Care for crystal red frys

[lucavicini]

Hello,

I have a 200L tank with few neon tetras, guppies, corys, amano shrimps, cuhlii leaches, apple snails and red crystal shrimps.
I noticed today that two of the red crystal shrimps females are carrying eggs under their abdomen.

My question is: do I have to separate the pregnant CRS females to another tank. Even though the tank is well planted and offers a lot of hiding places I am afraid that the Cuhlii and the other fishes will be abler to eat the frys.

I am not very experienced with CRS. I only had them for two months.

Cheers
Luca

 

[momo]

Im not a fish expert but ive read a ton on shrimp. If you plan on keeping in that tank. Get some java moss. The little buggers love hiding in it and it keeps them safe.

What ive heard is, if it can fit in the fishes mouth, its concidered food.

 

[lucavicini]

Ok, that means DANGER. I suppose the CRS fry (I never saw them) will be smaller than guppies fry.
Two months ago I had a female guppy delivering before my estimations. The other fishes were following the female at close range eating the fry few seconds after they were delivered. In particular the neons were the most voracious.

Even though my tank has a lot of vegetation, I don't have java moss. I will try to get some before it's too late.

 

[siva]

Yeah if you want to breed them it's best done in a species only tank. In a community you may get a couple babies that survive because they are excellent hiders, depending on how well planted your tank is and your decor, etc...but most will get picked off because the babies are just so tiny.

 

[lucavicini]

Yes, this is a good pieces of advice. I will do an emergency conversion of my quarantine tank (that is currently without fish) and move the pregnant females. Do you think I should move the females only or should I move all the CRS. They look pretty gregarious, but I don't want to have other CRS harming the fry (I have in total 7 CRS)

 

[siva]

Nah the other CRS won't harm the fry. I've never seen ornamental shrimp harm their own fry, anyway.

 

[lucavicini]

Yup! Then it will be moving the CRSs en masse. Little by little since with the amount of hiding places in the main tank is quite big and finding them at the same time is impossible.

 

[siva]

Ugh..I hate catching the shrimp! They are just so little..and fast! I am going to pull my CRS out of a community tank and put them in their own little one I think. I've never seen any babies yet...you're lucky

 

[siva]

What's your PH? I think maybe mine don't reproduce because my PH is too high

 

[lucavicini]

My Ph is around 7.8 and 7.9 with a fairly hard water. The temperature is 25C. According to what I read around my CRSs shouldn't reproduce

I think the key here is that the water is very oxygenated and above all the level of nitrates, nitrites, chlorine and ammonia is extremely low. I do a 30% water change weekly by sucking up the water close to the sand and cleaning thoroughly the sand and removing dead aquatic plants (I am generous with the amount of water conditioner).

Add on top of that, strong biological filtration (I change half of the filter every 4 months), strong mechanical filtration (changed every week) and a carbon filter changed every month.

In the same aquarium I have few Amano Shrimps. One of them is a female fully loaded with eggs. Unfortunately the fry will need salty water... too complicated to try to save.

 

[Big-j]

Are red crystal shrimp the same as red cherry shrimp???

 

[siva]

My Ph is around 7.8 and 7.9 with a fairly hard water. The temperature is 25C. According to what I read around my CRSs shouldn't reproduce

I think the key here is that the water is very oxygenated and above all the level of nitrates, nitrites, chlorine and ammonia is extremely low. I do a 30% water change weekly by sucking up the water close to the sand and cleaning thoroughly the sand and removing dead aquatic plants (I am generous with the amount of water conditioner).

Add on top of that, strong biological filtration (I change half of the filter every 4 months), strong mechanical filtration (changed every week) and a carbon filter changed every month.

In the same aquarium I have few Amano Shrimps. One of them is a female fully loaded with eggs. Unfortunately the fry will need salty water... too complicated to try to save.

Wow..I wouldn't have even thought they could survive at 7.8 for long..that's great. I was worried at 7.2 but I've had good luck with them. As you said, I think above all else it's the water quality that counts.

 

[siva]

Are red crystal shrimp the same as red cherry shrimp???

No they are different. RCS are neocaridina and CRS are caridina. RCS are super easy to care for and breed, CRS can be a little more tricky. RCS are red, CRS and white and red.

 

[momo]

No they are different. RCS are neocaridina and CRS are caridina. RCS are super easy to care for and breed, CRS can be a little more tricky. RCS are red, CRS and white and red.

I disnt know that. Thank you. +1 when i get on my cpu

 

[siva]

Thanks momo

 

[siva]

Also if you ever want to keep 2 kinds of shrimp together, you want to keep one neocaridina and one caridina, otherwise if you keep two of the same species they will create a rather ugly mutt shrimp. Here's a great chart I often refer to Will These Shrimp Interbreed? .:. Information on keepign Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp Species in the same Aquarium without creating a Hybrid Shrimp

 

[lucavicini]

Yes! Siva is very right!

The Red Chrystal was "discovered" in 1996. It is in fact a mutation of the Bee Shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis). In order to isolate the mutation, breeders had to go through a lot of interbreeding. This explains why the CRS are quite fragile. There are a lot of other mutations (black crystal, Golden bee, Blue crystal...) probably depending on different chromosomes. The genetical variability of the genus Caridina is incredible.

For the CRS there are different grades. Check this Aquarium Information - Crystal Red Shrimp, CRS, Red Bee Shrimp

Now there is as well an SSS and as SSSS grade.
Pure SSSS could go at an auction at more than 500$ while the more humble C grade can be found for few dollars.

 

[siva]

I was able to pick up my S+ at $4 each

 

[lucavicini]

I bought my grade B at 3€, more or less 4.3$