New shrimp not sure what it is

[Derekkaine]

Im not sure what kind of shrimp these are i bought them for $15 each from petland they said one is a red crystal and the other is a green crystal.

They are in a fluval 2 gallon tank with a moss ball.

 

[jcolon]

They look like crystal shrimp ... See the link below if they match.

Crystal Red Shrimp .:. Caridina cantonensis sp. "Crystal Red" .:. Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp Species Information Page

 

[Derekkaine]

Here they are on the mossball eating i think.

 

[manbeast]

please tell me $15 each is a typo
I get rcs from lfs for $1.99 I'd hate to think the crystal shrimp are that much more expensive

 

[Derekkaine]

Yep 14.99$ each

 

[jcolon]

RCS for $2 is a steal around me... Crystal go for around $10 for lower grades.

 

[manbeast]

yikes, haven't been able to find crystals in my area but there's this guy near me on CL that's always putting up ads, one of which is 20 rcs for $15 and also live plants as well, I've been seeing his ads pop upfrom time to time for months but never find the time to respond

 

[bettaowner]

I wish I could get those shrimp.

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

please tell me $15 each is a typo
I get rcs from lfs for $1.99 I'd hate to think the crystal shrimp are that much more expensive

Crystal (was well as most Caridina species) usually carry a high price tag.

Also, in case you wanna go and get them, don't keep the 2 species together as they can and will interbreed. And that will cause you to have offspring in natural color. Which is brown...so...

 

[jetajockey]

Don't keep which species together?

Look for low b/c grade shrimp, they are usually more affordable and I often see them around $2-3 each.

 

[Aquatic_Adam]

Don't keep which species together?

Look for low b/c grade shrimp, they are usually more affordable and I often see them around $2-3 each.

The OP said there were Green Crystals and Red Crystals. I'm assuming both are Caridina Cantonensis just different color variants. In which case, they will interbreed and result in a not so pretty baby.

I'm sure you know, but for less informed viewers out there, but selective breeding was the only way to get color into the Shrimp you see. Crossing a Green Crystal with a Red Crystal won't get you a Red, Green, and White colored Shrimp (although that would be awwwwesome). What that does do is basically breed out the color traits that were bred in over generations.

Now you know. And knowledge is power.