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Caridina caerulea commonly known as the Blue Morphe Shrimp, is just one of the many beautiful shrimp that hail from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Although shrimp from these lakes are generally extremely delicate, this is one of the more forgiving species, making it a great choice for those lacking experience with Sulawesi shrimp. Blue Morphe shrimp The Blue Morphe shrimp is found soley in Lake Poso of Sulawesi, dwelling mainly on hard substrate such as rock and wood. At 25-30mm it is one of the larger species from Sulawesi. Despite not being the most stunning species, this shrimp is still very attractive. Its body ranges from orange to steel blue, and its legs and rostrum are bright blue, contrasting with its red antennae. To show its colours best by contrast, I believe it should be kept on black substrate.  Rare shrimp! Shrimp species from Sulawesi are very hard to come across in the UK, and are usually purchased quickly by those ill-equipped to keep them. For my breeding project of this species I had wild caught animals specially imported, and bought a group of 12. When beginning with 10+ shrimp there is obviously no need to worry about only having a single gender. Reproduction Most aquarists are unfamiliar with freshwater shrimp reproduction, so I will briefly describe it in the case of C. caerulea. About once a month the mature shrimp shed their exoskeletons.  This stimulates mating, and the following day the female should be carrying green-white eggs in her swimmerets. I have noted that the eggs take about 20 days to hatch, producing ~2mm miniature versions of the adult shrimp, which assume a typical benthic lifestyle.   Sexing Although it is possible to differentiate between the two genders of this species, it can be very difficult to differentiate between males and younger females. Females, as in the photo below, are characterised by an obvious green "saddle" behind the head, which is actually the substance the eggs are formed from. (If you are lucky, you may observe the formation of the eggs as I have done. The fluid literally seeps down in set amounts between the abdomen and cephalothorax of the shrimp and enters the 'underbelly', forming an egg). The females also tend to be considerably larger than the males and have a deeper and more curved "underbelly" around the pleopods for carrying eggs.  Parameter problems I initially kept these shrimp in the water of pH 8, 10° KH, 12° GH and TDS 450ppm, at a temperature of 30°C. I achieved these parameters by using an alkaline substrate, but unfortunately the water hardness continued to rise to high levels. The shrimp appeared to thrive in these parameters and reproduced readily. However, the offspring would disappear after a few days. I assume that in these water parameters the young were unable to moult successfully and were then eaten by the adult shrimp. I also noticed that the current of my external filter, even when the flow was greatly reduced, was too great for the offspring to endure. The current would stun the shrimp if they swam near the outlet pipe. This is presumably because the shrimp are lacustrine and so they have not had to adapt or evolve to tolerate currents. New set-up My determination to breed and raise this species compelled me to set up a new aquarium. I decided to use a completely inert hardscape and no softscape in an attempt to maintain complete control over the water parameters. My aquarium consisted of a river-sand substrate with inert pebbles and rocks, and a piece of bogwood (with all tannins leached). In terms of aquarium equipment, I used a 40cm cube aquarium (64L), a heater (~30°C) and a gentle air-driven sponge filter. By trial and error, I came up with my own technique to achieve the following water parameters;- |
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Feeding These shrimp accept most foods and so I feed mine a variety. Fish flake, catfish pellets, shrimp foods, boiled vegetables, katappa leaves, bloodworm... All accepted! Success! I was happy to see that the Blue Morphe shrimp continued to breed in these new parameters. The offspring managed to reach maturity successfully and now I am the proud owner of a large colony of these beautiful shrimp. I now breed this species in a new aquarium, and have found they will breed successfully within the following parameters: |
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Conclusion This species is a perfect introduction to the world of Sulawesi shrimp and I definitely recommend trying this species. I now realise that I should have purchased tank-bred specimens rather than wild-caught, as Sulawesi shrimp are threatened in the wild by invasive species and mining. Tank-bred specimens are also much hardier than wild-caught, and so bearing in mind the delicate nature of these shrimp, it is wise to only purchase tank-bred animals. Remember, an experienced fish-keeper is still a novice shrimp-keeper, so do your research beforehand, and enjoy this unusual option in our hobby! (My thanks to Jared for his first article on my site. If this article has whetted your appetite and you want to find out more about Jared's Shrimps, then go to www.atyidae.wordpress.com Copyright Text and photos; Jared Green |
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