water spaces home aquarium can be varied not only unique varieties fish or snails, but also place aquarium shrimp in its depths. And don't associate this species with ordinary monotonous marine inhabitants, since special shrimp for an aquarium, unlike their non-freshwater relatives, are distinguished by a bright colorful color and a unique body shape. But not only the unique original color attracts the attention of aquarists, these species have great endurance, are unpretentious in maintenance, are omnivorous, and their interesting image life attracts the attention of others. That is why aquarium shrimp are increasingly found in home waters, not only for real aquarists, but also for beginners in the water world.

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Range and description

In its natural habitat, the aquarium shrimp is found in almost all freshwater and salt water bodies of the world. However, it is worth emphasizing that each species has its own specific deposit. For example, the colorful red-nosed shrimp inhabits the rivers of Venezuela, fan species are found in the cool fresh waters of Panama, and the Amano shrimp lives only in cold mountain rivers Japan and Korea. But, as a rule, all individuals of this species living in a domestic reservoir come from some regions of Asia.

These species belong to the crustacean variety of the arthropod type. But compared to their marine crustacean counterparts, they have jaws that not only perform a motor function, but are also designed to hold and capture food. Also, these individuals have five pairs of legs and a very massive tail, with the help of which these individuals, in case of danger from other aggressive inhabitants of the water expanses, are saved by making jerky movements.

Despite their small size, aquarium shrimp have a good sense of smell and touch, and all thanks to their long antennae, more like antennae. And rotating eyes contribute to a wide viewing range, which allows you to hide from the enemy and quickly find food.

The oral apparatus is complex in shape and consists of three jaws that grind food, and also consists of mandibles that hold food at the mouth. For crawling along the bottom of the aquarium and grasping food, shrimp use other limbs. Shrimp sizes depend on gender and variety, but range from 3 to 8 cm.

Living conditions in a home aquarium

A shrimp living in an aquarium will not bring much trouble to its owner, and caring for this individual is no different from keeping other residents of a home pond. However, in order for an individual to please its bright color and active behavior every day, you need to create special conditions and follow certain rules. In addition, some decorative individuals are quite capricious and require additional care.

Excellent macro photography about the life of shrimp in the aquarium.

• For shrimp, the smallest aquarium and even the largest one are perfect. And in order not to get lost in the calculations, you should rely on a simple solution and select the future living space with a one-to-one calculation, that is, one liter of water per aquarium shrimp. However, size should be considered if the shrimp are medium or big size, water needs about 2 or 4 liters.
• Optimal temperature regime for almost all species living in the reservoir, it fluctuates in the aisles from 17 ° C to 30 ° C. Of course more are allowed. low temperature, but in this case, pets may become inactive. In addition, it should be borne in mind that with sharp temperature jerks life cycle significantly reduced and the individual may die.
• Weekly water changes are a must for the normal development of pets. You can easily add ordinary tap water, but preferably settled and warmed up to room temperature.
• Should be checked periodically chemical composition water, the main requirement is the complete absence of copper, which will burn to cause the death of both adults and larvae. The hardness of the water is as high as possible, so that during the molting, the shrimp can draw the necessary substances for themselves to renew the shell.
• The presence of a compressor, filter and lighting is considered an optional requirement, but desirable.
• It is important to have all kinds of living ornamental plants, because aquarium shrimp, the content of which is combined with other individuals, can, if necessary, hide from large fish in their green shelter. Javanese moss, hornwort, pistia, cladaphora and other plants intended for an aquarium are perfect as landscaping.

Nutrition

All types of shrimp living in an aquarium are omnivores, they will happily eat food that has not been eaten by fish or eat special food. But if by chance there is not enough dry food for them, do not be upset, aquarium cleaners, because they are also called shrimp, they will have a snack with algal growths located on stones, plants and soil.

In the event that aquarium shrimp live in a separate vessel without the neighborhood of fish, they must be fed with shrimp food, which is sold at any pet store. But it is worth noting that many aquarists manage with ordinary fish food or feed their unusual pets with pieces of zucchini, peppers, lettuce and even pasta.

