Freshwater shrimp in an aquarium. Photo gallery: good neighbors for aquarium shrimp
In this article I will talk in detail about keeping shrimp in home aquarium. I will describe the features of the life of crustaceans, what varieties there are, with what fish they have good compatibility in one container, features of reproduction and breeding.
A freshwater crustacean, so popular among aquarists, comes from Asia.
As a rule, houses contain small individuals, no more than 7 cm long. There are varieties with a body length of up to 35 cm.
The shrimp is endowed with an elongated body enclosed in a chitinous covering. It is helped to move through the water column by a fan-shaped tail and several legs, which the crustacean quickly moves through.
She molts regularly, shedding her shell. At this time, until the new cover becomes hard, the animal is defenseless. Hides under stones or snags, in the thick of algae.
Shrimp have the ability to regrow damaged limbs. In young individuals, the regeneration rate is higher.
What species can be kept in an aquarium?
Pet stores today offer many breeds of different sizes and colors. The most popular types among fans:
Cherry (cherry)
An unpretentious shrimp, 2.5 - 3 cm in size, painted in a bright red color, which is why it received the name “cherry”. It is distinguished by good fertility and the ability to live in small aquariums. Life expectancy is about a year.
Cherry shrimp
Amano or Japanese pond
A shrimp up to 5 cm long, colored blue-gray, with dots or streaks on the sides. Lives for about 3 – 4 years, rarely reproduces at home. The advantages of the species include the ability to clean the aquarium of weeds (filaments).
Filter
A peaceful shrimp, endowed with fan-shaped legs - claws - with which it filters water in search of food. The size of individuals reaches 10 cm. The color is green, blue, yellow, red. These are chameleons that can change color depending on their living conditions.
In addition to the listed species, there are less common but interesting freshwater species:
- Harlequin - 1 - 1.3 cm long, white with scarlet stripes;
- White pearl (Snowflake) – 2.5 cm, translucent or white, very unpretentious;
- Blue pearl – 2.5 cm, translucent color with a blue tint;
- Blue tiger - 2 cm, blue color with black transverse stripes, the shrimp has orange eyes;
- Yellow (Lemon, Canary) – 2.5 – 3 cm, bright “canary” shade, which turns orange with age.
Requirements for an aquarium
Arthropods are more sensitive to water quality and temperature than most aquarium fish. Shrimp especially suffer from lack of oxygen. They cannot swim to the surface, like fish, to find themselves in oxygenated water, and often die from suffocation.
Good aeration and clean water are important for these animals.
Comfortable water temperature +22 +25 degrees. Temperatures above +30 are fatal.
Hardness requirements – pH 6.5 – 8.5. Shrimp fish tolerate hard water more easily than soft water.
For 10 liters of water volume you can place from 4 to 12 shrimp, depending on the size. If you combine keeping crustaceans with fish, you need to choose a larger aquarium volume.
Purchase
You can purchase them at pet stores or from hobby aquarists at home. They are transported in the same way as - in a jar with their “native” aquarium water without exposure to hypothermia and shaking.
Replanting rules
It is worth adding the purchased shrimp to the aquarium after preliminary quarantine. For several days it is kept in a separate small aquarium or jar of appropriate volume, observing its behavior. Only if everything is fine with the animal, it is moved to a common home.
In an aquarium containing shrimp, it is necessary to place several types of algae and, of course, large pebbles and driftwood. These are natural refuges for crustaceans.
What to feed at home
If small group kept with the fish; they do not need special separate food.
Separately living shrimp are fed once every 2–3 days with daphnia and special food.
Rules of care and maintenance
If the required temperature and hardness are maintained in the aquarium, the filter and compressor are working properly, the shrimp will feel great without additional care.
A fresh portion of water is added to the aquarium once a week, no more than a third of the volume. It is enough to clean the soil once every 1.5 months.
Benefit
Contrary to the popular belief that shrimp are able to clean the aquarium of organic residues and the “fish house” will not need to be looked after, it should be noted that crustaceans are rather gentle creatures, themselves sensitive to dirty water. At unfavorable conditions(changes in temperature and water hardness, poor aeration) they will die faster than fish.
The existence of shrimp in the aquarium is justified by their unusual and attractive appearance. A variety of colors and sizes allows you to choose an individual to your liking and observe the life of the creatures.
Features of reproduction
Not all varieties can produce offspring in a home aquarium. The most unpretentious ones to breed are cherry ones.
Females are larger than males, sometimes twice as large.
Females are brighter colored. Females are ready for mating after molting is completed. A technique that stimulates shedding is replacing part of the water with fresh water.
Under favorable conditions, they reproduce independently and human participation in the process is not required. The female carries eggs under her tail for about a month. The number of eggs can reach 40 pieces.
Description
Types of aquarium shrimp
Cherry shrimp
Very often lives in home aquariums. The name is due to the red color of the body. This species is deservedly popular, because it is unpretentious to living conditions, and also reproduces very quickly.
The maximum size of an adult is 2.5-3 centimeters. Thanks to this, cherry shrimp can get along in small aquariums, the size of which does not exceed 10 liters. You can start growing experience with cherry trees.
Aquarium tiger shrimp
Amano
For shrimp, it is very important to have a proper aquarium with enough space for each individual. The aquarium must be selected with a liter of water per shrimp. However, when maximum sizes bodies of 2 centimeters in one liter two individuals can coexist.
They can be added to fish or you can prepare a separate aquarium - a shrimp tank. When kept in a community aquarium important role plays the correct neighborhood. The fact is that fish and shrimp are antagonists by nature. This is not about simple competition. Fish often hunt them, mistaking them for food.
When choosing plants for an aquarium, you can pay attention to Java moss. Adults can hide in it and larvae can grow. In a general aquarium there should be more such moss, then not a single fish will be able to get the shrimp from its shelter.
