Macrobrachium sp. "Red Claw" with eggs

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 6:58 am

Just wanted to show my new Macrobrachium.
They are behaving very different from the small algae eating shrimps. Much more personallity in these shrimps.
I have had them for a month.
Four days ago a discovered a female with eggs

.

They were bought as Red Claw Shrimps, but I don't think they look like the images i can find of M. assamense. Mine look much more pale. Maybe it's because the substrate is so light. It looks like they take on colours depending on the surrondings.
Can someone see what species it is?
From head to tail they are around 5 centimeters.

First three images of the female with eggs, and then 3 images of unknown sex.

Post by **Mustafa** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:27 am

If my eyes are not playing a trick on me, your female has very many small eggs. Red Claws have a few large eggs. So, your shrimp are definitely not Red Claw Shrimp but some other Macrobrachium of undetermined origin.

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:56 am

The eggs are difficult to photograph
They look big to me.

Kenshin · Post by **Kenshin** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 11:17 am

Beautiful pictures....hope you have baby Macrobrachium or Red Claw Shrimp very soon. The eggs look big to me also. But that is just me

GunmetalBlue · Post by **GunmetalBlue** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:02 pm

Oh, I love these charming little guys, especially their stance. I have to agree that some of the Macrobrachium species are very entertaining for instance, in the way they respond to being fed. They seem to be more aware of their owners too, whereas most of the smaller algae-eaters seem lost in their own little world.

How many do you have in the same tank? Do you witness any minor scruffles or "sparring?"

It sounds like she's holding on to the eggs, so they very well may be fertile. I wonder if your particular species, whatever it may be, will have shrimplets or larvae? Don't forget to keep us posted, especially when they hatch.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful pics, Bo. I enjoyed them very much!

-GB

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:34 pm

Thank you for the kind words

The shrimps produce shrimplets.
Mine were bred here in Denmark, by a guy who bought the parents in Hamburg, Germany.

I have 11 in a tank with width: 60 x depth 60 centimeters and the waterlevel is 20 centimeters.
There's a lot of stones, wood (roots) and plants both in and above the water.
In the beginning they were very aggressive towards each other. But now they can get within an inch close, before one of them flees. I have actually seen two of them sitting together and touching each other. But they are not very social. They have a clear hierarchy and most of the time sit alone in their hidingplaces. The dominant male has dug a little cave underneath a piece of wood lying on the bottom. It's the first time I have seen shrimps that dig holes.

And they are very interesting to watch, when they are fed.
Just a few seconds after the food is added to the tank, all 11 shrimps are aware of it, and start to move towards the feeding corner. All of them trying to stay out of the way of each other but still get to the food first. Very funny to watch.

I will keep you posted

Post by **Mustafa** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:00 pm

Ok...now with the additional info things are clearer. If the eggs are large and if the shrimp are from a breeder in Germany as you say, then they are probably what they were advertised as. Red Claws can have lighter coloration, especially when they are still young, so that's nothing out of the ordinary.

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:18 am

Thank you for help on the id.
Here's a better photo of the eggs.

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:39 am

You're welcome.

And thank you for the picture. I can see the large eggs now.

Jackie · Post by **Jackie** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 5:35 pm

My M. assamensis change color due to water conditions. Those assamesis that I keep in soft, acidic water have a almost colorless body, but very bright, red claws. The ones I keep in hard, slightly alkaline water have a brown body with very visible, bold, black marble-like stripes. Their claws are also red, but the red is dark, rusty.

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 2:35 pm

Just a little update and some pictures.
The female is hanging on to the eggs.
Todays i discovered this second smaller female with eggs

The two females with eggs and the dominant male has become more dark in the color.
The claws on the females are red.
The dominant male has almost black claws.

This one is probably a female.

And i have a new question.
What is the correct name? Assamense or assamensis?

Best regards
Bo

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 3:11 pm

It's "assamense" although the shrimp in question could be either assamense or dayanum. They are extremely similar.

GunmetalBlue · Post by **GunmetalBlue** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:34 am

Hey Bo, thanks for the update - it's cool to see the colors of their claws more distinctly now.

I think you're on your way to a population explosion!

-GB

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 3:36 am

GB you were right.
I now have 3 females carrying eggs

This is a picture of the third female a few days before she "laid" eggs.

bochr · Post by **bochr** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 1:29 am

Today I moved some of the Red Claws from the tank.
There is now one male and five (5) females carrying eggs.