Re: GOT!: Shrimp in the Manchester area

[Martinspuddle]

ETA got them! Now would welcome advice on keeping them in my soft water!

Hi @Suse, so what species of Shrimp have you now purchased?

[Suse]

They are red cherry shrimp (neocaridina). I didn't buy them as a specific colour grade but they are a beautiful deep red (I've been looking for a while but could only find the translucent ones). Decent sized adults.

[Martinspuddle]

They are red cherry shrimp (neocaridina). I didn't buy them as a specific colour grade but they are a beautiful deep red (I've been looking for a while but could only find the translucent ones). Decent sized adults.

Sorry, @Suse longish post, so grab a coffee!

The translucent ones you've seen are the wild colour form. Leave them long enough and the red colour will disappear through the generations unless you filter out paler pink or red Shrimp. Sound like you have what known as Class A Cherry Shrimp.


Wild colour form in my aquarium.

Don't wish to tell my grandmother how to suck eggs but drip acclimation is a must with any new Shrimp species introductions to a new aquarium.


Amano Shrimp drip acclimation.

Neocaridina Shrimp need clean water, a heavily planted aquarium they will thrive, you'll also find them a good indicator of your water quality. Neocaridina will tolerate temperatures from around 14°C to 28°C. A pH 6.5 to 8.0 or slightly above, although these shrimp can survive in lower water hardness and they will have trouble moulting their exoskeleton. Looking at your local water supplier, your water shouldn't be an issue for Neocaridina. Molt is every 4 to 6 weeks, leave the moulted skins as the Shrimp will eat them, thus giving the minerals to help keep their exoskeleton hard and healthy. Life span is around a one to two years, but don't worry, given enough hiding spaces the colony will soon grow.

Mosses, like Java are a good choice for hiding away from fish, and the Shrimp will keep the moss clean from any detritus. Females carry their eggs for around 28 days, these eggs can be yellow or green in colour. Once a "berried" female finishes her cycle of carrying her eggs, the tiny Shrimplets will hatch. Most Shrimplets you will not see until they are around a month old, so an intake foam stainer on the filter is advisable. If like me you don't use a strainer on your filter care must given when doing any filter maintenance. My Eheim Pro 4+ 600 external filter probably houses more Cherries than I have living in main aquarium although it doesn't seem to do them any harm.


Another wild colour Neocaridina Davidi in my old tank.

Biofilm is their main food source, if there is enough Biofilm you'll see the Shrimp grazing all the time, or as my wife says they look like they knitting. Shrimp grazing are happy shrimp, Shrimp swimming around the aquarium all the time, they are looking for food. Any food given will be devoured including any salads, flake, frozen, blanched vegetables, sinking pellets and they especially love Catappa leaves. Put a Catappa leaf in a tank full of Neocaridina Shrimp and flew hours later there will just a leaf skeleton. One food you must not use is TUBIFEX!!!, as I found once my cost. This subject has been written about a lot and many frozen Tubifex worm products have medium to high volumes of Ammonia and Nitrates contained within the frozen block, which our fish can tolerate, Shrimp cannot. It can cause a NO2 - NH3 spike in the water column, enough in my case I lost a fare amount of my Shrimp. Gamma frozen Tubifex I have read is OK to use.

Parasites, Vorticella is one of the most common parasites in shrimp and will kill them in time. Many moons ago I used a salt bath to get rid of Vorticella when I first purchased Cherry Shrimp. Planaria are a real problem for Shrimp also, not so if you have fish housed with them. Quarantine is a must if your planning on adding more Shrimp to an aquarium already housing ornamental Shrimp. Here's a link to Shrimp pests and diseases guide: Understanding Dwarf Shrimp Diseases and Parasites

Be aware if you have an open top aquarium, Shrimp will jump out. Can't recall what fish species you have but just remember, if it's small enough to fit into a fishes mouth, it will be eaten.

[Suse]

Thank you! Really appreciate all the helpful advice. I do have Gamma brand Tubifex but sounds best not to risk it?

[Martinspuddle]

Gamma frozen products are apparently irradiated with gamma rays, meaning it's safe from unwanted bacteria.

Personally I wouldn't chance it.

Edit, these where Neocaridina Shrimp being drip acclimated, not Amano's.