Long time no talk, how's the 'world of shrimp' these days? Though I was bit occupied by my work lately, my shrimps do take care of themselves nicely. I manage to find a pregant shrimp in the tank every two weeks! (I'm happy with that result).
Anyway, now that it's near the year-end, I have more time to shop around for more shrimps! Just last week, I bought 5 Red Nose. Theyare quite cute when they move around the tank, as they cannot swim well due to their long nose and slim body!
Can anyone tell me how to distinguish male / female for this species?
Same way as with most other shrimp. The females are plumper, larger and the carapace in the rear of the shrimp hangs further down as to form a "pocket" for the eggs. Also...in Caridina gracilirostris ("Red Nose") you should be able to see a saddle of eggs forming in the ovaries (neck) since these shirmp are see through. Their larvae are tiny and need brackish/saltwater for development though.
? sorry, don't understand are they fresh-water shrimps?
one of my RedNose was pregnant when I bought it, it has many many tiny leon-green eggs at its bottom, but after few weeks they are all gone The reason I can't tell between male & female is because that particular RN is big, with long nose and quite colorful as well...
"Brackish/Saltwater" refers to the fact that the free-floating young require estuarine/marine conditions to mature before they resume life in pure freshwater conditions.