So my wife got some cleaner shrimp to our home aquarium. The seem to be instantly aware as soon as the food flakes hit the water, and quickly swim from the bottom of the tank to the top to grab the food, much faster than any of the fish ever do.
So how is it they know that the food is in the water? Do they smell it? Taste it? Something else?
If anybody knows, someone here does.
How do shrimp find food?
How do shrimp find food?
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"you do realize you're supposed to mix the
with water and drink it, not snort the powder directly from the packet, right? " - Spatman-
Tidepool Geek
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Re: How do shrimp find food?
Greetings,
The line between taste and smell is pretty blurred for aquatic critters. That said, shrimp have a very well developed chemosensory ability with what amount to 'taste buds' all over with concentrations on the antennae and feet. Some shrimp also have quite effective eyesight (at least for a crustacean).
As to your particular shrimp, it would be a total WAG to speculate on how they realize when the food becomes available. It does, however, suggest an experiment; find a material that looks but doesn't taste like flake food - confetti might work - and drop a pinch of that into the tank instead of real food and see if they react.
Experimentally yours,
Alex
The line between taste and smell is pretty blurred for aquatic critters. That said, shrimp have a very well developed chemosensory ability with what amount to 'taste buds' all over with concentrations on the antennae and feet. Some shrimp also have quite effective eyesight (at least for a crustacean).
As to your particular shrimp, it would be a total WAG to speculate on how they realize when the food becomes available. It does, however, suggest an experiment; find a material that looks but doesn't taste like flake food - confetti might work - and drop a pinch of that into the tank instead of real food and see if they react.
Experimentally yours,
Alex