Shrimp, like fish, are cold-blooded animals, so whether they are active or not depends on the temperature that was created in the aquarium. It should be 20-28 degrees. But even a drop to 15 degrees will not be fatal for them. They will become less active and stop reproducing.
If the water is heated to 32 degrees, protein coagulation will occur in the body, which means probable death for all individuals. Crustaceans have increased sensitivity to sudden changes in temperature. For example, a jump of 7 degrees threatens fish with disease and shrimp with death. Therefore, if a change is planned, it must be done gradually.
The amount of water that is replaced in the aquarium should not exceed 1/5 of its volume. This procedure can be repeated no more than once a week. Shrimp can live in tap water, but it needs to be replaced only when the temperature warms up to room temperature.
The chemical composition of water does not have of great importance. The main thing is that there is no copper in it, otherwise both adults and larvae will die. In addition, the water hardness must be high, otherwise during molting they will have nowhere to get the necessary substances to build a shell.
It is important to siphon the soil frequently as shrimp leave a lot of waste. If ammonia levels rise sharply, they will get sick.
Lack of oxygen also has a detrimental effect on these crustaceans. To enrich water with oxygen, it is necessary to install a special compressor.
If a filter is used, it must be covered with a sponge, otherwise small individuals will get inside. In shrimp tanks, a filter is not necessary, but in a general aquarium you will have to install one.
Nutrition
Shrimp in an aquarium
Shrimp requirements for water and soil. The minimum aquarium that will contain exclusively shrimp is 40 liters. It's called a shrimper. Difficult to maintain in smaller containers constant conditions their content: shrimp are very sensitive to nitrites and nitrates in water, and there should be no ammonia at all. Freshwater shrimp, like their marine counterparts, are very sensitive to the composition of water. It must be clean. Its composition is soft and neutral.
Water replacement should be done regularly, at least once a week. The volumes that are replaced in this case must be at least 40% of the total volume of water.
The need to create additional heat is determined by the selected species that live in the ecosystem and varies from 24 to 27 °C. Shrimp can withstand temperature fluctuations in the range of 15-30°C. But at the same time in cold water they become inactive due to a slowdown in metabolism, and in warm water they may lack oxygen in the water.
It is better to use rocky soil for an aquarium: such as in streams, which are suitable for shrimp in most cases natural environment habitat.
Video about shrimp
Decorating an aquarium with shrimp
One of the most common mistakes made when keeping shrimp in an aquarium is overcrowding the aquarium with algae. IN natural conditions Freshwater shrimp live in bodies of water that may not contain higher plants in their waters at all. The resource used by such plants for their growth is the same as that needed for the development of lower algae and bacterial flora, which are food.
By providing additional bait to shrimp in such conditions, it is sometimes impossible to achieve their favorable content, because the shrimp do not have enough minerals consumed with these bacteria and algae.
Breeding shrimp in an aquarium
In addition to fish and snails, shrimp are often added to the aquarium. Modern domestic reservoirs include those species that have mastered fresh water and are able to survive in it.
Shrimp - aquarium decoration
Many individuals are brightly colored in almost all shades of the rainbow and look impressive against the backdrop of the green vegetation of the reservoir. But shrimp in an aquarium are very demanding in terms of keeping conditions. They are not only decoration, but also orderlies of the reservoir, cleaning it from numerous organic waste plants or food.
These are peaceful representatives water world. Shrimp in a community aquarium can be combined with calm and small fish; keeping them with aggressive and predatory species is not recommended.
IN favorable climate Shrimp offspring appear within one to two months. The young are small, inconspicuous in size, and face many dangers from fish and parents. When Riccia and Java moss are present in the aquarium, the survival rate of young individuals increases. But it is better to breed the population in a vessel separate from the fish.
In a common tank, crustaceans feed on leftover food from fish. Once a week they can add herbal supplements - zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, spinach. They can survive for a long period without food at all, feeding on organic microparticles. You can safely leave shrimp alone for a couple of weeks without fear that they will not survive.
Conditions for keeping and caring for shrimp in an aquarium
- Shape and size of the aquarium. Shrimp can live in vessels of any capacity, but the most preferred are volumes from 35 to 100 liters. You can purchase up to 10 individuals per hundred liters of volume, so that they do not compete with each other in terms of living area and food.
- Water temperature. Shrimp can successfully adapt in water at a temperature of 20-28 degrees. Water renewal should be carried out weekly in a volume of up to 40%. Freshwater crustaceans are quite sensitive to water quality. It should be clean and rich in oxygen, its composition should be soft and neutral.
- Aquarium equipment. Equipment for their maintenance requires a system of filtration, aeration, heating and lighting. The stream from the filter should not be directed to the center of the aquarium, but to the side, so that a small internal flow is formed. Shrimp often reproduce, and young ones may end up in the filter. Therefore, it is better to use a sponge filter in the vessel, into which it will be impossible for them to get into. The water intake area can be covered with a fine mesh. Crustaceans are quite sensitive to the presence of oxygen in water, so the compressor must be turned on constantly. Heating and lighting can be adjusted to suit the needs of fish and plants.
- Decoration of an aquarium. When setting up an aquarium for shrimp, you should create shelters where they can hide during the molting period. Castles, sunken ships, snags, and tree roots are suitable for this. Young individuals often molt and hide in them.
- Priming. It is recommended to use rocky soil for an aquarium, like in streams. Such an atmosphere will bring the shrimp closer to their usual habitat. Once a year, it is necessary to wash the soil, this way you can remove accumulated organic matter from the aquarium and improve the quality of the water.
- Holes in the aquarium. Shrimp can crawl out of the pond. Only small gaps should be left in the vessel for air flow between the lid and the aquarium itself. The remaining holes can be covered with pieces of foam rubber. Shrimp live from one to two years.
Proper management of shrimp will allow them to lead healthy life and multiply. Such unusual mollusks will delight the owner for a long time with their bright appearance and decorate the pond.
