Decorative aquarium shrimp. King, tiger and Atlantic shrimp Who eats shrimp in the sea

Shrimps (lat. Caridea) belong to the infraorder crustacean order decapods. Initially, they lived in the seas and oceans, but now they can be found in salt lakes and even in fresh water. Where exactly do shrimp live, and how do they differ? It turns out that their sizes directly depend on the places of dislocation and taste qualities. In the region of the equator lives a large number of shrimp variety different types. The closer to the poles of the Earth, the fewer these species. At the same time, the size of each individual specimen decreases simultaneously with the number.

Warm water shrimp

Warm-water shrimp can be easily found, caught and eaten in equatorial countries, for example, in Kenya, Brazil, Ecuador, or in the homeland of the most famous pirates in the world today - in Somalia. Here, in pacific ocean, at a water temperature of + 25 ... + 30 ° С and the largest (reaching a size of 30 centimeters) and delicious shrimps are found on the globe- they are also called. For residents Galapagos Islands the extraction and export of these crustaceans is one of the main sources of income. But shrimp from the waters are the most valued all over the world. Latin America where they are bred on special farms. They meet the highest quality standards, because the owners and employees are proud of their impeccable reputation and do not want to spoil it for anything.

Shrimp living in cold waters

Smaller shrimp (from 2.5 to 10 centimeters in size) live in the seas and oceans, with average temperature water +15°С. If you want to see these crustaceans in their native element or taste dishes prepared from freshly caught shrimp, head to the shores of the Baltic, Barents or North seas. However, the most delicious of the cold-water shrimp, from the point of view of gourmets, are those that can be found and caught in Greenland and off the coast of Canada.

freshwater shrimp

Freshwater shrimp can be classified as a separate family. They are found in the Amur River basin, live in the cave reservoirs of Transcaucasia. Shrimp living in the fresh waters of the Far East are considered relict, since as a result of geological changes in the land, they were isolated from other related species.

The influence of water temperature and salinity on the life of shrimp

Regardless of where shrimp live, their size and quality of life are subject to temperature fluctuations. environment. Individuals living in equatorial waters feel best in the temperature range from +25 to +30°C. If the temperature of their habitat drops, reaching +15°C and below, shrimps can die within a short time. However, an increase in temperature to just + 35 ° C is detrimental to crustaceans. For marine shrimp living far from the equator and freshwater shrimp living in the south of the Far East (in the most northern regions a habitat), Better conditions- +15°С. If the temperature drops to +10°C, shrimp larvae may die. When the water temperature approaches 0 degrees, adults are not able to survive either. If staying in isn't enough warm water becomes long, shrimp begin to feel bad, grow slowly or do not change in size at all and can survive in such conditions for only 2-2.5 months.

The salinity of water is much less important for shrimp than its temperature. Since all shrimp (even freshwater ones) are originally of marine origin, they are perfectly adapted to fluctuations in the salt content of the water. For example, freshwater shrimp living in the rivers of the Far East, without damage, experience a not too long increase in the level of salinity of the water to 16‰. Many species of shrimp during the breeding season are forced to migrate to places where fresh river water mixes with salty sea water, reaching a salt content of 22‰.

freshwater aquarium shrimp have recently become very fashionable and popular pets. They have not yet adapted to life in artificial ecosystems as well as fish that have been bred for hundreds of years. The content of these unusual aquatic life not particularly difficult, but may be difficult for beginners in the hobby.

The reason for this is hidden in the exactingness of crustaceans to the quality of water and fluctuations in its composition. Shrimp in an aquarium with fish can live and feel good for a while, and after changing the water, they suddenly begin to get sick or die. Even experienced owners of a home reservoir are sometimes very difficult to grow new representatives of the fauna.

Why do you need shrimp in an aquarium?

The function of exotic crustaceans in an aquarium is purely aesthetic. With a huge selection modern means algae control and filters that purify water from pollution, there is simply no need for animals that feed on detritus. Shrimps, like snails, can eat all kinds of organic debris, cleaning the bottom. Most do not disdain algae. But the efforts of breeders are mainly aimed at the beauty and brightness of the colors of small crustaceans, which are secretive and invisible by nature.

