paratya curvirostris freshwater shrimp

[tandemcartshrimp]

Hi all,

Im new here and I hope im in the right place.

Im new to fish (apart from the normal gold fish for a year many moons ago) and im looking into getting some freshwater shrimp.

As far as I can see the paratya curvirostris is the only one I can get. But after research I have found that you can buy them anywhere.

so ill need to go shrimp hunting. I live in Hamilton and can get a ride up or down the country about an hour all round hamilton.

does anyone have any extra they wouldnt mind sending my way. I would be more than happy to pay postage and time etc.

OR does anyone know where I could go to catch some of my own??

thanks HEAPS in advance, fingers crossed im in the right place to post this.

[blueether]

You should be able to catch them in the Waikato within Hamilton city. I have seen them all the way up the Waipa in streams around Pirongia.

If you cant find any in the city the head out to Raglan.

[tandemcartshrimp]

actually another thing was what do I need to do to house these shrimp. im looking at a tank similar to this one http://www.wonderworldpetcentre.co.nz/s ... temid=9405 or a slightly larger nano cube tank (?).

how many shrimp should I put in the tank, what plants work well.

basically, how do I start and what do I need, and need to do?

im sorry if this has already been covered but I cant seem to find a how to with these shrimp anywhere.

[SamH]

There's not a lot out there on them but here's my knowledge.

Key things for them, cold water, flowing water, high oxygen water. They also appreciate about as much plant matter as you can jam in there. With a tank like that you don't have room for much, I'd be looking at the 30-60 litre range if possible. However, if your heart is set on that tank, you will need to keep it in a cool spot, make sure you have a bit of moss for them and perhaps even add an airstone.

I'm looking at catching some shrimp in the next couple of weeks, they're great fun to watch

[blueether]

I've kept a few in a small 15L tank for a while but as Sam said by the time you get some moss/plants there isn't much room left.

30L odd would be a good size. I would add a bit of driftwood, riversand substrate and some plants like Hydrocotyle spp, Hygrophila polysperma, Ludwigia repens etc (most of the plants that you will find in the Waikato are pest plants). They do like a bit of flow but not too much so an air stone should do fine. As for temp - they will die at about 26 deg and will only have a short life at temps above 23-25, but saying that some people clam that the do fine at 25-26 deg. The eat detritus and bio-films (algae and bacteria) so little extra feeding is needed in an established tank but a few grains of fish food wouldn't go amiss.

As the male ages it under goes a sex change to female - so any that are over about 15mm? * will be female. Females that are in berry (carrying eggs) don't tend to do well in the aquarium and die quite fast after losing their eggs. The young larvae have to go to sea so I don't believe that they have been breed in the home aquarium.

* Cant remember the size off the top of my head but think it was around that size.

[SamH]

They do like a bit of flow but not too much so an air stone should do fine.

Strange, I've found they love playing right in the filter outlet. Good advice up there though 8)

[tandemcartshrimp]

I'll get a bigger tank if you all think that it will be worth it, and better for the shrimp. but I think 30L might be a little out of my space and price range. In the tank, how would I go about getting the bottom covered in plants that wouldnt grow to tall? So like a bottom cover for the shrimp to feed on and go through, but not take up too much space. would I need to get like fertiliser and stuff?

And how many shrimp could Happily like in a 15L tank?

what would I need to do interms of tank setup? from begining to end, cycling? plants first?

sorry for all the questions, but I would like to know what im getting into before I start it all, for the good of the shrimp

cheers for all the help so far

[Sophia]

welcome newbie

if you use the search and put in keyword shrimp and my name as the author you should find some pictures of my previous shrimp inhabitants. I've had them in warm and cold water, in with the other fish in my tank and just in with bugs caught in the same stream.

[blueether]

For bottom plants try Glossostigma elatinoides or for something larger Hydrocotyle verticillata

You could try in a 15L but the temp will swing a lot (thus the dissolved O2). When I had mine in the 15L tank I also had Mayfly larvae, snails, blackworms, midge larvae etc as well as 5 or 6 shrimp

[tandemcartshrimp]

hey sophia,

I have had a good look through your posts on shrimp, infact before I was a member on here. they are really good for info. and look really nice too. I guess im just trying to find a more step by step instructional type thing. with the kinds of plant life etc. that I can use, as well as details on cycling the tank and getting it ready for the shrimp too.

[tandemcartshrimp]

Also, im going to be on the bottom floor of a 3 story flat in hamilton, right next to the garage so I think the temperature should be pretty steady. ill have a better look for some slightly larger tanks and prices. how much maintenance would a 20L tank, with like 5-8 of the shrimp, some snails maybe and the plants mentioned above need? cleaning weekly or less than that? same for water changes?

