[Derby]

This weekend I bought three Amano shrimp. I am a newbie to shrimp so I just took their word for it. When I got them in my tank, only one looked like an Amano. The other two seem to have more distinct humps and long pincher legs.

I'm little frustrated because I paid 4.99 each and I don't want any predatory shrimp in my community tank. Can anyone help me identify this shrimp? I've looked at a lot of pictures and I'm still not sure. Thanks!

 

[Rion]

Sorry to say but none of them look like Amano shrimp to me, they all look to be ghost shrimp (which really is just a catch all term for transparent shrimp and actually contains many species of shrimp) and in my opinion certainly aren't worth 4.99. Amano aren't that transparent, their eye stalks aren't that far apart and the patterning on their carapace is different (more like 3-5 lines of spaced out brown/dark brown dots going down the sides of their body and a light color stripe going down the spine) and you're right those forelegs are way too long.

 

[miataisalwaystheanswer]

Not amano for sure maybe a macro shrimp? $5 is alot for amanos, OMG aquatics has them for $2 each. Granted shipping is going to be like $12-15 but at least you know you're getting amanos and even after shipping they still cost less than $5 each.

 

[Derby]

Ug, I didn't post a picture of the one I know is an Amano. I could have gotten ghost shrimp at Petsmart for 39 cents. This was a local independent fish store so I'm super annoyed. Will these hurt my fish when they get bigger?

 

[busker90]

The exact same thing happened to me a couple of years back. I was sold two supposedly Amano shrimp by Pets at Home. (I've since learnt that Pets at Home have no idea of anything to do with shrimp)

They turned out to be macrobrachium shrimp, which is what yours appear to be.
They were predatory towards my cherry and bee shrimp. They have pincers and ripped about four of my shrimp apart!
I got rid of them. Gave them to a friend who just kept fish. Keep an eye on them.

 

[AquaAurora]

$4.99 is rather expensive for what boils down to glorified feeder shrimp (ghost shrimp are usually mass bred as feeders for larger fish speices).

 

[houseofcards]

$4.99 is rather expensive for what boils down to glorified feeder shrimp (ghost shrimp are usually mass bred as feeders for larger fish speices).

This and they only live a few months on average.

 

[touch of sky]

I would go back to the store and complain and see what they will do for you. If they are an independent, they may not want to lose your business. They should either give you a credit or two more shrimp that are amanos. You should get what you paid for. To be fair, they may not know the difference and may have sold these in good faith. However, they should still make it right for you.

 

[Derby]

I asked specifically for Amano shrimp to eat algae and the guy fished out three shrimp. I assume these guys are pros so I take the shrimp to the register and another guy kind of looks at them, says something to the first guy and then says to me, "these are whisker shrimp, but they eat algae too." I said, "so you don't have Amano?" He said yes, so they went back to the tank, I thought, to get the right shrimp. They came back with these shrimp and I left. I really feel like they all must have had a good laugh after I left. I think they handed me the same bag and charged me for the more expensive shrimp. I do a lot of research before I make purchases, but I didn't realize if I asked for something by name, I would still have to be wary at a tank and reef store. This seems like a high end store, clean tanks, healthy fish. I sort of feel like a dumb girl who got a pat on the head. Really PO'd.

Yes, I should go back. We are iced in today. There's no way I'm going to fish those out of my tank, but maybe if I take the photos to show them, they will credit me.

Sorry for the negativity, I'm suffering from Aquarium Anxiety Syndrome. Symptoms include double guessing, frequent fish dreams, and excessive use of google and fish forums.

 

[thedood]

@Derby I suffer from the same affliction.

 

[caique]

Why not bring them back and get your money back?

And have a word with the manager.

