Tropical Fish Forums

[Zowie72]

OK so I've just been in to have a chat with my local LFS as I wanted to add a group of Red Cherry Shrimp to my community tank. However that's never going to happen as you can't get any in New Zealand. Apparantly if I want shrimp I have to go and try to catch our only native shrimp (Paratya curvirostris) from a stream and then slowly acclimatize it to a tropical tank.

So I may be up late one night looking for some with a torch in our local stream...

Interestingly it exibits protandry where the sex is defined by age and maturity. They all start as males and transform into adult females.

[unissuh]

Sounds about right, you guys have pretty strict import restrictions. There are restrictions here (Aus) too, but RCS and CRS have snuck through somehow.

Paratya are a pretty tough genus overall, sounds like it would work but (having no experience with this species myself) make sure the water is well oxygenated as low dissolved oxygen causing mortality is a common theme with cold water species.

There are at least a couple of freshwater shrimp here that exhibit the same sort of sexual development...both Australatya spp though.
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Fishing in the Rivers of Light

[Zowie72]

I might try and catch a few and give it a go in my quarantine tank and see how they go, but it'll have to wait until I've finished my current stocking. As I can't get the red cherry shrimps I wanted, I'm going to get a couple of Otos instead. They look like pretty useful and cute little guys.

[deborah_claro]

[Zowie72]

Thank you Deborah I'm at least a few weeks away from getting any as I currently have 6 Harlequin rasboras in my quarantine tank, and want to get them settled in before getting any otos.

I have started researching them and I did notice that they are very sensitive to water conditions so I will be waiting for my tank to be fully mature, as although I have had my tank for some time I had a major catastrophe whilst we were on holiday before Christmas and ended up completely stripping the tank down and basically starting again, so realistically it's only 2 months old.

Thank you also for the link, I certainly learnt something about how the algae grows and what to do and not do with it! Rest assured I will be doing some more research as I want them to be healthy and content in their new home.

Zowie