Mustafa or anyone with this information,
Is it possible for Rusty Macro. shrimps to overfeed? I do not feed them really anything except for what is in the 20 gallon tank with the green shrimps and RCS. I have noticed my shrimps for both RCS and green shrimp populations have been decreasing tremendously lately because I presume the Rusty Macro. sp. have been eating them. So therefore, I have now separated the RCS and green shrimps to a different tank and allow only the Rusty Macro. sp. shrimps (5) to have the big tank to themselves. I have also noticed that 2 out of the 5 Rusty Macro. shells (between neck and body) have a slight crack. Is that normal due to them growing rapidly? Or should I not feed them at all period for a long while?
Mustafa, the Rusty Macro. shrimps have already grown almost 2.5 times their size already (a little bit over 1/2") since I received them. Is that normal growth? Or too rapidly? Or too slow? Thank you very much.
It's actually pretty easy with this species to figure out if you are overfeeding them or not. If have a little water flow in your tank and throw some food in there the macros smell it right away and frantically start searching for it. That means that they are hungry. If you throw food in there and they kinda sit around not really caring about it you are overfeeding. Just make sure that you feed them just about enough that they can finish within about 10 minutes (if it's a small piece of a wafer or pellet) or within a minute or two (if it's flake food).
As to their growth, yes, they grow very quickly when they are getting enough food, so that's normal. As for the "crack", are those animals behaving normally? In other words, do they move around normally and come running for food? If so, don't worry about it. If not, you might want to post a picture of those animals if possible. I have never seen any cracks on my macros.
Last edited by Mustafa on Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mustafa,
Thank you very much for your input. I just checked it yesterday late night after work. I did not observe any crack on the Rusty Macro. shrimps anymore . I guess they just molted and the shell was developing back to normal along with the pigment within the body. I saw the molts myself in addition to seeing a bigger size (I think it's ~ 3/4" or a little bit bigger) of Rusty Macro. shrimp compare to the day before yesterday. And yes, they are constantly moving around to hunt for food. I believe their main food source is baby pond snails (which I have a bunch of ) since I can constantly see their bellies full with a light brown color in it (digesting the baby snail I guess?)
One question though: What is the earliest stage during their growing process can you distinguish between a female or male? Is it the color of their claws or the size of their claws? If so, what part or what color of the claws should I be looking for? Again, I really appreciate for your concern and fast response. I was just afraid I would fail in keeping this wonderful shrimp so I guess I panicked.
Kenshin wrote: I just checked it yesterday late night after work. I did not observe any crack on the Rusty Macro. shrimps anymore .
Good to hear!
I guess they just molted and the shell was developing back to normal along with the pigment within the body.
So, that explains the "crack."
I believe their main food source is baby pond snails (which I have a bunch of ) since I can constantly see their bellies full with a light brown color in it (digesting the baby snail I guess?)
--Yes, Macros LOVE eating pond snails. But then...they just love eating in general. They get so excited when throw some food in the tank.
One question though: What is the earliest stage during their growing process can you distinguish between a female or male? Is it the color of their claws or the size of their claws? If so, what part or what color of the claws should I be looking for?
It's both the color and the claws. The males will turn dark with time. First they will become a dark bluish/black and one of them will become a very nice rusty brown color like the male shrimp depicted in their species description. The females won't develop any dark coloration. Also, the males will have larger claws compared to similarly sized females. Finally, the dominant males chase less dominant males around but leave females more or less alone.
Again, I really appreciate for your concern and fast response. I was just afraid I would fail in keeping this wonderful shrimp so I guess I panicked.
No problem at all. After all, I want everyone to succeed in keeping and breeding shrimp so the hobby can grow! I'm sure you will do fine with these shrimp. They are much less sensitive to water parameters than the various Caridina species.
Yes, the females get some color, too, with or without tannins in the water (as can be seen on my picture in their species description), but they don't get to be a solid brown as the males.
