Types of aquarium shrimp: compatibility and selection recommendations

Few people know that you can keep in an aquarium not only variegated fish or snails, but also other inhabitants of reservoirs - shrimps. They are also great for the role of pets. Among them there are types of various colors and sizes. Aquarium arthropods differ significantly from their counterparts living in their natural habitat. What are their features, and how to properly breed shrimp at home, we will tell further.

Most shrimp live in salt water, but there are some that need fresh water to exist - they became the object for captive breeding. Homemade freshwater shrimp can beautify any aquarium.

Such dimensions are needed in order to create optimal conditions for these animals in the vessel. There are a number of features that distinguish these aquatic organisms from fish, in particular, they require more comfortable conditions in terms of the chemical composition of the water.

The sizes of aquarium shrimps can vary from 1.8 to 35 cm, and their color is striking in its variety: red, green, chocolate, tiger, blue and many others.

Seeing that there is enough space and food in the aquarium, they begin to actively reproduce, and in six months their population grows tenfold. If the situation has worsened, then they slow down the rate of reproduction, and large individuals begin to eat small ones. Note that such eating of their own kind is never noted in the presence of all the conditions for them.

Their natural habitat is the tropics and subtropics of Asia.The cephalothorax of these crustaceans is less than 1 cm in size. They can be eaten, for example, C. multidentata is commercially available. Wild individuals do not look as elegant as their domestic counterparts.

If you hear that they are called "black crystal shrimp", then know that this is a mistake. In fact, only the red-and-white form is called "crystals" - "shrimp red crystal". This genus continues to grow, as more and more subspecies are discovered in it due to hybridization.

Caridina multidentata helps fight harmful algae in water bodies. She is characterized by a light green color, on the sides of the body is strewn with red-brown markings. The back is decorated with a light stripe that runs from head to tail. Besides algae, she likes standard aquarium feeds.

They coexist well with harmless fish. Breeding of these crustaceans can be difficult because more salt is required for the larvae to develop normally.

If you are planning to breed, then it is worth taking care of creating a comfortable environment. Pre-plant the female in a separate aquarium with a volume of 30 liters and with a water temperature of +23 degrees, provide her with dim light, a sponge filter and create aeration.

These shrimps are found in the waters off Indonesia. They are especially careful, possibly due to their small size - a little more than a centimeter. It got its unusual name for its variegated color, combining red, white and black colors.

It breeds in unsalted water, while babies do not go through the larval stage. From its clutch in the amount of 10-15 eggs, after 3-4 weeks small shrimps hatch immediately.

Neocaridina heteropoda var. yellow is good for those just starting out with aquarium shrimp. She is completely unpretentious in care and easily adapts to new conditions. The best conditions for her are peaceful neighbors and unsalted water in the aquarium.... A yellow shrimp lays eggs for a month or a month and a half, after which it hatches offspring of about 25 individuals. When favorable conditions are created for her, she always has caviar.

Indian babaulti prawns are about 3 cm in size. These small chameleons change color from green to brown and red. This characteristic depends on the condition of the animal, its diet and the environment. Having seen beautiful representatives of this species, many are looking for them on sale, but they turn out to be not so brightly colored, since their colors are a changeable phenomenon.

The most popular species of this group are Neocaridina davidi (heteropoda) and Neocaridina palmata. Among them there are subspecies with bright and beautiful colors. Yellow, orange and red sakura, blue and blue-orange reeli and many others.

She is characterized by coloring, including alternating lines of different colors. It was obtained by breeding in Taiwan in 2010. At first, bicolor individuals with shades of red and blue were bred, but then in the course of further work even more variegated specimens were obtained, which became a worthy decoration for any aquarium.

They are very beautiful, but the blue gene is not always passed on to all offspring, therefore, among this species you can find green, brown and simply transparent individuals. These shrimps were obtained thanks to the selection work of scientists from Germany and Japan. The species was officially presented for the first time in America in 2006.