However, you should not overfeed shrimp, since these types of crustaceans, with a large amount of food, begin to be lazy and stop cleaning the aquarium. Experts recommend feeding your pets once or twice a week, this amount of artificial food will be enough for them for a long time.

Compatibility

Peaceful and friendly aquarium residents lead secret life, and not surprising, because very often they can become a delicious treat for their neighbors living in an aquarium. And in order to save these individuals from death, it is worth choosing the right neighbors for her.

Look at the aquarium shrimp and acanthophthalmus.

The ideal option is small fish, such as neon, guppies or zebrafish. Shrimp in an aquarium with a company of snails is also ideal, in which the crustaceans will remain safe and sound. But barbs, angelfish, some types of cichlids, charrs and even swordtails are dangerous for joint maintenance.

But according to acariumists, in the presence of various plant shelters and decorative elements, even these aggressive fish will not be a hindrance to shrimp.

reproduction

Breeding these individuals is quite realistic, but only in a vessel separate from the fish. Otherwise, all future offspring will become nutritious food for fish living in a domestic pond. In addition, aquarists recommend breeding only shrimp that do not have a traditional larval phase. Indeed, in this case, the offspring that has just appeared is exactly like the adults of this species, which can easily eat ordinary food and do not require additional care.

But even shrimps that have a standard larval stage do not need additional conditions. Since at the time of reproduction, the female emits a special substance that attracts an individual of the opposite sex. After fertilization, a saddle is formed on the back, inside of which there is caviar, literally a week later it smoothly moves into lower part abdomen, and after 3 or 4 weeks fry appear.

Diseases of domestic crustaceans

Even after placing shrimp in an aquarium with clean water and compliance with all parameters does not exclude the possibility that these individuals may catch fungal diseases. And although such a disease does not seem frightening, it can also cause lethal outcome. After all, the fungus that has appeared on the body of an individual sucks out all the nutrients from it and poisons the body. toxic substances. In addition to fungal diseases, these aquarium inhabitants are also affected by common viral infections which are very difficult to cure.

However, in any case, infected shrimp should be isolated, and the water in community aquarium be sure to change. After that, consult with specialists and take the necessary measures.

Introduction

I was prompted to write this material by numerous requests for help on the forum related to keeping shrimp in an aquarium.

Even 10 years ago, they were very rare and exotic inhabitants of aquariums. And now they have become fashionable, and the number of people who want to have shrimp is constantly growing. But if the rules for caring for fish and plants are more or less well known, then with crustacean people are usually known only gastronomically.

There are many excellent articles about shrimp written by wonderful authors. This text is by no means a substitute for them. My main idea: to give a short introductory course to newcomers to the field of shrimp keeping. The materials are selected taking into account the most common errors.
In order to facilitate perception, the material is divided into two parts: theoretical and practical.

Part 1. Theoretical

Meat or fish?

Once in the subway, I heard a conversation between two women. They discussed whether it is okay to eat shrimp during fasting when it is legal to eat fish. Their main question was this: are shrimp meat or fish? I was about to tell them that shrimp are ten-legged arthropods. But he changed his mind, because such an answer would have confused them even more. And why deprive people of the pleasure of courageously overcoming the difficulties that they create for themselves?
So, shrimp owners should know much more about their pets than the average layman. Indeed, in an aquarium, these creatures are absolutely helpless. Their life depends entirely on the competence of the owner.

Let's take a look at the place of shrimp in the scientific classification:

Here keyword- arthropods. Therefore, immediately erase the stereotype about the relationship of fish and shrimp from your head. The only thing they have in common is their environment. And according to their biological properties they are "relatives" of cockroaches, spiders and bedbugs.

Who is more difficult to keep in an aquarium: fish or shrimps? It is impossible to answer unambiguously. But for a beginner, little familiar with the "pitfalls" of the aquarium hobby, the answer is much clearer: casual fish are more tenacious. Consequently, shrimp are more difficult to keep.

Who sold me this hamster?

An old bearded joke... A man brings a bear to the bird market and asks the sellers: "Well, who sold me this hamster a year ago?"

