[Rosalaine]

What's everyone's preferred temperature for keeping and breeding Caridina (mixed bees?) What about Neocaridina (Bloody Mary?)

In the late summer my temperatures were going to high for them, so I removed the heaters, however now that winter is here the temps are dropping pretty low. It's an old house with terrible insulation, big drafty windows, and poorly heated rooms. I know shrimp can handle pretty low temperatures, but I imagine that is likely to slow down breeding and such. My groups are just getting established, so I'd really like to get them breeding. I also know that high temps make them more prone to sickness, though.

One aquarium is in a drafty, poorly heated room, and the other is in a less drafty but entirely unheated room. Should I add heaters and set them to a minimum temperature just to keep them from dropping too low? What temperatures should I aim for to ensure they stay healthy, but also to encourage breeding and activity?

 

[en7jos]

I have thriving neo colonies (Sunkist orange and Goldenbacks) at 27C (81F). Room temp is 28C and the tanks have small temp-controlled fans blowing over the water to help take the edge and stabilise the temp by preventing spikes at night when the air-con is off. I'm not saying 27-28C is ideal in any way, but it is possible to keep healthy, breeding neo's at these higher temps. Others have said that they have shrimp over--wintering in outdoor ponds at not much above freezing, so there is a wide 'survival' range.

My caridina (CRS) seem happy and healthy at 25C (in same room but with chiller). I've had a couple of berried shrimp in that tank, but I wouldn't say that they are thriving. So I think this is really too high a temp for them.

 

[Zoidburg]

I stopped using a heater long ago. There are breeders and hobbyists who notice that shrimp stop breeding during the winter, even with good temps... so having a heater may not improve anything.

If you really wanted to have a heater in tank, I would recommend 68-72° F at the warmest.

 

[ILikeRice]

I stopped using a heater long ago. There are breeders and hobbyists who notice that shrimp stop breeding during the winter, even with good temps... so having a heater may not improve anything.

If you really wanted to have a heater in tank, I would recommend 68-72° F at the warmest.

I feel like the only benefit of a heater would be surviving the cold winters if you live in such a place. Stability is always key.

 

[Zoidburg]

I feel like the only benefit of a heater would be surviving the cold winters if you live in such a place. Stability is always key.

I live in an area that gets from below freezing temps to over 100° F. I've had tanks in a place where if no one was home, AC/heat was off. Once someone was home, one of those two (as needed) would be turned on. The temperature of the place fluctuated A LOT!

I was extremely hesitant about removing the heaters. When I finally did... the shrimp did fine!


Despite the season, most people do try to keep their home a certain temperature year round... warming it up in the winter or cooling it off in the summer if necessary. In most cases, the shrimp would do fine at whatever the human has set the thermostat at.

And..... the bigger the tank, the more stable the parameters will be. A 10 gallon tank will warm up or cool off at a much slower rate than a glass of water.


So even if it's a bit chilly, the shrimp are likely to do just fine. Might be a bit slower, but they'll adjust and live.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

One should note that there are colony of escaped Neocaridinias living in a pond in Hamburg, Germany, which is about as far North as you can get in Germany. There's also Red Claw shrimp and Neos living in the cooling water outflow of a electrical generating plant in Western Germany near the Rhine, and a population of Neos in Hungary in a cold water stream fed by a warm tributary spring.


Neocaridinias are incredibly hardy as far as temperature, just don't let the temps swing too quickly or wildly.

 

[SardinePatheNews]

you dont say what the temps are dropping to in the tank but i would aim for a minimum of 20c as an overnight low, you may find pump heat and the stored lighting heat from the day will manage that on their own though

 

[Rosalaine]

Completely forgot I should include some information on the actual temps, sorry!

The neo aquarium is in the unheated room and is currently sitting at 60F with lights and such having been on for a few hours. It's only a 5 gallon. The weather today is just above freezing and not windy (wind is what really chills the house, the walls are very drafty.) At night I imagine it'll drop at least a few degrees.

The caridina aquarium is in a heated but more drafty room. With no wind, the room stays pretty comfortable. It's a 9 gallon. Right now it's sitting at 66F.

I like not having the heaters, it's a few less cords to deal with and one less thing to worry about malfunctioning, but I'm just worried about the temperature shifts and such causing hard drops depending on the time of day and weather.

 

[Zoidburg]

The larger the tank, the more stable the parameters.

A 10 gallon tank will take longer to heat or cool than a 5 gallon tank, for example. A 20 gallon tank would take even longer to heat or cool than a 5 gallon.


Even if there are sudden changes in temperature inside your home, there wont be a sudden temperature change in the water unless you add hotter or colder water to the tank.

 

[Tiger15]

I hanged my shrimp bowls by west facing windows. There is large diurnal fluctuation of temp from 60 to 75 in winter, and 70 to 85 in summer. I keep Neo and Amano in zero tech, HVAC room. I’m more concerned about overheating than cooling as they are creatures of subtropical / temperate regions.