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Shrimp crawling out of tank

11934 Views 21 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  Soothing Shrimp
Like many of you, I enjoy the clean appearance of rimless tanks with no lids, however I've had at least several shrimp crawl out of the tank and commit suicide. I lost a prized female yellow neo who had solid opaque coloration, due to what I believe were males harassing her to mate. I think she crawled out trying to escape their advances. Anyways, I keep the water level 1.5cm below the tank edge, if I were to reduce this to an inch, would that be enough to prevent crawlers?
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Only seen this when water parameters were really bad.
The tank is real mature, heavily planted, and has no readings for ammonia, nitrites, and hardly any nitrates. Kh is at 2 gh is at 5, the only thing is the ph swings from 6.6 to 7.2 at night due to co2 going off at night. It could be ph related as well but my more sensitive shrimp, Crs, have not crawled out, while 3 yellow neos, all female have...
agree with agro. water parameters or maybe a fish chasing a shrimp but not other shrimps harassing each other
Hmm I'm thinking it was the ph swings then, maybe I will take the co2 off the timer so it stays on 24/7 to prevent ph swings.
Every once in a while I see one on the carpet. I think they get startle when fish suddenly crosses their path.
If you keep CO2 running while lights are out you will gas the tank since plants wont be taking in the CO2 and run the risk of killing everything like that.
Do you have fish in there with them? The only fish I've successfully had with shrimp are albino bn plecos or ottos.

I've only had mine make the leap when I first was keeping them and it was when my params were off. I've since moved to multiple small changes through the week vs a 1 time shot of 20% and I've noticed that they quit jumping.

They can be sensitive I've seen to big changes and prefer the more stable environment that small changes produce.

If you keep CO2 running while lights are out you will gas the tank since plants wont be taking in the CO2 and run the risk of killing everything like that.
+1 I learned this the hard way a good while back :icon_redf
Maybe if your params seem fine, did you get them recently? Maybe your params are very different from what they were used too. Also despite many people keeping neo and crs together they don't really have parameters that are too compatible, at least first generation.

The only shrimp I have ever seen do this was amano, they are crazy dudes though. I recently carried my golden bee tank on a plank of wood through three parking lots to a new apartment and had no jumpers. I never had before as well.
Maybe if your params seem fine, did you get them recently? Maybe your params are very different from what they were used too. Also despite many people keeping neo and crs together they don't really have parameters that are too compatible, at least first generation.

The only shrimp I have ever seen do this was amano, they are crazy dudes though. I recently carried my golden bee tank on a plank of wood through three parking lots to a new apartment and had no jumpers. I never had before as well.
Yep besides amanos ive never had shrimp try to crawl out of tanks and have only heard of this happening in thanks where they dont like the water..
I had a few royals jump on me from temperature swings. It was a few months ago when it randomly would get warm and i did not have my fans set up properly. The tank would go from 68.5 to 72, it has been getting warmer in CA maybe it is your temps?
Shrimps tend to get 'suicidal' when the conditions are really bad, it's true. If you get this once or twice, it can be classified as an accident, but several, it's not.
Something's wrong and you need to find out why.

The last time I had my shrimps jumping out almost every other day, it was because my tank wasn't cycled well enough.
I was looking for chubby, my female piglet guppy and looked behind the stand, there were 9 adults cherries, they do jump. I have about 100s and babies, that's why I don't notice them disappearing.
I was looking for chubby, my female piglet guppy and looked behind the stand, there were 9 adults cherries, they do jump. I have about 100s and babies, that's why I don't notice them disappearing.

I you keep fish with shrimp then they will also jump...thats how the shrimp will run away when they think they are about to get eaten....
I you keep fish with shrimp then they will also jump...thats how the shrimp will run away when they think they are about to get eaten....
Yeah that's true, they're pretty jumpy.
I have had 5 cherries alone in a 36 gallon tall paludarium and one of them regularly climbed up onto the water feature. After I moved them to a 3 gallon rimless, the same shrimp climbed out onto the stand to dry out and die. I think some of them just are just curious and climb to figure out, "what's up there?"
I found one the other day that had managed to get from my floating plants to the edge of the tank. Hadn't died, so I just flicked it back in. Water was fine, think it was just a freak thing.
I found one that tried to escape from my tank by making a hang glider from a paper clip and tissue paper. Unfortunately the tissue paper doesn't do well wet, and the paper clip was too heavy to fly. After some counseling, he is content in the tank now. Who knew shrimp would be so much money? *ducks and runs*
Have you tried infusing your filter media with Zoloft?
Lol, some of our shrimp just won't stop conspiring to get out of their glass prisons, even if the conditions are fine I see.
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