Thanks to this, very beautiful, artificially bred shrimp breeds of white, blue, yellow, red and green colors are already available in aquaculture. The number of shades and varieties of colors is even greater. very rare and valuable species are fabulously expensive and rather capricious, and easily breeding species (neocaridins, for example) are quite accessible even to beginners.

It is very interesting to watch unusual animals. A flock of bright red cherry trees looks very picturesque against the background of greenery and makes you want to immediately settle the same beauties in your aquarium. But these creatures will have to be looked after very carefully.

Shrimp content requirements

Due to the fact that freshwater shrimp in the aquarium are mainly bottom-dwelling, you have to constantly monitor these factors. In the lower layers of stagnant water, there is little dissolved oxygen, but ammonia and other nitrates (decomposition products of organic matter) are often in large quantities. These substances are poisonous not only for crustaceans, but the inhabitants of flowing water bodies are more sensitive to them.

Partial water changes along with aeration and filtration solve this problem.

To prevent this from happening, it is best to renew the water every 1–2 days: clean the aquarium and add about 10% fresh water, just as is done when caring for fish. During the replacement, you should try to pour the first portions of the liquid little by little, observing the condition and behavior of the crustaceans. If they start to worry, it is better to interrupt the procedure for 10-15 minutes so that the pets get used to fresh water a little. Then you can gradually pour in new portions.

The birthplace of most known breeds is Southeast Asia. This suggests that the animal prefers warmth. Optimal for keeping shrimp will be water with a temperature of about + 25 ° C. When it rises to 30 ° C, too little dissolved oxygen remains in it and the shrimp may die. In case of accidental overheating, you need to increase aeration and reduce the temperature by placing a plastic bag with cold water in the aquarium.

Keeping and caring for shrimp also includes providing the necessary mineral composition of water. Its reaction should be slightly alkaline (pH 6.5–8.5), and hardness is only welcome. Calcium salts are necessary for crayfish to form a shell. To maintain the amount of the mineral dissolved in water, you can put marble sand (crumbs of different fractions) into the aquarium, place sprigs of corals or pieces of limestone, marble, natural shells, etc.

When choosing a filter, it is best to focus on sponge (foam rubber) models.

Since crustaceans breed haphazardly and as long as shrimp live (2-3 years), young animals may end up in the aquarium unexpectedly for the breeder and fall into filters with other water intakes. The sponge filter is the safest for newborn shrimp.

Knowing what aquarium shrimp eat, you can provide them with all the necessary substances that are needed for proper growth, life and reproduction. Like snails or catfish, these inhabitants of the bottom water layers feed on detritus, that is, all kinds of organic matter that accumulates on the ground. It can be the remains of fish food, and dying parts of plants, and the corpses of fish or snails. Many species of aquarium shrimp can also eat filamentous algae.

The question of what to feed the shrimp, the breeders decide in their own way. You can also feed with spirulina tablets for catfish, and dry flakes for fish. Feeding shrimp should be varied, but not excessive. The remains of the meal must be removed after 1-2 hours so that they do not contribute to the accumulation of nitrates in the water.

Of the especially favorite feeds, tubifex can be distinguished. Shrimps eat these small worms with great pleasure. As a substitute for live food, pieces of meat (without fat) or fish can be used. But it is best to purchase special food for aquarium shrimp, in which all the substances they need are balanced.

If pets have to be left for a while, then feeding them may be the last issue to be addressed.

A pet grown on commercial feed will switch to its natural diet: it will eat algae, rotted leaves and other aquarium debris. The main thing to take care of is to ensure constant aeration.

How to put shrimp in an aquarium?

When buying a new pet, there is a problem of its transportation. In the case of acquiring a shrimp, it is also complicated by the fact that the animal can easily be injured when shaking and moving water in containers. It is convenient to transport crustaceans in plastic bag, after lowering the branches of plants there.

