Order Decapoda = Decapod crustaceans

Suborder: Natantia Boas, 1880 = Shrimp

Family: Alpheidae = Click crayfish

Shrimp: a way of life

Freshwater shrimp, where they live - important element fauna of reservoirs, an essential link in the food chain. Many fish and waterfowl feed on them. Have freshwater shrimp and significant economic importance.

By the end of the 20th century. The freshwater shrimp Exopalaemon modestus was discovered in the Kapchagay reservoir in Kazakhstan, and in Uzbekistan, in the Chirchik and Syrdarya rivers, in the Arnasay lakes, the Chinese shrimp Macrobrachium nipponense has taken root. It was accidentally introduced into fish ponds along with juvenile Far Eastern fish from China. The same shrimp accidentally ended up in artificial cooling ponds at hydroelectric power stations in the Moscow region, then at the Ryazan State District Power Plant, and began to multiply beautifully there constantly. warm water. They were already specially settled in the cooling lakes of state district power plants in Belarus and Moldova. In such reservoirs, shrimp eat lower algae, which develop en masse in warm water, and themselves serve as food for many fish. In particular, they are readily eaten by pike perch. Currently, experiments are being conducted on breeding the giant eastern Rosenberg shrimp for food purposes in the Volga delta and in warm-water basins in the Crimea.

As observations in Belarus have shown, in the cooling ponds of state regional power plants, the number of shrimp can increase by 8.7 times or more over the course of a year. In Moldova, two years after their settlement, their number increased from 2 thousand to 600 thousand.

Freshwater shrimp are a fairly valuable food product, which is of significant importance in the tropics and subtropics. They are grown in ponds and rice paddies in two dozen countries around the world. In constantly warm water, shrimp can reproduce year-round and reach large numbers: up to 50 crustaceans per 1 m3 of water. In the USA, India, Australia, and Israel, the number of shrimp in ponds can grow 60 times per season. Mainly 10–16 species of the genus Macrobrachium are grown, some representatives of which reach a length of 30 cm and weigh 150–250 g (for example, the already mentioned giant eastern Rosenberg shrimp, Macrobrachium rosenbergii).

You can learn a lot of interesting things about shrimp by observing them in an aquarium. These creatures get along well in captivity and over the last decade have become quite widespread among aquarists. They clean aquarium plants from fouling by lower algae, act as orderlies, complement the diversity of the population of an indoor reservoir, usually limited only to fish, and decorate with their original look underwater landscape. The aquariums contain Japanese marsh shrimp (Caridina japonica), South Asian bee shrimp (Caridina serrata) and bumblebee shrimp from the genus Neocaridina, Far Eastern freshwater shrimp. Small shrimp, for example, caridina bee, live in captivity for 1–1.5 years, large ones for 2–4 years.

A volume of 7–10 liters per individual is sufficient for shrimp; they prefer a sandy bottom, clean water, feed on detritus, leftover fish food, and microalgae. Large shrimp can sometimes attack sick or, less commonly, fish sleeping on the bottom at night. They usually do not touch healthy active fish. Attacks on fish and cannibalism are more often observed in stressful situations for shrimp - after transplantation, with a lack of regular food, overcrowding, sudden changes in living conditions, in particular, significant temperature changes within 1-2 hours.

According to some information, shrimp of the genus Caridina need brackish water, and neocaridina bumblebees also breed in fresh water. But the biological features of many species of shrimp have not yet been sufficiently studied, so it is interesting to recommend that schoolchildren keep them, along with fish, in aquariums and observe them. Topics to observe may include the following.

1. Variability of color: lightening and darkening depending on the intensity of lighting, time of day, color of the soil different types. Effect of nutrition on color. Thus, when eating red mosquito larvae (bloodworms), the body of shrimp can turn pink, when eating dark tubifex worms, it can darken, and when feeding on green algae, it can turn green.

2. Observations of the movements and orientation of shrimp are instructive. Walking legs on the cephalothorax help them walk on the ground and climb vertically on plants. Here they are also held with the help of abdominal swimming legs, which in other cases help the shrimp to swim both forward - horizontally, and up and down - vertically. The movements of the caudal peduncles - uropods and the bending of the end of the abdomen help the shrimp not only quickly jump back a considerable distance, but also drive away other shrimp and fish. Also, the molting shrimp, whose legs have not yet hardened, moves with sharp flexions and extensions of the abdomen and pushes.