Shrimps also have their own hamsters and bears. Therefore, you need to be able to distinguish between them in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. For example, under the guise of a harmless booger, incompetent or unscrupulous sellers can sell rosenberg macrobrachium, which grows up to 18 centimeters, freeing the aquarium from all fish, plants and their less fortunate relatives. In fact, Rosenbergs are beautiful and interesting beasts. But you need to start them consciously, providing the appropriate conditions.

However, usually people want to have peaceful shrimp. And this is quite understandable. But how to distinguish them from predators? It's pretty simple: predatory shrimp have claws that are visible to the naked eye.

I will not review all aquarium shrimp here. Moreover, new species and breeds are constantly appearing on the market. I would like to focus on the most popular ones. Without having any statistics, I would venture to determine the top three leaders myself:

• Neocaridina denticulata Red Cherry, Cherry shrimp or just cherry.
  The undoubted advantages of this shrimp are: unpretentiousness, fertility, bright coloring, wide availability. The disadvantages include the small size. However, for miniature aquariums, this is even good.
  The approximate life span of cherry shrimp is 1 year. This is of course not enough. But it makes up for it in fertility.
• Amano shrimp, Yamato Shrimp, Caridina japonica, Japanese pond shrimp or simply amanka.
  Gained wide popularity with light hand Takashi Amano. Quite large, active, can eat filamentous algae. But it does not breed in an aquarium. But the life span is much longer than that of cherries. My seven amanok have been living for 3.5 years.
• Atyopsis Moluccensis, Banana Shrimp, filter feeder shrimp.
  These funny large shrimp can often be found in pet stores. But they are much more difficult to maintain than amanki or cherries. In addition, they are not very active. And many mistakenly believe that the filter-feeding shrimp can somehow replace the filter. Unfortunately, it is the filter feeders that most often die from inexperienced owners.
  One filter filter lived with me for 3 years, the other has already gone to the fourth.

Having mastered the simple rules for keeping these relatively unpretentious creatures, you can start the rest.

What you need to know...

What are these rules? Let's take a look at them right now.

Water quality

When dealing with shrimp, never forget that water quality is the most important thing in their lives. They are extremely sensitive to any changes.

In nature, if shrimp sensed something was wrong, then they try to quickly swim away as far as possible from the dead place.

Unfortunately, they have nowhere to go from the aquarium. The poor fellows rush in panic along the walls, trying in vain to find a stream that will lead them to clean water. Large shrimp are trying to jump out. Those who succeed die on the floor. The rest are in the aquarium.
Such is the sad picture of poisoning with nitrogenous compounds in simple-minded owners who do not spare food for their pets. Or in case of an incorrect start in an aquarium with fish.

What to do in such a situation? Change water?
As they say, it's too late to drink Borjomi if the liver has fallen off.
Substitutions are not very effective. Some of the poor fellows can be saved if they are immediately transplanted into clean water. But only owners of several aquariums can afford this. And in tap water, although clean, shrimp also have little chance.

In order not to lead to such a situation, you need to remember that shrimp are much more sensitive to the content of harmful substances in water than fish. We will return to the topic of monitoring the concentration of nitrogenous compounds. In the meantime, let's look at the table of numerical estimates, collected by me on the basis of personal experience.

What other substances are harmful to shrimp?
Most branded aquarium preparations are safe. And for those that are dangerous, this is always indicated in the instructions.

But how can our person get by with only branded drugs? There will always be "knowledgeable" people who will advise some kind of miracle remedy. But no one has yet canceled his head on his shoulders. And for an informed decision-making, I want to give a review collected from the reviews of many shrimp owners.

