Your Red Claw Shrimp advice?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

kj5kb

KEEPER OF CATS, FISH AND CATFISHES
Mar 1, 2007
1,513
1
38
58
Spring Hill Kansas SW of Kansas City
Real Name
Don
I bought 8 1" juvie red claw macros last week for $14 (!) at auction.

I've been researching their care; I've seen the info on the web and in other AC posts...can YOU add anything from your experience?...

I have them in a bare 4g for now, will try to get them a 10G of their own eventually (have the 10, just need a place to PUT it!).

-Should I plan to remove the lesser males once I can sex them?
--or move a lesser male and a female to another tank ?

-Do they swim much...using the mid-upper levels like RCS and amanos do - or do they mostly walk? I will set up the tank accordingly. So far they seem to hang out all over the handful of Java moss in the 4G.

-How about some really small fish in with them, like Endler's? I realize I might lose a few fish, but they make more quickly...and that would make the tank a bit busier. or...would even small fish eat the baby shrimp?

-Lava rock OK with them? I have some big chunks with holes that would look nice with them.

-Plants with them...java ferns, amazon swords etc?
Do they like a lot of cover, like RCS, or mainly caves?

-what size PVC for caves...3/4 x 4"?

I know that's long...any of those you could answer would be much appreciated. I can't find much "from my experience" info on the www.
Feeding should not be an issue...they seem to like crab cuisine OK...and of course snails !
 
Last edited:

Synthetic8

Registered Member
Mar 7, 2009
2
0
0
40
hello, I have raised and succesfully bred red claw shrimp by just having a well planted tank(java moss, amazon swords, hanging plants, and bamboo/house plants. I keep a hybrid mix of cobra guppies and endlers in a 75 gallon planted tank with halves of clay pots for hiding spots that the females like to inhabit when they are carrying eggs. The Dominant alpha male likes to snag the tails on the cobra guppies and eat them when he is lucky enough to dart into them. Mostly the females stay on the ground and the males attempt to use their rotors to swim to the top somewhat inaccurately trying to ram into fish and snag them. they also like using hanging plants mostly to get to the top. The hanging plants give the fish a better advantage at survival when they sleep. Platys tend to get eaten more often seeing as they seem to be heavier sleepers and don't notice the shrimp like the live bearers do. I also keep placos, rcs, blue shrimp, red nose shrimp, atya, and kuhli loaches in with them without casualties. You could remove the lesser male and place him in another tank with some more females and he will become alpha male of that tank when he sheds I believe, but I am totally sure on this(someone please comment if you know.) I have lava rock in my tank so it should be no problem.
 

Synthetic8

Registered Member
Mar 7, 2009
2
0
0
40
Note: Just noticed the other day a red claw macro grabbing up one of my small sulawesi :(. Stupid of me. got shrimp away without harm had to isolate macros in seperate tank as to not risk my smaller shrimp species being eaten. They must fancy themselves sophists to be eating such a delicacy... "What the guppies are to good for you!"-
 

pixl8r

MacroShrimpBreeder
May 11, 2007
720
0
0
Utah
I'm glad you found some.

-Should I plan to remove the lesser males once I can sex them?
--or move a lesser male and a female to another tank ?


That is totally up to you. If you want to maximize the number of offspring, then you should do the following;

Have 1 adult male w/2 adult female shrimp in a 10g tank.
Have 1 20g grow out tank per breeder tank.

When eggs are ready to hatch (have changed to translucent color with tiny dark spots, shrimp eyes), move the female to a floating breeder trap, in the grow out tank. 24 hours after the last egg has been hatched (just in case), move the female back to her original tank.

Sexing,
You'll have to wait until the shrimp are sexually mature to distinguish them. They are different from Caridina, and Neocaridina species, however. The adult male is larger than the adult female. The male will also have larger, and darker, claws. The female will have a more developed tale, to hold the eggs.

-Do they swim much...using the mid-upper levels like RCS and amanos do - or do they mostly walk? I will set up the tank accordingly. So far they seem to hang out all over the handful of Java moss in the 4G.

8 1" Red Claw shrimp is too much for a 4g tank. They need more area to walk around. I would get them moved to the 10g as soon as possible. The younger the shrimp, the more they swim and explore. Adults do climb plants, but they do not swim much, unless part of their 'fight or flight' responce.

-How about some really small fish in with them, like Endler's? I realize I might lose a few fish, but they make more quickly...and that would make the tank a bit busier. or...would even small fish eat the baby shrimp?

I've kept Red Claw shrimp with many different species of dwarf shrimp and live breeding fish, as well as crayfish, and plecos. All species that were able to reproduce (had male and female) successfully reproduced. The most important factors in this is to have plenty of room, hiding places, and most impotantly, make sure that everyone is fed.

-Lava rock OK with them? I have some big chunks with holes that would look nice with them.

Lava rock is fine, as long as it's not leeching toxins into the water.

-Plants with them...java ferns, amazon swords etc?
Do they like a lot of cover, like RCS, or mainly caves?

Like all species of shirmp, they do need cover. Try any plant you like. Becareful if you use fertilzers.

-what size PVC for caves...3/4 x 4"?


Try some differing sizes, 3/4ths, 1/2".

Good luck,
Kary
 

fish noob

AC Members
Jun 1, 2020
5
1
3
24
pls help me i got a ghost shrimp from petsmart but turned out it was a red macro shrimp and its starting to attack my guppies and oto catfish so do you have any tips on how to make them stop attacking my fish i dont want to kill them and my mom said i cant buy a 5 gal or any fish tank so all im left with is large pots so can it live in a lage pot? also what do they eat other then my fishes:(
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store