When searching for food, the shrimp primarily uses its antennae, claws, and jaws, all the while feeling the substrate around it. Its eyes distinguish only relatively large, closely located objects and are used when viewing the surrounding space when swimming and moving and when monitoring the approach of danger. This can be noticed when catching shrimp with a net.

3. Observations of the behavior of shrimp are of interest. Large macrobrachiums and palemons exhibit elements of territoriality, often stay in one corner of the aquarium, and try not to let other shrimp and fish in there. But we did not observe any fights among the shrimps - they, putting their open claws forward, quickly spread to the sides when they meet. Males vying for a female behave in a similar way. Males guard females during molting and mating.

4. Experiments on feeding shrimp, their choice of food items, the effect of temperature on the growth and development of shrimp, and the frequency of molting are worthy of attention. The shrimp quickly begin to recognize the place where food constantly appears, and try to stay nearby all the time. This is how they form conditioned reflex to the place and time of feeding. This indicates a certain development and complexity nervous system shrimp: they have more plastic behavior than arachnids and a number of insects that almost do not form conditioned reflexes.

It is worth paying attention to the structure of the discarded shells - exuviae. When shrimp molt, damaged or previously lost limbs grow back and the process of their regeneration occurs. This is especially noticeable in young ones, as they shed more often.

5. Reproduction of shrimp is a special area of ​​observation. The peculiarities of the female's care for the eggs and the change in their color as they mature are interesting. Females can regularly lay unfertilized eggs, which they then gradually lose. You can trace the influence of temperature and salinity of water on the development of eggs. Finally, the complex development process of shrimp larvae is very interesting. If you manage to grow ten young shrimp from larvae in an aquarium, this is already a great success. You can feed the larvae with particles of milk powder, yeast, boiled egg yolk, ground grain sprayed in water...

Introduction

I was prompted to write this material by numerous requests for help on the forum related to keeping shrimp in an aquarium.

Just 10 years ago these were very rare and exotic inhabitants aquariums. And now they have become fashionable, and the number of people wanting to have shrimp is constantly growing. But if the rules for caring for fish and plants are more or less generally known, then people are usually familiar with crustaceans only gastronomically.

There are many excellent articles about shrimp written by wonderful authors. This text is in no way a replacement for them. My main idea: to give a short introduction to shrimp keeping for newbies. The materials were selected taking into account the most common errors.
In order to facilitate perception, the material is divided into two parts: theoretical and practical.

Part 1. Theoretical

Meat or fish?

Once on the subway I heard a conversation between two women. They discussed whether it was possible to eat shrimp during Lent, when it is permissible to eat fish. Their main question was: are shrimp meat or fish? I wanted to tell them that shrimp are decapod arthropods. But I changed my mind, because... such an answer would confuse them even more. And why deprive people of the pleasure of courageously overcoming the difficulties that they create for themselves?
So, shrimp owners should know much more about their pets than the average person. Indeed, in an aquarium, these creatures are absolutely helpless. Their life depends entirely on the competence of the owner.

Let's take a look at the place of shrimp in the scientific classification:

Here keyword- arthropods. Therefore, immediately erase from your head the stereotype about the relationship between fish and shrimp. What they have in common is only their habitat. And according to their biological properties, they are “relatives” of cockroaches, spiders and bedbugs.

Which is more difficult to keep in an aquarium: fish or shrimp? It is impossible to answer unequivocally. But for a beginner, little familiar with the “pitfalls” of aquarium keeping, the answer is much clearer: casual fish are more tenacious. Therefore, shrimp are more difficult to keep.

Who sold me this hamster?

An old bearded joke... A man brings a bear to the poultry market and asks the sellers: “Well, who sold me this hamster a year ago?”

Shrimp also have their own hamsters and bears. Therefore, you need to be able to distinguish between them in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. For example, under the guise of a harmless booger, incompetent or unscrupulous sellers can sell macrobrachium rosenbergi, which grows up to 18 centimeters, freeing the aquarium from all fish, plants and its less fortunate relatives. In fact, the Rosenbergs are beautiful and interesting animals. But they need to be started consciously, providing appropriate conditions.

