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Hello everyone, i need help, i have never kept shrimp before, but i wish to keep amano shrimp and a couple of aquatic snails, i need it to be amano shrimp because i don’t want them to breed until i become more experienced the question i’m asking is if anyone knows how to tell the difference between amano shrimp and whisker shrimp, i’ve heard horror stories of people getting the former or the latter when they wanted the opposite from uneducated petshop owners, and i have been told whisker shrimp are very aggressive, and i fear that if i ended up with any on accident that it would end badly for my other shrimp and my snails

I've had these snails in my tank for over a year and I don't know what kind they are. They're incredibly hardy and unknowingly got them attached to some plants I got at petsmart. If anyone can ID them please help me! I live these guys and they're the only snails that have survived living with my goldfish.

This article was written by Werner Klotz, the scientist who authored the recent description of CRS and tigers from Southern China. I have written permission from the author to translate and reproduce the article here. I thank the author for permission to post this information here. I apologise in advance if my translation differs substantially from the original. The original article can be found (in german) here: http://www.wirbellose.de/klotz/neocaridina.html Caridina or Neocaridina? © Werner Klotz Many of our dwarf shrimp do not have a scientific name and are instead referred to as Caridina sp. or Neocaridina sp.. In aquarists literature - (I believe the author is referring to online forums, magazines, ect., but not scientific literature), one occasionally finds the idea that species with large eggs and direct-developing larvae (larvae that essentially hatch as mini adults) belong to the genus Neocaridina, whilst species that have planktonic larvae and small larvae belong to the genus Caridina. This is incorrect. The type of larval development has nothing to do with which shrimp belong in which genus. In 1938, the genus Neocaridina was divided from the genus Caridina by Japanese scientists (1). The separation of the two genera was based on the inner branch (Endopod, En) of the first swimming leg pair of male animals. In species of the genus Neocaridina, this has a pear-shaped, distally broadened shape. The internal appendix (ai), a small appendage on the inside of the endopod, is found (if present) always in the basal region (bottom) of the endopods (Figure 1). Figure 1 In the species of the genus Caridina, the endopod has an elongated, sheet-like, distal, narrow shape. An internal appendix is found (if present) near the distal end (the end furthest away) of the endopods (Figure 2). Figure 2 Another thing which differentiates Neocaridina and Caridina can be found in females as well. On the first maxilliped (the legs around the mouth that assist in feeding), many (but not all) species of the genus Caridina have an exopodite (a finger like spur). This is absent for species in the genus Neocaridina (Figure 3 & 4 - arrow). It should be noted that the separation of the genus Neocaridina has been opposed by some taxonomists. In their opinion, the term Neocaridina is just a synonym for Caridina (2). The genus Neocaridina was recently reviewed by Cai (3) who confirmed the genus as being separate to Caridina. Literature cited: 1) I.Kubo, J. Imp. Fish. Inst. Tokyo 33:67-100,1938 On the Japanese atyid shrimps 2) MS Hung, J. of Crustacean Biology, 13(3): 481-503, 1993 Aytyd shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea) of Taiwan, with descripitons of three new species 3) Cai, Y, Acta Zootaxon. Sinica 21: 129-60, 1996 A revision of the genus Neocaridina (Crustacea: Decapoda:Atyidae) Text and photos © Werner Klotz 2003

Hi all, Newbie here - assuming this is a basic algae? I undertake 20% water changes a week for my 3ft tank/100l tank. Tank has been set up for about 3-4 months. I had my lighting at 9 hours a day but have read I may have increased the lighting too quickly (started at about 5 hours a day), so have also dropped that to 6 hours. Most prominent to see on my huge hunk of java moss, but I note all sides of the tank glass are actually pretty stained. I am surprised how quickly its popped up. You can note it on most of the java fern as a browny colour. Any clarification would be great! Thanks.

Mum bought some plants for her Guppy tank and one of them I'm unsure of what it is, it was sold as Blyxa but I am certain it isn't, it's too upright and some what hard, unlike the soft, lightly bent leaf of a Blyxa, any ideas of what it is anyone? It's growing quite well and I actually don't mind it either.