Freshwater Shrimp community ity tank tank.. Freshwater Shrim Freshwater Shrimp p is an exciting addition to a commun Contrary to common beliefs, which had the perception that shrimps have dull looking unattractive colors, all these are actually not true. Nowaday Nowa days, s, the there re are dif differ ferent ent var variet ieties ies of aqu aquari arium um shr shrimp imp whi which ch make perfect perfect tan tank k mat mates. es. One par partic ticular ular species species not notewo eworth rthy y to be mentioned here is the Cherry Red Shrimp, Shrimp, which is getting popular among hobbyist as pet in new fish tank.
If you intend to keep this live crustacean and raising them to be part of the aquarium community, first thing you need to do is to ensure that the fish staying together with it are not those that are aggressive or large size that can attack or eat your shrimp. There are different fish species, species, which you can consider such as neon tetra, tetra , guppy and hatchet fish that are generally harmless and will largely ignore your shrimp. Discus Discus,, oscar and angelfish are definitely not an option at all because they will devour and hunt down every shrimp that they can see. Even if you intend to mix with your neon tetras, the best aquarium setup should be heavily planted tank so that the shrimp can hide amongst the leaves. Red cherry shrimp for instance, can only grow up to only an inch in length and therefore, it might be a good idea to avoid them from being harassed by the fish. Plants also provide good hiding spot for young shrimps and if properly cared for, combination of red cherry and neon tetra fish makes perfect aquarium setup. The shrimp not only help to eat and control algae growth but they also help to clear up uneaten and leftover food from your neon tetra. The red cherry shrimps do not require much attention in order to survive in your home aquarium. aquarium. As long as the water is clean and regularly changed, changed, they should not have any problem adapting to the condition. They generally thrive in soft waters with pH ranging from 6.7 to 7.5 and with temperature ranging from 24 to 27degC. They are not picky when it comes to food and as mentioned earlier, they will
even scrap off food waste from aquarium bed, which makes them the efficient tank cleaner. Red cherry shrimp is also special and unique in the sense that they can change their coloration according to the aquarium substrate and background and what’s best is that the colors will show up bright red if there are fluorescent tank lighting. lighting. Finally, if all requirements are met with perfect water quality, they will breed and lay eggs amongst the aquarium plants and soon enough you will notice young tiny shrimp will start to appear in your tank. Other recommended freshwater shrimp to consider for your community aquarium are Ghost Shrimp, Shrimp, which appears as transparent, and Black Tiger Shrimp (also known as Black Diamond Shrimp) Shrimp) which is totally black in color with orange eyes.
Another part of the process for introducing freshwater aquarium shrimp is determining the number of shrimp to have in a tank. Shrimp are by nature territorial. territorial. If you have too many shrimp in an aquarium it can create create aggression between the shrimp. shrimp. In aquariums with a ten-gallon capacity and higher you could have one smaller species of shrimp per one gallon of water. Small species species are those one-inch or smaller smaller when fully fully grown. With larger species you should allocate as much as three gallons per shrimp to avoid territorial aggressiveness. Having a suitable environment present in the aquarium prior to introducing the shrimp is also important. important. To achieve this, this, make certain certain that your aquarium aquarium set up includes stem stem plants plants from which shrimp can cling from. Also, Also, have low lying foliage foliage available to provide the shrimp with places to hide.
even scrap off food waste from aquarium bed, which makes them the efficient tank cleaner. Red cherry shrimp is also special and unique in the sense that they can change their coloration according to the aquarium substrate and background and what’s best is that the colors will show up bright red if there are fluorescent tank lighting. lighting. Finally, if all requirements are met with perfect water quality, they will breed and lay eggs amongst the aquarium plants and soon enough you will notice young tiny shrimp will start to appear in your tank. Other recommended freshwater shrimp to consider for your community aquarium are Ghost Shrimp, Shrimp, which appears as transparent, and Black Tiger Shrimp (also known as Black Diamond Shrimp) Shrimp) which is totally black in color with orange eyes.
