Bamboo filter prawns live in the Indo-Pacific and Malaysia. They live in calm and slow rivers, where they catch small pieces of food. Usually they live in quite large groups. The calm and peaceful nature of the shrimp allows it to be placed in a home aquarium next to other small neighbors.
Living conditions
Shrimp-filter (banana) in the aquarium will be happy with stones, snags and a pump, which will give a favorite flow to creatures. Asian individuals are very fond of the rapid flow of water. With their transparent and fluffy fans they filter algae, feed, microorganisms.
The color of the shrimp cover (photos are given in the article) can vary quite a lot from red, brown to sand, green, yellow, sometimes with the appearance of a white strip on the back. Coloring depends on living conditions, molting, nutrition and the environment. Shrimps have well-developed mimicry, they are like chameleons, they can change their color.
It is impossible to know in advance or to foresee how they will behave in a new aquarium. There is evidence that in hard water the fan shrimp has a brighter color, but these data are not confirmed.
The front pair of limbs of these creatures has turned into a kind of fan; with their help, food from water is filtered. If there is not enough food in the water, then the shrimp will begin to feed on waste or dead pieces of plants.
Shrimp habits
Filter shrimp in the aquarium swim pretty well, both forward and backward. Usually they move head first, but sometimes in extreme conditions they begin to back off sharply. They cannot be called bottom creatures. They calmly master absolutely the entire space of the aquarium, occupy places near the surface of the water, on snags. But at the same time, they prefer places with a strong current. As soon as the flow of water weakens, shrimp (photo below) instantly go in search of a new stormy spring. Sometimes they succeed in the most unusual tricks, during which they are able to escape from the aquarium. Therefore, it is advisable to close the container with shrimp.
Body structure features
Shrimp filter in the literature very often has another name - fan. This is due to the fact that the front pair of her limbs was transformed into something similar to a fan or panicles, with their help this creature feeds. In crayfish, for example, the forelimbs are modified into claws, and in the banana shrimp, the fourth and fifth thoracic segments are pubescent. Each fan consists of hemispheres formed by thick rows of bristles. It should be noted that this is not the simplest structure of the claw, but so convenient that the food just floats into your hands. The only thing that is required from the shrimp is to choose a place more comfortable - so that there is a good flow.
There are a lot of suspended particles in water that settle somewhere over time. However, how to collect such food? Claws are very uncomfortable in this case. But the limbs modified into fans are very good. It should be noted that the filter shrimp can wield them with great skill and incredible speed.
If streams of water carry enough food, then small creatures do not need to strain at all. Food itself falls into traps. That is why the shrimp in the aquarium and in the ponds are located against the stream and reveal their limbs. Fans gradually fill themselves with food. Periodically, they slam, this suggests that the food enters the mouth of the shrimp. Moreover, this mechanism is so clearly worked out that while food from one fan enters the mouth, the other at the same time is open and continues to catch. The principle of priority works so as not to waste time.
The filter shrimp is a clumsy creature. Fans are very convenient for food, but create significant resistance when moving. Therefore, in order to constantly resist the flow of water, you need to have enough body weight for this. In addition, another pair of limbs turned into powerful “hookers”. With their help, shrimp are kept on algae, snags, and at the same time they are not demolished by strong streams of water.
As a result, they only have two pairs of legs for walking. This is completely inconvenient with the body sizes that shrimp have. Therefore, they are so clumsy. However, the creatures themselves do not bother at all, they are perfectly adapted to life.
Shrimp homeland
Pet shops often sell shrimp for aquarium lovers. Indeed, they are great for home content. Having a quiet and calm disposition, they get along well with both small fish and large representatives of the aquarium world. However, what is the species affiliation of these creatures, it is difficult to say, and from which countries they go on sale, is also unknown.
The fact is that in the vast territory from New Zealand to the Philippines, as well as in southeast Asia, many similar species live. What kind of shrimp are sold in our stores is difficult to determine. Therefore, it is conditionally believed that they all belong to atiopsis. Often they are also called banana shrimp.
Appearance of atiopsis
Atiopsis can reach nine centimeters in length. Males have more developed walking limbs, but they use them more as hooks to stay on plants than to walk. In addition, with their help they loosen the soil in search of food.
The color of shrimp belonging to different populations can vary greatly. Color depends not only on the diet, but also on the mood of the creature. After molting, atiopsis becomes much brighter. And the color of the shrimp in the aquarium also depends on the soil and the scenery. As a rule, they have a light brown tint, but reddish individuals are also found.
Nigerian Shrimp
Shrimp that live in Africa and South and Central America are called filtrators. Aquarists with irony call them Nigerian. They are almost the same as atiopsis. The only thing that distinguishes them is their slightly larger sizes. Males can reach twelve centimeters. Their color is a little paler, but pink and blue individuals are found among them. Nigerian filter shrimp is considered less whimsical than atiopsis. In fact, when buying in pet stores, it is difficult to distinguish between them, all the same they belong to the same species.
Filter shrimp, the content of which at home is not particularly difficult, can safely be settled even with the largest representatives of the aquarium world. There is hardly a fish who wants to offend them.
Shrimp propagation
As for the breeding of filter shrimp at home, there is no information about successful attempts. The fact is that females hatched several hundred eggs for about twenty-two days. Then, floating larvae appear from them, which either die during molting or are successfully eaten by the parents if they are not timely deposited in another container. However, there is an opinion that they can only successfully develop in brackish or sea water, apparently, they need some specific food. Therefore, we can conclude that all the shrimp on sale are real "savages" that are caught and brought to us for aquarists.
Shrimp feeding
In an aquarium, shrimp need to be fed, because here the water is not enriched with plankton. This is best done by spraying mixtures or dry feed over the course. You can still use small frozen bloodworms for feeding.
In general, it is good for shrimp when there is some kind of suspension in the water, in a perfectly clean aquarium it will certainly starve. As observations show, even with two meals a day in these conditions, these creatures do not live long. Apparently, such nutrition is not enough for them. But in a slightly muddy water, they feel much better. This is where the dilemma arises: whether to choose clean water for fish, or with impurities for shrimp.
In general, it is extremely important for these creatures to constantly catch at least something in the water. Even simply filtered clay particles will contribute to the development of the shrimp cover. Sometimes aquarists advise adding chalk to the water, because there is always a lack of calcium salts. The rest of the shrimp does not require special care. The temperature regime for them should be at least 24 degrees. Raising it in the summer to thirty degrees of shrimp is transferred absolutely calmly.
Shedding Filtrators
Shrimp often change their color. After molting, sometimes they turn red, and then brighten quickly enough and then, according to the mood, they change shades from light yellow to red and brown. What are the causes of such changes is not known.
Shedding in adults is irregular. Sometimes this happens once a month, and sometimes less often, so that algae even begin to appear on the chitinous cover. Interestingly, before molting, the shrimp stops eating, it sits with folded fans or goes to a secluded place. Immediately after changing the shell, the creature becomes very defenseless. It is during this period, in the presence of males, that the females try to fertilize the eggs and lay them down.
These are unusual creatures of filter shrimp. Before starting such a creature in your aquarium, think that it is quite calm, and therefore not very noticeable. So it is unlikely to be able to become an ornament of your collection.