# Looking for lake Sulawesi shrimp



## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

What are the options in Ontario for shrimps from lake Sulawesi in indo?
Reason im asking is cause im trying to find info for a biotope that can handel the PH of 8.0 so far Sulawesi seems like a good match, and the shimps look amazing.

Links, website to get info/buy would be great.


----------



## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

I don't do Sulavesi's but I believe PJs in Square One sometimes get them in, Tommy (Mr_Bako) was asking for interest but not sure how that went.

BTW, Sulavesi is an island, not a lake.


----------



## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

randy said:


> I don't do Sulavesi's but I believe PJs in Square One sometimes get them in, Tommy (Mr_Bako) was asking for interest but not sure how that went.
> 
> BTW, Sulavesi is an island, not a lake.


Ok thanks for the info. and for the FYI. Never wanted a shimp tank before so ya know. Its all new to me.


----------



## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

No problem, maybe make the WTB thread in the sale forum. There were a few posts recently about Sulavesi, you can search and ask the OP if they have anything to sell or know where you can get some. 

Good luck.


----------



## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

randy said:


> No problem, maybe make the WTB thread in the sale forum. There were a few posts recently about Sulavesi, you can search and ask the OP if they have anything to sell or know where you can get some.
> 
> Good luck.


Haha I found the shimps I want and that best suite my waters prams.
Harlequin Shrimp"Caridina cf. spongicola"

Are these common? Id like to find stuff thats not excatly too common


----------



## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Wonderful choice, but either you can find them in GTA or not I'm not sure.

Pic from planetinverts









http://www.planetinverts.com/Harlequin_Shrimp.html


----------



## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

randy said:


> Wonderful choice, but either you can find them in GTA or not I'm not sure.
> 
> Pic from planetinverts
> 
> ...


These shrimps look sweet, however I think it says from the same site that HS will kill other shrimps? Its if gta dont have these, I live outside if gta anways lol
Local shops said they can order them but only if 1000pcs per order, Sooo no lol
Maybe Tom on here can grab some?

The whole idea here is 2-3 species in a 10gal cube and 1 diff speces in 3gal cube.
Id like to replcate excatly these biotops and get the best colored ones. As a friend of mine. ownes a pet store and would sell the off spring on consignment


----------



## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but Harlequin shrimps from Sulawesi are very hard to get from any supplier, and even harder to keep alive!

They are extremely suceptible to bacterial infection and from what I have read/talked to people who have managed to get some shipped in (usually in the USA) they died within a day or so of arrival. No one has successfully kept them in captivity that I know of. 

I too wanted these when I first got into Sulawesi shrimps...I managed to keep/breed the Cardinal (red with white spots) and the Blue Nose Posos, but I never did get the chance to get these anywere, even in the US.

They are often called Celebes Beauty, or Wolkenae (not sure if that's how its spelled) but its the same shrimp. From what I have been told, they need a particular kind of plant that they live off in the wild and it doesn't transplant very well in US/Canada water. So if they do survive shipping, they starve to death without the plant. 

You can get the Cardinals in the US pretty easily, however once again...speed is the key to getting these, as they are extremely sensitive to temp fluctuations. They like PH 8-8.6 and temp of 82-86F so if you are getting them in the US you will have to find a way to keep them warm or they will be dead in no time at all. I had to have mine shipped overnight from the supplier, and when I picked up the box I had to keep it sitting on a coffee mug heater plugged into my lighter switch to keep the temp the same.

1st lot I lost all 6 of them day after I got them home, even with all the right temps, cycled tank etc, they died. Next time I got 10 and had more experience in what to do with them, drip acclimating, biofilm already established etc. It took me months to figure out what made them happy, and even then I never saw much of them because they hid all the time 

Harlequin shrimps although extremely beautiful are a challenge to even the most experienced hobbyist. I would suggest you try your hand at something a little easier and less expensive first. You could go with Tigers, they like high PH 7.6+ no problem.

We've all lost shrimps from in-experience/stupid mistakes and just not knowing what a particular shrimp needs for a habitat, it would be very sad to lose such a beautiful shrimp, and it might make you very disenchanted with the whole shrimp experience. 

Talk to BigDaddyo on here, I believe he has had the most success with his Cardinal shrimps, he can give you some pointers. Hope this helps.


----------



## Bigdaddyo (Jan 23, 2010)

Anna is bang on with her information. The biggest problem with these shrimp is shipping and acclimation.

My advise is if you do find these and purchase them consider it a gamble. Harliquins are probably the most popular species of these shrimp but the hardest to keep alive let alone breed. Rumours or scientific belief is the Harliquins are dependant on a natural occuring fresh water sponge that only grows in certain areas in one lake. To the best of my many hours of reading and searching the web no one has been able to keep this sponge alive in an aquarium.

As mentioned above Sulawesi is an island in Indonesia and the majority of the shrimp come from Lake Poso or the Malili lakes that consist of three bigger lakes (Towuti, Matano and Mahalona) and two smaller lakes (Masapi and Lontoa or Wawontoa) There have been other species found on the island that are found in rivers and streams as well.

If you are prepping a tank for any of these I suggest you have a tank that has been up and running with some sort of live stock for a few months. This will help you completely cycle the tank and build up bio film and algae.

As far as natural habitat, it is very plain. Mainly rock with algae growth. Some area will have scattered timber and other areas will have sparce vegetation.

These shrimp are on the pricey side too. I got mine (Cardina Dennerli) from Aquatic Kingdom and the price was $12.99 each

Here is a link to my journal that hasn't been updated for quite some time Lol
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39539


----------