Another part of the process for introducing freshwater aquarium shrimp is determining the number of shrimp to have in a tank. Shrimp are by nature territorial. territorial. If you have too many shrimp in an aquarium it can create create aggression between the shrimp. shrimp. In aquariums with a ten-gallon capacity and higher you could have one smaller species of shrimp per one gallon of water. Small species species are those one-inch or smaller smaller when fully fully grown. With larger species you should allocate as much as three gallons per shrimp to avoid territorial aggressiveness. Having a suitable environment present in the aquarium prior to introducing the shrimp is also important. important. To achieve this, this, make certain certain that your aquarium aquarium set up includes stem stem plants plants from which shrimp can cling from. Also, Also, have low lying foliage foliage available to provide the shrimp with places to hide.
Atyopsis Gabonensis
What do I feed my shrimp?
Freshwater aquarium shrimp are omnivores, meaning that they will eat plant and animal tissue. tissue. The most common common species sold sold for aquariums aquariums are plant friendly. friendly. These shrimp shrimp will eat algae growth from the sides of the tank and will scavenge for food that has fallen on the substrate. If you notice that your shrimp start start nibbling at your live plants simply add a little more food flakes flakes than usual when feeding your fish. fish. This will allow more more of the flakes to fall fall to where the shrimp can consume consume them. If this were to be necessary, necessary, however, do it in small gradual increments. increments. You do not want to end up with overfed overfed fish or more more food food than than even even your your shri shrimp mp can eat eat on the the subs substr trat ate, e, resu result ltin ing g in water water contamination. Caring for the shrimp
Shrimp Shrimp are quite self-suffic self-sufficient ient in a well-balanced well-balanced aquarium. Their care is primarily primarily centered on what to avoid, as opposed to an active regimen. Never use any sort of water additive, fish medicine, or any other supplement of any kind which contains copper. Copper is deadly deadly to shrimp. shrimp. In the wild, shrimp shrimp reproduce reproduce rapidly. rapidly. In a multi-specie multi-speciess aquarium, however, you will not have the problem of a population explosion in that most shrimp shrimp larvae will be eaten by the fish inhabitants inhabitants and will never reach maturity. maturity. In terms of water condition, the same weekly monitoring that you perform for the aquarium overall will also cover the needs of the shrimp as they are equally sensitive to rises in ammonia, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, nitrates, just as fish. If anything, anything, you may even detect lowered levels of these compounds due to their own scavenging and algae eating efforts. As long long as one one adhe adhere ress to this this basic basic proc proces esss in sele select ctin ing, g, feed feedin ing g and and cari caring ng for for freshwater aquarium shrimp, they will make a practical and beautiful addition to your aquarium.
Setting up your first shrimp only aquarium for dwarf shrimp. This article is aimed at people who wish to set up their first shrimp only aquarium for dwarf for dwarf shrimp, shrimp, as such aquariums for fan shrimp, macrobrachium etc will be looked at in another article. So where do we start? Well lets lay out the different options that need to be examined when planning a shrimp aquarium, remember that this aquarium is going to be about the shrimp shrimp,, anything else kept, including plants, is secondary to this.
Hint
Buy the largest tank that you can afford and fit in. Stable conditions are easier to maintain in larger volumes of water than in smaller volumes.
The Tank At the end of the day this is always going to be the first piece of equipment to be considered, it's the tank that is going to influence your choices in the rest of the planning. Now dwarf shrimp can be kept comfortably in anything from 24 litres and up, but
as you are most probably going to want to breed your shrimp, I would suggest something a little larger of 50 litres and up. This gives you more room both for initial stock (larger groups are better as too small a group will limit the gene pool for your offspring, leading to more inbreeding and possibly problems in the future.) and for any offspring. Also the larger the volume of water the smaller the impact of any changes in water quality or temperature. Shrimp need stability, in quality and temperature. Some breeders even prefer 20 gallon tanks.