It is better to acquire young individuals. They adapt more easily to new conditions, and their color will appear as they grow older. But even in this case, before planting them in the aquarium, you need to adapt to the new composition of the water:

1. Put the brought shrimp in a large container. The volume of water with which they were transported should occupy about 20% of this container.
2. Collect water from the aquarium (80% of the volume of the container with shrimp) into a separate jar, where you need to transplant new pets.
3. Through a medical dropper with a dispenser, you need to gradually add this water to a container with shrimp. Set the liquid supply rate within 1–2 drops per 5 seconds.
4. Observe the behavior of animals. If they behave calmly, continue to add water until its volume increases by 2–2.5 times. If the shrimp thrash around or arch their backs, turn off the water supply for about 1 hour and provide aeration. Resume at a rate of 1 drop every 15-20 seconds.
5. After increasing the volume of water, as indicated in paragraph 4, carefully drain part of the liquid and continue adding aquarium water. In the process of increasing its volume, it is necessary to drain the part 1-2 more times.

When all the liquid intended for adaptation is over, leave the shrimp for 1 day in a new environment for them. If they feel normal, you can equalize the temperature and pour the contents of the container into the general aquarium.

Population density and species compatibility

Before buying new pets, you should evaluate in advance your ability to keep a certain number of individuals. A medium-sized crustacean (about 5 cm long) requires 2-3 liters of water. Based on this, it is necessary to calculate how much can be kept in one aquarium.

The compatibility of shrimp with fish deserves special mention. These crustaceans are peaceful and defenseless creatures, but they will not be able to get along with all fish. Any large or aggressive neighbors are undesirable for them.

Crustaceans get along well with small fish (guppies, mollies, neons, etc.) that live in the upper layers of the water.

These species simply will not interfere with each other and, accordingly, will not pay attention to the presence of neighbors. Among the bottom fish, with whom crustaceans get along, one can name peaceful catfish (corridors, speckled, thoracatums). But most often, aquarium shrimp, whose compatibility with fish is not particularly successful, are kept in separate reservoirs. This applies primarily to rare and valuable representatives.

In order for shrimp to feel calm at home, they need to provide good shelters. Pets can hide in thickets of algae, in decorative grottoes, under snags or in large shells. It is especially important for them to have a protected place during molting, when the old shell is shed, and the new one is not yet strong.

How are shrimp farmed?

Breeding aquarium shrimp does not require much intervention from the breeder. Animals have separate sexes. The female can be distinguished by her larger size and wide tail, on which she will carry eggs.

Reproduction of shrimps occurs in the period between molts. At this time, you can see caviar bags on the tail of the female. She bears offspring for 3-4 weeks.

By the time the young are hatched, dark inclusions become clearly visible inside the eggs.

If the breeding of aquarium shrimp is planned in order to increase their number or for breeding purposes, then the female with caviar must be carefully transplanted into a separate aquarium, pouring water from the general one into it. Newborn shrimp are very small and become food even for peaceful neighbors. But even in a separate reservoir, thickets of plants are needed, among which the young will be able to hide and feed.

What are shrimp?

Most unpretentious species shrimp at home can be grown by inexperienced aquarists. They belong to the genus Neocaridina. There are several breeds available, bred from the same wild ancestor. But there are also quite rare varieties of aquarium shrimp, the maintenance of which is difficult even for experienced breeders.

The most popular breeds include cherry shrimp, or cherry. They named them that beautiful coloring saturated red. Breeding cherry shrimp is a pleasure. Small, only 2.5-3 cm long, these crustaceans love to live in large flocks (at least 10 pieces), enlivening the underwater landscape. They are easy to keep in large numbers due to rapid reproduction: the female can bear about 30 eggs at once, giving offspring almost all year round.

For these babies, small-leaved plants are needed, such as Java and Christmas mosses, cladophora. Lomariopsis and Indian ferns will help decorate the landscape. You can complement the green decoration with floating plant species such as duckweed or riccia. The contrast of greenery and bright red crustaceans looks very elegant, and watching shrimps in an aquarium brings real aesthetic pleasure. To prevent shrimp from starting to eat plants, you need to lower a piece of apple to them, bell pepper, zucchini or other non-spicy vegetable that they can eat. It is not necessary to remove it, only it is worth changing it once a week.

Fellow red "cherries" are other neocaridins - yellow and fiery.