Shrimp aquarium
Freshwater shrimp appeared in the collections of Russian lovers not so long ago, and have already managed to win new fans. One of their main advantages is their small size and, therefore, the ability to live in small-volume aquariums, which can easily fit into any city apartment or even on an office desk. What requirements do these crustaceans make for their home?
Volume and type of aquarium
As a shrimp tank (shrimpcaria), a rectangular or cubic-shaped container is preferable, but not too high, since shrimp usually swarm at or near the bottom. The volume of water can be from 5 liters (for 10 individuals of dwarf undemanding species). However, only experienced craftsmen can take care of an aquarium of such a small size.
Most often, shrimp are kept in cubes - cubic aquariums produced by well-known manufacturers with a capacity of 20 or 30 liters (the most popular are Aquael Shrimp Set and Dennerle Nano Cube).
For beginners who decide to start their journey in aquarium keeping with crustaceans, it is better to purchase a larger jar - 40 or 50 liters, in which it is much easier than in a nanocube to create a stable environment that is so necessary for shrimp.
For the propagation of demanding species (for example, crystals) a container of 50 liters is also required.
The shrimp tank must be tightly closed with a lid or cover glass, and the holes for the wires plugged with sponges: shrimp are quite capable of escaping from it, especially if the conditions are not ideal.
What to prefer: a separate shrimp tank or a mixed aquarium?
It depends on the type of crustacean.
Large decapods - amano shrimp, filter feeders and macrobrachiums can live with almost any fish, except for large predatory cichlids (in the case of adult macrobrachiums, fish are more at risk).
Cherry shrimp and other relatively undemanding shrimp are often kept with small or medium-sized non-aggressive fish:
- viviparous,
- various algae eaters,
- neon,
- rasborami.
Many of them are not averse to profiting from shrimp fry, but if there is enough moss and small-leaved plants in the aquarium, the babies hide well and are not easy to catch.
Small, fastidious purebred shrimp (high-grade crystals, wild Sulawesi) are usually preferred to be kept separately from fish.
Equipment
Lighting
Heater and fan
Aquarium contents
Water
Priming
Design, scenery
Cherry shrimp: keeping in an aquarium
Cherry shrimp are the most common representatives of these crustaceans in Russian aquariums. The key to their popularity is their relative unpretentiousness, ease and speed of reproduction, and, of course, brightness of color and charm. Several shrimps that hang on a fern branch like berries, sparkling with their eyes and busily moving their paws - an absolutely touching sight. What do these kids need to be happy?
The cherry shrimp (simply cherry) is an artificially bred form of the wild species Neokaridina heteropoda, which lives in small freshwater bodies of Taiwan. Representatives of the natural form are almost transparent, have only small specks and almost imperceptible streaks on the shell.
However, Asian breeders managed, by selecting the brightest individuals, to develop a breed whose representatives range from bright orange to dark red in color and are 2.5 cm in size. Female cherry shrimp are usually brighter, fuller and larger than males.
First of all, it should be noted that cherries are school animals that feel calm and at ease only in a group of at least a dozen individuals. Single or few shrimp will hide in the thickets so stubbornly that you will hardly see them.
Neocaridins can live in a fairly wide range of water parameters: temperature 20-26°C, pH 6.5-7.5. The main thing is that the water should not be too soft, otherwise the shrimp will not be able to form full shells.
At the same time, cherries do not tolerate high levels of nitrogen compounds very well: ammonia and nitrites are lethal to them even in minimal concentrations; nitrate levels are allowed up to 40 mg/l.
Therefore, an aquarium with them should have high-quality biofiltration and regular water changes. And of course, under no circumstances should shrimp be introduced into an aquarium where the start-up process has not yet been completed - these animals are not suitable as pioneers.
Medicines must be introduced into the water where cherries live with caution. They should not contain copper, which is toxic to shrimp.
An important condition for the comfortable living of cherries, and any other shrimp, is the presence in the aquarium of a large number of living plants, mainly small-leaved ones.
Particularly loved are mosses (Javanese, Christmas, flame, riccia), ferns (lomariopsis, Indian), as well as balls of cladophora algae.
It is good if there are floating plants on the surface of the water. If there are lush thickets in an aquarium with cherry shrimp, you can do without a mechanical filter; you just need to turn on the compressor at night.
It is highly desirable that the reservoir have shelters specifically for these invertebrates. Typically, small diameter ceramic tubes are used for this purpose.
Is it possible to keep cherries together with fish?
Constancy of the environment
Transportation and adaptation to a new aquarium
A big stress for these animals is moving to new container. Therefore, if you have purchased cherries, you need to transfer them into the water of your aquarium very gradually, at least over an hour, by first lowering the bag with them into the aquarium and equalizing the temperature, and then gradually adding water from their new home to the bag with their native water.
When transporting cherries, be sure to place a bunch of moss or a sprig of a small-leaved plant in a bag so that the shrimp can cling to them and not suffer from shaking.
In the first minutes after cherries find themselves in a new aquarium, they usually behave very actively, swimming in all layers of water. But this is more panic than joy from the housewarming. In half an hour, they will all hide in the thickets of plants, behind pebbles and under shells, where they will sit for the next 2-3 days.
The fact is that after stress and changes in conditions, shrimp molt and until they harden new shell, try to stay in safe shelters. But very little time will pass, and they will crawl out into the light again and begin to busily scurry around the entire aquarium.
Do cherry shrimp need quarantine?
If shrimp already live in the aquarium, then new shrimp should, of course, be introduced into it after quarantine.
However, the difficulty of keeping shrimp in temporary isolation is that an ordinary empty sanitary container will not suit them.
The quarantine area must have a substrate, shelters, and living plants.