Filtration As mentioned before, dwarf shrimp need stable conditions, they also need very high quality water, with absolutely NO ammonia or nitrites. A sniff of ammonia or nitrite can decimate your shrimp very quickly. As such the filtration used needs to be VERY mature, with no risk of ammonia or nitrite spikes. It also needs to have a good surface area for the filter bacteria to colonise, the bigger the surface area to volume ratio the better. However it also needs to be 'gentle' as to powerful a suck can lead to young shrimp been sucked in and possibly turned into shrimp paste. To these ends ends many shrimp keepers use either air driven sponge filters, or a 'hamburg mat' filter (a large flat piece of filter foam with a pump blowing water across it, from my understanding you mount the foam across a corner of the tank and put the pump in the corner with the flow across the sponge, this way shrimp babies are not sucked into the pump), however you can also use external canister filters (cover the inlet with a filter sponge, and turn the flow down a bit), hang on filters (again cover the inlet with sponge) and internal filters (reduce the flow using the foot out of a pair of tights/stockings). Whatever you chose you need to design it so that it doesn't suck baby shrimp in, and it also needs to be VERY mature! Lighting Bright lighting is not needed, or wanted, for keeping shrimp. As such low to medium lighting is prefered. Heaterstat
You can use any that is rated for your volume of tank, ones with electronic thermostats are however prefered as they are more accurate and less likely to cook your shrimp if anything goes wrong. You can also keep shrimp without heaters if their tank is kept in a heated room where the temperature is kept pretty constant, although if using smaller tanks I advise that a heater is still used as insurance against temperature swings. Substrate Any dark to medium coloured substrate that does not have a sharp surface and is calcium free can be used. Size wise .5-3mm grain sizes are good. Ecocomplete and ADA Aquasoil Amazonia have also been used to good effect, the mineral content been benificial to the shrimp as well as plants. Be aware however that Amazonia leaches ammonia into the water column when first set up, so you need to stabilise this before adding any shrimp. Lighter substrates are a bad idea as they tend to make shrimp nervous and lose their colour. Plants
Although many suggest java moss for shrimp aquariums, I have found xmas moss, weeping moss, and spikey moss much easier to grow.
Live aquarium plants are VERY important when keeping shrimp. They provide homes, hiding places and also a site where the shrimp can feed. However avoid planting difficult, demanding or high light requiring plants, and instead chose plants that can tolerate lower lighting and don't need lots of nutrients or CO2. As such mosses are absolutely fantastic for shrimp, they provide lots of lovely places to hide and act as a good place for tiny algaes and bacteria to grow on,
providing food for both adult and baby shrimp. I also like to plant the front of my tanks with dwarf hairgrass, my shrimp just love to explore in it and feed on any algae growing on it.
Decor Wood is very good for shrimp tanks, expecially bogwood that has been well soaked to reduce any impact on water quality. Again it provides places for shrimp to hide and for algae and bacteria to grow. It also looks really nice with mosses and java fern or anubias attached to it. You can also use stones that do not contain calcium in shrimp tanks, but try to at least put a bit of wood in with them.
Shrimp Species Now you have your tank set up and matured, it's time to add your shrimp (mature your aquarium and filter for at least a couple of months, or you can use ecocomplete for a ready matured substrate and use biological media from an already matured filter for instant cycling). So which ones do you chose? Well in the UK usually the most readily available, hardy, and easy to keep shrimp are the good old cherry shrimp, neocaridina heteropoda var 'red'. Alternative species that are easy to keep include malayan and green shrimp (caridina cf. babaulti), Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp (caridina simoni simoni), nectarine/marbled shrimp (neocaridina palmata) and Snowball/White Pearl shrimp (neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var 'snowball/white pearl', however none of these are widely available as yet in the UK.
Amano Shrimp - Caridina Multidentata
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size: 3-5cm Temperature: 20 to 30 °C Ph Range: pH 6.5 - 7.8 Origin: Japan Common Names: Amano Shrimp, Yamato Shrimp, Japanese Algae shrimp Scientific Name: Caridina multidentata (formerly C. japonica) Availability in the UK: The Amano is probably the most commonly sold shrimp in the UK. It is the species most seen in pet/fish shops and most online retailers that sell shrimp will stock it. Overview: This popular shrimp is named after Japanese Aquascaping Legend Takeshi Amano as he tends to keep these in most of his spectacular tanks. They are renowned algae eaters but should not be relied upon to clear a tank. As this shrimp grows a little bigger it can be kept with some fish species in a community tank that would not be su itable with smaller dwarf shrimp. Feeding: This shrimp will eat anything. They are renowned for eating algae in planted tanks, but if they get the chance to scavange some fish food they much prefer that. I feed my Amano Shrimp with Hikari Crab Cuisine, but they will eat any fish food that sinks to the bottom of the tank. They are cheeky shrimp and will try to steal food from my Corys, often succeeding! Sexing: The sexing of Amano shrimp is quite easy. Apart from the obvious only females carry eggs, when adults the females are noticably bigger than the males. The other way to sex them is by the row of dots on the side of their bodys. Males have a row of smaller dots, females have a row of dashes.
