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Re: shrimp question - reply



>One of the females is clearly loaded with eggs above her 
>swimmerets and I want to give those eggs the best chance for survival 
>that I can. Can you recommend what to do?
>
>I would like to add to this thread.  I have been reading the Amano book, =
>and he also suggests shrimp as a great way to control algae.  I wondered =
>if anyone knows what kind of shrimp he and Justin are refering to?  =
>Justin, what is the name of the shrimp you bought.  I would like to =
>inquire locally (Milwaukee, WI).  

The shrimp is probably a freshwater palaemonid (Palaemonetes kadiakensis or
P. paludosus are widely distributed: tributaries of the MS River, Gulf
States from Texas to Florida and up the east coast to about New Jersey). P.
paludosus has been reported to feed heavily on algae epiphytic on vascular
plants. 

Move the shrimp into its own small tank when the eggs are about to hatch
(eggs turn darker with embryonic development). Incubation period 12-24 days,
depending on water temperature. If you don't want to take a chance, move it
now into about a 2-5 gal tank, feed it lightly with flake food, aerate
gently and just change the water daily using water from your planted tank.
To avoid temperature differences and to simplify things, you can simply put
the shrimp in a floating plastic box in the planted tank. Tip the box to
change out part of the water daily. Either tank or box, put something in
there for the shrimp to hold onto (plastic plants or THIN layer of gravel).
Crustaceans get highly stressed from smooth/bare surfaces (called
thigmotactic response). The larvae hatch out already fairly advanced in
development and will eat brine shrimp readily. Move the parent ASAP after
hatching. The larvae will be free swimming for 2-3 weeks depending on temp
and then settle out. They will eat detritus with associated microorganisms
and flake food readily at that point. Good luck.



*******
Shiao Y. Wang
Univ. of Southern Mississippi
sywang at whale_st.usm.edu