In addition, it should be taken into account that at the end of quarantine, when the cherries are transferred to a permanent aquarium, they will again be stressed, they will begin to molt, and the females will lose their eggs. Therefore, if there are no other species of shrimp in a permanent aquarium, and new specimens are purchased from a reliable seller, quarantine can sometimes be neglected.
Feeding
Reproduction
What to feed shrimp in an aquarium
Proper feeding
There are many opinions on this matter. However, almost all shrimp owners agree that force feeding can only complement natural diet small representatives of the class arthropods.
What is included in this diet?
- Basically, shrimp eat everything they can eat. For example, plant and living microorganisms floating on the surface of water.
- Many aquarists are familiar with the phenomenon of surface film formation. So, this film, consisting of microorganisms, is perhaps the most favorite treat these representatives of crustaceans, as well as green (blue-green) algae, which are a real scourge of home aquariums.
- Shrimps do not disdain carrion (dead fish, for example), as well as the chitinous shell discarded by their fellow tribesmen.
Thus, there is no single, strictly established diet for these animals; There are also no unshakable generally accepted feeding rules.
We can only conditionally divide the feeding options for aquarium shrimp based on two circumstances:
- when kept together with fish;
- or subject to separate keeping in a shrimp tank (an aquarium where only shrimp live).
In this case, crustaceans act as orderlies for a home artificial pond. The fact is that aquarium fish always leave quite a lot of waste, the lion's share of which is leftover food and particles of bitten vegetation.
It is this waste that serves as excellent food for shrimp crawling throughout the aquarium. By the way, if the fish died for some reason, then the nimble orderlies will eat it quite quickly. But it is still better to remove it from the reservoir immediately.
From a nutritional perspective community aquarium- this is a real haven for shrimp! In this situation, they only need to be fed a little so that no uneaten “products” remain at the bottom and in the water column.
You can give little by little, for example, small pieces of pre-scalded zucchini, spinach, pumpkin and cucumbers, which shrimp love very much. In addition, these products retain their nutritional properties and shape in water for a long time without polluting the environment.
Additional food should be given no more than 2-3 times a week, carefully monitoring so that no uneaten “food” remains in the aquarium. The remains of the feast should be removed.
Feeding subject to separate housing
Methods and frequency of feeding
Aquarium freshwater shrimp are very beautiful creatures that you can’t stop admiring. These wonderful pets can decorate your home and also give joy in the saddest moments. Caring for such pets will not be a huge task for you, the main thing is that your aquarium shrimp are not deprived of love.
What do aquarium shrimp eat?
These pets are omnivores, so you don't have to worry too much about their diet. If shrimp live with fish, then they can easily pick up food that their neighbors haven’t eaten. Kids also love to feast on algal fouling that has formed on rocks, soil, and various plants. If your pets live alone in their glass house, then you can please them with special food. They also love to eat pieces of zucchini, peppers and lettuce. Remember that these wonderful creatures should not be overfed. Since shrimp love to eat algae and fouling, some owners give them food 1-2 times a week.
Aquarium shrimp - compatibility with fish
Remember that shrimp can grow and reproduce well only if their neighbors in the aquarium are fish that will not encroach on their lives. The existence of the babies will be threatened by all neighbors who are larger than them in size and whose oral cavity will be able to capture the shrimp.
In the wild, these cute creatures are common food for various fish. Therefore, sensing danger, they got used to hiding with the help of plants, stones, and soil. It is worth taking note of this fact for owners who are planning to make friends between shrimp and fish. Bettas, goldfish, cichlids, melanotenias, swordtails, platies and many other cute creatures can eat or torture your little ones. Boraras brigittae will be excellent neighbors for tiny pets.
To best set up your aquarium, you should match the shrimp to the fish, and not vice versa. Filter-feeding shrimp, Mucrobrachium rosenberghi, as well as the Palameon species will not be vulnerable targets for their neighbors, and may even become dangerous cohabitants for them.
If you want to create an aquarium in which aquarium shrimp would live together with fish, you should not select neighbors at random, then keeping your pets safe will be at risk. And this can really bother you. It's best to think carefully about your choice.
One of the decorations for your “jar” can be aquarium shrimp.
Keeping shrimp in an aquarium is becoming more and more popular every year. There are many types of them. Like all living organisms, they require certain conditions. Some types aquarium shrimp unpretentious and suitable for beginners.
In this article we will talk about keeping shrimp in an aquarium, breeding shrimp in an aquarium, and also consider what types of shrimp exist for an aquarium.
Shrimps- These are crustaceans that live in both salt water and fresh water. Freshwater aquarium shrimp are relatives of those individuals that, in the process of evolution, have adapted to live in fresh water bodies.
Shrimp for the aquarium. Description
All types of aquarium shrimp differ from each other both in size and body color. Despite all these differences, the body structure of aquarium shrimp is the same.
These crustaceans do not have clearly defined claws. Instead, shrimp have jaws that are designed to hold, capture and deliver food to the mouth. In addition to the feeding process, the jaws also perform a motor function.
Shrimp red crystal
Aquarium shrimp also have a well-developed tail, which helps them in case of danger. In addition to the tail, they boast a good sense of smell, a sense of touch, which is provided by long antennae, and large viewing angles, which, in turn, are provided by the eyes.
The size of shrimp depends on the species. Average and small species reach sizes of 2-5 cm. Large species - 15 cm.
Aquarium shrimp: types
- cherry Body color: red, females are more inconspicuous. Dimensions 2.5-3 cm. female, 2 cm. male. An unpretentious type of shrimp. Ideal option for beginners. It reproduces quickly and can live in small aquariums.
- blue or bee shrimp. Shrimp with a bluish color. Relatively new look. The sizes of individuals are 2 cm male, 2.5 cm female. Not aggressive and unpretentious in maintenance. The reproduction rate is high.