Breeding: Before trying to breed these shrimp you have to understand their life cycle in the wild. The Adults live in Freshwater streams relativly close to the sea. They breed in these freshwater streams and give birth to larval shrimplets here. These larvae are free swimming and get washed down steam, eventually out to sea. The Larve then spend the next couple of months developing into adult shrimp until they are ready to swim back up steam to live with their parents. To breed these successfully you need to replicate the water conditions expected by the shrimp. This is not something I have attempted myself but the most successful reports advise to isolate the egg laden female into her own freshwater tank when she is ready to give birth (about 4 to 6 weeks from mating and the eggs becoming visible). When the babies have b een born give them a day in the fresh water then transfer them over to an unfiltered tank of full marine water. Acclimatising them to salt water by slowing adding it to a bucket with them in over a few hours. If you haven't got a Marine tank you can either buy all the bits like a h ydrometer and salt and make your own or just buy pre-mixed salt water at an
LFS. I would probably go for the second
option as its easier and probably cheaper as you wont need salt water for too long, but i would double check the prices first. While they grow you will need to feed them liquid fry food and/or green water, moving onto small bits of algae tablets and crushed shrimp food when they are a bit bigger. At about 12 weeks the biggest shrimp should look like miniature versions of the adults, which means it is time to start acclimatising them to fresh water again. To do this you start using fresh water for the weekly water change instead of salt water. At week 16 the biggest should look like small adults and are ready to be transfered to the same tank as the adults. Photos:
Tiger Shrimp - Caradina cf Cantonensis "tiger"
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:2.5-3.5cms Temperature: 70-78°F Ph Range: 6.5-8.0 Origin: Southern China
Common Names: Tiger Shrimp
Scientific Name: Caradina cf Cantonensis "tiger"
Availability in the UK: Widely available.
Feeding:Not being picky eaters, Tiger shrimp are quick to enjoy algae, algae wafers and fish food. In fact, I can't remember a time when they haven't eaten whatever was offered.
Sexing: Female Tiger shrimp are slightly larger, mostly wider, than the males. Until you've kept some, they can be difficult to sex.
Breeding: Like most other dwarf shrimp, if Tiger shrimp are happy they will reproduce. While I've seen others claim you need soft acidic water to breed Tigers, I keep mine in water around ph 7.2 - 7.6 and gh 8 - 15 and they are quite p rolific.
Overview:If I could keep only one shrimp, it would be the Tiger Shrimp! Originating from South East Asia, Tiger Shrimp spend very little time hiding and are constantly foraging and cleaning the
aquarium.
Incompatible Shrimp:The following species will hybridize with Tiger shrimp so you should avoid keeping them together: Bee shrimp, Blue Tiger shrimp, Crystal Red shrimp.
Photos:
Crystal Red Shrimp - Caridina cf. cantonensis sp. "Crystal Red"
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:3cm Temperature:18 to 25 C pH Range:pH 6.0 - 7.5 Origin:Captive bred form of Bee Shrimp
Common Names: Crystal Red Shrimp Scientific Name: Caridina cf. cantonensis sp. "Crystal Red" Availability in the UK: Although not as common as other shrimp these can occasionally be found in a some
LFS. Mine came from an LFS in Leicester and I've heard of people in various
other cities finding them in stores. If your favorite shop doesn't stock them then ask as they may be able to order them but never realized there would be the demand. They are also available via several online retailers. Be prepared to pay a premium for this shrimp, due to their sensitivity and nice colours they can be expensive. Overview: The Crystal Red Shrimp was originally bred b y Japanese shrimp keeper Hisayasu Suzuki when he discovered a single red shrimp with his normal bee shrimp. This died with no obvious offspring, but when 3 red shrimp were discovered in the next generation they were separated out and they became the start of an intensive breeding program. He trademarked the name Crystal Red Shrimp in Japan, started selling them and the rest is history! The striking red and white stripes have made these shrimp very popular and they are one of my favorites. They have been selectively bred to improve the brightness of these stripes, some to the extreme of being totally white. The shrimp available in the uk tend to have lower quality stripes with broken white areas, although some higher quality shrimp are becoming available now. Unfortunately due to their inbred nature these shrimp can be