Copper salts.	They are often active ingredients in algicides and some drugs. Small amounts of copper are needed by both plants and animals. For example, in the blood of shrimp, copper plays the same role that iron plays in ours. But the slightest overdose can be fatal. In branded fertilizers containing copper, the concentration is not dangerous.
Insecticides	Insect pesticides for shrimp are also very dangerous, given the closeness of their physiology. Most often, insecticides enter the aquarium with new plants, because. farms often use poison against pests. Therefore, do not rush to plant plants from unreliable sources in an aquarium with shrimp. Let them stand for a couple of days in a separate vessel.
Antibiotics	A single application usually does not kill the shrimp. But it should be remembered that antibiotics negatively affect the immunity of animals. In addition, they destroy such an important and fragile balance of the aquarium.
Macroelements of fertilizers.	Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. If you make in the quantities that the plants need, then there is no danger. (Given that nitrogen is in the form of nitrate.) And it is also important to observe the proportion between potassium and sodium. Plants do not need sodium, although there is usually much more of it in water. But if a significant preponderance of potassium suddenly occurs, this can lead to disruption of activity. nervous system animals.
Trace elements of fertilizers.	Iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, boron, cobalt, iodine, sulfur, etc. Safe in the required concentrations.
Calcium, magnesium, sodium and chlorides	Most shrimp normally tolerate the increased content of these ions, because. these are the elements sea ​​water. And shrimps still have a strong genetic memory of their homeland. But it is important to remember that when these elements are present in the water as a mixture, then this is normal. If only one of them is bad. As for calcium, it is necessary for shrimp to build a shell. If the water is too soft, then many shrimp may show pathologies during molting. To compensate for the lack of calcium, you can use marble soil, tufa decorations, various shells, etc.
Iodine.	This is a very important element for the life of shrimp. But it often happens that there is too little of it in food and water. If you add iodinol (from a pharmacy) to the aquarium water at the rate of 1 ml per 10 liters of water, once or twice a month, this will not harm plants, fish and bacteria. But the shrimp will be happy. It is better to refrain from using a traditional alcohol solution of iodine.

Separately, I want to touch on a sore subject - algae. In my opinion, in the fight against them, many people reach the point of absurdity. Shrimp hardly share the aesthetic feelings of the owner. For them, algae is food, a useful substrate and an additional water purifier. True, in the case of flowering water, you need to provide good aeration.
Think carefully before pouring pesticides, is it worth it. As a rule, excess algae can always be managed without the use of algaecides. And even if a lot of people will assure that everything is fine with them, this does not mean that in your case there will be no problems. It is clear that the shrimp want to live, despite the good efforts of the owner. But each aquarium has its own specific conditions. Because of this, some people are lucky and some people are not. Do not risk the lives of your pets in vain.

And a couple more tips:

• Wash your hands thoroughly without soap before placing them in the shrimp tank.
• In the summer I constantly use fumitox. Many shrimp owners do too. negative consequences no.

More about water

Did I mention that shrimp are very sensitive to water quality? It seems he spoke. But it is not superfluous to say this again.

Oxygen

It is very important to ensure aquarium water a large number of oxygen. Shrimps breathe with gills, just like fish. But the efficiency of fish gills is much higher. Therefore, shrimp need more oxygen. Where the fish survives, the shrimp may die of suffocation.
Extreme situations leading to a sharp drop in oxygen concentration are: outbreaks of blue-green algae (water bloom), bacterial turbidity, temperature increase up to 30 0 C, high water oxidizability (due to excess organic matter).
Fish have another important advantage: a swim bladder that allows them to float closer to the surface, where there is much more oxygen due to gas exchange with air. Shrimps are heavier than water and cannot swim for a long time. The only salvation for them are floating plants, which you can cling to and breathe near the very surface.

Shrimp do not breathe through their mouths. Their gills are located in the central part of the body (in the carapace), and they drive water there with cilia located under the belly. And too intense movements can mean that the shrimp is lacking oxygen. And the females ventilate their eggs this way.

The most demanding on oxygen are filter feeders. I would call cherry the least picky.

Water temperature

Comfortable temperature for shrimp: 22-25 o C. Although, Sulawesian savages require at least 27 o. But for most, the limit is 32 o. In addition, the warmer the water, the worse it dissolves the much-needed oxygen.
One summer, there was a terrible heat for almost two weeks. The temperature in the aquariums kept 30-31. All remained alive. But this is force majeure.
Temperatures above 29 o are harmful to the health of shrimp.
The lower limit in my cherry shrimp dipped to 13 o without visible damage. I think that Amano could also survive this. But with filters, I wouldn't take that risk.

