April Meeting
About twenty people showed up to listen to Jacob Waters’ highly informative presentation on freshwater shrimp. Jacob started keeping shrimp 3.5 years ago and now has numerous varieties in his mostly 10 gallon tanks.
The most he’s paid for a single shrimp was $900 which included shipping and other expenses. In general, having lots of plants is a must in a shrimp tank because they provide lots of food for the invertebrates. Jacob uses mostly mosses. Shrimp self-regulate their population; once they reach a maximum number for their enclosure, the females stop getting berried. Jacob feeds a variety of food including mulberry leaves, spinach, cucumbers, and banana stems in addition to the biofilm growing in his tanks. He also makes his own shrimp food. He feeds every 3-5 days.
He uses cholla wood and almond leaves in his tanks. He keeps his tanks between 68 and 72 Fahrenheit, which enables the shrimp to live about 2 years. Higher temperatures shorten their lifespan.
There are two genuses Jacob discussed in detail. The easier to keep is Neocaridina. These shrimp don’t need anything special in their water and only cost between $1 and $20 each. Caridinas, on the other hand, require a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 and soft water. To set up a tank for them, he uses a buffering substrate, mineralized RO water, and does a 10% water change about every 4-6 months. Caridinas can cost from $3 to over $1,000. The price is so high partly because it takes between 10 and 20 years to stabilize a line. An easy beginner Caridina species is the tiger shrimp, which can be found in nature.