very sensitive to small changes in water quality. I lost my CRS after problems caused by over cleaning the tank and overfeeding. Don't let that put you off, so long as you do regular small water changes and don't feed them too much you should be ok. Incompatible Shrimp: The following species will hybridize with Crystal Red Shrimp so you should avoid keeping them together: Bee Shrimp, Tiger Shrimp, Blue Tiger Shrimp. Feeding: Avoid overfeeding as this will affect water q uality, but these shrimp do especially well when fed a specialist invertebrate food such as Hikari Crab Cuisine or JBL Novo Prawn. Like other dwarf shrimp they will also feed on algae in the tank and any dead plants or leaves (not live ones). I have seen spinach suggested as another food they like but have never tried it. Sexing: It is quite hard to sex young shrimp, as they become adults the females are noticeably bigger than the males. The females may have what is called a
Saddle. This is a dark area
behind the head that contains the eggs prior to mating and is sort of saddle shaped (hence its name). Breeding: The breeding of these shrimp is very simple. All you need are healthy shrimp of both sexes in the right conditions and they will breed! The babies not need any special water conditions and wont be eaten by the pa rents so can live in the same tank. I would recommend
keeping the shrimp with some aquatic moss (such as java moss) as the babies will feed on the micro-algae and micro-organisms that live on the moss. Young shrimp will also eat the same food as the adults if you crush it. Crystal Red Shrimp are regular breeders. It takes around 30 days for the eggs to develop and during this time they are carried by the mother. Not long after the eggs hatch the mother will shed her skin and mate again. The average brood is between 15 and 30 shrimplets. The new born babies are miniature adults, even with the red and white colouring. They become sexually mature at around 5 months. Photos:
Thanks to Paulo Leal for the next 2 p ictures
Thanks to forum member TDI-line for the next two pictures:
Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp - Caridina Simoni Simoni
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:2.5 to 3cms Temperature:20-30º C Ph Range:6.5-7.8 but not that fussy really Origin:Sri Lanka Common Names: Sri Lanka Dwarf Shrimp Scientific Name: Caridina Simoni Simoni Availability in the UK: Availability of this little shrimp in the UK is poor. The author purchased his stock directly from Germany. Availability may improve in time. Feeding: Algae and fish food. Have also been observed eating snailshop.co.uk algae pellets and also Hikari Crab Cuisine. Imcompitible Shrimp: This species will not known to the hobby at present.
hybridise with any other species of dwarf shrimp
Overview: These shrimp are cute and active little shrimp, rarely shy. They have an obvious curve to their backs unlike most other dwarf shrimp. The colours of this shrimp are very variable, from almost colourless, through transparant green and blues to browns. Sexing: Females are larger, other than this they are difficult to sex. Breeding: These shrimp are very easy to breed, and VERY prolific. They have an abbreviated larval stage that can be anything from a few hours u p to a couple of days, during this time they tend to sit on decor etc in the tank, before turning into tiny versions of the adults. They do not require brackish or marine conditions to develop, and are not picky about water parameters, so long as they are kept in a mature aquarium. The young do not require any special feeding. Photos:
Green Shrimp - Caridina cf. babaulti
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size: 2.5-3.5cm Temperature: 24 - 28 c pH Range: pH 7.2 - 8.0 Origin: India Common Names: Green Shrimp Scientific Name: Caridina cf. babaulti Availability in the UK: Medium availability in the UK, usually online. Overview: It is unclear at this point what species this shrimp belongs to. It has anatomical features that resemble Caridina babaulti, but according to Mustafa Ucozler, it is clearly not C. babaulti. They are a very beautiful shrimp. The only draw back being that when kept in a heavely planted tank, they all but become invisible, due to their green coloring. Incompatible Shrimp: Non-aggressive, but should not be kept with any other Caridina sp. Can be kept with any of the Neocaridina shrimp. Feeding: Not a picky eater, it will eat almost anything offered. Sexing: The males are smaller and less colorful than the females. The females have "full-bodies" much like Tiger shrimp and other Caridina shrimp.
Breeding: Being one of the easier Caridina varieties in my opinion, they are very undemanding and easy to breed. They are h owever, very slow growing and it takes considerable time to develope a colony.