Hydrochemistry

What can be said about the hydrochemical parameters of water? Yes, advanced shrimp owners are usually smart about things like pH, KH, GH. You need to understand this especially well if you are going to install a carbon dioxide supply.
For most shrimp, a pH of 6.5 to 8.5 is normal. Optimum 7.5-8. That is, a slightly alkaline environment.
Hardness is better high than low. For example, there are quite a few reports of problems with shedding in soft water (dGH< 5). В то же время, мне не приходилось слышать о проблемах в жёсткой воде.
Although, for example, red crystals feel better in softer and slightly acidic water.

But the most important quality of water is stability! Shrimp are able to adapt to a new environment, even if the parameters are not entirely favorable. But they will not be able to adapt to chaotic fluctuations in parameters (which are inevitable when trying to use pH-minus or plus products).

organic

And all shrimp love water with a small amount of organic matter. Completely without organic matter (tap water) is very bad. Too much organic matter isn't good either. Useful organics include substances secreted by plants. Snags are also very welcome. Oak leaves or alder cones give a positive effect. At one time I used granulated peat in the filter. The water was yellowish, but all the shrimps felt great.

Moult

The physiological feature of shrimp, like all arthropods, is their hard chitinous shell, which protects the body from all sides. This armor helps them a lot to survive in the wild, and in some aquariums too.

But there is a drawback in this: the shrimp grows and the suit becomes cramped. Therefore, periodically they have to shed the old skin and grow a new one. This is called a molt.

By the way, there is another unexpected bonus in this: along with the new skin, severed limbs can miraculously grow back.

But it's far from simple! The molting process is very responsible. After all, at this moment the shrimp becomes very vulnerable. In addition, to grow a new shell, the body uses the "fat reserves" accumulated earlier. And if the shrimp did not receive any substances from food, then there may not be enough building materials for new armor. This is fraught with various pathologies and even the death of the shrimp.

In addition to natural molts, there are also unscheduled ones due to a sharp change in water parameters. This is a rather dangerous and undesirable phenomenon in the case when the shrimp did not have time to recover from the previous molt. And if the shrimp had caviar, then it is usually lost.

What is a sudden change in water parameters from the point of view of shrimps?
Oddly enough, it can even be a transplant to a nearby aquarium. After all, shrimp very subtly feel the difference. Therefore, do not try to transplant a pregnant female ("so that the babies are not eaten"). It is unlikely that she will appreciate such good intentions.

An illiterate launch of the carbon dioxide supply system, the introduction of chemicals that violate the environment, and even the global weeding of fast-growing plants can lead to a change in parameters.

Some impressionable aquarists, when they first see empty skins, sometimes mistake them for corpses. Yes, and I myself once got caught: the body of the filter is lying at the bottom, and only the mustache is twitching. I already wanted to be very upset, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be an empty shell into which a snail climbed. And the whiskers moved because of her movement.

The corpses of any shrimp in the aquarium look exactly the same as in the frozen products department grocery store- twisted, red and motionless.
Empty skins are translucent, usually white. And they are very light, so they sway even from a small current and can lie on the leaves.

Behavior and Compatibility

Most shrimp are social creatures. Perhaps this does not apply only to filterers, who are introverted loners.
I can say for sure that the behavior of the seven amanok is very different from the three. In a group, shrimp behave more actively and boldly, hiding less. Therefore, watching them is much more interesting.
between shrimps different types special relationship I didn't notice.

Another feature is round-the-clock activity. It seems that for them it does not really matter whether it is day or night.

The joint keeping of shrimp is limited by two factors:

• Larger shrimp can eat smaller ones. Usually predators, such as macrobrachiums, sin with this. However, I have already warned that it is better to start with peaceful ones.
• Some seemingly different shrimp are able to intermarry. For example, this is possible between bees, tigers and crystals. () It does not harm them themselves, but the offspring comes out completely inconspicuous. Is it worth paying crazy money for beautiful ornamental shrimp if dim half-breeds appear to replace them?

Shrimp and fish

And of course, you can not ignore the relationship between shrimp and fish.

