Bamboo shrimp

[AngryBird]

Does anyone have bamboo shrimp in discus tank? Share your experience and also where to buy bamboo shrimp? Local stores dont carry them and I am wondering if I can find a online vendor?

[TURQ64]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

They are on AquaBid regularly...I raise some shimp, and am of the opinion that any type only feed the Discus...
Bamboo shrimp are one of the types that need brackish water to complete the breeding process, so as for shrimp, they might be the best choice...

[Skip]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

i have seen them at PETCO

[Northwoods Discus]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Bamboo shrimp, sounds like something Forest Gump would say.

[TURQ64]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Planetinverts.com also sells almost all types of shrimp, but they seem high end to me....
I'd try 'em if they were big shrimp!...crustaceans and things in shells work just fine in my diet..nevermind the fish!

[laborelch]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

I have 6 in my planted 200g. Never bothered the discus and discus never tried to eat them. Bamboo shrimp are beautiful to look at but need something to climb onto, preferably close to the filter intakes/outtakes or anywhere where is current. If they don't get enough food, they'll starve. Every now and then I supplement with frozen rotifiers.
I got some of mine from a lfs, the others from Frank Greco (http://www.franksaquarium.com/filterfeeders.htm) - he's a great guy with great stock!

[scottishbloke]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

I used to have 5 Bamboo shrimp in my 55g non-discus planted tank, and all were around 2.5''-3''. They can live for several years, often turn a bright red color, and can get quite big (I've seen some huge ones at sizes of at least 4''). These shrimp have no claws, only "fans" that they use to capture algae, bacteria and other micro-organisms from the water column. They will also "brush down" the plants, wood, substrate etc in attempts to find more food. Bamboo shrimp are probably too big for discus to easily eat as compared to the smaller species such as crystal reds, bumblebees, red cherry etc, and are harmless, so I imagine they should be fine to keep with discus. I've never tried it. I did very briefly try a bunch of Macrobrachium lanchesterii, which are about 2''-2.5'' and do have tiny claws- they didn't bother the discus, but grabbed and ate the discus food so fast, the fish never got a look in; when they began hunting my cardinals at night, they simply had to go...

Colin

[AngryBird]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Thanks to everyone that responded. I guess I am going to shop online since I didnt find any in lfs

[Vee]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

I had 2 bamboo shrimp in my 35 gallon with rams and tetras. They only survived for 3 months and mysteriously disappeared.

[moon_knight1971]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

i have seen them at PETCO

Lol :-)

[scottishbloke]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

I did actually get mine at PETCO- they were on sale for $4.99 each (normal price $11), so I bought the 5 they still had. I still look around in big-box stores specifically for bargains like that; I also once got 15 top-notch Threadfin Rainbows for about $1 apiece at the same store, they usually retail at $7 to $8 per fish- a lot for something the size of a Cardinal Tetra. Typically, Bamboo shrimp sell for between $10 - $14 at most LFS I've been in right now, and a lot more places seem to be getting these and many other shrimp species in of late. Shrimp are growing in popularity, I think, especially among planted tank enthusiasts.

Colin

[DiscusOnly]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Msjinkzd almost always have bamboo shrimp. They are very neat with teh fan claw that catches food. They do like high current tank. In my experience, the discus temp is too high for them. I had 6 in my planted tank but they did not thrive and slowly died off.

Van

[buznoz]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Tried to add shrimp with my discus 3 different times, all with the same results. Expensive snacks.

[AngryBird]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

Just bought 5 bamboo shrimps and they are in QT now. Will share my experience once they are in the tank.

[AngryBird]

Re: Bamboo shrimp

So far I love the bamboo shrimps in the discus tank. They were picking stuff from the driftwood but now they are either hiding or out on the driftwood with their fans open against water current.