Red Tank

[bluestarfish]

Yeah I don't like small tanks specifically because of how sensitive they are, though now that you have me thinking about it, the heater I have is probably too much for shrimp. It was the smallest one available, and heats the water into the upper 70's or low 80s. Fine for a hospital tank, but probably not so great for shrimp eh. My tank is starting to become overgrown with plants, so plants are never a problem.

I do also have a 5 gallon tank, but I'm setting it up to try and culture some daphnia or brine shrimp.

Maybe once we live in a house we can have more decent sized tanks, right now there isn't any space for more unfortunately. The person that gave me the 2 and 5 also has a pair of 75's and a 20 with a hole drilled in it, so I won't have any trouble upgrading in the future. :3

[bluestarfish]

One of the bigger shrimp came to the front, and I decided to try to nab a picture of it with my good camera.

This one is out almost all the time and really big, but usually stays in the java moss patch. I think it's female? (looks like it has a saddle, but I'm not really sure...). It has a little belt around its middle, I'm not sure if there's something wrong with the front carapace, or if it's just a clear section or what...

 

[Madmerv]

Nice looking. 

It is looking saddled to me. Wont be to long and you will be overrun with shrimpets.

Is the clear section you are talking about at the join from head to tail? If so then it is perfectly natural as that is a very thin, skin like, membrane to give it articulation. 

[bluestarfish]

Yeah, it's only noticeable on this one so I wasn't sure if it was normal or not. It does help me to differentiate it from the other large red one that is commonly out.

 

I spotted another striped one that isn't as bright as the one I usually see (then both were out at the same time), so I guess that brings the total up to ~9 confirmed individuals still in the tank. Been squinting at them real hard to try to work out if there are any males still in there, I have my suspicions about the pale one, cause the only time I see it (which is only once or twice a month), it isn't eating, it's always rushing around the tank like it's looking for something.

[Madmerv]

Yeah that would be the male. Hormones in the water driving it crazy.

[bluestarfish]

It's been almost 3 weeks and the babies have grown pretty big in that time. To date we have counted up to 5 out at a time now, and they're out pretty often. Most of the adults that are usually out have been shy lately, so fingers crossed they are berried. Other shrimp I'm not familiar with have been coming out, they're only slightly bigger than the babies, but very solid red (one was missing all its legs on one side O.o). I guess they might be adults that had been mostly hiding, but I dunno why they would start coming out now...

Also the big shrimp that used to always be out died. I suspect it was of old age, cause it was pretty big. Or a fish got it, I think it molted the same day. By the time I found it the front half was missing- the shell was still there just nothing in it, and one of the barbs was nipping at what was left. The interesting thing about it is that it stayed red long after it died. But I thought they lost their color after death?

[bluestarfish]

So I just realized last week that I have the means to give my fishies blanched veggies now (only took three years of being out of the dorm for that to set in lol). So blanched veggies for everyone!

 

The pieces were spread across the tank, but that wasn't where she wanted them apparently. I hope she leaves enough for the shrimp after lights out. The barbs at least got their fill...darn things swarm food so hard that no one else wants to go near till the barbs are done.

[Kaylenna]

On 10/14/2016 at 5:30 AM, bluestarfish said:

The interesting thing about it is that it stayed red long after it died. But I thought they lost their color after death?

Not necessarily.  They tend to slowly look like cooked shrimp - go from normal looking to more opaque and pinkish/reddish.  Most of the paler ones do that - not sure what the very dark ones like KK's and Black cherries do... I have luckily not personally seen them in that state.

39 minutes ago, bluestarfish said:

So I just realized last week that I have the means to give my fishies blanched veggies now

Just be careful about the veggies - if uneaten, it will foul your water just as well as uneaten fish food.  I usually prep a batch, stuff most of it in a ziplock in the freezer and kinda dole it out bits at a time as I see it disappear.  The shrimp get about 2 days a week of veggies/leaves/flower only (no other food added til it's gone).  But I do feed them the day I add the veggies if it's stuff they usually prefer to let soften a bit first (they mob it 1-2 days after it's in the tank).  If you do things like broccoli or cauliflower, use the stems - the florets go icky really fast and stink up the water. 

If you're not one to have unprocessed veggies around lots, you could try frozen peas.  A lot of my aquatic critters seem to love it and it's EASY.  I pop the skins - they gobble the pea part, but they usually leave the skin (seed coat) til they're VERY desperate.  It's hilarious to watch a shrimp trying to eat stuff from the inside of a seed coat and end up rolling around wrestling with it across the substrate.

[bluestarfish]

10 minutes ago, Kaylenna said:

Just be careful about the veggies - if uneaten, it will foul your water just as well as uneaten fish food.  I usually prep a batch, stuff most of it in a ziplock in the freezer and kinda dole it out bits at a time as I see it disappear.

Yeah I know, I don't leave things like that in there longer than 12 hours.  And did about the same thing (chopped it up and tossed leftovers in the freezer). What I like best about this is that the barbs don't appear to care as much about vegetables. Ever since we moved here and got a nice tank and replenished the shoal, they've been much bolder and perkier, which is great, but it's been difficult to feed the pleco as a result.

Shrimps rolling around in pea skins does sound really cute, that might make for a fun video to try and capture some day. I have given the tank steamed pea's on occasion, I remove the skins and squish the peas up. I'm paranoid the barbs would try to eat the skins and be unable to pass them, I can't believe some of the things those darn fish have tried to eat!

 

The number of babies visible all at the same time is up to 7.

[bluestarfish]

So one of my shrimp is acting a bit funny, I don't know what it's up to but it's just been sitting very still for most of the day for the past two days, it's been moving around the tank cause I keep spotting it in different places, but it doesn't do the usual picking or anything. It's little face brush things and antennae are the only thing that are moving.

 

Sometimes smaller shrimps will climb over near it, and it'll start wiggling its legs at them, they usually try to keep their distance. (this particular shrimp likes to push the other shrimp around, when I feed them cucumbers it'll drive the others off!)

Any ideas what it's up to? Smaller shrimp that look to be males have been the ones approaching her, and generally running around the tank like there must be a receptive female somewhere, is being really still in one place consistent with female shrimps trying to attract a mate?

[jayc]

2 hours ago, bluestarfish said:

Any ideas what it's up to?

Moulting time possibly. 

[bluestarfish]

51 minutes ago, jayc said:

Moulting time possibly. 

Could be, I hope this individual isn't having trouble with it, it's acting different than past shrimp I've been told are near their molt. It doesn't scratch at her shell or bend or anything, just been chilling out here or there unless another shrimp comes near, then it starts wiggling its legs at the other shrimp.

I guess different shrimp just have different molting behavior if that is the case.