Photos:
Red Nose Shrimp - Caridina Gracilirostras
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability:
Maximum Size:3.5cm Temperature:23-30c Ph Range: pH 6.2-7.8 Origin:India Common Names: Red nose shrimp, also known as Rhino shrimp Scientific Name: Caridina Gracilirostras Availability in the UK: Almost all red nose shrimp in the UK are caught from the wild. Not readily available but can be found on some online shops and
LFS.
Overview: A great shrimp to have in the aquarium, swims pointing down and drifts with the current. Peaceful with other shrimp, but because of their size I have noticed that they will take what ever food is on offer and not leave much for tankmates so best to adjust feeding to allow for this. The rostrum may sometimes break in transportation but will grow back. Incompatible Shrimp: Peacful with other shrimp, will only breed with other Caridina Gracilirostris Feeding:Natural algae eaters, algae flakes taken but I've noticed that fish flake is a favourite. Have been known to eat some mosses if no other food is available. Sexing: Males are larger and show more red colouration on their bodies Breeding: Very difficult. Due to the fact that the larvae require a salt water setup to develop, the process of breeding is very involved and time consuming.
Photos:
Cherry Shrimp - Neocaradina Heteropoda var Red.
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:2-3 cms Temperature:65-85º Ph Range:6.5-8.0 Origin:Captive bred form Common Names: Cherry Shrimp, Fire ShrimpScientific Name: Neocaradina Heteropoda var Red, was Neocaradina Denticulata Sinensis var red. Availability in the UK: The cherry shrimp is probably the second most widely available variety of shrimp in the UK. Available in many local stores, and most if not all of online stores that sell shrimp stock cherry shrimp.
Incompatible Shrimp: Cherry shrimp will
hybridise with most other types of neocaridina
shrimp and should therefore not be kept with these.
Feeding:Mostly eat algae, but will scavenge fish flake. Also said to enjoy Hikari Crab Cuisine, but mine ignore this completely, prefering to graze on algae. Best to make sure there is a good growth of algae in their tanks. Sexing: Females are more brightly coloured than males, males mostly been colourless sometimes with a few red spots on their bodies. When females are about to drop their eggs they develope a cream coloured
Saddle as can be seen in the above image.
Breeding: When these shrimp are happy it would be harder to stop them from breeding. They are very very easy to breed in freshwater, with no larval stage. When the female is ready to drop her eggs, or
berry as it is called, she will develop a cream coloured saddle on her back. Not
long after this she will be seen carrying lime green coloured eggs on her underside. These eggs hatch as miniature versions of the adults. It is advised that they are kept in very well planted tanks, with plenty of moss and hiding places. If bred in the community tank this is especially important due to the small size of the young making them p rone to
predation. Also check filters
regularly as the young often get sucked in a nd will live inside external filters. To call these shrimp fecund would be an understatement, 10 shrimp can become 100 within the space of a few months. Photos:
Snowball/White Pearl Shrimp Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. white
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:Max size 3cms Temperature:18-28º C Ph Range:6.5-7.8 Origin:Hybrid originally bred in Germany, wild origins believed to be southern china. Common Names: Snowball Shrimp, White Pearl Shrimp Scientific Name: Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. white Availability in the UK: Availability of this lovely little shrimp in the UK is poor. The author purchased his stock directly from Germany. Availability may improve in time.
Feeding: Mostly eat algae, but will scavenge fish flake. Have also been observed eating snailshop.co.uk algae pellets and also Hikari Crab Cuisine. Imcompitible Shrimp: Snowball shrimp should not be kept with cherry shrimp, as these species will
hybridise to give dull and sterile 'mutt' shrimp.
Overview: The profile for these shrimp is very similar to that for cherry shrimp for a reason, the care and breeding of both species is almost identical in every way, as is the ease of keeping this species. They are as such another lovely shrimp for the beginner, but difficult to find in the UK without importing them. Sexing: Females are larger and more vividly white than the males, which are smaller and less striking, although still white. Also mature females when preparing to '
berry' have very distinct
bright white saddles that if examined closely can be seen to be the pure white eggs inside the body. Breeding: When these shrimp are happy it would be harder to stop them from breeding. They are very very easy to breed in freshwater, with no larval stage. When the female is ready to drop her eggs, or berry as it is called, she will develop a pure white coloured
Saddle on her back.
