I recently had the opportunity to get a batch of the new shrimp from Sulawesi, Indonesia. It appears that these are starting to appear in import lists, which indicates that the shrimp farms overseas are starting to figure out how to breed them. With many varieties to choose from, the first one I wanted to try and breed was the Orchid Shrimp, shown below. Outside of one, none of these shrimp are scientifically described as anything other than Caridina sp.

Orchid Shrimp

I chose the Orchid Shrimp because it has white marbled nicely throughout a red body. The one described species, Caridina spongicola (sold as Celebes Beauty Bee), may be even more striking, but I had read that it is more delicate than the others. Unfortunately for me, the Orchids didn’t ship very well either, and the one shown above is the only one I received. I’m hoping to get some replacements in a few weeks.

Six Banded Black Bee Shrimp

Otherwise, I wanted one of the black shrimp that I had seen pictures of. Originally ordering one by the name of Power Blue Bee, I had to end up substituting for the Six Banded Black Bee due to availability, shown above. When I received the shrimp, they were nearly transparent, and I was a little bit upset. Overnight, the bodies have darkened up considerably, revealing the six light bars across their backs. One of mine was carrying eggs, so I’m hopeful that they will readily reproduce so that I can spread them around a little bit locally.

Overall, my first impressions of these shrimp are that they’re smaller than cherries, and much more timid. As you can tell from the pictures, they’re not hanging out in areas of the tank that are convenient to photograph. I have them in a 10G tank with crushed coral in a bag under the substrate, and 3M ColorQuartz sand. I’m keeping the temperature around 80 degrees. I made the mistake of using black sand, which makes finding the shrimp a bit of a bear. Otherwise, I’m glad that I went through with this order, and really hope to successfully breed them. I’ll be sure to update the website with their progress.

It’s been a little bit more than 2 months since I setup my side-by-side comparison of soil substrate (left) and worm casting substrate (right). Both are looking kind of pathetic, but the wormstrate appears to be doing a little bit less pathetic than the soil. Admittedly, I’m not convinced that these results have much to do with the substrate, however.

I still need to split out my CO2 lines to feed CO2 directly into this tank. I just don’t think that Excel cuts it in this case, even though I’ve been slightly more consistent in my dosing than I was previously. Some plants are starting to grow, however, such as the Marsilea quadrifolia below.

But, despite the growth, I think I may be missing some other vital nutrient. Many of the stem plants are starting to stunt on their new growth. Check out this pathetic looking Hygrophila polysperma from the wormstrate tank. Usually this plant grows moderately well in any conditions! It’s also possible that heat may be a factor as the 2x13W lights over each of these tanks put off a ton of warmth.

The Didiplis diandre has all but died out of the soil tank, but I must say that the soil substrate is growing the fullest stem plant — Asian Ambulia. The compact growth of this stem looks almost healthy!

It’s really interesting to see how specialized some of these plants are, where one can thrive in conditions that melt other plants. I’m not considering either of these tanks a bust (or a success) yet, but I’m definitely looking for suggestions on what I should be doing to turn them around.

Across two months of GWAPA meetings, I brought home four Goo Obo Gudgeons from the auctions. The Goo Obo Gudgeon is a small unidentified fish that was collected at Goo-Obo Falls in Papua New Guinea. According to the documentation that I got from the seller, while unidentified, this is probably either Allomogurnda or Mogurnda nesolepis.

When I brought home the first pair, I was admittedly a little bit disappointed. Shortly after adding them to my 54G tank, they disappeared into the hardscape, and weren’t seen for at least another week. Eventually, I started noticing them, hiding in the shadows underneath large anubias or cryptocoryne leaves, or between pieces of wood and rocks.

That’s when I decided to try adding 2 more to the tank, in hope that with four total, I’d see one of them more often. Fortunately, this strategy seems to have worked. Also, I started feeding the tank blackworms, which has definitely drawn them out of their hiding places!

According to the Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol. 4, these gudgeons “inhabit small, frequently swift-flowing, gravel to mud-bottomed rain forest streams.” They also enjoy the cover of vegetation and plant roots, which exactly what I’ve experienced in my tank.

As young fish, they were not very attractive, but since feeding them blackworms, they have increased in size (max about 3″), and have definitely gone from rather drab looking to fairly colorful with bright yellow fins. I doubt that they will be able to successfully raise any young in this tank due to some very active catfish, but they’re very interesting fish to keep. (And they’re great additions for rainbowfish themed tanks.)

It’s been almost two months since I setup this aquascape, and it’s finally starting to fill in a little bit. The crypts in the foreground are beginning to cover up the substrate, and everything else is fanning out a little bit. The only thing I have been dosing is a few milliliters of Seachem Flourish every day, which seems to prevent most of the deficiencies that would creep up otherwise. I also have Flourish tabs in the substrate to feed the crypts.

I do have one sad note regarding this tank. One of the two oldest fish, both chinese algae eaters, I had had since I got back into aquariums nearly 6 years ago passed away last weekend. All of the other fish in the tank are healthy, so I’m guessing that he simply died from old age. RIP CAE. As far as the aquascape goes, if anyone has any comments or criticisms, please leave them in the comment section — I’m always looking to improve my scapes. 🙂

At the last GWAPA meeting auction, I bought Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata ‘Pantanal,’ which is a plant I have tried to keep a few times previously. Known as a relatively difficult plant, any lack of nutrients or light causes the stem plant to melt away. In the past, I’ve even seen a single stem wave in and out, with leaf widths varying from about half an inch up to 2 inches, representing periods of neglect, and periods of proper growth.

Fortunately, if adequately cared for, Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata ‘Pantanal’ is one of the most beautiful stem plants available, maintaining a brilliant red coloration that is sure to draw the attention of any onlooker. There are many more leaves per node than Limnophila aromatica, which makes the stem look more compact, particularly because the leaves themselves stay a tad bit smaller as well.

While certainly not a plant for any beginning hobbyist, I highly recommend this plant to any more experienced grower. High light, rich substrate/fertilization, and CO2 are a must for this plant.