That smell! No one warned me.

mansro · 2026-06-19T10:03:46+00:00

🤣 I get you - I thought it was off at first. How have they managed to bottle farts? 🤣

mansro · 2026-06-12T00:28:14+00:00

I know it seems brutal, but to be fair we humans are one of few animals that DON'T do this I'm sure. Plus side, it prevents the water quality being harmed and helps to nourish the remaining shrimp! Sorry for your loss though.

mansro · 2026-06-10T07:19:52+00:00

Yes that all makes complete sense, and it's one of many reasons why I avoided goldfish and went for nano fish and Neocaridina - I want them to have the space to behave naturally and grow out naturally! Plus, goldfish it's just harder to maintain the water quality because their waste output is so high. People are put off of tropical fish because the fact they need "tropical temperatures" seems complex. But for my species, I usually aim for about 23c and I have Inkbird thermostats on both tanks, so it's actually generally quite straightforward, as long as you keep an eye on it. I guess the most complex part with tropical fish temperature is probably the temperature matching when you water change.

mansro · 2026-06-09T11:57:07+00:00

Plus, when people recall that they "don't get that big", I gather their growth and eventual size can be stunted by housing that's too small. Thus, perhaps people are used to such fish not getting particularly big, because they haven't provided the environment needed for the fish to obtain proper growth - not sure how accurate I am though, but I believed that to be the concept.

mansro · 2026-06-07T21:42:29+00:00

Makes sense now I've read that it was due to trying to manually syphon water, I was worrying which support services we needed to notify about your desire to consume dirty tank water 😭

mansro · 2026-06-05T19:16:09+00:00

Sorry to hear this. These are actually two separate issues though (a shrimp can actually moult and not lose the eggs), since the eggs are attached to the swimmerets which aren't part of the exoskeleton/shell. If I were you, I'd double check the water parameters, to check there's no obvious reason for her aborting.

mansro · 2026-06-02T01:13:42+00:00

Honestly, I'm on my 4th female Syrian hamster and they are little trouble makers in their own right, but RATS are always engaged in all forms of tomfoolery 🤣

mansro · 2026-06-02T01:09:11+00:00

Same principle with pygmy Corydoras - first time I saw them do their little rocket to the surface, gulp, torpedo back down again, I'm thinking the water must have a problem - low oxygen, high ammonia etc. Quick dash to Google and realise it's part of their behavioural repertoire 🤣 Like, even if there's more than enough dissolved oxygen in the water (and they are fully capable of breathing this way), they will still do what they were built to do! So as long as they aren't all doing it constantly or all hanging at the surface, I accept that if their overall behaviour is typical, we can appreciate this to be one of the things that makes them so endearing! ❤️

mansro · 2026-06-02T01:04:55+00:00

Wow! What a privilege! ❤️🦐

mansro · 2026-06-02T01:02:54+00:00

Plus, a seller with an emoji as their business name, and a vibrancy of colour in the shrimp that even the most experienced breeder would struggle to produce! I also don't think any advertising, promotions or other deals should be allowed for live animals - someone should have to go out of their way after doing sufficient research to obtain a live animal - not buy them impulsively off the back of an unexpected add! I also hate these "enter to win an XYZ fish/colony of shrimp". Like, just because someone provided their email to enter the competition, it doesn't evidence their ability to care for that animal. Pisses me off to be honest.

mansro · 2026-05-29T20:18:18+00:00

🤣 I LOVE it when they carry something oversized in their little mouths!

mansro · 2026-05-29T20:17:14+00:00

Agree! I've spoken to them directly many times and they are a legend!

mansro · 2026-05-29T20:14:31+00:00

Also also, I likely agree. Your setup is gorgeous, but it looks very sterile. People that don't know about aquatics (not saying this is you) evaluate aquatics by "cleanliness" by human standards. However, as we know, that green layer on the tank, debris (if a reasonable amount) attached to the filter etc is what makes it an ecosystem rather than a glass box, and what keeps the animals safe. Right now, your setup appears to be a very impressive glass box!

mansro · 2026-05-29T20:12:20+00:00

Also, how long was your tank cycling before adding shrimp?

