Short Nose Algae Shrimp

[_Eric_]

Ordered some Amano shrimp and got a short nose shrimp (CARIDINA LONGIROSTRIS) mixed in.  Anyone here have any experience with this shrimp?  Will be a new one for me.

[nabokovfan87]

Parameters look the same as amanos. My only concern is if they are going to have a population boom and outcompete the amanos. For the time being, I'd remove them to a different tub, even a bucket with a handful of substrate and a sponge filter.  If you don't see zoeys in 2-3 months then you're fine.  If you find out how they breed and it's possible in just freshwater, I would remove one of them from your main tank.

 

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Breeding

Longirostris can be sexed by size differences. All big specimens are female (up to 4cm) whilst males are under 2.5cm. I don't know yet if the males remain small or change sex, that experiment is to come. A mature female can carry hundreds of eggs. The eggs are 0.4mm, the same sized egg as C. typus, but Longirostris are easier to breed than Typus.

Aquarium breeding is achievable if they are kept on their own. As the shrimplets are small and free-swimming, they are open to attack from everything. The first food offered to shrimplets should be hard-boiled egg yolk, liquid fry food or spirulina in small amounts so as not to pollute the tank. The egg yolk can be offered through a piece of stocking, or in a small amount of water mashed up with a bar-mix/blender. I also use the bar-mix on the spirulina in a small amount of water. Both the egg yolk and spirulina mixes must be stored in the fridge to keep them fresh, and shaken before use. I use an eye dropper to feed because you have greater control over how much you feed. I also only keep each one for three days before making a new batch.

As the shrimplets are so small, you can only raise a small number at a time. However this will lead to easier shrimp to breed as each generation may result in bigger shrimplets (essentially a selective breeding program where the shrimp cull themselves). Most hard to breed aquatic species get easier to breed through captive breeding, because the fry best suited to captivity survive and pass on these genes to the next generation.

 

[_Eric_]

Thanks for the response - I’m not that worried about babies, but curious how it will do on the algae.  Will let you know if it is the magic bullet for staghorn 😆