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Having hit a "lull" with certain fish I was hoping to keep and breed, I was considering having a go at some Shrimps. I knew via the Internet that there were many varieties to pick from. I was working my way along the tanks and had already seen Cherry, Algae and Mountain, but then came across these beautiful shrimps at "Aqualife" (my local aquatics). The Crystal Red Shrimp is in fact a red mutation of the wild Bee Shrimp cultivated by Mr Hisayasu Suzuki in 1996, when he saw that one of his Bee Shrimps had red stripes instead of black. I had a well planted 24" tank, (Temp 75F) temporarily vacant, (apart from some Corys), waiting for them, so Steve Spencer and I did our best to pick out a pair. I based my choice on the female being bigger and a more curved underbelly, while the male was smaller with stronger colours. We would see ! .......  After exactly one week the female had "sloughed" her skin* (rather like a lizard does). In some accounts I have read, this is considered to be possibly the first stage of preparing for mating, as the female will next release a pheromone to alert the male.... (?) From later observations, this would seem to be the case, as I have watched the male swimming all over the tank, frantically searching for the female. * Don't remove this sloughed skin as it will be eaten by the shrimp to replenish lost minerals.  A few weeks later and my regular observations must have waned as I suddenly noticed that she seemed to be carrying eggs underneath her rear half. Also, in a well planted tank she can remain hidden for long periods, so it's quite easy to just feed the Corydoras and not see either of the adult shrimps.  However just 5 or so days later and she was no longer carrying the eggs. As she was supposed to carry for approx 3 to 4 weeks (?) (varies in different reports), I assumed something had gone amiss. Around two weeks later I cleaned the tank out and removed the two bogwoods and rocks carefully, making sure that both adults were safely in the tank. I saw no sign of any tiny Shrimps. Another week passed and there on a Java Fern leaf was one tiny Shrimp around 3 mms long! Had I inadvertantly killed the other baby shrimps when I took out the bogwood? That was all I could assume when I had only one "survivor". I saw this young shrimp at regular intervals, usually on the Java Fern on the bogwood. In the early stages growth was really slow. I then saw the female again at the back of the tank, partially hidden by the bogwood and plants. Once again I thought she was carrying eggs but one week later and she's near the front of the tank with no eggs. Exactly the same scenario as before. By now the first young shrimp is just under 1 cm in size.  Feeding Not being too sure how good their eyesight is, it was interesting to see a youngster suddenly swim off the bogwood and grab a piece of frozen bloodworm in mid water. Nor would it give it up when an adult tried to take it! However, they do need vegetable matter, so foods occurring naturally in the tank are algae, moss and Riccia, whilst Spirulina and algae wafers are foods that we can provide.  Then, exactly 3 weeks after spotting the first lone youngster, 4 young shrimps suddenly appeared, swimming very frantically all over the tank! Having seen how the young tend to "walk" on the Bogwood/Java Fern leaves and stay hidden, why this excited dash around the tank? My first thought was that they had just hatched and were having an excited "freedom" swim, but this couldn't be right as they were twice the size of my first lone survivor. Another possibility, perhaps the female pheromones had affected them? Needless to say, the day after, it was back to the normal scene of being hidden in the plants. Some aspects to ponder.... I have to say, despite reading reports to the contrary, there was no way that my female carried eggs for "weeks" (and avoided my camera as well!) Also, as any new shrimps have numbered perhaps 6 or less, I cannot say how many young are expected at each birthing. However, I am more than happy with the present rate, as it does mean that my tank is not over-run with youngsters. Update.... Over the next few weeks, the pattern continued with the female looking "egg laden" and then a few tiny young shrimp would keep appearing. Gradually the numbers built up and with the increase in size, it was much easier to count them and see the different size generations. Conclusion .... I just fancied trying some Shrimps, but if you really want to get into it, there are different grades (eg "sss" grade with much more white colouration) also different body "patterns" (all named) and many other points to consider.This means that serious Shrimp breeders are keeping certain strains and ensuring that they breed true, which in turn obviously affects the price! Although this article produces more questions than answers, it takes nothing away from the enjoyment of keeping these fascinating and attractive creatures. It's now a little like watching a Malawi cichlid community tank full of rockwork, as every now and then, another few youngsters appear! It certainly makes an interesting and lively scene at the moment, as I have put some tiny Danionella species in with them. Copyright; Text and photos; Ivor Hilton. |
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