Yes, the females get some color, too, with or without tannins in the water (as can be seen on my picture in their species description), but they don't get to be a solid brown as the males.
I found out what the cracks were from. Yesterday, I observed one of the Rusty Macro. shrimp had two cracks on their body. One was between the neck and body. The other was between the body and the tail. Anyway, when I saw that, I was a little bit worried and the shrimp was not moving too much at all. Then, the shrimp slowly molted right in front of my eyes (very cool thing to observe). The shrimp lay their for a few minutes (hiding underneat a whole bunch of java moss) and then start stretching. The cracks were gone by then. So anyway, they are all doing great now, scrambling for food crazily. The two biggest shrimp are 1.25" so far (head to tail) and the other ones are just 1". The think the bigger ones are male because of their dark reddish brown color on the claws and within their bodies. So that solves my mystery. Hahahaha. Thank you all.
Mustafa, another question:
Around how long would it take for them to be sexually mature? What are the signs for this species? Thank you.
All of my Rusties are the dark solid rusty color. Does that mean all I have are males?
Yes, the females get some color, too, with or without tannins in the water (as can be seen on my picture in their species description), but they don't get to be a solid brown as the males.
Kenshin wrote:
Mustafa, another question:
Around how long would it take for them to be sexually mature? What are the signs for this species? Thank you.
It should take about 3-5 months from hatching. You will see the females develop greenish eggs in their ovaries. The males are already sexually mature when they really small and turning dark. If yours are already dark, then they are sexually mature.
Nion wrote:All of my Rusties are the dark solid rusty color. Does that mean all I have are males?
Yes, then they are all males. Hmmm...that's just the luck of the draw. Usually you get both sexes if you buy a small group, but very rarely you might still get one gender. Sorry to hear that, though. I always want these shrimp to be propagated again by people that buy them.
Do males of these shrimps grow faster (bigger in size) than the females?
I have 2 large size (1.25" or just a little bit longer) with long claws (dark reddish brown color on the claws) and their bodies are very light with a tint to reddish brown to it. The other 3 are smaller (1") and have a darker reddish brown color to it along with their claws. I am thinking if the smaller ones are the females and the 2 big ones are males. Mustafa, please correct me if I am wrong or please let me know if I am right. I would really appreciate it.
Kenshin wrote:Do males of these shrimps grow faster (bigger in size) than the females?
I have 2 large size (1.25" or just a little bit longer) with long claws (dark reddish brown color on the claws) and their bodies are very light with a tint to reddish brown to it. The other 3 are smaller (1") and have a darker reddish brown color to it along with their claws. I am thinking if the smaller ones are the females and the 2 big ones are males. Mustafa, please correct me if I am wrong or please let me know if I am right. I would really appreciate it.
At that size it's still hard to tell. Let them grow to about 2 inches and things should be easier then. If in doubt, take pictures and post them here.
I do not feed them really anything except for what is in the 20 gallon tank with the green shrimps and RCS. I have noticed my shrimps for both RCS and green shrimp populations have been decreasing tremendously lately because I presume the Rusty Macro. sp. have been eating them. So therefore, I have now separated the RCS and green shrimps to a different tank and allow only the Rusty Macro. sp. shrimps (5) to have the big tank to themselves. I have also noticed that 2 out of the 5 Rusty Macro. shells (between neck and body) have a slight crack. Is that normal due to them growing rapidly? Or should I not feed them at all period for a long while? 
If you throw food in there and they kinda sit around not really caring about it you are overfeeding. Just make sure that you feed them just about enough that they can finish within about 10 minutes (if it's a small piece of a wafer or pellet) or within a minute or two (if it's flake food). 
. I guess they just molted and the shell was developing back to normal along with the pigment within the body. I saw the molts myself in addition to seeing a bigger size 
(I think it's ~ 3/4" or a little bit bigger) of Rusty Macro. shrimp compare to the day before yesterday. And yes, they are constantly moving around to hunt for food. I believe their main food source is baby pond snails 
