In this article I will share my experience of keeping these beautiful shrimps. This is my second attempt so far, the first one failed due to lack of knowledge and experience. Hopefully, this will be useful for you if you decide to keep these shrimps and to avoid mistakes that I've made in the past.
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| Caridina logemanni 'Crystal Red' |
KH or carbonate hardness should be between 1 - 2 dKH. On the internet you can find that 0 dkh is desirable - this is wrong! Water with carbonate hardness 0 has no buffer capacity and it is dangerous for shrimp because the pH is not stable (fluctuates).
TDS or total dissolved solids, should ideally range from 100 to 160. There are special minerals (that have to be mixed with RO water) on the market to achieve these parameters.
Temperature ideal for keeping and breeding CRS shrimp is 21-24 °C. Lower water temperature of 21-22 °C is desirable, shrimp will be better colored, while the temperature of 23-24° C helps eggs hatch a few days sooner . Temp. which exceeds 25 °C is not desirable. It is most important to keep it stable.
pH should be slightly acidic. The ideal pH ranges from 6.2 to 7.0. It is very important to keep the pH below 7. With a pH below 7 ammonia reacts with the water to form non-toxic ammonium, reducing the levels of free ammonia which is toxic. The lower the pH, more acidic the water and therefore lower the level of toxic ammonia.
Water change - I do not recommend large and frequent water changes (mistake I did before). Big water change at once can do more harm than good. CRS does not like drastic changes in water parameters. If ammonia and nitrite are 0 there is no need to change the water. I am currently changing only 10% of water every 7-10 days.
Tank setup
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| My CRS 30cm cube |
Filtration - these shrimp do not like strong water flow. Sponge filter is a good choice for CRS tank. HMF filtration is also a good option.
Decoration - Plants are desirable in the CRS aquarium, undemanding species such as mosses, ferns, Anubias and Bucephalandra are good choice. These plants can grow nicely without adding CO2. Not only the aquarium looks better with plants, but also they are very useful for maintaining good water quality. Limestone rocks are not a good choice because they can affect the hardness of the water (and pH). Inert stones such as Lava Rock are ok. Driftwood is a good choice, actually desirable.
The good addition for shrimp tanks are different dry leaves and Alder cones. I am using Indian Almond (Catappa) leaves.
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| CRS on Bucephalandra sp. 'Kedagang Mini' |
Substrate - The best choice is an active substrate such as ADA Amazonia (or simmilar soils). This substrate buffers pH at 6.5 but minimum substrate thickness should be at least 4-5cm to be able to buffer properly.
Feeding - CRS are omnivorous requiring a balanced diet. Feeding is important to give the CRS the required nutrients for breeding and birthing healthy young. It's important to not overfeed your shrimp. Overfeeding is a known cause of death and can also cause water quality issues. Only give them enough food that they can eat in 2-3 hours and feed them only a few times a week.
A balanced diet of fresh vegetables and processed foods are recommended. Blanched zucchini, spinach or nettle and specialized shrimp foods are important in providing the CRS with a balanced diet. Dry leaves such as Catappa are good to help in the process of shrimp breeding by providing a beneficial spot for bacteria to grow that young shrimp can feed on. When the leaves are left in the tank a multitude of microorganisms will begin to colonize the leave and break it down. These microorganisms create a biofilm which is the preferred food source for shrimp, especially shrimplets. The Indian Almond leaf also release compounds that have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
Breeding CRS is actually quite easy. If you have done everything right and provide them the ideal conditions, breeding will happen spontaneously.
If kept under good conditions, shrimps will breed with an egg gestation period of around one month. The eggs are carried underneath the female's abdomen and uses the pleopods to maintain a continuous circulation of water.
It's important to keep the water temperature at close to 24 °C
when baby shrimps are born. The babies of the Crystal Red Shrimp are colored just like their parents just after hatching.
Feeding - CRS are omnivorous requiring a balanced diet. Feeding is important to give the CRS the required nutrients for breeding and birthing healthy young. It's important to not overfeed your shrimp. Overfeeding is a known cause of death and can also cause water quality issues. Only give them enough food that they can eat in 2-3 hours and feed them only a few times a week.
A balanced diet of fresh vegetables and processed foods are recommended. Blanched zucchini, spinach or nettle and specialized shrimp foods are important in providing the CRS with a balanced diet. Dry leaves such as Catappa are good to help in the process of shrimp breeding by providing a beneficial spot for bacteria to grow that young shrimp can feed on. When the leaves are left in the tank a multitude of microorganisms will begin to colonize the leave and break it down. These microorganisms create a biofilm which is the preferred food source for shrimp, especially shrimplets. The Indian Almond leaf also release compounds that have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
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| My CRS likes blanched nettle |
If kept under good conditions, shrimps will breed with an egg gestation period of around one month. The eggs are carried underneath the female's abdomen and uses the pleopods to maintain a continuous circulation of water.
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| 1 day old CRS - size about 3mm |
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Ph- 6.4
ReplyDeleteGh- 5
KH-4
TDS 130-200
Temp- 25C
Fully cycled
Are these parameters favorable for keeping CRS?
Hello, it is fine for keeping them. However, if you want to breed them you should lower KH for at least 2 degrees. Also, temperature is at upper limit. Good luck!
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