Not long after this she will be seen carrying pure white coloured eggs on her underside, which is where these shrimp get the name of snowball shrimp from. These eggs hatch as miniature versions of the adults. It is advised that they are kept in very well planted tanks, with plenty of moss and hiding places. If bred in the community tank this is e specially important due to the small size of the young making them prone to
predation. Also check filters regularly as the young
often get sucked in and will live inside external filters. To call these shrimp
fecund would be an
understatement, 10 shrimp can become 100 within the space of a few months. Photos:
Yellow Shrimp - Neocaridina heteropoda (var. Yellow)
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size: 2.5-3.5cm Temperature: 18 - 28 c pH Range: pH 6.5 - 8.0 Origin: Line bred colour morph Common Names: Yellow Shrimp Scientific Name: Neocaridina heteropoda (var. Yellow) Old name: Neocaridina denticulata sinensis (var. Yellow) Availability in the UK: Ade says, "UK Availability is poor but improving. I believe that APJ is breeding these, and there is a seller on ebay importing from Germany and reselling them on." Origin:The Yellow shrimp was developed in Germany and was first released to the public around 2000. It is a mutation, none are known to occure in nature. Overview: Yellow shrimp rquire exactly the same care as Red Cherry shrimp. They are very undemanding and as long as extremes are avoided in water parameters, they should do well. The Yellow shrimp is a wounderful addition to a planted tank. The vibriant yellow color is a nice contrast to the green plant material.
Incompatible Shrimp: Non-aggressive, but should not be kept with any other Neocaridina sp. Feeding: Not a picky eater, it will almost anything offered. Like other Neocaridina, they love algae. Sexing: The females are usually larger and more colorful. Breeding: Very easy to breed, keep in mind they are just a different color variety of the Red Cherry shrimp.
Photos:
Blue Pearl Shrimp - Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. blue
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size: 2.5-3.5cm Temperature: 18 - 28 c pH Range: pH 6.5 - 8.0 Origin: Line bred colour morph Common Names: Blue Pearl Shrimp Scientific Name: Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. blue Old name: Caradinia cf cantonensis Availability in the UK:Still a fairly rare shrimp. Origin: The Blue Pearl was developed by Ulf Gottschalk and was first released to the public in 2006. It is a mutation, none are known to occure in nature. Overview: These are very beautiful shrimp. In fact all of the Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis varieties have a certain shimmer to them that make them very attractive dwarf shrimp. The color of the Blue Pearl is often variable and ranges from an almost clear, ice-blue, to a very bold neon blue. They are very hardy, and undemanding, so they make a good choice for the first-time shrimp keeper. They are quite prolific, so just a few shrimp will produce a nice size colony in no time.
Incompatible Shrimp: Non-aggressive, but should not be kept with any other Neocaridina sp. Feeding: Not a picky eater, it will almost anything offered. Like other Neocaridina, they love algae. Sexing: The females are usually larger and more colorful. Breeding: Very easy to breed. I would compare them to other easy to breed Neocaridina like the Red Cherry shrimp.
Photos:
Neocaridina Palmata
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:Max size 3cms Temperature:18-28º C Ph Range:6.5-7.8 Origin:China Common Names: Marbled dwarf shrimp, sometimes called nectarine shrimp in Germany. Scientific Name: Neocaridina Palmata Availability in the UK: Availability of this rather ordinary looking little shrimp in the UK is poor. The author purchased his stock directly from Germany. Availability is unlikely to improve as they are often quite plain looking. Feeding: Mostly eat algae, but will eat Tropical Shrimp Sticks, dry fish food, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworm and algae pellets happily. Imcompitible Shrimp: There isn't much information available on compatibility for these shrimp. However it would be best to assume that they will cross with other neocaridina species.
