wooooooot my hubby finally agreed to let me look for a ten gallon tank!!!!! who knew i'd only have to buy him a new computer game to get him to cave in? >.> it will be a while before i'm stocking it, seeing as i don't even have it yet, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun!!!! i'm open to all kinds of inverts- snails, shrimp, clams, crabs, whatever- let's just have fun with this!!! give me a plan for a ten gallon all-invert tank! :woot:
Here are some general tips. If you want to setup a breeding colony of any shrimp species, you'll need a filtration system that has some type of screen to keep the young from being sucked up and killed. Many use sponge/airpump filters. These work very well for shrimp only colonies. If you have snails in the mix, you may need a bit more. I use HOB filters with canister foam blocks, cut down to cover the intakes. They work greate, last a long time, and increase the filter area, improving water quality more.
Good luck!
Here's some information you may, or may not know. I'm not going to give you specific pH/Temp or other environmental needs, but you can search by the scientific names, and common names (when given) to find out all you need.
Crabs;
Crabs typically take a more tankscaping than most realize. Most kinds require land to burrow in, typically dry. And water to hang out in. Most of these common species have very specific breeding requirements. Examples are Fiddler crabs (Uca spp.), and Red Claw crabs (Sesarma bidens).
There are exceptions, vampire crabs (Geosesarma sp.) is one. They are dry land crabs, only requiring a water dish/small pool to drink and wash in.
Snails
There are many 'new' types of snails that have been either impossible to find, or outragously expensive, or both, until recently. There's the standby Apple snail, Mystery snail (I won't bother with the scientific name there, it's changed and I haven't cared to keep up with them). The newer breeds are Nerits (of multiple species) and Assassin snails (Anentome helena). Then there are the pest (to some) variety; MTS, Japanese Trapdoor, Ramshorns, and pond or bubble snails.
Shrimp,
There are many, <--MANY species of fresh water shrimp available now.
Dwarf shrimp, These include the Neocaridina spp., Caridina spp, -- uh, Opai ula (can't remember scientific name right now), and a few other Genus that I can't remember. The 'Dwarf' is in reference to the size of their claws, in relation to the size of their bodies. It has nothing to do with the overall size of the shrimp. Each species has particular environmental needs. You can mix many, but there are hidden dangers. Some will interbreed (being the same species, just selective bred prepresentations for specific color (RCS, Yellow, etc...). If you combine these species you will get 'wild type' shrimp. In other words, drab, brownish or other muted colored shrimp. The other danger is to put types of shrimp that may live together, in the same tank, but really have different environmental needs to thrive.
Filter feeding shrimp.
There are two common species Vampire shrimp (Atya gabonensis), and Bamboo/Wood shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis). They have similar habitat requirements. Vampire, sometimes called African, or Giant African shrimp, will grow to ~5 inches, under good conditions. Bamboo shrimp get to be ~4 inches. They both do best in thanks that are well established (plenty of microbial live), and a strong current from something like a power head moving water in the tank.
Long arm shrimp / prawn.
There are many species of this type of shrimp. They are of the genus Macrobrachium. They all vary in adult size from ~1.5 (M. kulsinse), to over a foot. The rule of thumb is, the larger the species, the more aggressive. One of the more common large species is M. rosenbergii, or one of the rosenbergii sub species. These will destroy any other living thing in their tank. However, they are rarely mislabled, and you can determine if you have one while they are still relatively young and small ~4 inches.
I've kept many Macrobrachium species over the years, and still keep four.
Of all species of shrimp I've kept, Macrobrachium shrimp have the most complex behavioural systems. Ranging from mating, to territory marking, and creating a hierarchy of who gets what food. I have some species that I've kept with dwarf shrimp, snails, and live breeding fish.
Other shrimp types;
Ghost/glass shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.) are usually sold extremely cheep, as feeder shrimp, for freshwater fish. They are very interesting, easy to keep, and display habbits different from dwarf shrimp.
Clams;
Of all animal types you listed, I've the least experience with clams. I've only had one, and I only had it for about six months. I gave it to a friend who wanted it, and I wasn't that interested in keeping it. Clams, like Bamboo shrimp, are filter feeders. They need tanks that have a well establish microbial life cycle. Some people have had bad experiences with clams, because they dig into the substrate, and stay there. Then, for one of any number of reasons, they die and cause a toxin spike, if there aren't enough scavengers in the tank to quickly eat the dead.
One you didn't mention was Crayfish.
In a 10g tank you would have to stick with dwarf species. There are many peaceful dwarf species of crayfish, that can coexist with shrimp, snails, and fish. Avoid any non-dwarf speices. There are peaceful larger crayfish, but it would be very cramped in a 10g tank.
Have fun,
Kary
and say twenty shrimp, a dwarf gourami and a few guppies?