- yellow.As the name suggests, the color of this type of shrimp is yellow. Males reach a size of 2.5 cm, females - 3 cm. Not aggressive, unpretentious species. Like previous species, yellow shrimp reproduce quickly. An excellent option for beginners.
- green. Shrimp with a greenish color. Dimensions: 3 cm males, 3.5 cm females. Easy to maintain, non-aggressive. Playback speed is average.
From left to right: Green Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp, Yellow Shrimp, Blue Shrimp
- rednose shrimp. It has a reddish-transparent color, with a pronounced red nose. Can be used to control unwanted algae. Body size reaches: females 4 cm, males 3 cm. For breeding, the larvae require salt water. Not aggressive, medium difficulty.
- Amano shrimp. Light green, transparent color with a light stripe on the back that stretches from the head to the tail. Adult size: 4 cm male, 5 cm female. A peaceful type of shrimp, easy to keep. Larvae need salt water.
- harlequin shrimp. Has a bright contrasting color. Black, red and white colors are combined. This is a small species of shrimp, males - 0.6 cm, females - 1.2 cm. Low reproduction speed. For beginners, maintaining this species will be more difficult.
- cardinal. Vibrant look shrimp. The color varies from dark red-pink to light red with white dots along the body. Dimensions: male 2 cm, female 2.5 cm. Reproduction rate is low. Requires experience in content (not for beginners).
- red crystal. Also called the red bee. A popular species in the aquarium hobby. Has a bright red color. Dimensions of an adult: male 2.5 cm, female 3 cm. High speed reproduction. Beginners may have difficulties with the content.
Conditions for keeping shrimp in an aquarium
In general, freshwater shrimp are not difficult to keep in an aquarium, unlike some ornamental species.
One of important factors there is a proper aquarium for shrimp, with enough space for each individual. Two specimens coexist in one liter of water. Although some species feel great in aquariums that have been replanted with their own kind.
In most cases, shrimp are kept in separate aquariums, shrimp tanks. You can also add them to fish. But even peaceful fish can hunt for small shrimps. Therefore, it is important that crustaceans have more places for shelter: decorations, plants, stones.
The optimal temperature for keeping shrimp will be 20-28°C. But a drop to 15°C will not harm them. The shrimp will become less mobile and stop reproducing. But an increase in temperature to 32°C is destructive.
You need to change the water no more than once a week, about 1/5 of the total volume. The water that is added must be heated to room temperature. Shrimp can live in tap water. The rigidity should be higher. Since during the molting process they need necessary elements to strengthen the new shell.
It is important to siphon the soil thoroughly, since the life of shrimp produces a lot of waste. And with an increase in ammonia, diseases can occur.
Lack of oxygen also has a bad effect on shrimp. Therefore, install a good compressor.
If you have a shrimp tank and nothing lives in the aquarium except crustaceans, it is not necessary to put it.
It is also not necessary to light an aquarium where shrimp live. But for a more attractive look, we still recommend installing at least minimal lighting. And don't forget about the lid. Since some types of these crustaceans can jump out of the aquarium.
Let us remind you once again about shelters. It is very good when there are live plants in the aquarium, especially.
From left to right: Rednose Shrimp, Cardinal Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Amano Shrimp
What to feed shrimp in an aquarium?
Aquarium shrimp are omnivorous and unpretentious to food. They eat up the remains of fish food and eat algae formations, thereby cleaning the plants and the aquarium. They feed on dead plant leaves and dead fish. You can feed shrimp with boiled vegetables or special food that can be bought at any pet store.
It is important not to overfeed the shrimp. You can give food no more than 1-3 times a week. Shrimp can go without food for 7 to 10 days.
Shrimp breeding
Shrimp are bisexual crustaceans.Females are much larger than males. Females also have a more convex abdomen and a larger tail. When the female reaches sexual maturity, eggs appear under her tail. She highlights special substance to attract a male. The male does his job, fertilizes the eggs. The mother shrimp carries fertilized eggs for 4-6 weeks, from which larvae are formed. And the larvae grow into full-fledged shrimp.
Who do freshwater aquarium shrimp get along with?
Shrimp in the aquarium get along with snails, peaceful, small fish. Except aggressive fish: some species of Barbs, all fighting fish, Cichlids, .
After reading our article and following these simple tips You can keep and breed shrimp at home. And they, in turn, will delight you with their beauty and habits. Because they are very interesting to watch!
Introduction
I was prompted to write this material by numerous requests for help on the forum related to keeping shrimp in an aquarium.
Just 10 years ago these were very rare and exotic inhabitants of aquariums. And now they have become fashionable, and the number of people wanting to have shrimp is constantly growing. But if the rules for caring for fish and plants are more or less generally known, then people are usually familiar with crustaceans only gastronomically.
There are many excellent articles about shrimp written by wonderful authors. This text is in no way a replacement for them. My main idea: to give a short introduction to shrimp keeping for newbies. The materials were selected taking into account the most common errors.
In order to facilitate perception, the material is divided into two parts: theoretical and practical.
Part 1. Theoretical
Meat or fish?
Once on the subway I heard a conversation between two women. They discussed whether it was possible to eat shrimp during Lent, when it is permissible to eat fish. Their main question was: are shrimp meat or fish? I wanted to tell them that shrimp are decapod arthropods. But I changed my mind, because... such an answer would confuse them even more. And why deprive people of the pleasure of courageously overcoming the difficulties that they create for themselves?
So, shrimp owners should know much more about their pets than the average person. Indeed, in an aquarium, these creatures are absolutely helpless. Their life depends entirely on the competence of the owner.
Let's take a look at the place of shrimp in the scientific classification:
Here keyword- arthropods. Therefore, immediately erase from your head the stereotype about the relationship between fish and shrimp. What they have in common is only their habitat. And according to their own biological properties they are "relatives" of cockroaches, spiders and bedbugs.