Overview: The profile for these shrimp is very similar to that for cherry shrimp for a reason, the care and breeding of both species is almost identical in every way, as is the ease of keeping this species. They are difficult to find in the UK without importing them, probably because they are often drably coloured when first received. Sometimes blue shrimp are seen, but this colour is not stable. Also wild caught specimens often have orange balls visible in them (hence the German name of nectarine shrimp) but these are actually the cysts of a parasite that needs large fish or waterfowl as the secondary host. Once established in an aquarium with a dark substrate, their colours will deepen and change, with a variety of body colour forming, observed colour include a deep maroon, dark greenish blue and blue. Rather an underappreciated species, much like rainbow shrimp, and very new to the hobby still. Sexing: Females are larger. Breeding: When these shrimp are happy it would be harder to stop them from breeding. They are very very easy to breed in freshwater, with no larval stage. When the female is ready to drop her eggs, or
berry as it is called, she will develop a visible
Saddle on her back. Not long
after this she will be seen carrying brownish eggs on her u nderside. These eggs hatch as miniature versions of the adults. It is advised that they are kept in very well planted tanks, with plenty of moss and hiding places. If bred in the community tank this is especially important due to the small size of the young making them prone to
predation. Also check filters regularly as the
young often get sucked in and will live inside external filters. To call these shrimp
fecund would
be an understatement, 10 shrimp can become 100 within the space of a few months. The young also grow quite quickly. Photographs:-
The shrimp in the forground is a male, whilst the one behind it is a female.
Macrobrachium Lanchesteri
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: Maximum Size:Males up to 8cms, females up to 6cms. Temperature:20-30°C pH Range: pH 6.5-7.5 Origin:Asia, including Thailand. Common Names: Refered to as glass shrimp in the US and Germany, but look nothing like the glass shrimp sold in the UK. Scientific Name: Macrobrachium Lanchesteri. Availability in the UK: Purchased mine in a local fish store, also available online. Overview: If keeping more than 1 then tanks of 100 litres or more are advised as the males are quite aggressive and territorial with other males. They can also show some aggression towards fish, including ones larger than themselves, but are only really of any risk to juvenile fish and fry. They mostly ignore other species of shrimp, but may predate on shrimplets if they can find them. This species is quite sensitive to aquarium plant fertilisers, especially at higher dosages. Incompatible Shrimp: Males will fight if too many kept together in too small a tank. They may also eat any dwarf shrimp that they stumble across, especially shrimplets.
Feeding: These shrimp are opportunistic scavengers but will also predate small fish fry a nd dwarf shrimp if they are hungry enough. Will happily graze on algae, baby live bearers (mostly the males that act in this predatory manner), fish flake food and Hikari Crab Cuisine greedily.. Sexing: The males are much larger than the females, also they have an obviously longer and larger set of claws than the females, making these shrimp very easy to sex. Breeding: This species has an abbreviated larval stage of about 4 days, after which the young shrimp require brineshrimp Photos:
naupli.
Green Lace Shrimp - Atyoida Pilipes Summary
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:7cm Temperature:24 to 28 C
pH Range:pH 6.0 - 8.0 Origin: Phillipines, New Guinea, Indonesia Common Names: Pilipes Shrimp/Green Lace Shrimp Scientific Name: Atyoida Pilipes Availability in the UK: Not very available anywhere, it seems. Not much information to be found on them, either. Some people say that only females are imported as they are larger. Overview: This is a really cool shrimp, which varies from a mottled gold to a dark blue. Feeding: The Atyoida Pilipes filters the water, using 4 fan-like hands that it holds out and catches food with. Because of this, the A. Pilipes needs a very mature tank, with established microscopic animals, microalgae and other microscopic foods for them to catch. If your shrimp is picking food up from the bottom of the tank it means their isn't enough food or water flow for them to feed properly. Try adjusting the filter output and target feeding by dropping crushed food into he flow. Sexing: Not easy. Females may be bigger. Breeding: Not yet done in captivity. Needs brackish through to saltwater conditions for the babies to survive. Photos:
Bamboo Shrimp - Atyopsis moluccensis
Ease to Keep: Ease to Breed: UK Availability: Maximum Size:10-12cm Temperature:73°F-84°F pH Range:pH 6.0 - 7.5 Origin:Southeast Asia Common Names: Bamboo Shrimp, Wood Shrimp, Asian Filter Shrimp Scientific Name: Atyopsis moluccensis Availability in the UK: Not as common as some shrimp (amano, cherry etc.), but still fairly widespead. Quite expensive, usually costing between £8-£10 each. Overview: The Bamboo shrimp is a large, peaceful shrimp which is incapable of eating anything alive in your aquarium. In shops, this shrimp tends to be a muddy brown colour, yet when happy and being fed a good diet, can turn a deep red with a white line down it's back. Feeding: The Bamboo Shrimp filters the water, using 4 fan-like hands that it holds out and catches food with. Because of this, it needs a very mature tank, with established microscopic animals, microalgae and other microscopic foods for them to catch. If your shrimp is picking food