Males are 2 cm long and females 3 cm.

Its head and tail are of a dark shade with a blue tint. Other parts of the body are colored light blue with black splashes. Its body is so transparent that eggs can be seen through its shell.

They belong to the Palemonid family, which unites two hundred species. The second pair of limbs is large, which distinguishes this genus from others. Another common name for these individuals is long-armed. The conditions of rivers and springs are suitable for them.

Usually, the size of aquarium individuals reaches 8 cm, although in nature there are macrobrachiums up to 45 cm in size - these are Rosenberg shrimps. Unsurprisingly, they are marketed as a seafood delicacy. This genus lives in the waters of countries such as Australia, America, Malaysia, Pakistan and other hot regions. However, some species also live in the rivers of Sakhalin.

This vast family of nearly a thousand species is subdivided into two subfamilies Palaemoninae and Pontoniinae.

• Palaemoninae are marine predators that eat invertebrates. These include, among other things, the Macrobrachium shrimp, which was already mentioned above.
• Pontoniinae in coral reefs they coexist harmoniously with sea sponges, molluscs and echinoderms.

The selection criteria for shrimp for home keeping is an important aspect of concern for aquarists. In order not to be mistaken when buying these crustaceans, we suggest that you read the instructions.

• Shrimps are far from passive, they spend a lot of time in motion. In nature, they coexist in flocks, therefore, for a comfortable stay in an aquarium, they need a company of at least a dozen relatives. The more actively the shrimp move around the aquarium, the better their health condition. They like to run over snags, vegetable shelters, and just along the bottom of their small home pool.

• Do not purchase adults. Of course, it may seem more convenient, since it is easier for them to determine the sex and species, and they are already ready for reproduction. But young shrimp are much easier to adapt to a new environment, because moving to a new aquarium is a significant stress for them.

• Seeing that the shrimp are too puzzled "scamper" around the aquarium in search of food, do not think that they are undernourished. This is completely natural behavior for healthy individuals.

• When buying shrimp pay attention to the severity of the pigment. They should have a bright color with a stable palette. The more intense the colors, the healthier the specimen is in front of you.

• Ask the seller to give you the opportunity to study the shrimp well. It is not enough to consider them in an open aquarium; try to consider each individual that interests you separately. This is a normal wish and should not cause misunderstanding. Make sure that there are no outgrowths and other defects on the shell of the specimen you like, for example, spots unusual for this type. Such flaws may indicate an infection of crustaceans.

• It is preferable to choose the shrimp personally, but if you decide to do it via the Internet or by means of a phone call, then specify in what way they will be transported. It is best if they are breathable bags for transporting shrimp, in which there will be water from their own aquarium.In addition, in the company of other individuals, the road will be calmer for each of them, so it is better not to buy them separately.

If your plans do not include the arrangement of a separate shrimp, then you can safely add new residents to fish or snails. The main thing is not to make mistakes when choosing a company for arthropods. Let's take a closer look at this issue. So, fish such as:

• micro-fees;
• guppy;
• neons;
• platies;
• rhodostomuses.

It all depends on a number of factors: which of them is larger in the aquarium, how large it is and whether both species can have their own territory in it, what is the nature of specific individuals and, finally, from what age they grew side by side.

Even the fish listed above must be smaller than your newly arrived shrimp, otherwise they may try to attack them. But with whom to lodge shrimp is categorically not recommended, these are:

• barbs;
• fighting fish;
• cichlids;
• battles;
• scalars.

As you learned from the article, any aquarist can start a shrimp, even a beginner. It is also interesting to watch them for professionals, since they are very dynamic creatures, moreover, with a very beautiful color. The main thing is to take into account all the recommendations of the experts - then the process of acquiring and adapting new pets will go smoothly both for you and for the shrimps themselves.

In the next video, you will learn what you can feed your aquarium shrimp with.