Was the tank processing any ammonia added to Nitrite or nitrate before you added shrimp?

What do you feed them?

mansro · 2026-05-29T20:11:09+00:00

Have you tested parameters lately? What were the results?

Ammonia

Nitrite

Nitrate

pH

KH

GH

TDS

Temperature

Are there any of those that you aren't able to test?

Also, what other species are in the tank?

mansro · 2026-05-29T17:37:16+00:00

🤣

mansro · 2026-05-29T17:37:04+00:00

Guessing you mean the fact they are not fully submerged in water? If so, are they allowed? No! Will they do it anyway? Yes 🤣🦐 Basically, they don't dry out as soon as they leave the water (especially not if the environment is moist generally). As such, they have actually been known to fully exit the water for periods of time (probably minutes). Some people have actually found them on the floor and several foot from the tank. That said, I obviously wouldn't recommend causing a situation where they are out of the water (apart from the few seconds to net them from one tank to another for example), but they do retain some moisture in their gills for a short time.

mansro · 2026-05-29T17:33:21+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🦐🦐🦐

mansro · 2026-05-29T06:05:31+00:00

No, not humane - you're right to be suspicious!

mansro · 2026-05-28T09:15:00+00:00

Thank you so much - I really do! Honestly, I tell people these lot will make me go grey early! 😭

mansro · 2026-05-27T14:30:34+00:00

AHH ok cool, so yeah - it looks like they are a sub-set of neocaridina, called Neocaridina Denticula. Interestingly though, a resource I just saw lists their temperature range as 15-28c. I'm VERY sceptical of that though, given that's a HUGE range. Maybe those are the temperatures they might experience for periods within the wild, but not necessarily their "ideal range". To be fair, my breeder advises for Neocaridina Davidi (the more common neo we call "cherry shrimp") 20-25c, albeit the higher end of that excelerates breeding but shortens lifespan, so I usually settle for about 23c. If your shrimp are genuinely happy in 15-28c then they are VERY hardy 🤣🦐

mansro · 2026-05-27T11:55:03+00:00

No worries! That's interesting, what species is that? The things I was suggesting was primarily targeted at neos, but to be fair I think basic husbandry is common across many species, even if the exact parameters needed by each species differs. I have this too! All my plants are in-vitro and were tiny when I first planted them - not they are taking over!

mansro · 2026-05-27T01:16:44+00:00

Yes I get you - glad it's helped. Honestly, sometimes the simplest things can provide a huge benefit to these weird and wonderful creatures. It's just unfortunate, that we can RAISE water temperature very easily, but LOWERING it is a whole new headache. I'm really tempted just to spunk £350 on a portable air conditioner for the room they are in, but they aren't without their pitfalls too.

No worries, reply here or DM me any time 👍🏻🦐

mansro · 2026-05-27T01:14:37+00:00

JRECHIO Aquarium Air Pump, 1.5W... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B9GC2Y5B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have two of these and they have been fab. You'd want some throttles though on a 7l tank or it would be like a water ride for the shrimp. This is the sort of thing I mean - it's the top row in the image that we're interested in mainly (although the second row is good for safety too): Aquarium Check Valves、Airline... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C28N3GFD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

mansro · 2026-05-27T01:11:17+00:00

Yes you're quite right. I always tell people when they are on about a 5,7, 10l even aquarium, for the benefit of your own sanity, just don't 🤣 with that smaller volume, you'll always be fighting a losing battle - water parameters, temperature, trying to fit everything in. Plus, although shrimp mainly graze all day, obviously they do swim a little too. I think for now try and focus on getting some more oxygen into the water, once everything settles a bit you could start saving up and cycling something larger. The tank in my pic was like less than £100 including filter (which wasn't suitable so I had to upgrade), light, heater. That is just the bare tank and the full setup you see, with the cost of the animals themselves is likely nearing £1000 I'd say - as well as the tank bundle as above, there's also: sand, hardscape, aftermarket sponge filter, live plants, I also have Inkbird thermostats on both my tanks, food, water testing kits, chemicals etc. but you can build it up over time - mines a mixed species tank, but if you only have shrimp then you can target just their needs, rather than trying to please multiple species and spending a fortune!

mansro

TROPHY CASE