Zebra shrimp questions?

[dwaffer]

Hi all,
Well on my search for male cherries I have found and ordered some Zebra shrimp.
I have been assured that they are a Caridina species but my research hasnt revealed much information yet.
One source list Chinese Zebra shrimp as a Caridina serrata species complex like bee shrimp. Does that seem right to you all. Do you think its the same?
I guess I will have to wait and identify them from pictures as the exporter doesnt have any more info on them.
Anyway any information would be appreciated. They show up next week and I have a planted tank already for the 10 of them although they will have to share the 10g with some Caridina japonica.

Oh and one more question... Is it good practice to quarantine new shrimp like fish?
Thanks.

[Walter]

Hmmm, not so sure about the species... I'm bad at such scientific name stuffs.. :P But I heard there are many different variants, I hear different shops selling "Zebra shrimps" with different kind of patterns, so I don't really know which is the true zebra..

Quanrantine.. I don't think it is necessary, the transfers will be stressful. Just make sure you accumalize your shrimps to the tank conditions properly. :) Hope to see pictures soon!

[retardo]

I've never had a problem mixing shrimp together from the get-go, so I personally don't believe it's necessary to quarantine. There doesn't seem to be any inherent shrimp diseases that can be passed from one shrimp to another (or species, as the case may be); however, that does not mean there aren't any.

I think you'll have a higher likelihood of shrimp dying from stress (as Walter pointed out) or from pH shock moving from the lfs' water conditions to your tank water. Once adjusted, most shrimp species seem to do fine in different pH's. That is, if lfs pH=6.0 and your pH=7.5, they will still do fine as long as you properly acclimate them. [Edit: Your experience may be different and you should use your own methods for acclimating and mixing of shrimp.]

Unfortunately, I don't know what Zebra shrimp are. Can you post a link or a pic? I've seen the "Indian zebra shrimp" being sold at aquatic-store.com. Is this one and the same? Either way, this is most likely a newer species where few hobbyists have had experience with, and a google will not turn up much. I suspect, though, that the care requirements are similar to most shrimp... provide food and space, a male and female, and you will likely have reproduction. The pickiest shrimp that I know of by far is CRS. All others seem to do well.

[john]

At a lfs store in my area I have seen tiger shrimp labelled as "zebra" shrimp, so maybe that's what they are.

[dwaffer]

Okay they are definetly not any zebra shrimp I know of...
I think they are fan shrimp.

Here are some pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Paulakadwaffer/shrimp2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Paulakadwaffer/shrimp.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Paulakadwaffer/shrimp4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v722/Paulakadwaffer/shrimp5.jpg
Alot larger than what I expected...
What do you all think?

I think they are Atyopsis moluccensis or Asian Filter Shrimp, Bamboo Shrimp, or also called Wood Shrimp. Anyway they are big ones. :shocked:

[Robert]

Hi,
they look like Atyopsis moluccensis on the first gaze. They should be at least some filter shrimps of the genus Atyopsis or Atya. But A. moluccensis is the most common one, so the chance that you got them under a new trade name is very big.

Best regards

Robert

[dwaffer]

Thanks Robert.

I'm 95% certain now they are A. moluccensis.
They are doing well so far although they are still timid. I am feeding them crushed up sinking pellet food, crushed up algae waffers,(powdered now), and powdered crab & shrimp bites. I hope this is going to be ok.
I have two small cories in thier tank as I feel they will help keep the food suspended.

Any suggestions on the feeding, keeping and perhaps breeding of this species?
I have read that they breed in brackish to full marine water. Does anyone know for sure if this is the case or of any links to breeding information?

Thanks very much.
Dwaffer.

[fatboy]

Dwaffer, here's what Robert said to me when I mentioned filter feeding shrimp:

"Life food like baby brine shrimps or cyclops would be the best. Cyclop-eeze is an alternative but you have to soak it with your fingers in the water before it stops floating."
(the board won't let me add the url)

I bought two and one is still alive. The other was stuck to a piece of wood and I didn't notice it when I removed the wood. Unlike my other shrimp it didn't jump off when I held it over the tank.

So far I've tried frozen cyclops. A small pinch becomes a big cloud of tiny particles and I've seen the shrimp pick these from the gravel. The shrimp obviously have good control of their fans because it was using them like claws. If I turn the filter off, the cyclops fall to the gravel, and if the filter is on they get cleaned up too quickly for the shrimp. I'm going to try using an airpump to keep them moving.

I've also seem mine eat catfish pellets, the same as the other shrimp. They hover over it and use the fans to move food towards its mouth. By the time the wood shrimp comes out the pellet is soft and touching it causes particles to rise. I once saw it hit the pellet then stand back and catch all the particles in its fans. Very cool. :)

I'm going to try baby brine shrimp to ensure the shrimp is getting enough food. So far it's molted once and I saw some cherry reds hiding in the shell.

[dwaffer]

Thanks Fatboy. :D
I'll try some baby brine aswell.

Does anyone know how to tell the gender of this species?

Well they seem to be okay again today. I just hope they dont break the glass and crawl on me when I sleep. :joking:
I really just can get over thier size. :D