I asked specifically for Amano shrimp to eat algae and the guy fished out three shrimp. I assume these guys are pros so I take the shrimp to the register and another guy kind of looks at them, says something to the first guy and then says to me, "these are whisker shrimp, but they eat algae too." I said, "so you don't have Amano?" He said yes, so they went back to the tank, I thought, to get the right shrimp. They came back with these shrimp and I left. I really feel like they all must have had a good laugh after I left. I think they handed me the same bag and charged me for the more expensive shrimp. I do a lot of research before I make purchases, but I didn't realize if I asked for something by name, I would still have to be wary at a tank and reef store. This seems like a high end store, clean tanks, healthy fish. I sort of feel like a dumb girl who got a pat on the head. Really PO'd.

Yes, I should go back. We are iced in today. There's no way I'm going to fish those out of my tank, but maybe if I take the photos to show them, they will credit me.

Sorry for the negativity, I'm suffering from Aquarium Anxiety Syndrome. Symptoms include double guessing, frequent fish dreams, and excessive use of google and fish forums.

 

[touch of sky]

When I am in a situation like this, I start out being super nice. I describe the problem, and ask what they will do for me. Sometimes they offer a solution I am happy with and everything ends well. If they are not helpful, then I up it a bit, but don't get angry. I would just say, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel that is sufficient in this case. Can I speak to the owner?". Most often a store is not going to want to lose a customer for $10 worth of shrimp.

 

[Derby]

Why not bring them back and get your money back?.

Just because I spent a lot of yesterday planting and moving things. The shrimp, when I see them are down around the driftwood and to catch them, I would surely uproot everything!

 

[cantsay39]

As mentioned by others that is definitely ghost shrimps.
ghost shrimps or Amano shrimps will attack sick fish or shrimps.
they like to hog foods >.<

 

[Yukiharu]

Try using a shrimp trap made from a (CLEAN) water bottle or similar. Just cut the top off and invert it and throw food in et voila.

 

[redavalanche]

I put 10 rather large ghost shrimp in my fish tank and they got wiped out in less than 48 hours. What kind of fish do you have?

A chain pet store recently told me that marimo moss balls and anubias were fast growers and a betta was good in a community tank and a MTS was a nerite. He was full of suggestions. LOL

 

[WaterLife]

Definitely not an Amano shrimp or 'true' ghost shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus).

Looks like a Macrobrachium species. Possibly whisker shrimp (prawn). Hard to tell though as many macro sp. shrimp/prawns look very similar at a young age.

Keep a very watchful eye on him, they can get really nasty attacking (and killing) other shrimp and even fish, even if they are larger than itself. Indian whisker shrimp is a more peaceful variety/locality of whisker shrimp (compared to Burmese), though it may still be a bit aggressive.
Some info on Indian vs Burmese whisker shrimp
Whisker Shrimp - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

Again I must note that so many macro sp. look like this when young, but some macro can get huge, and depending on the species they do have varying temperaments, but they do have those larger claws for a reason, so really do keep an eye on him as he grows if you decide to keep him.

 

[Derby]

@WaterLife Is there a way to trap shrimp? I tried to catch him with my fish net, but there is no way. I will end up totally dismantling my tank to try and catch these two.

Just saw Yukiharu's post about a shrimp trap. Thanks!

 

[Diana]

As suggested at the bottom of page 1, use a bottle trap. This is a water bottle. Look at a picture (Google "Fish trap from plastic bottle").
Cut the neck and perhaps 1/2" -1" of the main body of the bottle off and invert it into the remainder of the bottle. Poke or drill small holes in the bottle for some water movement through the bottle for oxygen, and so the smell of the food will get out into the tank and encourage the shrimp to look for it.
Put some food in there. If it tends to float you could add some gravel.
The shrimp will go in through the neck to get the food, then cannot find their way out.

 

[Derby]

Well, I underestimated my shrimp catching abilities. I was taking one last look at the tank before heading to bed and saw both shrimp out and was able to catch them. They are in a tupperware container with 3 cups of tank water and an unsealed lid. Hopefully they won't die and I will return them tomorrow. I did get one true Amano and it is still in the tank. Good night all and thanks for your help and insight.