Shrimps

[midge]

I have ben reading the posting in the forum. The usual shrimps mention are

Malayan
Amano
Cherry
Tiger

What other freshwater shrimp are there? What they do? Amano is good at clearing algae but how bout cherry, tiger , malayan?

What the max size of al these shrimps?

[stormhawk]

midge, shrimps are basically scavengers. in this case, most people keep them to clear up unwanted algae and those leftover fish food that the fish do not eat. these shrimps come in many sizes, colours, and patterns.

the most commonly seen aquarium shrimp is the Amano shrimp. these max out at around 5cm. they do eat algae but they also may prey on your smaller fishes and other smaller shrimp. they prefer cooler temperatures. they're also known as Yamato shrimp.

Malayan shrimp are slightly smaller and can tolerate warmer temperatures. they come in all sorts of colours (blue, red, green, mottled), why they have colours i do not really know but they are the most affordable shrimp to have. they do eat algae but not as efficient as the Amano shrimp. they max out at roughly around 3cm to 4cm.

Cherry shrimp are really tiny buggers. these have a patchy red pattern on the body that makes them look like tiny red wigglers. these eat algae too but prefer cooler temperatures. i've never seen any larger than 2.5cm. expensive too! :p

Tiger shrimp are also a smaller and more colourfully patterned shrimp. most people keep them for their pattern as their algae-eating abilities are not well-known. these are said to come from southern china and therefore prefer cooler temperatures. the pattern with vertical barring on the body is unmistakable. these guys max out roughly around 3cm, cost wise, just slightly cheaper than the cherry shrimps.

Other shrimps :

Bee shrimp : these are also tiny cute shrimps with blotches on the body. makes them look really like tiny bumblebees at work. they do scavenge for anything edible in the tank and a group of bee shrimps hanging around on a ball of food is quite a sight indeed. these guys are expensive too, depending on the location where they come from. size-wise, they max out at 2cm.

Wood shrimp : these are larger shrimps with fan-like appendages rather than claws. these guys love to hang out near sources of water current, i.e, the filter output, cos they filter out small particles of food from the water. these guys are huge though, depending on the species. size can be anything from 6cm and above.

Glass shrimp : these are the common feeder shrimp sold for predatory fish. these guys are very voracious feeders and will kill smaller fish if given the chance. their size varies from individual to individual but average size is around 5cm for most adults. real cheap, $1 gets u a bag of about 30+ shrimp, inclusive of juveniles and adults. sometimes u get stowaways like gobies and baby snakeheads in the bags. :D

Rhino shrimp / Mosquito shrimp : these look just like the glass shrimp but are more colourful. some of them have a long bright red rostrum and their tails are patterned. these should cost roughly around $1 per shrimp. size, they should max out around 4 to 5 cm.

okay, hope this helps u out. to the other members, any errors please correct me ah ;)

[midge]

Thanks StormHawk :D :D