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| The
fascinating world of shrimps and crayfish |
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Shrimps and crayfish are useful and extremely interesting
inhabitants of our aquariums. These animals are also frequently
kept together with fish. Dwarf shrimps, in particular, have
become more and more popular during the last years. Shrimps such
as the Amano shrimps (Caridina multidentata) are mainly
kept as scavengers and algae eaters in our aquariums. Above all,
they rid plants of annoying algae. |
| Due to the
splendid colors and the interesting behavior, it is a special
pleasure to design underwater landscapes only for shrimps and
crayfish. Nano aquariums are particularly well suited for this
purpose. These are very small biotope aquariums close to
nature. |
| Keeping
shrimps and crayfish |
| There is a
general rule for keeping, even with peaceful and sociable
shrimps: Less is more! Furthermore, in case of keeping many
specimens it is important to provide as many places to retreat
as possible. Especially while exuviating, crayfish and shrimp
need shelters to protect their soft body. |
| Exuviation |
| Crayfish and
shrimps have a so called exoskeleton, i.e. an external
skeleton. It is regularly replaced with a new one by
exuviation since it cannot grow. It is an exciting moment when
the crustacean leaves its old shell, also named 'exuvia', and
the new, soft and flexible 'shell' becomes visible. After
being stretched to the new size, the exoskeleton hardens by
chemical processes and by depositing minerals such as calcium.
Injured or severed limbs can be replaced by and by with the
exuviations. Exuviation problems are usually caused by
unsuitable keeping conditions, wrong or insufficient
nutrition. You can prevent exuviation problems with the
special food such as crustaceans sera crabs natural and
sera shrimps natural. |
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| Conditioning
the water |
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| Crustaceans
generally are even more sensitive to chemical water pollution
than many fish species. It is therefore necessary to condition
tap water. Always add sera aquatan or sera blackwater aquatan,
specially developed also for crustaceans, to the water every
time you fill the tank, be it the first filling or a partial
water change. They will immediately bind the heavy metal ions,
clarify the water and neutralize toxic substances such as
aggressive chlorine. It is additionally recommended, eg during
the biological activation phase of if necessary, to use sera
super super carbon as an active carbon that reliably removes
other toxic substances from the water.
Also consider the correct water hardness. The water
hardness describes the concentration of dissolved alkaline
earth metals. Soft water contains less of these ions - mainly
calcium and magnesium - than hard water. Most shrimp species
have adapted to rather soft water in their original habitats.
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| For
example, Red Cherry and Amano shrimps require a carbonate
hardness of 4 - 16°dkH, Bee and Tiger shrimps an even lower
range of 2 - 10°dkH. A carbonate hardness of 5 - 10°dkH is
therefore in any case correct. Crayfish are usually adapted to
environments with slightly harder water. If you need to lower
the carbonate hardness due to hard water, you can do so by
placing sera super peat in the filter. This will also
inhibit the growth of harmful fungi and bacteria. You can
check the carbonate hardness with sera kH test kit and
increase carbonate hardness with sera kH/pH plus if
necessary. |
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| Immediate
help |
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| If
in spite of all diligence the concentration of pollutants
should quickly rise strongly, sera toxivec will immediately
prevent acute intoxication of the animals in the aquarium |
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| Feeding
according to nature |
| Both
crayfish and shrimps are omnivorous animals, i.e they eat
herbal and animal food. Their natural habitats mostly provide
rather few plants but an abundant variety of leaves and wood
that have fallen into the water. This decomposing organic
material (debris and sludge) along with the micro-organisms
growing on it (fungi, bacteria, protozoans) and algae serve as
an important nutrient source. Anything the crustaceans can
find and catch will add to the diet: small organisms such as
snails, mussels, worms, sometimes even small fish, but often
also carribon or ripe fruit. Some of the crustaceans do not
even stop at cannibalism for meeting their protein
requirements. |
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| Most
valuable ingredients |
| sera
has developed the innovative crustacean foods sera shrimps
natural and sera crabs natural for the various requirements of
the crustaceans. The valuable ingredients and the careful
processing make these food and ideal staple diet for
crustaceans. The unique nutrient composition results from the
sole use of aquatic organisms such as marine fish, Gammarus,
Spirulina and marine algae as protein and fat suppliers. The
proteins they contain are therefore characterized by an amino
acid composition that can ideally be utilized by the
crustaceans. |
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| Particularly
easy to digest |
| The
food becomes very easy to digest this way, which prevents
water pollution by undigested breakdown products. |
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| Optimal
supply |
| Furthermore,
this composition ensures an optimal supply with essential
omega fatty acids. High percentages of spirulina, marine algae
and numerous high quality herbs and vegetables provide the
animals with important minerals, vitamins and trace elements
such as the natural iodine of marine algae, which supports
regular exuviation. Stinging nettle - confirmed by numerous
observations - is effective against inflammations and
increases the fertility of shrimps and crayfish. Willow bark
and alder cones provide a natural ballast substance source,
furthermore these ingredients have anti-bacterial and
fungicidal effects. Gammarus and green-lipped mussels make the
food very attractive. Therefore it was possible to go without
added flavors - as is the case for all sera food.
Furthermore, sera wishes to be even closer to nature by
not using any artificial dyes at all. |
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| Natural
Dyes |
| Both
foods contain exclusively the valuable natural dyes from their
ingredients,eg the strongly colour-enhancing and
vitamin-like astaxanthin from Haematococcus algae. These
components of the Vital Immune Protect
Formula as well as the entire composition of sera shrimp
natural and sera crabs natural, blended according
to newest scientific findings, support healthy development
(with regular, safe exuviation activity), brilliant colours,
fertility and vitality for crayfish and shrimps. |
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| Treatments
or care products and crustaceans? |
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| Shrimps
and crayfish are not yet as well researched as fish.
Therefore, only little is known about diseases and their
treatment. Infections by viruses, fungi (eg fungal shell
disease of crayfish) and microsporidia can currently usually
not be treated effectively. Therefore you should always
maintain best possible care conditions for the animals.
Animals that are fed a wholesome diet and live as stress
free as possible in an environment according to their
requirements are considerably less sensitive to diseases.
Furthermore, using sera blackwater aquatan helps
preventing diseases or, in case of small injuries, accelerates
wound healing. Always make sure the animals are healthy when
purchasing new ones.
Not all care products and treatments suitable for the
well-being of fish are tolerated by crayfish or shrimps. If
the treatment in the community tank becomes necessary, you can
safely use various products from the sera range. For
example, the sera med Professional treatments Protazol,
Tremazol and Flagellol have been extensively tested
on and considered safe for crustaceans. Furthermore, using sera
ectopur is possible without hesitation. These vitamins
strengthen the animals and ensure quick recovery.
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