However, people usually want peaceful shrimp. And this is quite understandable. But how to distinguish them from predators? It's quite simple: predatory shrimp have claws that are visible to the naked eye.

I will not review all aquarium shrimp here. Moreover, new species and breeds are constantly appearing on the market. I would like to focus on the especially popular ones. Without having any statistics, I’ll take the risk of identifying the top three:

• Neocaridina denticulata Red Cherry, Cherry shrimp or simply cherry.
  The undoubted advantages of this shrimp are: unpretentiousness, fertility, bright color, wide availability. The disadvantages include small size. However, this is even good for miniature aquariums.
  The approximate lifespan of cherry shrimp is 1 year. This is certainly not enough. But it is compensated by their fertility.
• Amano shrimp, Yamato Shrimp, Caridina japonica, Japanese pond shrimp or simply amanka.
  She became widely known thanks to Takashi Amano. Quite large, active, can eat filamentous algae. But it does not reproduce in an aquarium. But the lifespan is much longer than that of cherries. My seven Amanks have been living for 3.5 years.
• Atyopsis Moluccensis, Banana Shrimp, filter feed shrimp.
  These funny large shrimp can often be found in pet stores. But they are much more difficult to maintain than amanki or cherries. In addition, they are not very active. And many people mistakenly believe that a filter-feeding shrimp can somehow replace a filter. Unfortunately, it is filter feeders that most often die from inexperienced owners.
  One filter has lived with me for 3 years, the other is already on its fourth year.

Having mastered the simple rules of keeping these relatively unpretentious creatures, you can start the rest.

What you need to know...

What are these rules? Let's look at them right now.

Water quality

When dealing with shrimp, never forget that water quality is the most important thing in their life. They are extremely sensitive to any changes.

In nature, if shrimp sense something is wrong, they try to quickly swim as far as possible from the bad place.

Unfortunately, they have nowhere to escape from the aquarium. The poor creatures are rushing along the walls in panic, trying in vain to find a stream that will lead them to clean water. Large shrimp are trying to jump out. Those who succeed die on the floor. The rest are in the aquarium.
This is the sad picture of poisoning with nitrogenous compounds among simple-minded owners who do not spare food for their pets. Or in case of an incorrect start in an aquarium with fish.

What to do in such a situation? Change the water?
As they say, it’s too late to drink Borjomi if your liver has fallen off.
Replacements are not very effective. Some of the poor fellows can be saved if they are immediately transplanted into clean water. But only owners of several aquariums can afford this. And in tap water, even if it is clean, shrimp also have little chance.

To avoid this situation, you need to remember that shrimp are much more sensitive to the content of harmful substances in water than fish. We will return to the topic of monitoring the concentration of nitrogen compounds. In the meantime, let's look at the table of numerical estimates that I collected based on personal experience.

What other substances are harmful to shrimp?
Most branded aquarium products are safe. And for those that are dangerous, this is always indicated in the instructions.

But can our people get by with only branded drugs? There will always be “knowledgeable” people who will recommend some kind of miracle remedy. But no one has yet canceled their head on their shoulders. And for an informed decision-making, I want to give a review collected from the reviews of many shrimp owners.

