The Bee Anomaly Lives!

Several years ago I came across a photo of a half-red/half-black Bee shrimp that was shown during a presentation at an aquatic club in the US.  Discussions on forums ensued, with many believing that the photo was altered by matching two different shrimp to show the evolution from the black pigment to red.  However, the presenter was a reputable aquarist, who also made the statement that if pressured, nature will find a way for a Neocaridina-Caridina cross-breed.  The authenticity of the shrimp and photo remained in debate when I last followed the discussion.

I recently came across another half-red/half-black Bee shrimp - a TiBee from shrimpkeeper Vandenabeele David from France.  He was kind enough to give me permission to share his photos on ebiGarden.  Check out the ultra rare shrimp below, and thanks to Vandenabeele David!

 

Cryptocoryne nurii var "Pahang Mutated" Flower

Spotted this blooming flower on a Cryptocoryne nurii var "Pahang Mutated" in my Crystal Black Shrimp tank. There is actually another stem reaching for the surface. This is the first time this plant has flowered for me!

 

 

Caridina cantonensis Family Tree, Version 2

Version 2 of Hillary Esdaile's excellent work depicting the variations within Caridina cantonensis.  See her other work at rah-bop.

Click on the image to enlarge.

River Wild - AMAZONAS July/August 2013

Two familiar names in the July/August edition of AMAZONAS : Devin Biggs of Riparium Supply and Nick Xyong of Speedie Aquatics.  I first met Devin in Madison at the local aquatic gardeners club.  He is an expert with riparium aquatic systems and once had a beautiful setup on the UW-Madison campus.  I've tried a riparium setup before, but unfortunately kept it with turtles who found the plants to be extra delicious.  Nick was (he recently announced he will depart from shrimp importing) a driving force in the shrimp hobby, bringing in quality shrimp from overseas for US shrimpkeepers.  I've received stock from him in the past, as well as expert advice on planted aquariums.

The article, written by Devin, showcases Nick's ADA 120-P planted riparium, a beautiful aquascape that you can see more pictures of on his website.  Check out the latest edition of AMAZONAS for the full article.

Gigi's Wonderfood

Supplementing the biofilm that shrimp feed on in aquariums with "shrimp food" is a common practice in the hobby.  You can find many commercial products in powder and pellet/solid form.  Homemade foods are common too; however, it is important to use organic and chemical-free ingredients to avoid harm to your shrimp.  Gigi Gungadee's Wonderfood is a blend of organic veggies for aquatic critters that brings the feel of homemade food to the market.  She was kind enough to send me a packet to try.

Ingredients: organic peas, organic green beans, organic kale, organic carrots,
organic alfalfa leaf, organic spirulina algae, organic stinging nettles

The food definitely looks and smells like veggies.  It comes in flat pieces that can easily be broken to fit your feeding needs.  One thing I was curious about was the density of the food and time it took to sink.  Smaller pieces tend to float a bit longer, but will eventually sink after absorbing water.  My shrimp swarmed the food right away, a good sign since sometimes shrimp are finicky about new food.  The food seems to break apart as the shrimp feed on it too, which I like as it allows the smaller shrimp to grab a piece and not have to fight with the bigger ones to eat.

I have not had any issues with the food and have tried it with my Plecos and CPOs as well; all received the food well.  While I have made my own food in the past, it required boiling and freezing that may affect the nutritional value of the food long term.  Gigi's Wonderfood is a good option for the added ingredients and for those times when you're short on time to make your own food.  Check out Gigi's website http://www.natureinvincible.com/ for her Wonderfood and other products, including shrimp shirts!

Crystal Black Shrimp feeding on Gigi's Wonderfood

Caridina cantonensis Family Tree

Hillary Esdaile has put together a nice chart depicting the variations of Caridina cantonensis.  She was kind enough to give permission for me to share this work.  Check out her other amazing work at rah-bop.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Neocaridina heteropoda reclassified as Neocaridina davidi

Chris Lukhaup of the Crustahunter team reports on Facebook today that Neocaridina heteropoda, the species consisting of the "Red Cherry Shrimp" and other popular variants, has been reclassified as Neocaridina davidi.  Discussions on the post indicate there is a paper on the change that is circulating and more details will soon be shared in an upcoming edition of the magazine Caridina, as well as in a new shrimp book.  Interesting how things change!

ADG in Japan

Here is a nice video from Aquarium Design Group's (ADG) trip to the 2012 Aqua Design Amano (ADA) Nature Aquarium Party in Japan.  ADG is one of the authorized distributors of ADA products in the United States and where I usually get Aqua Soil for my shrimp tanks.  Check out the video and links for more information on ADG.

Homepage: http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/
Shop: http://www.adgshop.com/

Red Tigers

My Red Tigers have been doing fairly well, though others in the US have reported difficulties with this Tiger variety (based on a recent forum discussion).  Obtained from quality stock and acclimated properly, I think they are as hardy as regular tigers and maybe even like Neocaridinas.  I also have not had bacterial outbreaks with them, and hopefully will not experience it.

I keep my Red Tigers in a 10 gallon tank with ADA Aquasoil I, peacock moss, and a sponge filter.  They are fed Ebita Breed brand and Mosura brand food, including BioPlus and Tonic Pro.  Red Tigers are quite a nice shrimp and hopefully US shrimp keepers will have more success with them.



p.s. - Happy New Year!

