Can you ID these shrimp(?) that just appeared in my tank?

16 years ago

I have a 20gal unheated freshwater tank with just a bunch of Ruby Red minnows (well, about 1/2 are red). It's pretty low maintenance. Then, one day, when I took the filter and placed it in a bucket of water to let it drain, I noticed movement. Upon closer inspection, it seems there are little shrimp in there!

Then, when I was cleaning the gravel doing a small water change, I found 100s of them hanging out in the gravel. I'm figuring they're not bad, eating extra food and stuff, but does anyone know what they are and how they might have gotten in my tank?

The biggest one is MAYBE 1/4", many are smaller. They seem to be terrible swimmers, basically just kinda moving around as they slowly sink to the bottom. After a minute of being poured back into the tank, they're invisible, hidden in the gravel.

I think they're shrimp, at least. The photo is the best I could get with my autofocus camera.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:375266}}

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Comments (2)

birdwidow
16 years ago
Even with the blury photo, I don't think they are shrimp. Their shape is wrong. I believe you have some kind of insect in there that may or may not hatch out to become pests, or fish eaters.

BTW: shrimp are superior swimmers. I cultivate red cherrys and they are harder to catch than cory cats.
scott361
16 years ago
Most likely they're Gammarus!
They are a native crustacean, so they are actually shrimp.
I used to catch and breed them as fishfood, when I had access to them.
I have Daphnia, cyclops and Caddisfly larvae now, but would like to get my hands on those again.

Congrats on having the good taste to keep natives!!;~)
I have many different kinds and really love them.
As soon as I expand my curent system, I'll add more.

Here's one of my Black-banded sunfish and a Rainbow darter(submissive male) in a cloud of Daphnia!
{{gwi:375267}}

Red Cherry Shrimp are just like C. japonica, although from Taiwan and prettier.
They're completely different from these guys, but we do have similar type of freshwater shrimp that look more shrimplike.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hyalella azteca
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