Unfortunately, even small fish often prey on shrimp fry. And larger fish are not averse to eating adult cherries. Amanki and filter feeders can stand up for themselves. But during the molting period, they can easily become prey for cichlids or macropods. There are known cases of eating amanok by roosters.
There are very few completely safe fish. Among them, I would name microparsing ( Microrasbora sp. Galaxy), otocincluss ( Otocinclus macrospilus), acanthophthalmus ( Acanthophthalmus kuhli) and gastromisons ( Gastromyzon punctulatus). And, oddly enough, a huge and formidable girinocheilus ( Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) - a thunderstorm of fish - turned out to be absolutely harmless to shrimp. True, once I heard that he gave a thrashing to predatory shrimps. But, apparently, they were the first to encroach on him.
The main trouble is that even in the absence of aggression from the fish, the shrimp try to stay away from sin. They begin to hide and switch to night activity.

For example, filter feeders, amanki, cherries and Indian red-nosed coexisted well in my 100-liter aquarium.
Of the fish there were: girinocheilus, two Siamese algae eaters (SAE), wedge-shaped rasboras, honey gourami and pygmy bots.
Cherry juveniles were predominantly nocturnal. In addition, they occupied the insides of the filters. Adults climbed quietly during the day.

I think that for the first time the theory will be enough. In the next part, we will consider the practical issues of crevesology.

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Imagine: shrimp are good not only as a beer snack, but can also be a real decoration for an aquarium. AT last years keeping shrimp is becoming a very popular activity among hobbyists. Sooner or later, aquarists become interested in all the nuances of reproduction of small invertebrates, looking for an answer to a question: how to breed shrimp in an aquarium.

First of all, I must say to all newcomers : to get started, get the simplest ones, and best of all - cherry shrimp (she is). This is the easiest species to maintain and breed, with which even a completely inexperienced person will have no problems, and the initial knowledge will gradually accumulate one way or another, after which you can take on more complex species without fear.

For most shrimp, the term " reproduction ", but not " breeding". Because if the most favorable conditions are created in the shrimp farm, then your pets will breed ( and in solid quantities and literally non-stop ) without any of your participation and regardless of whether you have a desire to get offspring or not. Of course the presence of individuals of both sexes is mandatory, as is the fact that they have already reached reproductive age.

It is impossible to stop this process. Well, unless you are an enemy of shrimp and are not ready to sacrifice their lives, reducing the degree of comfort to a minimum. But in the case when the shrimp in the aquarium are naughty for some reason and do not seek to start procreation, can be stimulated with massive water changes or even transplanting invertebrates into a new aquarium with new living conditions.

Everything happens in the following sequence: an adult, sexually mature, healthy female collects eggs in her ovary. It is located on her back - where the carapace (cephalothorax) connects to the abdomen (tail). This area is called " saddle» (English "saddle"), it usually differs sharply in color from the entire body of the female. The color of the saddle depends on the species of the shrimp: it can be green, black, orange, brownish, pink, white, yellow. In fact, it is the caviar that shines through the transparent shell.

By the way: the color of caviar is not considered reliable specific feature because it is constantly changing. For the same cherry shrimp in an aquarium, caviar can be either bright yellow or bright green. Freshwater aquarium shrimp are diverse, many of them have the ability of a chameleon, that is, they change color depending on many reasons: water parameters or mood.

As soon as the eggs reach the desired degree of maturity, the female begins to molt and sheds the old shell. Note , The process of molting in shrimp takes only a couple of minutes. Dropped shells do not need to be thrown out of the aquarium, shrimp eat them and this serves as an excellent food, makes up for the lack of minerals. After molting in the water column, the pheromones of the caviar, that is, the partner ready for mating, immediately appear.

Males begin to look for such an attractive "lady", and only the fastest of them manages to fertilize her. Then the female gradually moves the fertilized eggs into her abdomen, under the tail. There eggs are glued to the pleopods (swimming legs) of the future mother and the second phase of their development begins.

shrimp pregnancy

Pregnancy lasts about a month - it all depends on several factors, including the species of invertebrates and how you care for the shrimp in the aquarium. Female often “knocks its legs” - it washes the offspring with a stream of water, providing effective ventilation, which is essential for masonry hygiene.

As soon as the period set for the full development of the cubs passes, there is a simultaneous hatching of all the chicks at once. They are quite active and are instantly distributed throughout the bottom, starting to feed on their own.

