What is this guy?

[Baccus]

I recently got some juvi Blue Dream Cherry shrimp and while shrimp gazing I noticed this guy in with them. The tank was an old empty tank I had sitting around the shed, the rocks I put in had been out of water for months, the filter even came out of storage, and the bit of sand I put in the tank came from an entirely shrimp free tank. Even the water I used came from a tub of aged water I had and all water put into the tank was poured through an ultra fine net that no shrimp can get through. The plants came from a tub a plants I had sitting around and had been thoroughly checked for any possible shrimp, and even if a shrimp had hitch hiked it would have been a native either Chameleon or Blackmore River shrimp. The Blue Dreams came from a person keeping many species/ colours of shrimp and I am wondering if by chance it could be a tiger or tangerine tiger that hitched a ride with the blues.

So here are the photos I managed to get, its still a tiny shrimp but what I can see is that it seems to have little or no rostrum.

Please help me work out what this guy might be.

PS. My other shrimp stocks are Red Cherry, Black and Chocolate Cherry, Chameleon Shrimp, DAS, Red Nose Shrimp, Blackmore River Shrimp, Riffle and Blue Cherry.

 

[fishmosy]

I would guess Blackmore. 

Definitely wrong shape for tigers. 

So easy to miss shrimp among plants no matter how well you check.

[Baccus]

You might be right but if it is a Blackmore River Shrimp it has been living in a 20L tank jammed pack with java fern that almost went dry a couple of weeks ago, with no supplementary food, no light and no filteration. Even when I did refill the tank of water I just used straight tap water because I was 99% certain that there should not have been anyone living in the tank aside from maybe bloodworms. Also when I took the tiny pinch of java moss from the tank to put in the blue dream tank, the shrimp would have had to have had nerves of steel to hang on for the distance moved across the shed.

I will keep an eye out on the little mystery shrimp, he's still a lot smaller than the juvi blue dreams and being so small and nearly see through blends in with its surrounds incredibly well. The first time I spotted it I had to do a double take because I only saw some slight movement on a piece of food that had a blue dream nearby but no way possible for the blue dream to be moving the food the way it was moving.

[jayc]

That little guy deserves to live a long life of luxury now,  after going through all that. 

[Baccus]

He certainly will have a live of luxury once I can correctly identify it. If it turns out to be a native it will go back with my other natives. If its another type of neo it will go into a tank with no neos in it, and if its a non native caridina of some sort will go in with either my black, red or stay with the blue cherry's.

The seller just contacted me and he discovered a tiger juvi in his red pinto tank, and suspects it hitch hiked on plants. He had been away and found a berried tangerine tiger in with the red pintos. So I am still thinking I may have a hitch hiker from the seller.

[Baccus]

Still not the best picture, he's still a small shrimp but growing. The light on the tank last night was washing its colour out somewhat, but when they finally settle in a near perfect spot for photos you have to run with it.

In the photo there is faint white spots or speckling and also white bands on the legs. To my mind the nose/ rostrum area does not seem cherry shrimpfish.

 Forgot to add I also spied white tips on the tail, but cant see them in the photos I took.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Baccus
Forgot to mention tail spots

[Baccus]

Now I am leaning towards a wild type cherry.....but still not certain. Since I have now seen my first berried blue cherry I had better get this guy out sooner than later if it is a wild type cherry.

[jayc]

Looks more like a Blackmore in these last two shots.

[Baccus]

Still not certain of just what this guy is but I am  leaning more towards wild type cherry with blue gene.