Invertebrates

My friend Steve got me started with these and I love it. Invertebrates are easy to keep and fun to raise. I have a few types of shrimp, loads of snails, and crayfish. These help keep the tanks clean but that doesn't mean you can put them into a tank and not provide food. Please do your research before getting anything you haven't raised before.

Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda)

These were my first invertebrate other than pond snails. I keep two different colonies in 10g tanks with sand substrate. I keep driftwood and java moss as well as java fern in the tank. Don't make the mistake of thinking they will be able to survive without feedings. They need to be fed. I feed them algae wafers and blanched zucchini.

Chocolate Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda)

I got these from Steve when he was breaking down his tanks. They are in my 5g with my fry from different fish spawns. I drop some pellet food into the water every other day for them to feed on.

Red Claw Long-Arm Shrimp (Macrobrachium dayanum)

Another from Steve. Only have 1. It's in a 20g planted tank with my pike livebearers. Neat looking shrimp. Larger than Neocaridina shrimp and have extended arms, hence the "long-arm" name.

Freshwater Clam (Corbicual sp.)

Another purchase from AquaBid (pioneer). These sift through the sand/substrate and filter feed. They intake water from the tank, eat the microrganisms, then spit out the clean water. If your tank isn't clear, put one of these clams into the tank and within a few days it will be crystal clear. I haven't seen andy"breeding?" occur and am not positive how that all happens.

Malaysian Trumpet Snail (Melanoides tuberculata)

I like snails. Most aquarists do not. I think they are neat to observe and help maintain the cleanliness of the tanks. I will warn you though, they breed like crazy. I take care of my snail "outbreaks" with loaches and marmorkrebs. MTS are great for keeping the substrate churned. This is good because it aerates the substrate which helps plants grow by getting air to roots of plants. Currently keeping.

Red Rili Shrimp (Neocaridina heteropoda var. Rili)

A very easy shrimp to keep. Rili can be kept in any water. The head and tail of these shrimp are red, with their center transparent. Scavengers will help clean the tank of uneaten food and algae. Be careful to keep shrimp with fish that will not make a lunch of them.

Marbled Crayfish (Marmorkreb)

Picked up one of these at the auction. Moved it into a 10g tank with some guppies. About 3 weeks later, I looked into the tank and there were hundreds, literally, of tiny crayfish in the tank. These are called "self cloning crayfish" for a reason. All you need is one, and they will reproduce like crazy. Great to have to use as feeders for your hungry fish. They will DEVOUR any snails in the tank.

Ramshorn Snail (Planorbis rubrum)

Apple Snail (Pomacea bridgesii)

This is a larger snail, reaching 2" in diameter. They don't touch plants other than duckweed. It's funny to see them inverted hanging onto the duckweed. Mine constantly lay eggs but I have never seen baby apple snails in the tanks.

Blue Pearl Shrimp (Neocaridina cf. zhangjiajiensis var. blue)

Got a colony of these from Aquabider Bandaiban. Beautiful, colorful shrimp with excellent packaging for shipping. These are a light blue shrimp and some think they should be called "blue ice". They are scavengers and do just fine with feeding every other day.