Newborn shrimp are no more than 4 mm in length, but they completely copy their parents in shapes and even sometimes coloring. They grow quickly, feed on yeast, algae, detritus (like adults of many species), and after 1-1.5 months they become sexually mature and also begin to regularly bring about 15 new shrimp every 30-45 days. The number of shrimp grows exponentially until it reaches the maximum allowable population size.

After that, the shrimp continue to breed, as if by inertia, but the rate of reproduction slowly slows down, the population decreases and sometimes falls below the optimum. Then their fertile function is activated again and the number of freshwater shrimp in the aquarium grows again. In short

Every year more and more fans of home aquariums are interested in keeping freshwater shrimp in its waters. Such interest is justified by the unusualness of these crustaceans, their unpretentiousness, as well as a huge abundance of various, unique colors.

Description

Aquarium freshwater shrimp differ from each other in their size and color variations. However, the construction of the body is identical in all species. Thanks to their long antennae, they have a very good sense of touch and smell. The eyes rotate in different directions, which causes a wide view. The anterior thoracic segments are fused with the head and have reliable protection in the form of a shell. Movement along the bottom in search of food is carried out with the help of walking legs. They, like crayfish, have a well-developed tail. With it, they can perform movements resembling jumps, thus escaping from predators. The size freshwater shrimp for an aquarium depends on the species, and ranges from two to fifteen centimeters. Shrimps live in aquarium conditions, an average of 1.5 years.

Types of freshwater shrimp

aquarium shrimp represented by a huge variety of species, the ranks of which are replenished with new ones almost every month.

Types that are most popular and unusual:

Conditions of detention

Aquarium shrimp and their conditions of keeping are completely dependent on their species. Most of which are not very picky. But there are a number of certain parameters that need to be monitored and maintained at the right level.

The most important criteria for existence are comfortable temperature water and its oxygen saturation. To increase oxygen saturation, you need to use aerators and compressors. The aquarium should have a water temperature in the range of 21 - 30 degrees. If the temperature drops to 15 degrees, the crustaceans become very lethargic, and if it exceeds 31 degrees, they will simply die.

Sponge filters should be used to prevent small fish from being sucked into the filter. It is also very important to carefully monitor the process of replacing water. You should change the water at least once a week in the amount of 1/5 of the total volume of the aquarium. Although most species are picky about the conditions of detention, but still, one should not be irresponsible about the parameters of their habitat. Otherwise, missing something out of sight, you can face bad consequences.

The aquarium must be equipped with a lid, as some species easily crawl out of it.

Nutrition

Shrimps are hard to call gourmets, you can offer them a variety of feeds. Being in search of food, they go absolutely everything, from decomposed parts of algae to the corpses of other inhabitants of the aquarium. It is necessary to feed once every few days, with daphnia or canned or live food. Feed should be alternated with each other, for a balanced diet. It is worth knowing that in no case should you feed shrimp with cheap dry food, which includes grains.

reproduction

For the reproduction of shrimp, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for this. The female, when ready to breed, releases peculiar pheromones into the water to attract males. Males, smelling such pheromones, begin to look for the seductress, who is hiding in a shelter, from her fans. The reproduction itself occurs quite quickly, literally in a few seconds. Then on the back of the female, spots of yellow or gray color, this is caviar from which fry will appear in a few weeks. After hatching, the fry immediately become independent, just like adults. The fry eat the same as adults, move in the same jerky way, and also hide under pebbles and in vegetation.

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Whom you will not see in the aquarium with friends and acquaintances. But it is already difficult to surprise with exotic fish and snails, but a shrimp in an aquarium is already interesting. Many will say that nothing like that, we feed the fish with defrosted shrimp every day, but we are talking about the most living crustaceans.

common shrimp

Variety of shrimp

With the help of shrimp, you can build a real tropical water corner in your apartment. An amazing variety of colors and types, ease of care, easy reproduction, and simply unusualness are a good reason to think.

Shrimp characteristics:

• Size - from 2 to 5 cm, there is rare species up to 15 cm;
• Life expectancy - up to 2 years, but more often not more than a year;
• Color - cherry, blue, yellow, green, transparent.