These are varieties descended from the same wild ancestor, so they can be housed and bred together. They interbreed easily and trying to select their offspring can be an interesting practice for young aquarists.

There is also a blue variety of neocaridines. Unlike yellow and red, this color is not inherited. It is caused artificially: with the help of special feed. It is not worth counting on the appearance of offspring with a blue shell even in isolated animals, but they can be used as genetic material when crossing red and yellow individuals.

Speaking of unpretentious varieties, first of all, their high resistance to fluctuations in water hardness, an extended temperature range (+18 ... + 29 ° C) is implied. But even these aquarium shrimp for breeding need good care, a variety of feeds and providing optimal conditions. To imitate natural environment, you can add dry woody leaves, pieces of oak wood, walnut shells to the water.

Other varieties of shrimp

Rare breeds are often not demanding, but simply more expensive. Among them there are very beautiful representatives, which professional breeders take to exhibitions and competitions. Some of the rare shrimp belong to the genus Caridin, and their maintenance differs little from caring for yellow or cherry ones.

Among these varieties are red and black bees. They are charming creatures. white color with 3-4 stripes of the corresponding color. The red bee is just a random mutation of the black variety, and breeding shrimp in an aquarium made it possible to fix this trait.

Another form derived from bees is a red and black crystal. Unlike the striped progenitors, the crystals have an almost entirely white body with a single spot on the cephalothorax. Amateurs distinguish groups with different outlines of the spot.

The unusual red-nosed shrimp is not bred at home.

Transparent creatures with a long red outgrowth in the front of the body are sold from the salt waters of India and neighboring countries. Reproduction can occur only in conditions corresponding to natural ones, but they are also able to live in freshwater aquariums.

The snowflake, white pearl, and blue pearl varieties belong to the same neocaridine genus as the simple "cherries". Their rarity is explained by the fact that these are relatively new breeds. They breed just as successfully as their counterparts, which means that soon they can be purchased more freely and they will get along in the same pond. When crossing white and red varieties, you can get cute pink and striped offspring.

There are many beautiful species of shrimp. Starting to breed these new pets for the aquarium, you can get a lot of positive emotions.

We eat it sea ​​creature and what do we know about it? Today, we will tell you how to live shrimp in sea ​​depths where it lives, what species exist and much more.

Shrimp Description

Shrimp- This is a mollusk belonging to decapod crayfish, with a body length of only 10-12 cm (some individuals reach a maximum of 30 cm) with a body weight of 20 grams. Life cycle of a shrimp varies from 1.5 to 6 years.

Did you know that the mollusk is a unique creature? These creatures are able to shed their shell, replacing it with a new one. But the most interesting thing is that the heart of a marine inhabitant and the genitals are located in the head area, where the digestive and urinary organs are also located! Like all crustaceans, and fish, shrimp breathes with the help of gills, which are located next to the walking legs, and are protected by a shell. By the way, no matter how surprising it may be, but in a normal state, the blood of a shrimp blue color! And only from a lack of oxygen, it becomes discolored. These creatures live in almost any body of water in the world, except for the Arctic and Antarctica, concentrating on the regions of the equator.

types of shrimp

Scientists identify more than 2,000 species, which they divided into subspecies:

1. Freshwater

2. Cold water

3. Warm water

4. Saltwater

SHRIMP HABITAT, BREEDING AND NUTRITION

Shrimp habitat

Did you know exactly what shrimp play an important role in the ecosystem of the seas and oceans? These small creatures clean the bottom of reservoirs from various tubifex, fish and aquatic insects. Looking for food marine life leads pretty active image life, constantly moving through water bodies. Little cleaners cleanse the body of dead brethren and small algae, sometimes attacking big fish, but only on sleeping or sick people.

Certainly, every species of shrimp lives in different places. Warm water, for example, live only in the southern oceans and seas, and there are about a hundred species of them. Cold water are found in the Baltic, North Sea, in the Barents Sea, near the coast of Canada and Greenland. By the way, this is one of the most common types of shrimp. You probably already understood that brackish molluscs are inhabitants of salty seas and oceans. freshwater they live in Russia, Australia, in the countries of South and Southeast Asia. Chilean inhabit the South American coasts, the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, and our favorite king prawns in the Atlantic Ocean.

