Where have all the riffles gone?

[Baccus]

So on my recent trip up to Cairns and Kuranda I was lucky enough to get some riffle shrimp. They travelled home just fine and I put them in a temp holding cage to make sure they acclimatised ok. The next morning there was only one riffle left in the cage the rest had made a break for it during the night. I let the last one out and hoped the rest where just secreted away in the tank and that the huge typhus shrimp hadn't had a snack. Today my curiosity got the better of me and I pulled out the main hollow log hoping to dislodge any of the riffles hidden in it. All that popped out where typus and cherry shrimp. That was when the other half came out to the shed and mentioned that the shrimp had been climbing into the filters. I asked him which ones, and he said the big ones (typhus). So I started removing the filter media and sure enough there where the riffles living the high life in the two filters. I have now got them back in the tank, but I suspect now the riffles now how to get into the mother load of food, they are going to be regular visitors. At least I know they hadn't just wondered off to become crispy critters or eaten by the hoover dog, just means I have to be extra careful when moving the filter media for a clean in future, or at least until the riffles get bigger.

[ineke]

+1 for the riffles you will have them making a break for it all the time. I have several shrimp -always the same ones that end up in my sumps- I was fishing them out on a daily basis but now I just get them out once a week. They like it and seem to be thriving so I'm living with it. Have fun lol

[fishmosy]

Probably like the higher flow rate in the filters and there is a surprising amount of food for shrimp in a filter.

I've had cherries not only survive but thrive living in my canister filters. My riffles are too big to fit down the intakes...

[Baccus]

My cherry shrimp all disappeared out of my AquaOne tank and I found them living happily in the shallow flow of water in the top of the hood filter. I took great care retrieving them and putting them back into the tank, only to watch them all zip straight back up the filter intake. Beats me how they survived the impellor. Needless to say I gave up on having them in that particular tank. The Riffles where being little clever clogs by climbing up the outside of the filter intake and then slipping underneath the intake where it goes into the HOB filter. Apparently the typhus where trying the same trick but they where too big and kept falling back into the tank. I know all my fish and shrimp love picking over the filter fibre but I really don't want anyone living in the filters themselves. All it takes is somebody not paying attention or in a hurry to whip out the media meaning to give it a clean under the water being dropped from the tank and losing some shrimp on the floor of the shed to get squished or never seen again.

[ineke]

LOL Baccus welcome to my world!!! I just do a weekly clear out now- check my little sumps to see if there are any shrimp in there, pull them apart , catch the shrimp ,put it all back together again only to see them back in there the next morning!!!

[Baccus]

They certainly are adventurous little tikes. Love them dearly but sooo frustrating. I really want to get some pictures of the riffles to post on an overseas forum that hasn't heard of them, but between my camera and the shrimp not playing fair its just not working out.

[ineke]

You will get there what's the catch phrase- have "PATIENCE":encouragement: