# Giant prawn - species in Aquarium



## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

idk but they are pretty, interested in the answer


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

BettaBettas said:


> idk but they are pretty, interested in the answer


Got it!
Thank you Google.

Macrobrachium rosenbergii ...maybe
I think mine have shorter arms.
They may be males.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrobrachium_rosenbergii


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

They look like Deliciiousi grillicus, not to be confused with D. Cocktailicus.


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

*I'm trying to relay the message to them through some form of communication.
I placed this photo onto the floor for them.*

- fingers crossed


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Oh man I do love me some butter prawns


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

They are both doing well in the pleco tank.
All the sleeping Rasboras seem alive after the night.

These prawns are slowly cruising around the tank and eating bits of cucumber and more on the driftwood, and on the substrate.
Small ghost shrimp would be ideal, but I have an overflow and a sump.
I think the little inverts may get blown in and make more work.

I was asking for LESS WORK and they sure are helping CLEAN UP.
I think thet're going to be ok, and they sure are neat to watch.

Alien but not.


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

I do wish macro shrimp would become more popular. They would certainly fill a cleanup niche for aquariums with mid sized fish.


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

bigbadjon said:


> I do wish macro shrimp would become more popular. They would certainly fill a cleanup niche for aquariums with mid sized fish.


*I'm starting to see that.*

Pictured, two prawns in an 80gal. assorted pleco tank w/ standard rasboras.
One named Butterbean, and one named Bruce.
They are both behaving well.
It has been one night (lights off) and 24 hours since they came home.

The one prawn is next to the Royal Red Eye pleco (L190) in the photo.


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## anh2.0 (Jun 26, 2016)

i always thought about keeping prawns in my backyard then grilling them up when their nice and fat.


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

I took a photo of the giant freshwater prawn cleaning it's eye (bottom pic).
The process is real fast and precise like a CNC machine or something.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Thanks for the pics!


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I think it is doing a facepalm in the last pic.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

I think these are the same shrimp I see at a farmer's market seafood section. There's some large one's sold as fresh water shrimp. They look tasty but I'm kinda wary of anything that comes out of lakes and rivers.


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## klibs (May 1, 2014)

lol i am thinking about how my fiance would FLIP if these ever got out of the tank


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

klibs said:


> lol i am thinking about how my fiance would FLIP if these ever got out of the tank


That first photo among the plants was so clear, and the gravel only covered part of the bottom so the glass bottom looked like water and I thought they were walking around in a terrarium out of the water which had me weirded out too.


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## user12345pk (Sep 7, 2016)

emergency food reserve!


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

I always assumed that planted tank folk stuck to dwarf shrimp because larger species weren't plant-safe. I have heard crayfish (more lobster than shrimp, I know), for example, can get a little snippy with stems. 

I'm really interested in this. I need to augment the cleanup crew for my sunfish tank for leftover food (algae is not an issue), but they some to eat all species of small snail and shrimp.


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

Most macro shrimp will predate on snails. Most are also probably plant safe. Red claw shrimp, snowflake shrimp, and chameleon shrimp are the only ones really available in the American aquarium industry. There are certainly more if demand for them was higher. The one in this thread may be destructive at full size but it gets way bigger than the other ones I mentioned.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

Eat snails? omg I need a macro shrimp!


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## shhh (Jan 1, 2016)

Really neat pictures! I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight lol. I keep amanos and neos, but I don't think I could handle prawns. I already think of my exploding neo population as roaches especially when they're circling endlessly when they're ready to mate.


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

Bananableps said:


> I always assumed that planted tank folk stuck to dwarf shrimp because larger species weren't plant-safe. I have heard crayfish (more lobster than shrimp, I know), for example, can get a little snippy with stems.
> 
> I'm really interested in this. I need to augment the cleanup crew for my sunfish tank for leftover food (algae is not an issue), but they some to eat all species of small snail and shrimp.


These weirdos eat and shop daily at the pleco pile with the leftover cucumber bits.
No rasboras were harmed so far.
-The prawn live with a small school of rasboras.
One prawn did start to defend its face as an Anubias leaf slapped him from the waterflow.
So, yes they may chop at leaves hitting them.
They are crabby by nature.

Wood shrimp are coming soon.


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

The prawn just darted off the driftwood as I snapped a pic (1st photo).
Both prawn perch in the driftwood as the larger plecos come out and slap them around.

A 7 inch L200 green and a L190 Red eye pleco easily push them out of the way, which could be the reason for the night roosting in the driftwood.
They survive off of what food exists in the tank.

We feed generously, so the prawn should have no issue eating scraps (bottom pic).
The photo below is what you would expect to see a prawn do all day.
Sift cucumber and terds.
These guys were a great buy.


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## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

I had shrimp like that years ago. They are a species of "Long Arm" shrimp. The ones I had were very carnivorous and liked to catch live fish. They would breed and the females would get berried, but I was never able to raise the baby shrimp. They may have been planktonic, and lost to the filter.

Good Luck with yours!



.


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## NickAu (Feb 24, 2017)

While not in the same category or size, I have 10 of these guys in a 6 foot 100 gallon tetra tank and they are a great clean up crew especially if you have gravel substrate I often see then poking their pincers into the gravel looking for food. 











And IMO not all snails are bad, Malaysian Trumpet snails can be a planted tank owners best friend.


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## Bananableps (Nov 6, 2013)

I am just so into this. I love the photos.

Does anyone know of any native species of "macro shrimp" that might be aquarium safe?


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

NickAu said:


> While not in the same category or size, I have 10 of these guys in a 6 foot 100 gallon tetra tank and they are a great clean up crew especially if you have gravel substrate I often see then poking their pincers into the gravel looking for food.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What kind of shrimp is this?


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## NickAu (Feb 24, 2017)

All I know is they are long arm shrimp, They were 2 dollars each, they have bred but the tetras normally clean most of the babies up


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## Econde (Oct 13, 2015)

Seriously great photos. In before macro cherry shrimps.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

> Macrobrachium rosenbergii, also known as the giant river prawn, giant freshwater prawn, Malaysian prawn, freshwater scampi, or cherabin


maybe..


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## NickAu (Feb 24, 2017)

If I caught a big shrimp like that I would let it go,


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

pfft, if I SAW a shrimp like that, I would . .. hope/pray it lets ME go!


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## mrfiock (Nov 15, 2015)

These are awesome! Great pics and informative/funny thread!


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

I found a video that is fairly descriptive to what prawn is sitting in the tank.
The dropdown menu of other videos leads to other directions on the subject.
These 2 aquarium store prawn do not really have giant claws. 

Australia, but they look so close, so close.
_Ecology of a freshwater prawn in the Daly River_
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXIhn4K8zNs*


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## xmasone (Mar 2, 2017)

I need THAT shrimp, and a steak..... with fries..... and a napkin.....


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

NickAu said:


> All I know is they are long arm shrimp, They were 2 dollars each, they have bred but the tetras normally clean most of the babies up


Ah, thanks. I'm looking for some larger, non-filter shrimp for my tank, and this seemed to be a good fit. 



jeffkrol said:


> maybe..


This thread is getting more and more delicious looking as it goes on. :laugh2:


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## theDCpump (Jul 22, 2016)

This week, one molted and grew with thicker longer front arms compared to the 2nd prawn.
It then proceeded to open up a "can-of-the-woop" on the smaller prawn by grabbing it by the rear tail fan and swiftly dragged it backwards across the tank and under the the driftwood root!
Whoh!
With my cheeks clenched, head tilted and my eyebrow up,...WAR was declared across the kingdom.

1200 hours passed (noon).
It was go time.
>

--------------------------------------------------------------


*Update:*
I just completed *O*peration *P*rawn *R*emoval *A*t *H*ome an hour ago.

*OPERATION O.P.R.A.H.*
-Mission complete.
-2 casualties. Two civilians were lost.

Head down.
- A moment of silence.

2 rasboras bailed out, but forgot their parachutes and hit the carpet.
They jumped out in the night. 

I failed on this one.
I learned to not underestimate how wrong I could be.
Never underestimate how wrong one can be.
It's pretty powerful when "ya' just thought it was going to work out according to plan".


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## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

NickAu said:


> If I caught a big shrimp like that I would let it go,


It looks big enough to be one of those fancy wish-granting prawns.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

now I know this is freshwater but I don't eat sea food (lobster or ANYTHING FROM THE OCEAN), yes this is random, because I feel like the ocean is getting screwed already and I feel so guilty If I even lick anything from the ocean
*grabs starfish*
NATE LICK IT
NO I CANT, I JUST CANT GOD DAMNT!!!!

*cough*
on the side note wish I had a prawn tank so I can make some for dinner & breed them. Lucky guy  
and I don't like the way some people make shrimp, boiling those guys doesn't seem to much of a... happy ending ya know? I mean I always compare myself to the other persons shoes (or claws) like I wouldn't want to be boiled alive? WHO WOULD? surely a shrimp wouldn't? or any crustacean for that matter, or fish or animal anything!
No im no vegan but I don't eat seafood or crustaceans, except shrimp  Coconut shrimp to be exact omg they are so good. Home made coconut shrimp aaah my gosh...
*goes to KFC*


This was Nates random rant 3/17/17
Happy st. patricks day everyone  may the prawn be with you!


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