pH 8,5
TDS 88
GH 1
KH 5-6

Lake Poso

pH 8,3
TDS – 92
GH 1
KH 4-5

Lake Towuti

pH: 8,3
GH: 6
KH: 5-6
TDS: 181

(Source: joydiv in shrimpnow, data taken in 2008)

The Golflake shrimp had brown bubbles in the neck and seemed  to have molting probs. I have contacted one person ins this matter who is regulary doing imports of Sulawesi shrimp. He replied that this illness is a problem of only wildcaught Sulawesi shrimp and that it is infectious to other shrimp. Some folks assumes it might be a parasite. This prob is reported from Goldflake, Dennerli, Malili red and Red Line Shrimp. His advice is to separate ill shrimp immediately because infected shrimp will die.

1. Goldflakes (caridina spinata): 2 adults died, appearantly having molting problems, had brown bubbles in the neck before. One shrimp is berried! Change filtration to undergravel-canister-combination to reduce drift; shrimp like it and wander around more.
2. New Bee Shrimp: 2 shrimps are berried but one only carrys few eggs – they seem to be quick egg dropper if something is not convenient. Started a crossbreeding test and put a female ‘Golden Snow White’ in the tank.
3. Tuepfel: The first shrimp ist berried, took a long long time to go!
4. CR/CB Shrimp: Have offspring the second time- they like Akadama as gravel.
5. Black Tiger Hybrids: I set up a little tank with undergravel-air-filter and JBL Manado for my Black Tiger. Will crossbreed them when older.
6. Supertiger have offspring too.

Goldflake shrimp (caridina spinata) with molting problems

In some German forums the so called ‘Sulawesi Seuche‘ (=Sulawesi epidemic) was discussed controversially. Wildcaught Sulawesi shrimp had brown spots inside the body, looking like rust. This shrimp often died after molting. If those shrimp should be killed to avoid infection of others was a hot discussed topic. A longer arcticle about the acclimatization of caridina dennerli [cardinal shrimp] is avalaible at Mirco’s blog.

• Joydiv’s collection – great!
• travel report from Frank and Carsten Loggemann
• Lake Poso
• Lake Towuti

Tank Setup Goldflake Shrimp (Sulawesi)

Here is my new tank I set up for caridina spinata (Goldflake Shrimp). It’s been running without interruption since June. The technical details:

1. tank size: 40x40x25 (cm)
2. volume: 40L brutto / 36 L netto
3. soil: aquaclay
4. filtration: Tetra EX600 external canister, undergravel-air-filter
5. extras: JBL UV sterilizer, 9 watt
6. 2 tylomiania sp. yellow, 14 caridina spinata

caridina dennerli (cardinal shrimp), Pic by Mr-Krabs.de

While I was spending my summer holidays in Portugal, Kristina von Rintelen and Yixiong Cai investigated a lot of work in the taxonomy of Sulawesi shrimp. The recently published field study considered collected material and biodiversity of Lake Towuti, Lake Matano (=Malili Lakes) and Lake Poso. Water parameter of Lake Matano, Lake Towuti and the river system can be found at a travel report from the Logemann brothers [PDF]. The former known species caridina ensifera from Lake Poso has been divided in two species. The blue color morph is now described as caridina ensifera while the rare red morph with blue tail and head has been renamed in caridina caerulea.

Here is an overview of shrimp species, avaliable for private buyers, that have been new defined and/or revised:

• caridina dennerli [ 'Cardinal Shrimp']
• caridina glaubrechti ['Orchid Shrimp']
• caridina holthuisi ['Towuti' or 'Matano Tiger', 'Six Banded Black Bee']
• caridina spongicola ['Harlequin Shrimp'] (check out: Kristina von Rintelen, Thomas von Rintelen, Martin Meixner, Carsten Lüter, Yixiong Cai and Matthias Glaubrecht: Freshwater shrimp–sponge association from an ancient lake, Biol. Lett. (2007) 3, 262–264.)
• caridina woltereckae ['Harlequin Shrimp'] (check out also: Yixiong Cai,Daisy Wowor& Satish Choy: Partial revision of freshwater shrimps from Central Sulawesi Zootaxa 2045:15-32(2009)).
• caridina spinata ['Caridina Yellow Cheek', 'Gold Spotted Shrimp', 'Goldflake', 'Red Goldflake', 'Yellow Strip Red Bee']
• caridina caerulea (light orange morph with blue tail)
  
• caridina ensifera (blue morph)
• caridina striata ['Rib Line Bee', 'Dynamite Shrimp']
• caridina tenuirostris

The complete article with photos of the shrimp is published in ‘Raffles Bulleting of Zoology‘ (von Rintelen, K. & Cai, Y. (2009). Radiation of endemic species flocks in ancient lakes: Systematic revision of the freshwater shrimp Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from the ancient lakes of Sulawesi, Indonesia, with the description of eight new species. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology  57: 343-452.)

Roland Mimbon, one of Germany’s successful fish importers, has a short overview with pics on his company website. Check the homepage of this Indonesian exporter (Aristocratama) too.