Could you post a full tank shot photo? Do you have plenty of areas for perching in the water flow?

What are your specific water parameters? Temperature? kH? gH?

When Bamboo Shrimp go scavenging it's because they aren't able to collect what they need from the water column. Which it seems you're already aware of.

Coincidentally, this is a thread you may want to check out from a couple days ago. I mention a couple things that may be helpful on the feeding front.

 

Could you post a full tank shot photo? Do you have plenty of areas for perching in the water flow?

What are your specific water parameters? Temperature? kH? gH?

When Bamboo Shrimp go scavenging it's because they aren't able to collect what they need from the water column. Which it seems you're already aware of.

Coincidentally, this is a thread you may want to check out from a couple days ago. I mention a couple things that may be helpful on the feeding front.

Thanks. Here is a picture from a few days ago. I moved the moss away from the driftwood to make more perching space and tilted the wood lower after that picture. In the first 2 days she was filtering on the lower volcanic rocks especially near the air stone, but has not ventured anywhere near the filter or wood. I do all the feedings on the left side of the tank so all of the leftover food flows across the whole tank. Day 1 I did add an algae wafer in front of her which she was fanning

All water params for ammonia nitrites nitrates are 0, temp 75f, kh was 6 and gh 8, ph ~7.5

 

My Bamboo shrimp when into a few different tanks before it's obviously happy. It now lives in a 30g with a larger than necessary HOB. It will sit right under this. Not always, but more often than not I find it here. Only occasionally do I see it looking for something else, but this tends to be after awhile of light feeding or a day off of feeding.

Anyway, I thought I had set things up the way it would like, but from what I can tell they need a pretty good flow. Going off that photo I would venture to say you need a faster flow or just a more direct outlet from a filter creating an area of higher speed flow.

 

Thanks. Do you think adding a powerhead would help (or something else) ?

Those are okay parameters. But foraging for food means you're going to have to try some different methods.

@Aaronious has the right idea about flow. Having some spots to perch directly in the flow will help. Along with increasing flow. You may also have to try grinding up some shrimp food like I suggested in the thread I linked.

Using Repashy in powder form may not be great for them because of the gelling agent involved. It likely gets really sticky on their little filter fans.

I see. I will try crushing up the algae wafers &/or pellets instead of the aufwuchs and target feed, and increasing the waterflow. How many days did it take for your shrimp to find a perch?

 

Those are okay parameters. But foraging for food means you're going to have to try some different methods.

@Aaronious has the right idea about flow. Having some spots to perch directly in the flow will help. Along with increasing flow. You may also have to try grinding up some shrimp food like I suggested in the thread I linked.

Using Repashy in powder form may not be great for them because of the gelling agent involved. It likely gets really sticky on their little filter fans.

 

How many days did it take for your shrimp to find a perch?

About ten minutes or so. They were like little clowns throwing their food grabbers up right after going into the tank.

But it did take a few months of perfecting things, creating several high perches directly in the flow, targeted feedings and extra effort. I ultimately settled on using empty HOB filters (Aquaclear) to create the right kind of flow but there's no one, singular set-in-stone method. I liked using Aquaclear filters because they were easily and quickly adjustable. And because I happened to have spares.

Adding some plants to your tank could help create perching spots. Would also provide more cover for them.

 

About ten minutes or so. They were like little clowns throwing their food grabbers up right after going into the tank.

But it did take a few months of perfecting things, creating several high perches directly in the flow, targeted feedings and extra effort. I ultimately settled on using empty HOB filters (Aquaclear) to create the right kind of flow but there's no one, singular set-in-stone method. I liked using Aquaclear filters because they were easily and quickly adjustable. And because I happened to have spares.

Adding some plants to your tank could help create perching spots. Would also provide more cover for them.

I will have to look up that HOB. The other suggestion someone gave me was a powerhead to increase the flow.
My main concern for these are powerhead may be too much circulation for my tank (I am not really familiar with how to select one for my tank so I would obviously have to research that). And for the empty HOB filter - my current HOB sucks up my shrimp and I had to proof it with sponges but fry can (probably) still get through

 

Why not try to install a wave maker

Because they have tiny shrimp and tiny fish in the tank that are prone to getting caught in filters and pumps like wavemakers. If it can't be covered up to prevent tiny animals from getting sucked up, it won't really work in this instance. Which is why I recommended using a powerhead or HOB filter that are adjustable and can be baby shrimp proofed.

 

So today [day 4] I have followed @Aaronious advice and lowered the filter output so it has a stronger current, temporary until I can install a better solution. and I have been trying to target feed powdered algae wafer to her throughout the day with little success. I also re-arranged the right side of the tank with the wood and plants to create more perching areas where the strongest flow is. There is a lot of food floating around the tank but she has been on the substrate all day picking, I did not see her fan once. Though when I was target feeding, she did not run away, but she was not fanning either, she kept picking at substrate while the particles were still floating... I am not sure what else I can do today to encourage her to get off the substrate. Her favorite spot right now is in the cave area in the back of the tank and does not leave that area much (at least during the daytime)

Edit: I decided to coax her from her cave into the open and start target feeding again, this time she sat closer to the perches fanning so finally some success.

 

That was a great idea, @tiggy96, and a good reminder that we really have to adapt and think on our feet sometimes in order to find the best solution. Glad to hear you helped nudge your little water bug into eating and finding the flow.

 

Another update.. I decided to rescape the entire tank yesterday to remove the major blind spots where I can't see whether my ottos or the bamboo without picking rocks up. Now finally she has ventured on her own to the flow today, but still doesnt like being out in the open.

Overall what I changed to accommodate this shrimp was,
1. Add aquaclear 20 powerhead;
2 Target feeding (usually not working but I am trying different ways anytime I see her scavenging) - with 4 different kinds of food (brine shrimp, crushed algae wafer, crushed hikari micro pellets, hikari first bites);
3. Obsessively checking if she is still in the tank since I read many try to jump out...
4. Adding a DIY top cover because of 3
5. Changing the whole tank layout

So yes... here she is sitting in a crack filtering on her own. The otto's face at the bottom is my whole mood...

 

So yes... here she is sitting in a crack filtering on her own. The otto's face at the bottom is my whole mood...

🤦‍♂️

I guess the silver lining is that at least its little fans are kinda out...?

 

Otto face ftw.