"Crystal Red" shrimps in a 25 liter (5.5 US gal.) aquarium
I read an ad in an aquarium magzine offering "Crystal Red" shrimps at a favorable price. I have some space left in my 25 liter (5.5 US gal.) tank currently stocked with 3 "Amano" shrimps (Neocaridinia multidentata, formerly Caridina japonica) and a species I do not know that has an evenly orange shell. I will check literature once more as to find out which species it is. My question: How many "Crystal Red" shrimps can I keep in my tank? I am afraid that larvae might be drawn into the internal filter. "Wrapping" the internal filter would probably also not help much, would it? I imagine the larvae helplessly "sticking" on the filter, instead of being trapped in it?
Hello,
possibly, the orange animal is a dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus patzcuarensis 'Orange', often referred to as "Mexican Orange" dwarf crayfish)?
10 - 15 animals are alright; however, the tank should be planted rather densely in this case. It commonly occurs that one species will dominate in the long run, and the other ones by and by disappear when keeping several shrimp species together. It is therefore advisable to consider setting up a separate aquarium for the "Crystal Red" - after all, this does not cause too much effort with the aquarium size in question!
This "suction problem" is very easy to solve by using an air-operated sponge filter (e.g. sera internal filter L 60 with a membrane pump)! The biological capacity is by far sufficient for such a shrimp tank, and the water current is so gentle that even small larvae do not encounter problems.
If they are nevertheless sitting on the sponge cartridge they do so for other reasons: tasty micro organisms that live there!
Best regards
sera GmbH
Dr. Bodo Schnell