Which is more difficult to keep in an aquarium: fish or shrimp? It is impossible to answer unequivocally. But for a beginner who is not very familiar with " pitfalls" in aquarium hobby, the answer is much clearer: casual fish are more tenacious. Therefore, shrimp are more difficult to keep.
Who sold me this hamster?
An old bearded joke... A man brings a bear to the poultry market and asks the sellers: “Well, who sold me this hamster a year ago?”
Shrimp also have their own hamsters and bears. Therefore, you need to be able to distinguish between them in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. For example, under the guise of a harmless booger, incompetent or unscrupulous sellers can sell macrobrachium rosenbergi, which grows up to 18 centimeters, freeing the aquarium from all fish, plants and its less fortunate relatives. In fact, the Rosenbergs are beautiful and interesting animals. But they need to be started consciously, providing appropriate conditions.
However, people usually want peaceful shrimp. And this is quite understandable. But how to distinguish them from predators? It's quite simple: predatory shrimp have claws that are visible to the naked eye.
I will not review all aquarium shrimp here. Moreover, new species and breeds are constantly appearing on the market. I would like to focus on the especially popular ones. Without having any statistics, I’ll take the risk of identifying the top three:
- Neocaridina denticulata Red Cherry, Cherry shrimp or simply cherry.
The undoubted advantages of this shrimp are: unpretentiousness, fertility, bright color, wide availability. The disadvantages include the small size. However, this is even good for miniature aquariums.
The approximate lifespan of cherry shrimp is 1 year. This is certainly not enough. But it is compensated by their fertility. - Amano shrimp, Yamato Shrimp, Caridina japonica, Japanese pond shrimp or simply amanka.
Gained wide popularity with light hand Takashi Amano. Quite large, active, can eat filamentous algae. But it does not reproduce in an aquarium. But the lifespan is much longer than that of cherries. My seven Amanks have been living for 3.5 years. - Atyopsis Moluccensis, Banana Shrimp, filter feeder shrimp.
These funny large shrimp can often be found in pet stores. But they are much more difficult to maintain than amanki or cherries. In addition, they are not very active. And many people mistakenly believe that a filter-feeding shrimp can somehow replace a filter. Unfortunately, it is filter feeders that most often die from inexperienced owners.
One filter has lived with me for 3 years, the other is already on its fourth year.
Having mastered simple rules keeping these relatively unpretentious creatures, you can have the rest.
What you need to know...
What are these rules? Let's look at them right now.
Water quality
When dealing with shrimp, never forget that water quality is the most important thing in their life. They are extremely sensitive to any changes.
In nature, if shrimp sense something is wrong, they try to quickly swim as far as possible from the bad place.
Unfortunately, they have nowhere to escape from the aquarium. The poor creatures are rushing along the walls in panic, trying in vain to find a stream that will lead them to clean water. Large shrimp are trying to jump out. Those who succeed die on the floor. The rest are in the aquarium.
This is the sad picture of poisoning by nitrogenous compounds among simple-minded owners who do not spare food for their pets. Or in case of an incorrect start in an aquarium with fish.
What to do in such a situation? Change the water?
As they say, it’s too late to drink Borjomi if your liver has fallen off.
Replacements are not very effective. Some of the poor fellows can be saved if they are immediately transplanted into clean water. But only owners of several aquariums can afford this. And in tap water, even if it is clean, shrimp also have little chance.
To avoid this situation, you need to remember that shrimp are much more sensitive to the content of harmful substances in water than fish. We will return to the topic of monitoring the concentration of nitrogen compounds. In the meantime, let's look at the table of numerical estimates that I collected based on personal experience.
What other substances are harmful to shrimp?
Most branded aquarium products are safe. And for those that are dangerous, this is always indicated in the instructions.
But can our people get by with only branded drugs? There will always be “knowledgeable” people who will recommend some kind of miracle remedy. But no one has yet canceled their head on their shoulders. And for an informed decision-making, I want to give a review collected from the reviews of many shrimp owners.
Copper salts. | They are often active components of algaecides and some drugs. Both plants and animals need copper in small quantities. For example, in the blood of shrimp, copper plays the same role as iron in ours. But the slightest overdose can be fatal. In branded fertilizers containing copper, the concentration is not dangerous. |
Insecticides | Pesticides against insects are also very dangerous for shrimp, given the similarity of their physiology. Most often, insecticides get into the aquarium with new plants, because... on farms they often use poison against pests. Therefore, do not rush to plant plants from unreliable sources in an aquarium with shrimp. Let them sit in a separate container for a couple of days. |
Antibiotics | A one-time application will not usually kill shrimp. But it should be remembered that antibiotics negatively affect the immunity of animals. In addition, they destroy such an important and fragile balance of the aquarium. |
Fertilizer macroelements. | Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. If you apply it in the quantities that plants need, then there is no danger. (Given that nitrogen is in the form of nitrate.) It is also important to maintain the proportion between potassium and sodium. Plants do not need sodium, although there is usually much more of it in water. But if suddenly there is a significant excess of potassium, this can lead to disruptions in activity nervous system animals. |
Microelements of fertilizers. | Iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, boron, cobalt, iodine, sulfur, etc. are safe in the required concentrations. |
Calcium, magnesium, sodium and chlorides | Most shrimp normally tolerate increased levels of these ions, because These are the elements of sea water. And shrimp still have a strong genetic memory of their homeland. But it is important to remember that when these elements are present in water as a mixture, this is normal. If only one of them is bad. As for calcium, shrimp need it to build their shells. If the water is too soft, many shrimp may show pathologies when molting. To compensate for the lack of calcium, you can use marble soil, tuff decorations, various shells, etc. |
Iodine. | This is a very important element for the life of shrimp. But it often happens that there is too little of it in food and water. If you add iodinol (from a pharmacy) to the aquarium water at the rate of 1 ml per 10 liters of water, once or twice a month, this will not harm plants, fish and bacteria. But the shrimp will be happy. It is better to refrain from using a traditional alcohol solution of iodine. |
Separately, I would like to touch on a sore subject - algae. In my opinion, in the fight against them, many people reach the point of absurdity. Shrimp are unlikely to share the aesthetic feelings of the owner. For them, algae is food, a useful substrate and an additional water purifier. However, in case of blooming water, it is necessary to ensure good aeration.