Copper salts.	They are often active components of algaecides and some drugs. Both plants and animals need copper in small quantities. For example, in the blood of shrimp, copper plays the same role as iron in ours. But the slightest overdose can be fatal. In branded fertilizers containing copper, the concentration is not dangerous.
Insecticides	Pesticides against insects are also very dangerous for shrimp, given the similarity of their physiology. Most often, insecticides get into the aquarium with new plants, because... on farms they often use poison against pests. Therefore, do not rush to plant plants from unreliable sources in an aquarium with shrimp. Let them sit in a separate container for a couple of days.
Antibiotics	A one-time application will not usually kill shrimp. But it should be remembered that antibiotics negatively affect the immunity of animals. In addition, they destroy such an important and fragile balance of the aquarium.
Fertilizer macroelements.	Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. If you apply it in the quantities that plants need, then there is no danger. (Given that nitrogen is in the form of nitrate.) It is also important to maintain the proportion between potassium and sodium. Plants do not need sodium, although there is usually much more of it in water. But if suddenly there is a significant excess of potassium, this can lead to disturbances in the activity of the animal’s nervous system.
Microelements of fertilizers.	Iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, boron, cobalt, iodine, sulfur, etc. are safe in the required concentrations.
Calcium, magnesium, sodium and chlorides	Most shrimp normally tolerate increased levels of these ions, because These are the elements of sea water. And shrimp still have a strong genetic memory of their homeland. But it is important to remember that when these elements are present in water as a mixture, this is normal. If only one of them is bad. As for calcium, shrimp need it to build their shells. If the water is too soft, many shrimp may show pathologies when molting. To compensate for the lack of calcium, you can use marble soil, tuff decorations, various shells, etc.
Iodine.	This is a very important element for the life of shrimp. But it often happens that there is too little of it in food and water. If you add iodinol (from a pharmacy) to the aquarium water at the rate of 1 ml per 10 liters of water, once or twice a month, this will not harm plants, fish and bacteria. But the shrimp will be happy. It is better to refrain from using a traditional alcohol solution of iodine.

Separately, I would like to touch on a sore subject - algae. In my opinion, in the fight against them, many people reach the point of absurdity. Shrimp are unlikely to share the aesthetic feelings of the owner. For them, algae is food, a useful substrate and an additional water purifier. However, in case of blooming water, it is necessary to ensure good aeration.
Think carefully before pouring pesticides, whether it is worth it. In general, excess algae can always be controlled without the use of algaecides. And even if many people claim that everything is fine with them, this does not mean that in your case there will be no problems. It is clear that the shrimp want to live, despite the good efforts of the owner. But each aquarium has its own specific conditions. Because of this, some people are lucky and others are not. Don't risk your pets' lives in vain.

And a couple more tips:

• Wash your hands thoroughly without soap before putting them into the shrimp aquarium.
• In the summer I constantly use fumitox. Many shrimp owners do too. Negative consequences No.

Once again about water

Did I mention that shrimp are very sensitive to water quality? I think he said. But it’s not superfluous to say this again.

Oxygen

It is very important to provide in aquarium water a large number of oxygen. Shrimp breathe through gills, much like fish. But the efficiency of fish gills is much higher. Therefore, shrimp need more oxygen. Where the fish survives, the shrimp may die from suffocation.
Extreme situations leading to a sharp drop in oxygen concentration are: outbreaks of blue-green algae (water blooms), bacterial turbidity, an increase in temperature to 30 0 C, high oxidation of water (due to excess organic matter).
Fish have another important advantage: a swim bladder, which allows them to float closer to the surface, where there is much more oxygen due to gas exchange with air. Shrimp are heavier than water and cannot swim for long. The only salvation for them is floating plants, which they can cling to and breathe near the surface.

Shrimp do not breathe through their mouths. Their gills are located in the central part of the body (in the carapace), and they push water there with cilia located under the belly. And too much movement may mean that the shrimp is lacking oxygen. And females also ventilate their eggs this way.

Filter feeders are the most demanding of oxygen. I would call the cherry ones the least picky.

Water temperature

Comfortable temperature for shrimp: 22-25 o C. Although, Sulawesi savages require no lower than 27 o. But for most the limit is 32 o. In addition, the warmer the water, the less necessary oxygen dissolves in it.
One summer there was terrible heat for almost two weeks. The temperature in the aquariums remained 30-31. Everyone survived. But this is force majeure.
Temperatures above 29 o are harmful to the health of shrimp.
The lower limit in my cherry shrimp tank dropped to 13 o without visible damage. I think that Amano could also survive this. But I wouldn’t take that risk with filters.

Hydrochemistry

What can be said about the hydrochemical parameters of water? Yes, advanced shrimp owners are usually well versed in such things as pH, KH, GH. You need to understand this especially well if you are going to install a carbon dioxide supply.
For most shrimp, a normal pH is between 6.5 and 8.5. Optimum 7.5-8. That is, a slightly alkaline environment.
High hardness is better than low hardness. For example, there are quite a few reports of problems with shedding in soft water (dGH< 5). В то же время, мне не приходилось слышать о проблемах в жёсткой воде.
Although, for example, red crystals feel better in softer and slightly acidic water.

