Amano colors and sexing

[Gnomecatcher]

I recently got some Amano shrimps, who knew Petco would carry them? As far as I know, Petco and Petsmart are the only LFS that my city has.

One of them has developed a funky color. She (?) is much darker than the others. Is this just her genetics at play, or is there something else? When I got the lot, she had a strange whitish color in her stomach area that has since cleared up (I thought she might have been carrying a disease), and one of her eyes is busted. I call her Mad-Eye Moody.



Also, how do you sex Amanos? They all look...the same. All the sources I read said to sex them like you sex cherries, but I don't notice a big difference in abdomen size at all. I guess I could just wait for them to develop eggs. I was hoping that if they breed, that my betta could eat the larvae, but then again I don't want a bunch of dead Amano babies rotting in my tank.

[Aulonocara_Freak]

Amano Shrimp can only breed in SW or brackish water. You sex them by the lines on their body, dots or straight lines.

http://www.planetinverts.com/Amano%20Shrimp.html

[Gnomecatcher]

I actually think they breed in freshwater, but the larvae can only survive in SW or brackish. Which is why I am afraid that if they do breed, the larvae will hatch and die and there will be a bunch of rotting larvae in my tank unless my betta figures out how to eat them or I remove the female before the eggs hatch.

Thanks for the link, it looks like I do have one female, maybe two. The others are hiding.

[Bubba Shrimp]

The females grow much larger then the males is how you tell sex.

[Bananariot]

Originally Posted by Gnomecatcher

I actually think they breed in freshwater, but the larvae can only survive in SW or brackish. Which is why I am afraid that if they do breed, the larvae will hatch and die and there will be a bunch of rotting larvae in my tank unless my betta figures out how to eat them or I remove the female before the eggs hatch.

Thanks for the link, it looks like I do have one female, maybe two. The others are hiding.

Well yeah i think that's what he meant. Now I'm pretty sure your betta will eat the fry. If not, the amanos will eat them. I have full sized amanos that I never see berried in my tank and I've had them for 4 months now.

[Sugardaddy1979]

The zoe are super tiny. Doubt they cause an ammonia issue.