Whisker shrimp?

[Snow1576]

I just saw these at my LFS was wondering if anybody knows anything about them? Did a google search but not much info turns up on them, just that they grow to 2 inches and like a ph of 6.8-7.0. They were clear like ghost shrimp.

[Yadokari]

I have never owned them myself, however, I have seen info on them about their vicious behaviors. They're meaner than ghosties (although ghost shrimp aren't THAT aggressive). Whiskers will more likely eat a guppy fry or anything small.

[Snow1576]

I bought 5 of them and they seem to get along fine with all my fish although they have an appetite for ghost shrimp. So far I dont see any problems with them. They walk freely throughout the bottom of the tank and occasionaly take a swipe at fish that come to close but thats about it. They also like to hang out in dark under the rock areas aswell. They are about 2 to 2 1/2 inches and have long claws but like I said so far so good.

[pixl8r]

After watching your Youtube video, I can tell you that your 'whisker shrimp' are a Macrobrachium shrimp species. It is impossible to tell exactly which species, but they show aggressive behaviors similar to M. rosenbergii. FYI, M. rosenbergii get very large and if you have multiple males, the dominate may kill off all of the others. They are also known to be very aggressive towards fish and can grow quite large.

Not all Macrobrachium shrimp are aggressive. Many are very peaceful and can
be kept with peaceful fish. I recommend searching the species page at http://www.petshrimp.com/ for some information on peaceful species. There is also some information in the forums on the more aggressive Macro shrimp species (but you need a forum membership to fully utilize the search feature).

[Snow1576]

After watching your Youtube video, I can tell you that your 'whisker shrimp' are a Macrobrachium shrimp species. It is impossible to tell exactly which species, but they show aggressive behaviors similar to M. rosenbergii. FYI, M. rosenbergii get very large and if you have multiple males, the dominate may kill off all of the others. They are also known to be very aggressive towards fish and can grow quite large.

Not all Macrobrachium shrimp are aggressive. Many are very peaceful and can
be kept with peaceful fish. I recommend searching the species page at http://www.petshrimp.com/ for some information on peaceful species. There is also some information in the forums on the more aggressive Macro shrimp species (but you need a forum membership to fully utilize the search feature).

Thanks for your info Im going to check it out. Like I said so far they seem to get along fine with my fish but if a fish does get to close they do take a swipe at them. Luckily my tank is big enough and their is plenty of room for all them to hang out at.

[pixl8r]

I've been breeding various Macrobrachium species for a while now. They all display interesting behaviours that dwarf shrimp lack, hence my fasination with them. Even a 65G tank can be dominated by a single alpha male M. rosenbergii. Given the right environment and food, they can grow to over a foot long (not including their claws). I hope that you've got another species of Macros there.

[Snow1576]

I've been breeding various Macrobrachium species for a while now. They all display interesting behaviours that dwarf shrimp lack, hence my fasination with them. Even a 65G tank can be dominated by a single alpha male M. rosenbergii. Given the right environment and food, they can grow to over a foot long (not including their claws). I hope that you've got another species of Macros there.

I hope they are different to! A foot long? :eek:

Im going to take a couple of shots of them right now and post them on here and see if you can tell.

[Snow1576]

Here are some shots that actually came out clear..

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x153/prokomenos/2059140c.gif

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x153/prokomenos/6ea8e421.gif

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x153/prokomenos/3fddbd29.gif

[pixl8r]

I'm about 90% sure that they are not M. rosenbergii. While the young resenbergii shrimp are very translucent, they do tend to have a slight blue hue in their tails, which deepens as they age, and a tint in their claws.

FYI, Macrobrachium shrimp have some common characteristics. They tend to be territorial, particularly among the males. One male shrimp will become the dominate or alpha male. He will develop the largest claws/body and typically has the most color for a male. A male tries to keep as many females in his territory as possible and actively courts females just before they become fertile. The male will hold his claws out wide and walk around the female, and chase any other male that gets close.

Watch your shrimp. If they develop color as they age check this page for possible species matches: http://www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/Shrimp.htm?Longarm.htm~mainFrame

There are many undefined species of Macrobrachium shrimp so 'Whisker Shrimp' could very well be the generic Macrobrachium sp. (undefined species).

[Snow1576]

Great and thanks a lot for the info. I cant find any information on these guys such as determening male from female, sensitivity to what, breeding and so on. I went to that site petshrimp.com but not much about them and plus I couldnt register to ask.