But the most important quality of water is stability! Shrimp are able to adapt to a new environment, even if the parameters are not entirely favorable. But they will not be able to adapt to chaotic fluctuations in parameters (which are inevitable when trying to use pH-minus or plus products).

Organic

And all shrimp love water with a small organic content. Absolutely no organic matter (tap water) is very bad. Excess organic matter is also no good. Useful organic matter includes substances released by plants. Driftwood is also very welcome. Oak leaves or alder cones have a positive effect. At one time I used granulated peat in the filter. The water was yellowish, but all the shrimp felt great.

Shedding

A physiological feature of shrimp, like all arthropods, is their hard chitinous shell, which protects the body from all sides. This armor greatly helps them survive in wildlife, and in some aquariums too.

But there is a drawback to this: the shrimp grows and the suit becomes tight. Therefore, periodically they have to shed their old skin and grow a new one. This is called molting.

By the way, there is another unexpected bonus: along with a new skin, severed limbs can miraculously grow back.

But everything is far from so simple! The molting process is very responsible. After all, at this moment the shrimp becomes very vulnerable. In addition, to grow a new shell, the body uses “fat reserves” accumulated earlier. And if the shrimp did not receive enough substances from food, then there may not be enough building materials for new armor. This is fraught with various pathologies and even the death of the shrimp.

In addition to natural molting, there are also unplanned ones due to a sharp change in water parameters. This is a rather dangerous and undesirable phenomenon in the case when the shrimp has not had time to recover from the previous molt. And if the shrimp had caviar, it is usually lost.

What is a sudden change in water parameters from the point of view of shrimp?
Oddly enough, this could even be a transplant to a neighboring aquarium. After all, shrimp feel the difference very subtly. Therefore, do not try to transplant a pregnant female (“so that the babies don’t get eaten”). It is unlikely that she will appreciate such good intentions.

A change in parameters can be caused by an illiterate launch of the carbon dioxide supply system, the introduction of chemicals that disturb the environment, and even global weeding of fast-growing plants.

When some impressionable aquarists see empty skins for the first time, they sometimes mistake them for corpses. And I myself was caught once: the body of a filter feeder was lying at the bottom, and only the whiskers were twitching. I was about to be very upset, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be an empty shell into which a snail had climbed. And the mustache moved because of her movement.

The corpses of any shrimp in an aquarium look exactly the same as those in the frozen section of the grocery store - twisted, red and motionless.
Empty skins are translucent and usually white. And they are very light, so they sway even from a slight current and can lie on the leaves.

Behavior and Compatibility

Most shrimp are social creatures. Perhaps this does not apply only to filter feeders who are single introverts.
I can say for sure that the behavior of seven amankas is very different from three. In a group, shrimp behave more actively and boldly, hiding less. Therefore, it is much more interesting to watch them.
I didn’t notice any special relationships between different types of shrimp.

Another feature is 24/7 activity. It seems like it doesn't really matter to them whether it's day or night.

The keeping of shrimp together is limited by two factors:

• Larger shrimp can eat smaller ones. This is usually the fault of predators, such as macrobrachiums. However, I already warned that it is better to start with peaceful ones.
• Some seemingly different shrimp turn out to be capable of intermarrying. For example, this is possible between bees, tigers and crystals. () This does not harm them themselves, but the offspring come out completely unattractive. Is it worth paying through the nose for beautiful decorative shrimp if they are replaced by dull half-breeds?

Shrimp and fish

And of course, we cannot ignore the relationship between shrimp and fish.

Unfortunately, even small fish often prey on juvenile shrimp. And larger fish are not averse to snacking on adult cherries. Amanks and filter feeders can fend for themselves. But during the molting period, they can easily become prey for cichlids or macropods. There are known cases of amankas being eaten by roosters.
There are very few completely safe fish. Among them I would name microanalysis ( Microrasbora sp. Galaxy), otocinclus ( Otocinclus macrospilus), acanthophthalmus ( Acanthophthalmus kuhli) and gastromyzons ( Gastromyzon punctulatus). And also, oddly enough, a huge and formidable Gyrinoheylus ( Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) - a thunderstorm for fish - turned out to be absolutely harmless to shrimp. True, I once heard that he gave a thrashing to predatory shrimp. But, apparently, they were the first to make an attempt on his life.
The main trouble is that even in the absence of aggression from the fish, the shrimp try to stay out of harm's way. They begin to hide and switch to nocturnal activity.

