My fire shrimp won’t come out… help

[edwinlyh0108]

I got a small fire shrimp a month ago
He’s about one and a half inch
Ever since i got him he’s not coming out of his cave.
He eats well and get along with hand feed quite well.
I hop he comes out and goes out the tank like other fire shrimps on the internet.

Any advice for getting him to be more active??

 

[CasperOe]

Leave him alone! He picked his spot, this is his home now!

He will come out once he's good and ready, but it's not really right trying to push him. The holy grail of this hobby is to provide the animals we care for with the best possible habitats that we can.

I have two fire shrimps like the one you have- and I rarely see them! My cleaner shrimps and banded coral shrimp are out a lot- the fire ones are more shy!.

 

[o2manyfish]

I've had fire shrimps that happily appear once a year. I have friends with a fire shrimp that sits on top of the aquascape. In my experience (almost 4 decades) with keeping Fire Shrimp - In my tanks - which are heavily loaded with rockwork, the fire shrimp are always in hiding and only come out when they really really want to.

Dave B

 

[neonreef3d]

they will come out at night from my experience.

 

[Lavey29]

They are cryptic and only venture out at night a little

 

[crabgrass]

the one I had hid 90% of the time with the exception of being bed. My first week:

1. Dropped into tank
2. Hid immediately
3. Molted - found his exo-Skelton after 24 hours. I figured he died immediately
4. 4 days later reappeared for food.

Almost had a heart attack when I saw him / rose from the dead

 

[Narideth]

I've had two fire shrimp and they were polar opposites. The first one was very active, always out, and the one I have now is hardly ever seen... but he does come out to eat so I at least see him at feeding times!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

At least you can see him, be glad about that. I’ve put so many critters into my tank just to watch them crawl under a rock never to be seen again. (But it’s delightful when you see them still alive a year later)

 

[edwinlyh0108]

I've had fire shrimps that happily appear once a year. I have friends with a fire shrimp that sits on top of the aquascape. In my experience (almost 4 decades) with keeping Fire Shrimp - In my tanks - which are heavily loaded with rockwork, the fire shrimp are always in hiding and only come out when they really really want to.

Dave B

How long will it take for him to get comfortable??
Is there anything i can do such as adjusting feeding time??

 

[o2manyfish]

How long will it take for him to get comfortable??
Is there anything i can do such as adjusting feeding time??

Sometimes they are just most comfortable living inside a cave. You can sometimes see them on top of the rock when the lights have been off and the room is blacked out.

My experience is that some just don't ever come out and hang out in view. But I still think they are an important part of the natural community on a reef, and even if I only see them once or twice a year I make sure there is at least 1 that is part of my reef community. Cleaner shrimp are the same way. I only see them when food is added, they always seem to setup their cleaning stations on the back walls of my tanks.

In my new tan the back wall is 4' from the front viewing pane. So getting to watch the cleaners shrimp clean isn't really that easy, or enjoyable. But they should always be part of the reef community.

Dave B

 

[bushdoc]

As many stated above, fire shrimp are mostly nocturnal and will hide in crevices during the day. My two fire shrimp are coming out now during the day( for feeding only), but only after living in the tank for few years.
Shine red light at night and you might see your shrimp wandering around.