http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=197
'Can Amano shrimp really breed in freshwater?' A shrimp taxonomist sets the record straight, writes Matt Clarke.
Caridina multidentata need saltwater to breed.
A reader called Diane recently dropped me a line to say that she'd successfully bred her Amano shrimps in freshwater.
While quite a few popular aquarium shrimp do breed in the aquarium, Amano shrimp, Caridina multidentata (formerly C. japonica) have a larval phase and are believed to reproduce only in marine or brackish conditions.
A few aquarists have claimed to have achieved such successes with the species, but the received wisdom is that the real C. multidentata needs saltwater.
Diane asked on the forums but was told that her shrimps couldn't be C. multidentata, as they don't breed in freshwater.
In attempt to find out more, she sent some of the shrimps away to a marine biology student, who identified them "without doubt" as Amano shrimps.
We passed on Diane's query to shrimp taxonomist Werner Klotz, who is something of an expert on the subject. Klotz told Practical Fishkeeping:
'Freshwater breeding Amanos' have been discussed for a long time. In my opinion, the true Amano shrimp, Caridina multidentata has an obligate requirement for marine water for larval development.
It could be possible that very few larvae (about 1 in 100,000) could develop in a freshwater tank, if the water contained high levels of calcium, magnesium or chloride ions. But continuous rearing of Caridina multidentata in freshwater is impossible.
There are some freshwater shrimp that are able to breed in freshwater and look similar to C. multidentata. Maybe the shrimp in question belongs to one of these three species.
If a shrimp population is breeding well in freshwater the larval biology and development will be somewhat different to that described in C. multidentata and this will belong to a distinct species.Klotz said he's happy to take a look at two or three adult specimens of the shrimp to confirm their identity, but suspects that they are one of the the other three similar looking Caridina.
'Can Amano shrimp really breed in freshwater?' A shrimp taxonomist sets the record straight, writes Matt Clarke.
Caridina multidentata need saltwater to breed.
A reader called Diane recently dropped me a line to say that she'd successfully bred her Amano shrimps in freshwater.
While quite a few popular aquarium shrimp do breed in the aquarium, Amano shrimp, Caridina multidentata (formerly C. japonica) have a larval phase and are believed to reproduce only in marine or brackish conditions.
A few aquarists have claimed to have achieved such successes with the species, but the received wisdom is that the real C. multidentata needs saltwater.
Diane asked on the forums but was told that her shrimps couldn't be C. multidentata, as they don't breed in freshwater.
In attempt to find out more, she sent some of the shrimps away to a marine biology student, who identified them "without doubt" as Amano shrimps.
We passed on Diane's query to shrimp taxonomist Werner Klotz, who is something of an expert on the subject. Klotz told Practical Fishkeeping:
'Freshwater breeding Amanos' have been discussed for a long time. In my opinion, the true Amano shrimp, Caridina multidentata has an obligate requirement for marine water for larval development.
It could be possible that very few larvae (about 1 in 100,000) could develop in a freshwater tank, if the water contained high levels of calcium, magnesium or chloride ions. But continuous rearing of Caridina multidentata in freshwater is impossible.
There are some freshwater shrimp that are able to breed in freshwater and look similar to C. multidentata. Maybe the shrimp in question belongs to one of these three species.
If a shrimp population is breeding well in freshwater the larval biology and development will be somewhat different to that described in C. multidentata and this will belong to a distinct species.
