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So a sneaky preview from my new biotope tank for keeping zebras. Here is a video of them munching on some Boss Aquaria snow.

There have been a few rumblings from Bob, Kiz and I about a new shrimp to the hobby, and possibly a new shrimp to science , which for the moment we will call Caridina sp. 'Malanda'. Thanks to Kiz for putting up some excellent pics of the shrimp themselves, which can be found here: Having kept both the Caridina sp. Malanda and the shrimp collected from Barney Springs (another possibly unidentified shrimp which we are calling Caridina sp. "Barney Springs", also rare in the hobby), they are quite similar in size, shape and colour and, in my opinion, could likely be the same species. These are currently with Ura for taxonomy so we will have some more info on taxonomy soon. Thanks @‌Ura. Anyway this is a report from where the shrimp were found (May, 2015). Water parameters were: TDS: 17 pH: 7.4 - Water sample was taken from within the riffles which would tend to cause CO2 to gas off and therefore boost pH. Temperature: 19*C KH: < 10 ppm GH: < 20 ppm Short video - excuse the rainy conditions We found the shrimp only in one specific location - just upstream of where Bob is standing, in the long grass at the edge of the stream. We sampled further upstream, across the other side of the creek and downstream, and found none, including in areas where the grass was growing in a similar manner to where we did find them. This is just a shot from further upstream, around the corner from the above shot. The creekbed within the riffles was rock, mostly covered in algae and some silt. there were no shrimp in this area. The shrimp were found hard in against the bank, right at the interface between the water, the bank and the grass hanging into the water. The shrimp were clearly coloured by sex - females were reddish, males blue. Note the large eggs for this species = easy to breed. Male - Top Female - Bottom We also found a species of rainbowfish in the eddies at the base of the riffles, a species of gudgeon, some sponges growing on the bedrock in the riffles and some macros (Macrobrachium sp.). None were in the same habitat as the Malanda shrimp. This macro had a parasite attached - nasty!

Aldi is selling cheap MgSO4 today in their special buys today (20 Feb 2016). $4.99 for a 1kg box, as opposed to $ 6.25 at Bunnings. They are selling it as Epsom Salts.

Hey welcome to SKF

You are looking at about 4 weeks. It could be faster due to the warmer weather. I have to say your rili have a nice pattern.

Hey guys! I'm new to this hobby and from Brisbane. So far I've got 2 tanks with natives. At home, 28L setup with paratya australiensis, which I'm delighted by - they are super lively and adorable! At the office, 19L setup with riffles, chameleons, and red longnose. I'm loving all the info/discussions on the forum - it's been really helpful while setting up the tanks over the last couple months, so thanks!!

I do like these snails, but than I am a fan of almost any snail that is not a common Ramshorn, pond/ bladder snail or arghhh MTS.

I wonder if it has something to do with the age/sex/social structure of the shrimp. When I go spotlighting, I see them in thick densities but it is always one dominant male in a square metre or two, surrounded by ever increasing numbers of smaller shrimp (subdominant males and females). For example, one dominant male, a couple of subdominant males, half dozen adult females, 20 or so juveniles or sub adults. Whenever a dominant male moves into another's territory, the dominant male sees him off with his arms with generally no harm done. I wonder whether the shrimp in aquaria fight it out because they are trying to be alpha dominant.

Another of my girls is berried! fingers crossed these ones become the first shrimplets in the tank! how long do they generally carry the eggs for?

Hey @GotCrabs, I've used a sochting oxydator in the past. I can confidently say that my CRS juvie survival rates was a lot higher in my nano tank as a result. So i think they are pretty effective in oxydating the water. The annoying thing is that you'll have to put your fingers in the tank and refill it once a month.. which isn't so bad for some people. Also need to change the reactor piece after a few top ups. But just in general, a good experience. I'm using a sponge filter for my tanks now instead tho. Because it will oxidate the water and also has beneficial bacteria for them to eat. I can't make a direct comparison as of yet because i've just restarted the shrimp hobby. Cheers, Will

Another Stunner!

Recently I was lucky to get some specimens of an undescribed species of Australian native Caridina from "Northboy" Bob. Thanks Bob for the opportunity. I don't think many people are keeping these at this point but I hope that will change as they settle into captivity over the hopeful coming generations. Anyone with these shrimp is most welcome to post their pics or experiences here if they wish. This Malanda species is quite a heavily pigmented shrimp with a tendency for some individuals to have orange-red colours and others blue-greens. It seems that large females are at the blue end but I have a smaller, saddled individual that is currently orange so the difference seems not to be strictly sexual. Bob sent down a couple of berried females and from these I have juvies in the tank. The're all quite orange. Sorry for the poor quality, it's a tight crop and the best I could get at the time. Here's a couple more where you can see a bit of the bluish colour on the females. A hint of the pale bands on the abdominal segments are also visible in these and the first shot. It's quite a lovely species of shrimp with some nice potential to colour up much more.