Think carefully before pouring pesticides, whether it is worth it. In general, excess algae can always be controlled without the use of algaecides. And even if many people claim that everything is fine with them, this does not mean that in your case there will be no problems. It is clear that the shrimp want to live, despite the good efforts of the owner. But each aquarium has its own specific conditions. Because of this, some people are lucky and others are not. Don't risk your pets' lives in vain.
And a couple more tips:
- Wash your hands thoroughly without soap before putting them into the shrimp aquarium.
- In the summer I constantly use fumitox. Many shrimp owners do too. Negative consequences No.
Once again about water
Did I mention that shrimp are very sensitive to water quality? I think he said. But it’s not superfluous to say this again.
Oxygen
It is very important to ensure aquarium water large number oxygen. Shrimp breathe through gills, much like fish. But the efficiency of fish gills is much higher. Therefore, shrimp need more oxygen. Where the fish survives, the shrimp may die from suffocation.
Extreme situations leading to a sharp drop in oxygen concentration are: outbreaks of blue-green algae (water blooms), bacterial turbidity, an increase in temperature to 30 0 C, high oxidation of water (due to excess organic matter).
Fish have another important advantage: swim bladder, allowing you to float closer to the surface, where there is much more oxygen due to gas exchange with air. Shrimp are heavier than water and cannot swim for long. The only salvation for them is floating plants, which they can cling to and breathe near the surface.
Shrimp do not breathe through their mouths. Their gills are located in the central part of the body (in the carapace), and they push water there with cilia located under the belly. And too much movement may mean that the shrimp is lacking oxygen. And females also ventilate their eggs this way.
Filter feeders are the most demanding of oxygen. I would call cherry ones the least picky.
Water temperature
Comfortable temperature for shrimp: 22-25 o C. Although, Sulawesi savages require no lower than 27 o. But for most the limit is 32 o. In addition, the warmer the water, the less necessary oxygen dissolves in it.
One summer there was terrible heat for almost two weeks. The temperature in the aquariums remained 30-31. Everyone survived. But this is force majeure.
Temperatures above 29 o are harmful to the health of shrimp.
The lower limit in my cherry shrimp tank dropped to 13 o without visible damage. I think that Amano could also survive this. But I wouldn’t take that risk with filters.
Hydrochemistry
What can be said about the hydrochemical parameters of water? Yes, advanced shrimp owners are usually well versed in such things as pH, KH, GH. You need to understand this especially well if you are going to install the feed carbon dioxide.
For most shrimp, the normal pH is between 6.5 and 8.5. Optimum 7.5-8. That is, a slightly alkaline environment.
High hardness is better than low hardness. For example, there are quite a few reports of problems with shedding in soft water (dGH< 5). В то же время, мне не приходилось слышать о проблемах в жёсткой воде.
Although, for example, red crystals feel better in softer and slightly acidic water.
But the most important quality of water is stability! Shrimp are able to adapt to new environment, even if the parameters are not entirely favorable. But they will not be able to adapt to chaotic fluctuations in parameters (which are inevitable when trying to use pH-minus or plus products).
Organic
And all shrimp love water with a small organic content. No organic matter at all (tap water) is very bad. Excess organic matter is also no good. Useful organic matter includes substances released by plants. Driftwood is also very welcome. Positive effect give oak leaves or alder cones. At one time I used granulated peat in the filter. The water was yellowish, but all the shrimp felt great.
Shedding
A physiological feature of shrimp, like all arthropods, is their hard chitinous shell, which protects the body from all sides. This armor greatly helps them survive in the wild, and in some aquariums too.
But there is a drawback to this: the shrimp grows and the suit becomes tight. Therefore, periodically they have to shed their old skin and grow a new one. This is called molting.
By the way, there is another unexpected bonus: along with a new skin, severed limbs can miraculously grow back.
But everything is far from so simple! The molting process is very responsible. After all, at this moment the shrimp becomes very vulnerable. In addition, to grow a new shell, the body uses “fat reserves” accumulated earlier. And if the shrimp did not receive enough substances from food, then building materials for new armor may not be enough. This is fraught with various pathologies and even the death of the shrimp.
In addition to natural molting, there are also unplanned ones due to a sharp change in water parameters. This is a rather dangerous and undesirable phenomenon in the case when the shrimp has not had time to recover from the previous molt. And if the shrimp had caviar, it is usually lost.
What is a sudden change in water parameters from the point of view of shrimp?
Oddly enough, this could even be a transplant to a neighboring aquarium. After all, shrimp feel the difference very subtly. Therefore, do not try to transplant a pregnant female (“so that the babies don’t get eaten”). It is unlikely that she will appreciate such good intentions.
A change in parameters can result from improper start-up of the carbon dioxide supply system, introduction of chemicals that violate the environment, and even global weeding of fast-growing plants.
Some impressionable aquarists, when they see empty skins for the first time, sometimes mistake them for corpses. And I myself was caught once: the body of a filter feeder was lying at the bottom, and only the whiskers were twitching. I was about to be very upset, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be an empty shell into which a snail had climbed. And the mustache moved because of her movement.
The corpses of any shrimp in an aquarium look exactly the same as those in the frozen section of the grocery store - twisted, red and motionless.
Empty skins are translucent and usually white. And they are very light, so they sway even from a slight current and can lie on the leaves.
Behavior and Compatibility
Most shrimp are social creatures. Perhaps this does not apply only to filter feeders who are single introverts.
