Neocaridina XXL- fact or fake?
Table of Contents
Now and then you can see them - the giants among the Neocaridina. The last time they were publicly exhibited were animals from Anna Martens at the Interkoi & Aquaristik. Where a standard shrimp measures about 3 cm, at least the females, Anna's animals knew no end and were measured with proud 4,3 cm.
Photo: Lou Herfurth
When coincidence plays into the cards
More by chance we could already spot similar animals. Again they were Yellow Fire, which didn't seem to obey the laws of nature. Although they were not as large as the giants on display, they were still larger than is usually the case. We noticed that these shrimps were rather forgotten because they never carried eggs and the actual breeding project stalled only because there was no male left in the tank. Also the ladies were already more than 2 years old and should have already passed away. But they did not stick to this plan either.
How to breed XXL Neocaridina?
Unfortunately we can't give you a real secret plan, because it simply doesn't exist (yet). But before you throw the net into the tank, there might be an answer to this question. Other shrimp breeders have already succeeded in breeding yellow shrimp with these dimensions and even though there are some sailor shrimp in aquaristics, we came to a possible approach in discussions. One possibility was to separate females as early as possible and never let them egg. Also, they should be kept purely in a species tank without other Neocaridina or fish, that is, in maximum comfort environment without any stress factor. Because then they would use all their energy to grow and easily crack the usual 2.5 cm mark and also become older than 2 years. So far at least the logical results for us from the conversations with other breeders.
Photo: garnelio.de
Vague assumptions
If we occupy ourselves with the aquaristics, it is noticeable that in some places animals exist or were bred together, which either put everything in the shade or raise substantial questions. And questions one has quasi basically. For example, there is a rumor that the Yellow Fire, i.e. the Neocaridina davidii, exists in two variants, one of which does not correspond to the N. davidii at all, which is why it is capable of producing green young in crossbreeding experiments with blue Neocaridina. This consideration is because "Yellow Fire" are said to have been taken from different habitats. This theory has not been proven yet, but it is a potential for discussion and arouses the spirit of discovery.
Photo: Lou Herfurth
Conclusion
Oversized Neocaridina, at least females, are theoretically possible, after all we have seen them ourselves and kept them ourselves. Whether we will see the titans of dwarf shrimps more often in the future, however, remains to be seen. Not least because this project will probably take much more time than the usual ones. Whether the XXL dinosaur ladies would then still be able to reproduce is also questionable, but would certainly be worth a try.
Preview: Winner Interkoi & Aquaristik, Breeder: Anna Mertens, Photo: Marian Scheffner
Aussenhaltung
Also ich habe mal Wasserpflanzenrückschnitt aus einem Neo Becken in meinen Daphnia-Zucht Kübel im Garten gegeben. Im nächsten Frühjahr fand ich mehrere ca 3-4cm große wunderbar gefärbte Sakuras, zum Teil trächtig. Die Tiere haben trotz Frost mit geschlossener Eisdecke den Winter überstanden. Ich denke es lag zum einen daran, dass die sich in den Pflanzen befundenen Garnelen winzig waren und so von Anfang an sich an wechselnde Temperaturen gewöhnen konnten, zum anderen hatten zum Aufwachsen perfektes Futter und Sonnenlicht zur Verfügung. Vor dem nächsten Winter habe ich die Garnelen abgefischt, die Nachzuchten dieser Tiere entwickelten im Becken wieder normale Aquariummaße.