For example, in my 100-liter aquarium, filter feeders, amankas, cherries and Indian red noses coexisted well.
Among the fish there were: Gyrinocheilus, two Siamese algae eaters (SAE), wedge-shaped rasboras, honey gouramis and dwarf loaches.
Juvenile cherry trees led predominantly night image life. In addition, they occupied the insides of the filters. The adults climbed calmly during the day.

I think that for the first time the theory will be enough. In the next part we will look at practical issues of shrimp science.

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Fresh shrimp must be properly frozen. The coloring should be even, the ice glaze should be thin, and the tail should be pressed against the belly. White spots on the shell or snow flakes in the package mean that the shrimp have been defrosted several times. Pay attention to the shrimp's head, if there is one. Pregnant shrimp have a brown head; their meat is the most delicious and healthy. A green head indicates that the shrimp fed on algae and a special type of plankton. But a black head indicates a serious illness; eating such a shrimp is dangerous to health. Black spots on the shell are also unacceptable.

What shrimp most often end up in Russia?

According to the data, northern red shrimp are most often imported to Russia, followed by northern chilim and red comb shrimp.

By the way, they are red even when raw. These shrimps are boiled alive in sea ​​water and immediately frozen after cooking. You can distinguish a boiled shrimp from a raw one by its tail: a boiled one has a curl, while a raw one has a straight tail. Market research showed that in Russia northern shrimp are supplied only boiled frozen, and these have a straight tail - a sign that the shrimp was boiled already dead.

An analysis of the frozen shrimp market in Russia emphasized the following point: Russian fishermen catch shrimp, but send them to the USA, South Korea and Japan, and Russia buys shrimp caught by the Danes and Canadians. This is justified by economic benefits.

Another nuance concerns the size or “caliber” of the shrimp. On the packaging you can find the following numbers - 50/70 (pieces per kilogram), or 70/90 and 90/120. larger number, the smaller the shrimp. So, cold-water shrimp are small, and size 70/90 is already rare for them. It is better to buy shrimp of 90/120 caliber, for all others more ice than meat.

Small shrimp don't mean bad

The smaller the shrimp, the juicier its meat and the brighter its taste. The shrimp market survey data should also be taken into account: cold-blooded shrimp are caught in natural environment habitats, and warm-water ones are grown on industrial scales on farms.

Interesting fact. So-called “king” shrimps do not exist in nature. This name includes all large warm-water shrimp, except for tiger shrimp, which are so named because of the specific color of their shell.

IN different countries king prawns their own - there are white Pacific, Indian, Chinese, Japanese sweet shrimp, Atlantic red and even giant freshwater shrimp that live in Southeast Asia. But only 20% of the total king prawns are caught in their natural habitat. The remaining 80% comes from farms where shrimp are bred in special ponds.

Where are “king prawns” imported to Russia from?

As a study of the frozen shrimp market has shown, large shrimp are brought to Russia from China, India and Bangladesh. Farmed shrimp are always larger than wild shrimp, and the manufacturer’s packaging should indicate that this is a product of aquaculture. Boiled frozen king prawns are sold in three types - uncut, with the shell without a head, or completely peeled. By the way, despite its impressive size - 25-30 cm in length, the meat in a king prawn is only 30% total weight, the rest is the head.

Tiger prawns - where do they come from?

Mainly farmed tiger shrimp are supplied to Russia. Black tiger shrimp are brought from India and China, and ordinary shrimp are brought from Indonesia and Thailand. They differ in color - ordinary ones have dark stripes on a light carapace, while black ones have the opposite. The size of tiger prawns is even larger than that of king prawns - 30-35 cm, and meat is 50% of the total weight

Shrimp are crustaceans, which are representatives of the order of decapods. They are widely distributed throughout all bodies of water in the world's oceans. The length of an adult shrimp does not exceed 30 centimeters and weighs 20 grams.

