East Coast burrowing shrimp?

My habitat trap yielded what I thought was an unusually large grass shrimp today--three inches long with five or six-inch antennae. When I put him in my brackish tank, he was not happy. He was trying to burrow in the substrate, but since the substrate is crushed oyster shell, he was having no luck. I took him out because the minnows were starting to gang up on him. Anyone have any experience with these guys? I think I'm going to set up my spare 10-gallon with a sand substrate tomorrow to see how he likes it.

I don't have a picture available, but he is translucent with black markings on the tips of his tail. Other than the black marks and the long antennae, he looks just like a grass shrimp to me.

BTW--he was pulled from brackish water at my marina. Salinity at 1.014. Muddy substrate with oysters, gobies, rock crabs in the area.

Edited by Piscator, 04 September 2009 - 08:02 PM.

Ah, im so delighted to read saltwater and brackish threads. All my shrimp like that eventually died by either jumping out or just plain ole dying. i think they like open water better. Without a photo I cant properly id it. good luck with it though.

BTW--the reason I specified "East Coast" burrowing shrimp is that when I Google "burrowing shrimp" everything that comes up is West Coast.

I'd say it's very likely a Macrobrachium species. They're not particularly burrowers, but many species will try to burrow when placed in unfamiliar surroundings. Any chance of a photo?

I'd say it's very likely a Macrobrachium species. They're not particularly burrowers, but many species will try to burrow when placed in unfamiliar surroundings. Any chance of a photo?

The one I had became fish food. I had three more in my minnow trap when I checked it today, but I didn't think to take a picture before releasing them. I wish I had, because there were also three more of a particular fish species I've been unable to identify--the one I brought home the other day refused to eat, so I let them go as well. They're beautiful fish, about three inches long, uniformly silver except for yellow bottom fins and a faint dark line running longitudinally. Shaped almost like juvenile croaker except the mouths are not downward-oriented. Wish I could figure out how to get them to eat. They may, of course, be filter feeders, but the habits seemed too sedentary for that.

I do recognize that shrimp but never knew the name nor tried to find out. They do burrow under the sand. They come out at night and you can see them with a flash light.
I have kept them. Never see them in day light. Eventually they just disappear. I think they may prey on ghost shrimp but not sure.