Caridina multidentata | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Caridea |
Family: | Atyidae |
Genus: | Caridina |
Species: | C. multidentata |
Binomial name | |
Caridina multidentata Stimpson, 1860 | |
Caridina multidentata is a species of shrimp in the family Atyidae. It is native to Japan and Taiwan. [1] Its common names include Yamato shrimp, Japanese shrimp, Amano shrimp, and algae shrimp. [2]
This species has a translucent body covered with a broken line of reddish brown points on its sides. The dorsal surface has a white stripe that runs from the head to the tail and the eyes are black. Females are easily distinguished from males by their more elongated lower row of dots.
Caridina multidentata fare best in temperatures of 18 °C to 28 °C. They are more active at higher temperatures, but may also have a shorter lifespan. They prefer a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. As with all crustaceans, they are extremely averse to copper due to their haemocyanin blood. [3]
Caridina multidentata mate in freshwater streams and marshes. Female shrimp signal readiness to mate much like other shrimp species, by releasing pheromones into the water for the males to follow. The fertilized eggs are released and go through larval stages in brackish and salt water as they drift out to sea. The larvae return from the sea once they reach their final growth stage, and they remain in freshwater for the remainder of their lives, using an anadramous reproductive strategy similar to many migratory fish species.
Caridina multidentata was introduced into the world of aquaria by Takashi Amano in the early 1980s. They are usually used in an aquarium because they feed primarily on algae, thus cleaning the aquarium of it when present in sufficient numbers. Caridina multidentata was previously known to aquarists as Caridina japonica but was renamed Caridina multidentata following a study in 2006. [4] [5]
Many aquarists believe that Amano shrimp can sustain themselves on algae in the aquarium alone, however, this is not the case. Amano shrimp thrive best on a diet of aquarium algae supplemented by algae wafers or spirulina flakes and occasional animal-based protein in the form of pellets, flakes, or frozen or live daphnia, mysis, etc.. It is also necessary to ensure there is calcium present in the water, as calcium is vital to crustaceans in order for them to maintain their exoskeleton.
Amano shrimp are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity, [6] as their young require a higher water salinity than the adults to survive. This means that virtually all amano shrimp in the pet trade are wild caught, since captive breeding is not considered economical.
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Caridina is a genus of freshwater atyid shrimp. They are widely found in tropical or subtropical water in Asia, Oceania and Africa. They are filter-feeders and omnivorous scavengers. They range from 0.9 to 9.8 mm to 1.2–7.4 mm in carapace length.
Takashi Amano was a professional track cyclist, photographer, designer, and aquarist. His interest in aquaria led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano.
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A freshwater aquarium is a receptacle that holds one or more freshwater aquatic organisms for decorative, pet-keeping, or research purposes. Modern aquariums are most often made from transparent glass or acrylic glass. Typical inhabitants include fish, plants, amphibians, and invertebrates, such as snails and crustaceans.
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Caridina gracilirostris is a species of brackishwater shrimp belong to genus Caridina in the family Atyidae. It has a wide native range extending from Japan and Fiji through Indonesia to Madagascar. It is an algae-eating species that lives in mangroves and marshes. Its common names include red front shrimp, red rhinoceros shrimp, red nosed phantom shrimp, and needlenose caridina, red nosed shrimp.
Caridina dennerli is a small species of freshwater shrimp from Sulawesi (Indonesia) that grows up to 2.5 centimetres (1.0 in) in length. It takes its name from the German company Dennerle, which supported the expedition that led to the scientific description of the species. It is popularly known as the cardinal shrimp or Sulawesi shrimp in the aquarium trade.
Caridina thambipillai is a species of freshwater shrimp in the family Atyidae. It is native to Malaysia and Myanmar, where it occurs in streams. It is a common crustacean of the freshwater aquarium trade, where it is known as the Sunkist shrimp.
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The bee shrimp, is a species of small freshwater shrimp in the family Atyidae. It is native to Taiwan. These shrimp are scavengers, and eat small pieces of decayed vegetation and algae. Bee shrimp have a life span of about 18 months. They enjoy a temperature in the 70 to 78 °F range. Many modern versions of bee shrimp are selectively bred for their characteristics.
Caridina spongicola is a small species of freshwater shrimp from Sulawesi (Indonesia) that reaches 0.64 to 1.27 cm in length. In the wild it strictly lives on an undescribed species of freshwater sponge, making it one of only two known commensal species of freshwater shrimp. It is popularly known as the harlequin shrimp, and also sometimes Celebes beauty shrimp or sponge shrimp in the aquarium trade. It is often confused with Caridina woltereckae, a larger and more contrastingly colored species found in the same region as C. spongicola.
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Caridina typus, also known as the Australian Amano Shrimp, is a species of amphidromous atyid shrimp. It was first described by H. Milne-Edwards in 1837. It has a broad distribution in tropical freshwater habitats in the Indo-West Pacific region, with its western range extending to eastern Africa and its eastern range extending to Polynesia. It is commonly found in rivers and streams in coastal areas or on islands. C. typus is known to play a role in sediment distribution and shredding leaf litter, manipulating the environment using their pereiopods and setaceous chelae. The species is also an important component of the food web, both as scavengers and as prey items, and is considered a keystone species for the stream ecosystems it inhabits. According to Choy and Marshall, the species can be characterized by a "short, dorsally unarmed rostrum, the presence of epipods on the first four pairs of pereiopods, and the presence of an appendix interna on the endopod of the first pleopod of both sexes." It can be kept in captivity by aquarists as pets.