Breeding Caridina Multidentata (Caridina Multidentata) In The Aquarium

Location

Natural habitats this species are rivers and creeks with lot of plants, stones and rocks in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Madagascar and Fiji.

Body description

Body of the shrimp is transparent-gray with light stripe on the back and dark, small spots on the sides. These spots create discontinuous, horizontal stripes. This species molts in order to grow. Female is larger than male and her spots on the sides are elongated - like small lines. Male's spots are rounded.

Characteristics and temperament

This species prefers to live in group of minimum 5. It feeds most of algae and it is very voracious. We should feed its once per day with ration of food which it will be eaten to 2 hours. This is peaceful and friendly species and we may keep its with other shrimps or small fish. The shrimps are apathetic and they hide during the molt or when they are sick.

Aquarium decoration

The aquarium should include lot of plants with fine leaves (e.g. java moss, canadian waterweed, riccia etc.), hiding-places among coconut shells, stones, roots, an effective spongy filtration system with gentle flow, oxygen-rich water. The species is sensitive to oxygen deficit. This species is mostly imported and long travel from its natural habitats is very stressed for shrimps. So they often die after letting their into aquarium.

Breeding

Reproduce this species is not easy task in aquarium. It reproduces sexually. Male deposits his sperm inside the female and his role in reproduction ended. Female lays eggs one by one and she puts fertilized eggs under her abdomen in her pleopods until their hatching. We should transfer female to a separate tank with brackish water after laid of the eggs or we should transfer fertilized female to the separate aquarium and we should gradually salt it up to 17g salt per litre for a period of 7 days. The breeding tank should include spongy filter with gentle flow, water with neutral pH and 21°C water temperature, full lighting. The eggs hatch after about 3 weeks. The larvae freely hung in the water. Then we should start to feed them. The larvae transforms to the adults after about 20 days. Then we should transfer young to the freshwater general tank.