anything?
Like it? Well, that's as much of it as I can see most of the time.
---
Imageshack - 090729171921
---
35 gallon. Planted with some mossball, Limnophila aromatica (which I attempted to plant, but now all but one stem is floating freely at the top of the tank. They're brighter-coloured than the still-planted one, strangely enough), lilaeopsis mauritiana, and that Madagascar Lace plant. One Gourami, 6 Kuhlis, an African Filter shrimp (Cameroon Armoured Shrimp, atya gabonensis, etc. etc.), and two (the third died on me without any indication of sickness) Red Irian rainbow fish.
Water is slightly hard, PH is 7.6. Current is moderate; powerhead filter. That pointy thing's driftwood.
---
My shrimp, before I got the rainbows, was hiding all the time. Same with the Kuhlis. Then I learned of the dither fish concept - that shy fish will come out more if they see an active, non-predatory community within the tank. I only had one gourami in the tank in terms of free-swimming fish.
So I got the rainbows. The Kuhlis have become drastically braver - you'll see at least one or two with their heads out all the time, and I've even occasionally seen them out in the open. The shrimp, however, simply became somewhat more visible within the driftwood he hides in.
I got impatient. I chased him out of the driftwood two days ago. Perhaps a bad idea; I was inspired by this site. He didn't like that. He was back in it the next day, and started to hide whenever he'd see me. Now he's back to normal.
---
This is ridiculous. From what I understood, Vampire shrimp, while being somewhat shy when first introduced, will become bold enough to stand in the open feeding after getting comfortable in their environments. Hell, the ones in the tank that I bought it from were all in the open; and i even saw one crawling the ground walking through bottom feeders.
I have a few hypotheses as to why he doesn't come out into the open.
1. He's not big enough to consider himself safe to exit from his bunker. This makes a lot of sense, but only if size is actually an issue. When I got him, he was some 2.2cm long. He's grown, but he's only at most 4cm long. I know these shrimp get some 15cm long. The only solution here would be to wait. It would really suck, but if it'll work, then whatever.
2. He's become attached to his cover, and doesn't want to exit it. I read somewhere that these shrimp have a tendency to do this, and become very stressed if their spots are destroyed/changed. But as I mentioned, I've seen these shrimp in the open and on the move.
3. He's just moulted, or my water parameters are interfering with his shell development. I doubt he's just moulted for the last 2 months. Also, he's grown throughout his time; however, I've never seen a discarded shell. Could he be stuck in some post-moult growing phase? Or do (these) shrimp tend to simply grow constantly without a shell for the first few months post-juvenile stage?
4. He IS being influenced by the dither fish, albeit a bit slower than the kuhlis. Today I saw him in plain sight (though still shaded by the cave and therefore his details were being covered up) on the edge of his cave, in the front, big entrance. He's even warmed up again to my presence a bit.
5. He's uncomfortable without fellow shrimp to feed with. I saw someone recommend adding an extra flower shrimp, noting that if they run out of microorganisms they can always eat small fish-foods. I have lots of frozen food that splinters into small, soft pieces, so I'm sure it contributes to the healthy detritus that they can eat. I could always get another shrimp - there are still some at the store, and they're larger now; they also look healthy. I think I have enough room for another shrimp - hiding spots just might be a little hard to find, that's all (and I can always form some more anyway). Should I do it?
I will add more hypotheses as I remember/think of them.
I'm thinking it's the fifth - he's, not leaving his wood, but he's up against the glass and he doesn't retreat if you move in slowly, so I'll deal with it. However, if I can get him to walk along the gravel, that'd be great, and if I have enough room for another plus a red irian rainbow, I'll do solve possibility 5 with no complaints.
So, I ask you - what do you think it is, and what can I do to change it, if anything?
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