How to keep crystal shrimp? A detailed guide to practical care techniques

1. Setting up the location

The place for keeping crystal shrimp should be cool and out of direct sunlight. This is a basic rule of keeping them, and you should avoid windows and places easily affected by outside conditions as much as possible. If there is more than one aquarium in the home, the aquarium for crystal shrimp should be placed at eye level, as this helps the keeper identify the health condition of the crystal shrimp.

In addition, it is best to remove the lid of the aquarium for crystal shrimp, as this makes maintenance easier. If you are worried that the crystal shrimp might jump out of the aquarium, you only need to lower the water level in the aquarium appropriately.

2. Equipment

Beginners or enthusiasts who have just started keeping crystal shrimp should, if using a small aquarium, preferably use a 60 cm aquarium with relatively stable water quality and a relatively sufficient water volume. If the number kept is small, a slightly smaller aquarium can also be considered.

In general, it is best to use a bottom filter when keeping them. However, a bottom filter makes it difficult to clean the roots of aquatic plants and the filter substrate, and occasionally the PH value and hardness may drop, so special attention is needed. In particular, regular water changes and maintaining stable water quality are key points in keeping them.

Of course, some enthusiasts also use bio-sponge and external sealed filters. But no matter which type is used for filtration, attention must be paid to the water intake, and it is best to add filter cotton for protection to prevent crystal shrimp fry from being sucked away by the water flow.

For keepers using an upper filter or an external filter, as many filter materials as possible should be used in the filter compartment, such as bio-sponge or bio-ceramic filter rings, premium filter media, magnetic bio-sponge, and various other filter materials. Their characteristics are: a relatively large surface area and a fast reproduction rate of nitrifying bacteria, making it difficult for the filter device to become clogged.

3. Water temperature

When keeping crystal shrimp in summer, the water temperature of the aquarium should be controlled within 30°C. Because dissolved oxygen in the water is consumed quickly in summer, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the aquarium should be increased. In winter, an electric heater should be used to keep the water temperature no lower than 18°C, but a protective sleeve should be added to prevent the fry from being harmed. Therefore, the water temperature for keeping crystal shrimp is best kept stable at 25°C.

4. Water quality

Crystal shrimp are crustaceans, so their living environment cannot lack calcium carbonate substances, and the acidity and alkalinity (PH) and total hardness (GH) of the breeding water cannot be too low. In general, a PH of about 6.5 in the aquarium and a total hardness (GH) controlled at about 5 are more appropriate. Therefore, keeping crustaceans in some soft water with low PH will have a serious impact on their bodies. So, filter sand with a relatively high content of minerals and trace elements should be used as the bottom sand in the aquarium. At the same time, use a water quality adjuster that can maintain the PH and total hardness of the water, such as GEOLIQUID (magnetic energy liquid) and other purely natural water quality adjusters, which can both maintain the total hardness of the water, buffer the impact of water quality changes on crystal shrimp, and maintain stable water quality over the long term.

The changes in water quality values must be carefully observed. A stable water quality environment is extremely important for keeping crystal shrimp. Remember that a large amount of breeding water must not be replaced. Even in an aquarium that has accumulated a large amount of nitrate, only the amount of water needed to reduce the nitrate value should be changed. The amount of water changed must not exceed 50% of the aquarium volume. Even if changing 50% of the water, it must be done in two separate sessions.

5. Breeding

During the breeding process, the female shrimp begins to mate with the male shrimp after molting, and then carries eggs. The reason for molting may be indirect stimulation from water changes, and sometimes it is also because a change in living environment stimulates the gonads of their bodies. The main reason is that the humic acid contained in the water (acidic substances produced by plants) is replenished, causing the female shrimp to mistakenly believe that the rainy season in the tropical rainforest has arrived. The place of origin of crystal shrimp is the subtropical rainforest region, and this kind of region is divided into a dry season and a rainy season. During the rainy season, large amounts of acidic substances formed by fallen leaves and so on in the forest flow into the rivers. Through changes in water quality, crystal shrimp sense the arrival of their breeding season and thus enter a state of mating and reproduction. In other words, by using periodic water changes and adding an appropriate amount of acidic substances to the aquarium at specific times, the breeding behavior of crystal shrimp can be stimulated. In addition, when crystal shrimp are breeding or when the male shrimp is chasing the female shrimp, the body color gradually becomes lighter. This is caused by the courtship behavior consuming a large amount of the body's energy, and it will gradually return to normal after the breeding period ends.

The living habits of crystal shrimp use microorganisms and mosses as food. In artificial keeping, they are generally fed bloodworms, spinach, and some artificial fish food. Basically, crystal shrimp eat everything and are omnivorous, but this also depends on the condition of the aquarium. If crystal shrimp are fed bloodworms, their excretion speed will become faster, which will accordingly speed up water pollution in the aquarium, increase the burden on biological filtration, and also affect the growth of some aquatic plants. In addition, when feeding spinach, be sure to use pesticide-free spinach. Because once pesticides enter the aquarium, all the crystal shrimp will die.

6. Disease prevention and treatment

The common disease of crystal shrimp is mainly molting disorder. Its symptoms are as follows:

a. Incomplete molting. After molting, the shell is still connected to the body. This is caused by insufficient calcium. Therefore, it is very necessary to regularly add various minerals appropriately and keep the total hardness in the water stable.

b. Death occurs immediately after molting, usually in the hot summer. Because a large amount of fungicide is added to tap water, after crystal shrimp molt, there is no protection on the body surface, and their resistance to the outside world becomes weak. Therefore, when changing water, treatment should be done in advance so that the water quality is as close as possible to the water quality in the aquarium.