A Visit From Lexinverts

Tylomelania sp. and Caridina dennerli
Livestock and photo by Andy Bouwma, Lexinverts

Earlier this month I received a visit from aqua hobbyist and shrimp breeder Andy Bouwma, known as Lexinverts in the online world. A fellow Badger, his alma mater being UW-Madison (On, Wisconsin!), Andy was traveling and stopped in Madison. We chatted about our experiences with keeping shrimp, future directions of shrimp varieties, and the US shrimp hobby scene. Andy has been successful with keeping many shrimp varieties, including Sulawesi shrimp, and is a user of the Salty Shrimp brand of water conditioners and minerals, recommending GH+ and Sulawesi 8.5. My experiences with Sulawesi shrimp have been variable, having success with only the Cardinal shrimp (Caridina dennerli), which I no longer keep. I will definitely consider Andy's recommendations should I venture into Sulawesi shrimp again. I hope to have the opportunity to visit Andy and his shrimp in the future.

Aquarium-Shops.com

Aquarium-Shops.com has officially launched, and serves as a one-stop source for hobbyists to find information on the aqua hobby, including forums, breeders, and shops. ebiGarden is featured on the site, plus many more excellent shrimp blogs, so check it out and submit your site!

Sumida Aquarium Update

Here is an update on the Sumida Aquarium aquascapes by Takashi Amano/ADA Japan. This video highlights the daily maintenance of the aquariums, including an exquisite trimming of the plants. Follow this link to see the impressive setup videos: Takashi Amano x Sumida Aquarium

Summer was quite busy for me; I spent most of my time working on a health research project. I had time now and then to maintain my tanks, but I largely neglected them and just let the shrimp do their own thing: eat, forage, and breed. Near the end of May, I set up six 5.5 gallon tanks; they are now cycled but have no shrimp yet. I will work on selecting some out of my other tanks for breeding projects. I haven't kept up much with the shrimp hobby, both in the US and globally, but I think that TiBees are very popular now and less stigmatized than they were before. Looking forward to the new fad this Fall!

Shrimplet Survival: Tank Setup, Water Parameters, Biofilm, and Supplements

Keeping shrimplets alive has been a persistent challenge among some hobbyists, and is a problem observed across many forums of different languages.  Many report having berried females and seeing released shrimplets; however, after a few days, the shrimplets simply vanish.  This can be a frustrating experience since the goal of many shrimpkeepers is to be able to breed them, whether their aims are selective breeding or simply increasing their colonies.

My first experiences weren't so great, but after reading, reading some more, and communicating with other shrimpkeepers, I picked up some tips and gained some useful experiences.  To date, I have successfully bred (at least F2+) CRS, CBS, TBs (BKK/WR), Super Tigers, OEBTs, Red Tigers, Cherries/Fire Reds, Red Rili, Blue Pearls, and Sulawesi Cardinals.  The ones I've kept that I was unable to breed due to having a group of only one gender or inexperience include BTOEs, Orange Neos, Sulawesi Blueberry, and Sulawesi Harlequins.

I would like to share some personal tips on shrimplet survival (thus, breeding success).  Keep in mind that these are practices that have worked best for me and that there are many other ways to approach keeping and breeding shrimp.

Tank Setup
- Sponge filters or steel-mesh/sponge-covered intakes on power/canister filters are a must so that shrimplets do not get sucked into the filter.
- Do not keep any fish with shrimp you are trying to breed.  Any fish that can fit a shrimp/shrimplet in its mouth will probably try to eat it, even small rasboras and boraras are a threat to shrimplets.  Oto cats may be okay, but I do not keep any fish with my shrimp.
- Use plants/moss and leaves/cholla wood/alder cones, etc.  These provide places for shrimplets to hide and have a large surface area for biofilm/microfauna/beneficial bacteria to thrive in.

Water Parameters
- Keep a close watch on your water parameters, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, KH, GH, TDS, and temperature, to ensure they are in suitable ranges.  Shrimp have been observed to breed in certain ranges; however, shrimplets did not survive in the same ranges.
- Copper, chlorine, and CO2 also need to be monitored if you are adding them or come from some other source.
- Take necessary measures (water changes, etc.) to adjust your parameters if any are significantly off and affecting your shrimp; however, keep in mind that drastic changes may do more harm, and that stability is important.  If they are thriving and breeding well in parameters not in "recommended" ranges, then let them be.

Biofilm
- Keep the back and sides of your tank full of algae and biofilm (if not a show tank).  I only scrape the front and let the shrimp go to work on the other panes.  I've actually observed them cleaning away good portions from the glass.
- Moss and leaves are also good places where biofilm and microfauna thrive for shrimplets to consume.

Supplements
- Shrimplets cannot compete with adults when feeding from pellets or other food you add.  Therefore, supplement with powdered food that can be dispersed throughout the tank.
- In addition to powdered food, you may want to add an immunity booster, such as Mosura Tonic Pro or BorneoWild Shield.  Infections can occur for various reasons and can easily wipe out one's colony; take precautions to prevent such disasters.

Hope these tips are helpful.  Let me know if you have any questions, thoughts, or anything you'd like to add.
Happy shrimping!

Shrimp breeding tank with sponge filter, biofilm on glass, moss, catappa leaves, and supplements.

Takashi Amano X Sumida Aquarium

This 4-part video series documents Takashi Amano's (Aqua Design Amano) attempt at creating massive scale nature aquariums at Tokyo's Sumida Aquarium.  The planning phase, planting, and finished layouts are very impressive.  Though not shrimp related, I think these are great videos. Embedded in order below.