Amano Shrimp Look Alike ?

[garfieldnfish]

This will be a long post but please read it, as I really need an answer.
Last fall I bought 6 orange shrimp on line and later 2 more at my local fish store. 2 of the orange shrimp that I got online were clear in color when I got them. One since colored up some. He is still lighter colored but obviously an orange shrimp. The other never did and since grew larger then the orange shrimp. He/she looks almost like an Amano shrimp but is not one. She looks like a female but is the size of my male Amano. And the stripe down the back is wider and more pronouced. Does anyone know the name of a shrimp that is similar looking to an Amano shrimp?
I posted a threat on this forum not too long ago about my CRS shrimplets disappearing. I thought it might be a water problem as they never seemed to live longer then 2 days even so the adults are doing great and are breeding all the time.
The tank is a 10 gal with 10 CRS, 2 RCS (males), 7 orange shrimp and the odd shrimp. I currently have CRS shrimplets again and once more there were less every day.
2 days ago I feed shrimp wafers and all adult shrimp came over to the feeding area to dine. The only adult that did not show up was the odd shrimp. She was zipping all over the tank and I thought she might be sick, so I spent some time watching her. At one point she got close to the feeding shrimp and one CRS female left the group and viciously attacked the odd shrimp. I have removed this shrimp the same night and she is now in a tank with 3 Amano shrimp and they get along well. I was wondering what this shrimp might be. I read before that some people claim to have bred Amanos is strictly freshwater (not possible) and I think I might have one of those Amano look-a-likes.
Could this shrimp have been dining on my CRS shrimplets? I still have 3 of them left now and they hatched 6 days ago, longest I had any survive so far.

On another note I have done a water change when I first saw new CRS shrimplets to make sure the ammonia is as low as possible. I checked the water in the bucket with a magnifying glass to make sure I would not toss out any CRS shrimplets by mistake. What I found instead was one 2 mm clear shrimp. This may mean that my orange shrimp are breeding and the little ones have survived or this odd shrimp can cross bread with either CRS or RCS (doubtful due to the clear color) or the orange shrimp. It was so tiny and I have looked inside the tank with the magnifying glass but could not locate any more. But this 10 gal is stuffed full of java moss and I have some water bugs in the tank so any of those clear shrimplets would be hard to spot. But time will tell. But it definitely was a tiny clear colored shrimp.

[Newjohn]

Hi garfieldnfish

The Best way to help Identify the Odd Ball Shrimp is with a Good Quality Picture.

As I have been finding out lately,
Having multiple species in a single tank can be confusing, when it comes to identifying the Offspring.

I have not heard any reports of Hobbyist Breeding the "Orange " Shrimp.

So,I guess only time will tell.
What the offspring turn out to be.

John

[Guba]

Having multiple species in a single tank can be confusing, when it comes to identifying the Offspring.

A lot of shrimp look the same when young, they don't seem to color up in my experience, until older. I stick to the one species/tank rule when I breed them. I'm a purest in that sense.

[garfieldnfish]

I agree with keeping species only tanks, however, orange shrimp and CRS cannot cross breed. From all acounts that I read orange shrimp have tiny eggs and may have to go through a salt or a least brackish phase. Even so the woman I bought mine from swears she breeds them and does so in strictly fresh water. Either way it's highly unlikely they could cross breed. Size of eggs and the possibility that the orange shrimp go through a larval stage would make this impossible. And neither can CRS and RCS and as I only have 2 male RCS they could not have bred either. The tiny clear shrimp is definitely not a CRS shrimplet. That only leaves the possibilty of a baby orange shrimp or a crossbreed between the odd shrimp and the RCS. But since I was under the assumption that the odd shrimp was an orange shrimp that possibility did not occur to me so I considered keeping these 3 species together a safe thing to do without the possibility of crossbreeding. The odd shrimp is now in another tank so it will be safe again to keep these guys together. If it were not for the larger size of the odd shrimp I would consider the possibility of it being the wild form of the RCS. But that does not appear to be the case since he is even larger then the orange shrimp and the RCS are smaller. So I am stumped.
I will post a picture as soon as I get my husband to take one (I really stink at taking pictures).

[Guba]

Then I would suggest Newjohn's suggestion. If you can post a pic there is probably someone on this forum that can identify it. You have me stumped too. The only other thing I can add, is that if you go purchase a digital camera make sure it takes really good macro pics.

[garfieldnfish]

I will post a picture as soon as my husand comes back from Florida. He is gone until Friday and while I can take pictures they don't usually turn out well but the bigger problem is I don't know how to download them. We actually have 3 digital cameras in the house. But my wisdom is limited when it comes to more then typing on the computer. Please be patient until this weekend.

[Neonshrimp]

That is fine. The picture will help us with your question. You should go to Photobucket.com and open an account now so you can add your pictures there and just past the image link onto your post here when ready, it will make it alot easier

[garfieldnfish]

One mystery solved. I did another water change today and again I vacuumed up a tiny clear colored shrimp. I put him in a glass jar to see what he is and after about one hour he colored up and it's without a doubt a CRS shrimplet. Must have just hatched. Smallest I have seen so far but I must have scared the color right out of him when I sucked him up with the hose. So I am sure the other was the same. Too bad. I was really hoping to be the first to breed the orange shrimp officially.
Leaves the mystery of the amano look alike. Hopefully you can clear that one up for me this weekend.

[Guba]

by Neonshrimp on Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:12 pm

That is fine. The picture will help us with your question. You should go to Photobucket.com and open an account now so you can add your pictures there and just past the image link onto your post here when ready, it will make it alot easier

Sorry, I'm not as internet savvy as you guys. When you open an account does it cost money?

[Neonshrimp]

No, it is free I like it because it is a great tool to organize and use your photos.

[Guba]

Thanks again for the info.