Fairy Shrimp

[RTR]

If you want a fascinating shrimp tank, try Red-Clawed Macros* (They are a Macrobrachium species, but one of the very, very few known to have no planktonic larval stage - most require BW to SW for the babies. These do NOT). You can keep a trio in a 10, but a 15 or 20-long is better, a 33XL big enough to be productive (why you want this I am not sure, but I have one with them). They have the standard long-armed shrimp appearance. Plus the somewhat nasty temper of their family, but are not really that untrustworthy. They battle mainly among themselves, over food, or between males for female access. Rarely do they personally harm fish, but I have seen on-line reports of them killing and devouring other smallish tank fish. I am uncertain of these, as mine have never yet caught any other tank inhabitant, and I have co-housed them with a wide variety of fishes. I have not even seen any tattered tails of fins. I suspect that if a shrimp was devouring a fish, it was dead or moribund already (much like the fish "caught" by small filters or innocuous tankmates, where the poor critter was dead or dying and then opportunistically eaten).

However, I would never co-house then with anything I wanted to breed - they are avid egg-eaters - or with any bottom-feeder - they are master food/pellet/tablet thieves. It is like watching ants - this tiny young shrimp carrying off a tablet larger and of greater mass than itself while an 8'' catfish is scanning the tank for its dinner. They are not interested in algae, they want flesh or prepared food. There is strong territoriality among males, and only one will be dominant and full size in any tank below 48" long, where you may have a couple if there is plenty of cover (I use Anubias b. nana). But they are diurnal, unafraid, and highly active (read as: hungry). They are the crustacean version of many dwarf Cichilds, interesting even if not very colorful. They are well worth investing in a tank for them for a few years.

The young should be taken by most small puffers**. The full-sized males you will not get without wasting a lot of tank space for dominant grow-out. The adult females are smaller than males, and shorter-lived (common in captive bred critters - breeding is hard on females).

*http://www.petshrimp.com/redclawmacro.php

**Not DPs, please. The shrimp are egg-eaters.