ringlet hand shrimp, macrobrachium, grow to about 10 centimeters. To keep two males in an aquarium, the aquarium must be over 100 liters. Otherwise they will fight each other until they lose limbs or are dead. The dominant male has the largest scissor arms.
After molting, ringhand shrimp often eat up their discarded shell. In this way, the minerals built into the old tank are used again.
Ringlet shrimp that are pregnant are thicker and less agile than non-pregnant animals. Because the eggs are carried under the abdomen, they can hardly move their swimming legs. A female gets about 20 cubs.
Ringlet hand shrimp eat practically everything that comes in front of their claws, eg young leaves, flake food, mosquito larvae, food vegetables, catfish tablets, Tetra TabiMin and TetraTips
Ramshorn snails will not reproduce in a tank with ringhand shrimp. They are one of the favorite dishes of shrimp and are also taken out of the shell. Snail spawn is eaten immediately. Bladder snails and tower snails are also eaten, especially at night. Crushed snails are a special treat.
Fish are also eaten mainly by adult, male shrimp. There are reports that armored catfish, neon tetras, rainbow fish, loricariids, catfish and guppies, among others, have been eaten.
Smaller, other shrimp, such as Amano shrimp or bee shrimp, are also eaten if they cannot escape quickly enough.
However, there are also experiences according to which ring hand shrimp have eaten neither fish nor snails and, for example, catfish and L144 multiplied despite ring hand shrimp.
Macrobrachium assamense, ring hand shrimp, almost sexually mature male Source: Image on Wikimedia Commons License: CC Attr. SA 3.0 Author: Tolderi
According to other reports, fish were only eaten when chance chances arose. For example, when a guppy got lost in a cave and could no longer escape, or when a female ringhand shrimp measuring 6 centimeters in size accidentally grabbed a 15 mm catfish instead of a food tablet.
Ringhand shrimp therefore usually do not hunt for fish. But if a fish is caught, it will be eaten. This works best with smaller, softer fish that sleep on the bottom or lie on the bottom after birth. The shrimp can also lurk in the plants and try to catch passing fish. Even scalars can be nibbled on. Males can be very aggressive and attack anything that can’t get away fast enough. The danger for larger, few and defensive fish is rather low. Possibly the ringlet shrimp are trying to nibble on the fish. If the fish fight back, the shrimp give up.
In the case of ringlet hand shrimp, you can often also determine a hierarchy and aggression order. The largest male is often a real predator. The smallest female is often hard to see and tame.
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