[SamH]

You seem to be set on a nano so I'll try to help you based off that.

Firstly you'll want substrate, this can be gravel or sand which could be store bought or collected from where you get the shrimp. Either way, it'll have to be cleaned VERY thoroughly to avoid any water cloudiness or other such pollution. You'll want around 3-4cm of substrate at the front sloping up to around 5-7cm at the back if you're planting, less if you're not. Add rocks, wood or other decorations at this stage. Add plants and then fill the tank very slowly.

Once the tank is full, turn on any filters or air pumps you might choose to have and lights if you have some of the more demanding species of plants. Leave the tank for a week or two to settle and then go off and get your shrimp.

I'd limit myself to 12 shrimp for a 30L and about double that for a 60L, they don't produce much waste but it's good for them to have some breathing room.

Hope this helps a bit, ask heaps of questions!

[tandemcartshrimp]

the reason I like the nano is that it is cheap and has everything all in one. the other tank I was looking at was about 15L I think. but if 20L is going to be best in terms of low maintenance and shrimp not dieing from heat then ill have to go there. so for a 20L tank I should be aiming for about 5-6 shrimp. Do I need to get all those water testing kits to make sure the water is right for the shrimp? I know i should probably get some water conditioner to remove all the chlorine and stuff. but what else would I need?

and its helping heaps :gopo: thank you all so much

[SamH]

I doubt you'll need a test kit, shrimp are pretty hardy. Just change 25% of the water every week and you'll be fine. All in one is good for beginners, just link us anything before you buy cause there's some duds out there you should steer clear of

You might enjoy this video of mine too 8)

[tandemcartshrimp]

these are the tanks I have found on trademe, not sure what the deal is here with links to auctions so I found non auction sites instead

http://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/deta ... ack/m/925/

http://www.boyuaquarium.com/en_ArticleS ... icleID=358

what do you think of them? are there any tanks you would recommend instead?

[SamH]

Personally I prefer the look of the Hailea F series aquariums but it's all a matter of personal taste really. People I know with AR380s enjoy them as far as small tanks go, plenty of them around.

[tandemcartshrimp]

well guys, just went into the pet store and have settled on a tank. its tag said "aquarium nano panoramic 29L" and its pretty cheap. also the local animates seems to have some quite nice plants already potted 3 for $10 so ill get a whole bunch of them and get it all sorted once I move into the new flat. will most water plants need fertiliser?? or would the shrimp waste be enough?

[SamH]

What are the potted plants? Some of the plants Animates sells are not true aquatic plants or pond plants. Are you far from World of Water?

[tandemcartshrimp]

I dont know what they are, they are lacking names of any sort. but some are small grass like plants. they are fully submerged. so I dont know what they are. and since animates is lacking any kind of online store I cant link you anything. ill have a look for a world of water store

[F15hguy]

like that???, Lilaeopsis braziliensis.

really needs high lighting

just out of interest there is Also Lilaeopsis Novozealandae, which (as the name suggests) is a NZ native, so would kinda have a theme for your tank

[tandemcartshrimp]

Thats the stuff Lilaeopsis Novozealandae is what they have in the store s far as I can tell. does that have the same lighting requirements? the tank im looking at comes with a little LED light, would that be good enough?

[blueether]

World of water is out past the base and then there is pure aquatics (was the goldfish bowl) on heaphy terrace.

[blueether]

I have my doubts that anything sold as Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae is the real thing going on the pics on niwa and other scientific type sites, and on niwa's site:

Leaves are linear and cylindrical with reddish-black septae (cross walls). Grows on

margins of water bodies with short curved leaves, but submerged leaves are longer

and more erect. Flowers in clusters (2 – 9) on a short stalk. Petals white to pink.

(N.B. this is a true native of New Zealand, whereas the plant commonly sold in the

trade under the same name is Lilaeopsis brasilensis, which is also suitable).

I have in one of my tanks a self collected sample that matches the scientific description (or Lilaeopsis ruthiana)and it looks nothing like what is sold in shops.

[tandemcartshrimp]

So, Im getting a 29L tank with filter and small light. If I go and get some plants from either World of water, or pure aquatics. grab some sand for the substrate and plant the plants. condition the water, let it run for a few weeks then go and catch myself some shrimp. will the plants require fertiliser? light levels etc. ? and is there anything additional I need like food? with the shrimp need algae wafers or anything like that?

[SamH]

The staff at World of Water should put you on to some low maintanence plants that won't require additional fertiliser, just let them know you're a beginner and that you want easy to grow plants. Ideally you'd get things like java moss and java fern because they don't require much light. Shrimp will feast on algae and biofilms mostly (these are found commonly on plants) but don't mind the odd fish flake or two.