I can say for sure that the behavior of seven amankas is very different from three. In a group, shrimp behave more actively and boldly, hiding less. Therefore, it is much more interesting to watch them.
Between the shrimp different types I didn’t notice any special relationships.
Another feature is 24/7 activity. It seems like it doesn't matter to them special significance, whether it is day or night.
The keeping of shrimp together is limited by two factors:
- Larger shrimp can eat smaller ones. This is usually the fault of predators, such as macrobrachiums. However, I already warned that it is better to start with peaceful ones.
- Some seemingly different shrimp turn out to be able to enter into mixed marriages. For example, this is possible between bees, tigers and crystals. () This does not harm them themselves, but the offspring come out completely unattractive. Is it worth paying through the nose for beautiful decorative shrimp if they are replaced by dull half-breeds?
Shrimp and fish
And of course, we cannot ignore the relationship between shrimp and fish.
Unfortunately, even small fish often prey on juvenile shrimp. And larger fish are not averse to snacking on adult cherries. Amanks and filter feeders can fend for themselves. But during the molting period, they can easily become prey for cichlids or macropods. There are known cases of amankas being eaten by roosters.
There are very few completely safe fish. Among them I would name microanalysis ( Microrasbora sp. Galaxy), otocinclus ( Otocinclus macrospilus), acanthophthalmus ( Acanthophthalmus kuhli) and gastromyzons ( Gastromyzon punctulatus). And also, oddly enough, a huge and formidable Gyrinoheylus ( Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) - a thunderstorm for fish - turned out to be absolutely harmless to shrimp. True, I once heard that he gave a thrashing to predatory shrimp. But, apparently, they were the first to make an attempt on his life.
The main trouble is that even in the absence of aggression from the fish, the shrimp try to stay out of harm's way. They begin to hide and switch to nocturnal activity.
For example, in my 100-liter aquarium, filter feeders, amankas, cherries and Indian red noses coexisted well.
Among the fish there were: Gyrinocheilus, two Siamese algae eaters (SAE), wedge-shaped rasboras, honey gouramis and dwarf loaches.
Juvenile cherry species were predominantly nocturnal. In addition, they occupied the insides of the filters. The adults climbed calmly during the day.
I think that for the first time the theory will be enough. In the next part we will look at practical issues of shrimp science.
Imagine: shrimp are good not only as a snack for beer, but can also be a real decoration for an aquarium. In recent years, keeping shrimp has become a very popular activity among aquarium hobbyists. Sooner or later, aquarists begin to become interested in all the nuances of reproduction of small invertebrates, looking for an answer to a question: how to breed shrimp in an aquarium.
First of all, I need to tell all newbies : to start, buy the simplest ones, and best of all - cherry shrimp (aka). This is the easiest species to keep and breed, with which even completely inexperienced person, and the initial knowledge will gradually accumulate one way or another, after which you can take on more complex types without fear.
For most shrimp, the term " reproduction ", not " breeding" Because if the shrimp tank is created to the maximum favorable conditions, then your pets will reproduce ( and in significant quantities and literally non-stop ) without any of your participation and regardless of whether you have a desire to get offspring or not. Of course the presence of individuals of both sexes is mandatory, as is the fact that they have already reached reproductive age.
It is impossible to stop this process. Well, unless you are an enemy of shrimp and are not ready to sacrifice their lives, reducing the degree of comfort to a minimum. But in the case when the shrimp in the aquarium are capricious for some reason and do not want to start procreation, you can stimulate them with massive water changes or by completely transplanting invertebrates into a new aquarium with new living conditions.
Everything happens in the following sequence: an adult, sexually mature, healthy female collects eggs in her ovary. It is located on her back - where the carapace (cephalothorax) connects to the abdomen ( tail part). This area is called " saddle» (English: “saddle”), it usually differs sharply in color from the entire body of the female. The color of the saddle depends on the species of the shrimp: it can be green, black, orange, brownish, pink, white, yellow. This actually shows the eggs through the transparent shell.
By the way: the color of caviar is not considered a reliable species characteristic, since it constantly varies. For the same cherry shrimp in an aquarium, the caviar can be either bright yellow or bright green. Freshwater aquarium shrimp are diverse, many of them have chameleon abilities, that is, they change color depending on many reasons: water parameters or mood.As soon as the eggs reach the required degree of maturity, the female begins to molt and sheds the old shell. For your information, The molting process for shrimp takes only a couple of minutes. The discarded shells do not need to be thrown out of the aquarium; shrimp eat them and this serves as an excellent complementary food, replenishing the lack of minerals. After molting pheromones of the egg, that is, the partner ready for mating, immediately appear in the water column.
The males begin to look for such an attractive “lady”, and only the fastest of them manages to impregnate her. Then the female gradually moves the fertilized eggs into her abdomen, under her tail. There eggs are glued to the pleopods (swimming legs) of the expectant mother and the second phase of their development begins.Pregnancy shrimp
Pregnancy lasts about a month - it all depends on several factors, including the species of invertebrates and how you care for the shrimp in the aquarium. Female often “knocks its legs” - it washes the offspring with a current of water, providing effective ventilation, which is mandatory for masonry hygiene.
As soon as the period required for the cubs to fully develop has passed, all the shrimp hatch simultaneously. They are quite active and instantly spread over the entire bottom, starting to feed on their own.
Newborn shrimp are no more than 4 mm in length, but in shape and even sometimes in color they completely copy their parents. They grow quickly, feed on yeast, algae, detritus (like adults of many species), and after 1-1.5 months they become sexually mature and will also begin to regularly produce about 15 new shrimp every 30-45 days. The number of shrimp grows exponentially until it reaches the maximum allowable population size.
After this, the shrimp continue to reproduce, as if by inertia, but the rate of reproduction gradually slows down, the population size drops and sometimes falls below the optimum. Then their fertile function is activated again and the number of freshwater shrimp in the aquarium increases again. In short