Where Have All The Riffles Gone?

[Baccus]

So on my recent trip north to Cairns and Kuranda I was lucky enough to catch some riffle shrimp. They travelled the 13 hours home ok and I put them into a temp holding cage for the night to make sure they acclimatised ok, before being let loose into the main tank that would be their future home.
The next morning all bar one of the riffles had made a break for it and I hoped they where just secreted away in the tank some where and not eaten by my monster typhus shrimp.
After having kept a close eye on the tank and checking it at different times day and night for signs of the riffle shrimp my curiosity was too much to bear any longer and I decided to pull out the huge hollow log in the hope of dislodging any riffles hidden in it. Only Typhus and cherry shrimp emerged and I started thinking it would have to pull the tank apart to find the riffles, if they where even still in the tank. It was then that the other half came out and mentioned that the shrimp had been climbing up the overflow into the filter. I asked him which ones and he replied "the big ones" meaning the typhus.
So then I started pulling the media out of the filter and sure enough that was where the riffle shrimp had got too and living the high life on the mother load of food.
At least I now know that the riffle shrimp had not just wondered off out of the tank to become crispy critters on the floor or eaten by the hoover dogs. it just means I have to be much more carfeul when moving the filter media from now on. Especially since riffle shrimp don't tend to flip about the place like normal shrimp. Instead they right themselves and run like the clappers.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Well, that was an entertaining read! Still giggling.
 
Not having a clue what riffles are, I guess I'll have to use my imagination. Unless, of course, you'd like to grace us with some photos!

 

[Baccus]

As soon as I can get some decent photos of them I will. I LOATHE the new camera I got recently it is terrible to use, never wanting to focus and the flash not working in sync with the zoom of the lens. I also need to get some decent photos of the other native shrimp that travelled home with me as well as a stow away dwarf species of yabby.
 
Anywhooo, riffle shrimp are an Australian native type of shrimp very similar to African basket shrimp, in that they are a large shrimp which feeds with the same net. basket habit. The Riffle shrimp that I got are currently all males, easy to sex because of their size. Once these guys get to over 4cm they will go through a sex change and become female, so another oddity critter for Australia.
For anyone interested the scientific name for Riffle shrimp is Australatya striolata, and they are a fascinating shrimp to watch feed, as well as watch since they will change colour depending on mood and environment.

 

[Baccus]

Not a riffle shrimp but a typhus shrimp instead.

 

[TooManyChoices]

Riffles are beautiful! You're very lucky to be able to catch them! I'll get around to keeping them one day. Maybe a little biotope stream and get some green water happening for them!

 

[Baccus]

Finally got some pictures of a couple of the little male riffle shrimp. The red shrimp with them are full grown cherry shrimp, so you can see how small these guys are for now. But eventually they will dwarf the cherry shrimp.


 A guppy rather helpfully pointing out the riffle shrimp



 
Hopefully later I will be able to get some photos of them feeding.

 

[Baccus]

Close up of a riffle shrimp.

 

[Baccus]

I finally got some ok photos of one of my riffle shrimp feeding. You need to look closely but you can see his little baskets opened wide catching any food floating past.



 
And I got this picture yesterday after dislodging the riffles out of their hidey hole in the big hollow log.

 

[snazy]

The shrimp on the last picture look like they've been painted for christmas Very nice pattern.
You should try a better picture and post them on FOTM.
How big do they grow and are they predatory?

 

[Baccus]

I love the affect the flash of the camera had on the tan strip on the riffles. Quite a surprising effect I think.
I have been trying to get better pictures of the little dears, but they wont co-operate and the demented guppies keep ruining shots. Unfortunately the guppies equate me or anyone in front of their tank as food time.
Hopefully as the riffles grow they will get braver about being out and about. They should eventually get to around 6cm and become female when they hit the 4cm mark.
They are not really known for being predatory, but people have reported them catching cherry shrimp shrimplets and eating them. I guess its like anything in nature, if your small your dinner. I am not to worried if the riffles eat the guppy fry or shrimplets in this particular tank since it is basically my cull tank for all the fish and cherry shrimp I don't want in my breeding programs. The only reason the riffle and typhus shrimp are in the tank is because its my deepest tank with a huge hollow log and the least likely for them to walk out of. Generally these shrimp need a firm fitting lid to prevent escapees, but all of my tanks are open toped because of our summer heat.