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As I reported in my P. nagyi-thread I have made some experiments in keeping freshwater shrimp.
I keep one of the shrimp species recommended for soft, acid water – Caridina s. simonii from Sri Lanka/Java/Malaysia, which is supposed to come from the same habitats as the paros. Here is a link to a German site with sufficient data on invertebrates. At least, the water values will be accessible for all, even if you don’t speak German.
I keep the shrimp at pH 5,3, a temperature of around 22°C and a conductivity of around 50 µS. As far as I can see there are no problems with moulting: The shrimp reproduce, which they couldn’t do if they had moulting problems. These pictures of females bearing eggs and of shrimp of different age demonstrate this:
Maybe they go after fish eggs – I haven’t experienced this yet, and we should not forget the guarding paro males. But one enormous benefit of keeping shrimp in your paro tanks is their cleaning work. You can clearly see which tank houses shrimp and which doesn’t. I put some shrimp in my quindecim tank which I do not want to clean intensively because of the very young fry swimming around. The effect could be seen within two weeks!
I think this is a great idea. I am also trying something similar, keeping wild cherry shrimp with my newly acquired P. nagyi to hopefully aid in providing a recurring food source. My pH is much higher though at pH 6.8. I thought it would be better to start at a higher pH and gradually reduce it until I see detrimental effects to shrimp colony.
Regards
Rod
The experince of Stefanie’s is very interesting since it refers to a new to me shrimp-species which is obviously able to tolerate the low pH and mineral content of Paro-waters.
Hitherto, we only know (by experience of Benjamin Wilden, Germany) that Caridinia parvidentata (which is rather small and without striking colours) is able to cope with that conditions. I can assert this; the propagation and breeding went very well.
With all the other shrimps sold in the aquarium trade (including the wild cherry) it was impossible to breed them successfully in the extreme Paro-waters. There are however shrimps occuring in high numbers in those waters. Obviously the trade was unable to import these species until now because they are not suited to the ordinary aquarium.
The friends who visit the Paro-habitats next should at any rate bring some of those shrimps home together with the fish they catch.
Hi Peter
that’s another species for me to look for , thank you. I did scour the web for information on species found in peat swamps, and the closest records I found were in a paper published here. It may prove useful to others as well
regards
RodStefanie I’m pleased to see your simoni doing so well. I tried them once in a tank with similar parameters to yours and found that they eventually died out. However my population has been living in hard water for a number of generations, so perhaps they no longer possess the same level of adaptation for soft waters.
I will give them another go though I think, just in case.
[quote=”BigTom” post=2990]Stefanie I’m pleased to see your simoni doing so well. I tried them once in a tank with similar parameters to yours and found that they eventually died out. However my population has been living in hard water for a number of generations, so perhaps they no longer possess the same level of adaptation for soft waters.
I will give them another go though I think, just in case.[/quote]
Hi Tom
If you’re in the UK and know of anywhere I could also get hold of some Caridina simonii, I would love to try them with my Paro’s as well.
Cheers
[quote=”ourmanflint” post=2996][quote=”BigTom” post=2990]Stefanie I’m pleased to see your simoni doing so well. I tried them once in a tank with similar parameters to yours and found that they eventually died out. However my population has been living in hard water for a number of generations, so perhaps they no longer possess the same level of adaptation for soft waters.
I will give them another go though I think, just in case.[/quote]
Hi Tom
If you’re in the UK and know of anywhere I could also get hold of some Caridina simonii, I would love to try them with my Paro’s as well.
Cheers[/quote]
I don’t have huge numbers of simoni but if they do OK in the soft water tanks this time I can send a few your way. Have added some now so we’ll see how they get on. Mine came from Gerard (frothhelmet) over on UKAPS a while back so you could try asking him if you’d like some sooner.
Hallo, Stefanie!
Can you tell me, what the c.s.simoni eat ?
I guess it would not be so good to give them industrial food in a paro tank? 😉
And from where you got them?I ve seen that there is one internet shop who offers them from time to time, but at the moment they have just 3 animals ….
Hello, Dorothee,
they eat algae and detritus, e.g., dead leaves of water plants, oak and beech leaves on the ground, and – what’s very important I think – they eat dead mosquito larvae or other leftover of live food which is no longer alive … 😉
I feed them only tiny bits of food tabs from time to time – more to get an opportunity to “count” them than to feed them – to lure them out of their hides and to see how many young and old shrimps are in the tank.
I got mine from here – I think it’s the same shop you mentioned. I’m afraid I advertised them too much ……. the simoni-shrimps are out of stock at the moment …..
Thank you, Stefanie!
Yes, it is that shop! I’ve mailed to ask them to tell me when they have the shrimps again on stock!
Hi all
I have been doing a little bit of research into native Caridina species found in Parosphromenus biotopes, and the choices seem to come down to two main ones.and Caridina propinqua, although there seems to be two forms, one of which lives above tidal zone and one that does not.
But certainly the malayensis species is the one found in peat swamps
Regards
RodOh – Red List of threatened species … I think that is not a species to bring home from a trip there …
Hello you all!
Now I have another question:I´ve got my simoni simoni shrimps some time ago.
They seem to do well.Before I got the simoni, my friend “invaded” some red fire shrimps without much color, small and bigger ones, about 10 or 11, we think, in the dark water tank …
I cought most of them out of the tank before I set the simoni into the water ….
But I guess there still are left two or three or four, specially the smaller not coloured ones ;-( ….
Do you think they will disturb the simonis breeding with their pheromones?They won’t breed across the species the cross breed list say …
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