Cardinal

There are also cardinal shrimp, red crystal, harlequin.

Aquarium

An aquarium in which shrimp are kept is called a shrimp tank. It is no different from the usual, inhabited by fish, it was called that just to stand out.

The volume of the shrimp should be within 80 liters (minimum - 40). If it is less, then it is difficult to maintain biobalance, since sharp jumps in parameters will adversely affect the health of shrimp, and in a larger volume they will simply get lost in the thickets, as in the photo below.

Shrimp are good at hiding

It is not recommended to keep shrimp in an aquarium with fish together, as they can easily become food, but this only applies to large and aggressive fish, like or. Small guppies and harmless shrimp get along well, moreover, they can even bite the veil-tailed fins at night, but this is more a game than a threat.

Required water parameters:

• Temperature - 18-27 degrees, but the warmer the water, the less oxygen in it;
• Hardness - 1.5-2;
• pH - 6 -7;
• Water is fresh.

Shrimp are very sensitive to drastic changes and differences, keep the microclimate constant, or changes no more than 30% per day. A temperature jump of just 7 degrees will kill them.

The aquarium must be equipped with a fine bubble aerator and a safety filter, as shrimp babies are very small in size and can simply be sucked into the filter system.

Small shrimp in a spoon

The aerator should work around the clock, especially at night when aquatic plants do not release oxygen. Their body consumes more oxygen than any other aquarium inhabitants.

The bottom must be covered with a thin layer of gravel, as in streams, there must also be shelters - decorative elements, floating and ground plants, driftwood and the like. This gives both a certain charm to the aquarium and places of shelter for shrimp, especially if they are adjacent to other fish. But do not let there be narrow gaps, shrimp have a habit of getting stuck, from where they can not get out later, and they die there.

Once a week, change the water to fresh, but not more than 40%, and room temperature, as in the aquarium itself.

Buying shrimp

Buying shellfish is not as easy as it seems. In ordinary pet stores, this is a rare product, you will have to place an order and wait, or you can refer to ads. Large pet stores usually have them in stock.

Shrimp at the pet store

The price for one individual starts from 100 rubles, and given their extreme fecundity, it is rational to buy a few pieces, and simply wait until they themselves breed to the desired amount. The price does not differ much depending on the type and color.

When transporting them home, it is better to place them in a container with warm water and a plant placed in it so that the little ones can attach themselves to it. Carry the vessel carefully, do not shake, otherwise you can injure the animals.

After bringing them home, place them in a separate aquarium for observation for a week. There is no guarantee that these shrimp are not from wildlife, and are not contagious with fatal infections.

reproduction

Reproduction of shrimp in the aquarium occurs all year round, the main condition is the purest water.

It is not difficult to determine the sexual maturity of the female - she throws special pheromones into the water, from which the males begin to feverishly rush around the aquarium from corner to corner.

The gestation period is about a month, after which tiny, but completely ready for independent life, shrimps are born, about 30 pieces. Their parents are not dangerous, but if there are other fish, then crustaceans will be excellent food for them, so someone will have to be transplanted.

pregnant shrimp

Be sure to check the filter again, if necessary, change the sponge to a finer one.

There are some types of shrimp that cannot be bred in an aquarium because they have a larval stage that requires salt water. But most species are still viviparous, which is very pleasing.

Feeding

Absolutely everything is eaten by crustaceans. These are the real orderlies of the aquarium, as they spend all the time in search of food, searching the bottom and plants. They eat leftover food after fish, plaque on leaves and stones, even their own shed shell after molting. Pet stores sell special food for shrimp, but to be honest, there is no need to buy them, you can feed them with any fish food of any size. The main thing is that he drowns sooner or later.

You can also feed boiled vegetables.

Special feed

What for newborns, what for adults, the food is the same, this greatly facilitates care and maintenance.

You need to feed crustaceans 1 time per week, sometimes arranging a fasting day. They easily endure a hunger strike, switching to detritus, that is, eating dead parts of plants, plaque on the ground, and simply eating dirt from the filter sponge, thus they can easily survive your vacation or a long business trip. The main thing is to leave the aerator and filter on.

And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!