[pixl8r]

Regardless of species, Macrobrachium shrimp have visual cues that denote male and female, among mature shrimp. Here is a picture of one of my males:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x130/pixl8r/Alpha_Male.jpg

Here is a picture of one of my females:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x130/pixl8r/Adult_Female.jpg

Color does not always matter. What you want to look at is the size of the claws, and the shape of the tail. Note that the claws of the male are much more developed. While the tail of the female is thicker/taller. This is due to the protected area where the female holds and nurtures eggs while they develop.

[Snow1576]

So we have the same species but different types? Do you know anything about water conditions and so on that they need?

[pixl8r]

So we have the same species but different types? Do you know anything about water conditions and so on that they need?

Same genus, different species. I breed five different species of Macrobrachium shrimp.

[Snow1576]

What else can you tell me about them. They are very fascinating to watch. More active then my fish to be quite honest.

[pixl8r]

I completely agree, they are very interesting. That's why I have over 20 tanks of them now.

Honestly, without knowing the exact species you have, I can't give you specific environmental requirements. Some Macrobrachium species need saltwater environments in order for young to develop through their larval stages. However, if you see a female with eggs, and you can easily distinguish each egg then it is likely that your shrimp will not need any special brackish water or greenwater foods to help the young develop.

Some Macrobrachium species have a more complex male hierarchy. There is one dominate male and one or more sub-dominate males. The alpha male in such species (rosenbergii for instance) releases a hormone that prevents any other male from displaying the coloration of the alpha male. If possible, the alpha male (blue claw) will kill off any other males that display the sub-dominate colors (orange/yellow claw). This is because the sub-dominates continue to grow, and may become larger than the alpha male. If this happens, the sub-dominate male triggers the alpha male hormone and he will take on the existing alpha male. That is how the super large males develop. There are records of rosenbergii males that exceed 15" body length, 2+ feet if you include their claws.

Due to their size and aggression, M. rosenbergii are not commonly (knowingly) sold in the aquarium trade. There have been instances of 'Ghost Shrimp' that turned out to be such. I believe that this happens because of escapees from the shrimp farm industry (the most common source for M. rosenbergii).

Smaller, less aggressive species, such as M. dayanum. Display most of the same hierarchical organization (with the exception of no sub-dominate male group) but are much, much less likely to decimate the population of a communal aquarium. I still recommend keeping species tanks (for breeding purposes), with a population of one alpha male with two or three females. If you have a tank with a large footprint (not just high volume of water), you can support multiple breeding groups. The females will move more freely about the tank, while the males will tend to stick to their established territories. The males will do some digging and rearranging, but nothing to the extent that crayfish do.

Personally I take the females out of their tank when their eggs near hatching and I put them into a different hatchery tank. Twenty four to thirty six hours after I see eggs hatch, I remove the female and put her back in her original tank. This maximizes the number of young that survive. I sell the young once they reach about 1/2" long. This takes about two to three months. Macros grow slower than dwarf shrimp, relative to their proportional size, because they live longer than dwarf shrimp.

[Notophthalmus]

Not to hijack the thread, but have you kept M. ohione, Pixl8r? I've been wanting to get some for a while now, but I have only found a scattering of info on them and no sources.

[pixl8r]

No I do not breed them.

[Snow1576]

The only thing I know is that they were labled whisker shrimp. Im assuming the smaller ones are the females only because they seem to be carrying eggs. The males I think are the larger ones. I also noticed the largest of the shrimp likes to hang out under a cliff throughout the day. I have them in my 65 tank..

[Snow1576]

It seems something has been killing my whisker shrimp at night and I think its my new discus. Ever since Ive put it in my tank their has been a dead whisker in the morning when I turn on the light. So far three of my largest whisker shrimp have been killed! :eek:

[thebullit]

i take it its not just a molted skin?

[Snow1576]

i take it its not just a molted skin?

Nope not molting skin..

[pixl8r]

It seems something has been killing my whisker shrimp at night and I think its my new discus. Ever since Ive put it in my tank their has been a dead whisker in the morning when I turn on the light. So far three of my largest whisker shrimp have been killed! :eek:

That is very likely. Discus, and angles, are natural predators for shrimp. It is likely that your discus will hunt down all of the shrimp in your tank.

[Snow1576]

That is very likely. Discus, and angles, are natural predators for shrimp. It is likely that your discus will hunt down all of the shrimp in your tank.

My other three Discus which Ive had way before Ive bought my whisker shrimp have never seemed to bother them. It must be this new one that has a taste for shrimp. Im going to end up moving the rest of my whisker shrimp in a 10 gallon that is still in the process of cycling. Ive taken a big liking to those shrimp.