Science knows more than 2,000 individuals that live, including in fresh waters. The taste qualities of shrimp have led to them becoming the object of industrial production. Today, the practice of shrimp cultivation is widespread throughout the world.

Features and habitat of shrimp

Shrimp are unique animals in terms of their body structure. Features of shrimp lie in their anatomy. Shrimp are one of the rare crustaceans that shed and change their shells.

Her genitals and heart are located in the head area. The digestive and urinary organs are also located there. Like most crustaceans, shrimp breathes using gills.

The gills of the shrimp are protected by a shell and are located next to the walking legs. Normally, their blood is light blue in color; when there is a lack of oxygen, it becomes discolored.

Shrimp live in almost all large bodies of water in the world. Their range is limited only to the harsh Arctic and Antarctic waters. They have adapted to life in warm and cold, salt and fresh water. Largest number shrimp species are concentrated in equatorial regions. The further from the equator, the smaller their population.

Character and lifestyle of shrimp

Shrimps play important role in the ecosystem of seas and oceans. They clean the bottom of reservoirs from the remains of tubifex worms, aquatic insects and fish. Their diet consists of rotting plants and detritus - black silt formed as a result of the decomposition of fish and algae.

They lead an active lifestyle: they surf the bottom in search of food, crawl along the leaves of plants, cleaning them from snail leeches. Shrimp maneuverability in water is provided by walking legs on the cephalothorax and abdominal swimming legs, and the movements of the caudal peduncles allow them to quickly jump back and scare away their enemies.

Aquarium shrimp perform the functions of an orderly. They rid the reservoir of fouling by lower algae and feed on the remains of their dead “brethren.” Sometimes they can attack sick or sleeping fish. Cannibalism among these crustaceans is rare. It usually appears only in stressful situations or in conditions of prolonged hunger.

Types of shrimp

All famous sciences Shrimp species are divided into four groups:

• Warm water;
• Cold water;
• Brackish water;
• Freshwater.

The habitat of warm-water shrimp is limited to the southern seas and oceans. They are caught not only in their natural habitat, but also cultivated in artificial conditions. Science knows more than a hundred species of warm-water shrimp. Examples of such shellfish are black tiger and white tiger shrimp.

The photo shows a white tiger shrimp

Cold-water shrimp are the most common of the known subspecies. Their habitat is wide: they are found in the Baltic, Barents, North Seas, off the coast of Greenland and Canada.

At description of shrimp It is worth mentioning of such individuals that their length is 10-12 cm, and their weight is 5.5-12 grams. Cold-water shrimp cannot be artificially propagated and develop only in their natural habitat.

They feed exclusively on environmentally friendly plankton, which has a positive effect on their quality. The most famous representatives of this subspecies are the northern red shrimp, northern chilim shrimp and red comb shrimp.

Pictured is chilim shrimp

Shrimp, common in salty waters seas and oceans are called saltwater. So, in Atlantic Ocean Reds live king prawns, northern white, southern pink, northern pink, serrated and other individuals.

The photo shows serrated shrimp

On the South American coasts you can find Chilean shrimp. Waters of the Black, Baltic and Mediterranean seas rich in herbaceous and sand shrimps.

The photo shows a grassy shrimp

Freshwater shrimp mainly live in the countries of Southeast and South Asia, Australia, Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The length of such individuals is 10-15 centimeters and weighs from 11 to 18 grams. Most known species— troglocar shrimp, Palaemon superbus, Macrobachium rosenbergii.

Shrimp food

The basis shrimp nutrition consists of dying aquatic plants and organic remains. In their natural habitat they are scavengers. Shrimp will not refuse the pleasure of feasting on the remains of dead fish or even juvenile fish.

Among plants, they prefer to feed on those with fleshy and succulent leaves, for example, ceratopteris. In the process of searching for food, shrimp use the organs of touch and smell. Turning its antennas in different directions, it looks around the area and tries to find prey.

In search of vegetation, certain species of shrimp that live closer to the equator dig up the soil of the reservoir. They run around its perimeter until they run into food, and then, approaching it within a centimeter, they suddenly attack it. Blind individuals living at the bottom of the Black Sea feed on silt, grinding it with their mandibles - well-developed jaws.