What do shrimp eat

The basis of nutrition of the mollusk – organic matter and endangered aquatic plants. From plants, preference is given to juicy varieties, like ceratopteris. These creatures resemble scavengers who do not disdain to feast on dead molluscs and even juvenile fish. Shrimp there are organs of touch and smell, which perfectly help in finding food - these are kind of antennas on the head. Residents closer to the equator even dig up the ground in search, running along the perimeter until they stumble upon food. Once clam found what he was looking for, he instantly and greedily pounces on food. And only blind specimens of the Black Sea eat silt with their mandibles (jaws), and cold-water ones with pure plankton.

At home, we can add to the diet animal leaves of dandelion and clover, cucumbers, boiled carrots, zucchini, Walnut, chestnut, cherry.

Shrimp breeding

As soon as the female is ready to lay her eggs, she secretes a yellow-green mass with a specific smell, to which the males flock like bees to honey. As the couple chose each other, they begin mate that lasts no more than a minute. One female can lay 20-30 eggs, which take 10 to 30 days to develop, depending on the environment. During the moment of formation, the shrimp in the caviar changes from 9 to 12 times! First, the legs are formed, and only then the head with all the organs located there. About 10% of young animals die from predators, but in an aquarium you will be able to save 30%. And all because they are not able to get food, eating only the food they get.

VIDEO: ABOUT SHRIMP

IN THIS VIDEO, YOU CAN LEARN HOW SHRIMP IS REALLY GET FROM THE DEEP SEA

Shrimp (lat. Caridea) - belong to the infraorder of crustaceans from the decapod order (Decapoda). In total, there are about 250 genera and of them - 2 thousand species of shrimps. Shrimp sizes vary. Adults can be from 2 to 30 centimeters. The body consists of the cephalothoracic, abdominal and caudal sections, laterally compressed. Shrimp in nature is a very important step in the food chain. Without it, almost all marine life could not exist.

The skeleton of a shrimp is external, it is also a shell - a carapace, consists of chitin and minerals. The last segments of the abdomen (uropods) are wide plates that form a tail fan, with which the shrimp can make sharp swimming movements. The shrimp has long antennae (whiskers) - these are the organs of touch and smell. Under the antennae are the organs of chemical sense - antenoules.

Shrimp Features

How many legs do shrimp have? The answer seems to lie on the surface, but not all shrimp limbs are legs. The five rear pairs of pectoral legs are used for locomotion. The thoracic limbs have eight pairs, three of which are mandibles for grabbing food and self-defense. The other five pairs of thoracic limbs are used for locomotion. The legs located on the abdomen (pleopods) are used for swimming and for carrying eggs. The first pair of legs in males evolved into a copulatory organ. The lifespan of different types of shrimp can range from 1-2 years for dwarf shrimp and up to 10 years for long-clawed shrimp.

Where does shrimp live

Shrimps have spread widely throughout the world's oceans, many species have inhabited and fresh water. In tropical seas, there is a greater species diversity. In Russia, shrimp live on Far East, where their fauna is more than 100 species. Also found in Ukraine in the Azov and Black Seas.

Lifestyle and behavior

What do shrimp eat

Shrimps mainly feed on plankton, parts of algae, small invertebrates (insect larvae, worms), quickly completely eat dead fish. Shrimps of the species Palaemon, more rarely Masrobrachium, if they are hungry, can also hunt juvenile fish.

Shrimp breeding

Shrimps are separate. Many species are protandric hermaphrodites, meaning they change sex from male to female during their lifetime.

Shrimp lay up to 150,000 eggs. From them, a zoea larva appears, in primitive shrimp - a nauplius. Shrimp larvae are small planktonic organisms that serve as food for other animal species. The larvae are very sensitive to external environment.

natural enemies in nature

A large number of juveniles die in the larval stage, and only a small percentage of them survive to adulthood. Whales, whale sharks and other planktivorous feed on small shrimp. They also become the prey of other marine animals from bottom fish to shellfish, sea ​​birds and mammals.