For shrimp grown in aquariums, specially developed feed is produced, enriched with nutrients and iodine. It is not recommended to feed them perishable vegetables.

As food you can use lightly boiled carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, dandelion leaves, clover, cherries, chestnuts, walnut. A real feast for a shrimp is the remains of an aquarium shrimp or its fellow shrimp.

Reproduction and lifespan of shrimp

During puberty, the female shrimp begins the process of forming eggs that resemble a green-yellow mass. When the female is ready to mate, she releases pheromones into the water - substances that have a specific odor.

Sensing this smell, the males become more active in search of a partner and fertilize her. This process takes no more than a minute. Then the shrimp produces caviar. The norm for an adult female is a clutch of 20-30 eggs. Embryonic development larvae last from 10 to 30 days depending on temperature environment.

During the process of embryogenesis, larvae go through 9-12 stages. At this time, changes occur in their structure: at the beginning, the jaws are formed, a little later - the cephalothorax. Most hatched larvae die due to unfavorable conditions or the “work” of predators. As a rule, 5-10% of the brood reach maturity. At shrimp farming in the aquarium it is possible to preserve up to 30% of the offspring.

The larvae lead a sedentary lifestyle and are not able to obtain food, feeding on the available food. The last stage of development in these mollusks is called decapodite. During this period, the larva leads a lifestyle no different from an adult shrimp. Average, life cycle shrimp life lasts from 1.5 to 6 years.

Shrimp, like other crustaceans, consume a wide variety of food. Dying aquatic plants and various organic remains are perfect for feeding them. Shrimp are also not averse to feasting on insects that live near reservoirs: tubifex, polychaetes, bloodworms, coretras (blood-sucking mosquitoes), and daphnia. They also love to eat plants, mainly those that have soft, fleshy leaves (for example, ceratopteris). Of no less interest to crustaceans are the remains of dead snails, large and small fish and other marine or freshwater animals. Representatives individual species shrimp (for example, those belonging to the genus Palaemon) can attack young fish at times when they are too hungry and are unable to find other food. But In most life situations, shrimp are scavengers that feed on carrion. The oral apparatus of crustaceans are mandibles (well-developed jaws), which are used for grinding food.

Large individuals living closer to the equator, in search of plant food, constantly actively dig up the soil of the bottom of the reservoir with their feet, pulling out the plants in it by their roots and vigorously modifying the underwater landscape. They prefer to eat the inhabitants of the seas and oceans in the form of remains, which are much easier to find than to hunt living specimens. The species and numerical diversity of various organisms suitable for feeding shrimp allows the latter to reach very large (up to 30 centimeters) sizes. They reach especially impressive sizes.

Shelf shrimp west coast Africa, they most often live on muddy areas, near river mouths, where the temperature of the bottom layer of water is between 15-20°C. Here, at a sea depth of 30-60 meters, during the daytime, shrimp are buried in the mud. With the onset of darkness, they rise above the silt zone and begin to search for prey. The objects of their hunt are usually small crustaceans.

Blind freshwater shrimp living in groundwater and cave waters Black Sea coast Caucasians feed on silt, which they scrape with tufts of bristles on their claws.

What do specially farmed shrimp eat?

In Ecuador, which occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of crustaceans, shrimp are massively bred on specialized farms in swimming pools. Early in the morning every day, workers of these farms small boats go out to artificial reservoirs, where special compound feed is scattered to feed the shrimp, trying to catch it before the rain comes. Crustaceans are very sensitive to changes atmospheric pressure and in inclement weather they refuse to eat. If you place food in the pool at the wrong time, the shrimp will ignore it.

Shrimp, which grow happily not in a farm, but in the wild, feed mainly on small crustaceans and various algae. Thanks to such food, they have more strong shells and a distinctly rich aroma than their captive relatives. Shrimp that live in natural reservoirs are forced to spend a lot of time moving, due to which their meat becomes denser.

Juvenile shrimp are noticeably different from adults. It is extremely sensitive to changing environmental conditions and if they become unfavorable, it can often die. Also, juveniles, to a greater extent than mature specimens, depend on the food diversity of the reservoir. During the molting period (2-3 days before and 1-2 after), shrimp do not need food. They spend this time hiding in thickets of plants, in accumulations of stones or other similar shelters.