How is it used by man

Shrimp meat is rich in proteins and amino acids. Like other seafood, they are high in iodine. They contain all fat-soluble vitamins: K, A, E, D, vitamins C (ascorbic acid), B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B9 (folic acid), PP (niacin), B-carotene. This real natural storehouse contains calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, fluorine, sulfur, zinc. The only drawback of shrimp is its high cholesterol content.

In science, there is no type of "royal" shrimp, this is the conventional name for all large shrimp. Most large view shrimp - tiger black shrimp, reaches 36 cm in length and 650 grams of weight.

Every year, over 3.5 million tons of shrimp worth $10 billion are caught in the seas and oceans. Bottom trawling of shrimp destroys their habitat for up to 40 years.

Most of the large and giant thirty-centimeter shrimp are grown on special farms. Because of this production, mangrove swamps and coral reefs are being destroyed in warm Asian waters. Farmed shrimp are stuffed with chemicals like urea and superphosphate. If these farms are located in the sea lane, then the tides carry the waste products to the sea.

By the way, the researchers found 162 types of microbes resistant to 10 different antibiotics in a batch of shrimp.

Aquarist with shrimps

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Shrimps, like other crustaceans, eat a wide variety of food. Dying aquatic plants, various organic residues are perfect for their nutrition. Shrimps are also not averse to feast on insects living near water bodies: tubifex, polychaetes, bloodworms, coretras (blood-sucking mosquitoes), daphnia. They also like to eat plants, mainly those that have soft, fleshy leaves (for example, ceratopteris). Of no less interest to crustaceans are the remains of dead snails, large and small fish, and other marine or freshwater animals. Representatives certain types shrimps (for example, belonging to the genus Palaemon) can attack juvenile fish at times when they are too hungry and unable to find other food. But in most life situations, shrimp are scavengers that feed on carrion. The mouthparts of crustaceans are mandibles (excellent developed jaws), which serve to grind food.

Large individuals living closer to the equator, in search of plant food, constantly actively dig up the soil of the bottom of the reservoir with their feet, pulling out the plants in it with roots and vigorously modifying the underwater landscape. They prefer to eat the inhabitants of the seas and oceans in the form of remains, which are much easier to find than to hunt live specimens. Species and number diversity various organisms, suitable for feeding shrimp, allows the latter to reach very large (up to 30 centimeters) sizes. They reach especially impressive sizes.

Shrimps that live on the shelf of the western coast of Africa live most often on muddy areas, near the mouths of rivers, where the temperature of the bottom water layer is kept within 15-20 ° C. Here, at a sea depth of 30-60 meters, during the daytime, shrimp are buried in silt. With the onset of darkness, they rise above the silt zone and begin to search for prey. The object of their hunting is usually small crustaceans.

Blind freshwater shrimp living in groundwater and cave waters Black Sea coast Caucasians feed on silt, which they rake in bunches of bristles on their claws.

What do farmed shrimp eat?

In Ecuador, which occupies one of the leading places in the world in the extraction and export of crustaceans, shrimp are massively bred on specialized farms in pools. Early in the morning every day the workers of these farms small boats they go out to artificial reservoirs, where they scatter special compound feed for feeding shrimp, trying to be in time before the onset of rain. Crustaceans are very sensitive to changes atmospheric pressure and in inclement weather they refuse to eat. If the food is placed in the pool at the wrong time, the shrimp will leave it unattended.

Shrimps, which do not grow happily on a farm, but in the wild, feed mainly on small crustaceans and various algae. Due to such food, they have stronger shells and a pronounced rich aroma than their relatives living in captivity. Shrimp living in natural waters are forced to spend a lot of time in motion, due to which their meat becomes denser.

Juvenile shrimp differ markedly from adults. It is extremely sensitive to changing environmental conditions and if they become unfavorable, it can often die. Also, juveniles, to a greater extent than sexually mature specimens, depend on the food diversity of the reservoir. During the molting period (2-3 days before and 1-2 after), shrimps do not need food. This time they spend hiding in thickets of plants, in accumulations of stones or other similar shelters.