# Luminous Red Cherry Shrimp



## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

Yesterday after swithing the light off I noticed a lot of my RCSes were luminous. It looks like a lot crawling lights in my tank and I wonder if that is a common occurence since this was the first time I noticed it.


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## jwm5 (May 9, 2010)

do you have moon lights or any nearby lights that could somehow reflect off the shrimp?

Otherwise that is really cool. Breed them and sell them as glow in the dark shrimp


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

They are definitely luminous RCSes!!! At first I noticed two, close to the bottom of my tank and then I looked up towards the surface and at least a dozen luminous ones were feeding on my floating Hydrocotyle, which has leaves badly eaten by this shrimp. 

So this seems to be definite. I will check it again this evening for confirmation of my observations...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

TTIWWOP

:biggrin:


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

??????????????? ?!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

This Thread Is Worthless WithOut Pics


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I noticed my RCS eyes glow in the dark. But then again it could be just some light bouncing off their tapetum.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

lauraleellbp said:


> This Thread Is Worthless WithOut Pics


Laura, I asked if luminescence is known to manifest itself in RCSes. The whole bodies were bright yellow upon the dark background of the tank.

I'm not talking about Skunk Ape prowling in your neighborhood!! Just imagine your Grandma coming to see you right after midnight....


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I've never heard of it and I still wanna see some pics!

And Skunk Ape never visited my Grandma, before OR after midnight... IDK about yours? :hihi:


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

I found another report about luminous shrimp here: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150885


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## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

EdwardN said:


> I found another report about luminous shrimp here: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150885


And he never provided decent proof.


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## arktixan (Mar 12, 2010)

Must see pics.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

dj2005 said:


> And he never provided decent proof.


 

Anybody who wants to see a 'decent proof', is welcome to drop in this evening about 11 o'clock with a bottle of good wine to clarify one's vision...

On a serious note, one has to be conscious of all these predictions concerning coming of the end of the Earth the very next year!!!

And this may be one of the signs....:wink:


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## arktixan (Mar 12, 2010)

I know if my shrimp did this.. I would def have pics to be shown .


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

no joke.


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## taramosalata (Jul 1, 2010)

With all the blurry low-quality pictures of shrimp people allow themselves to post, I think even the laziest most ham-fisted person would take a quick snap of glowing shrimp blobs to back themselves up. Do it, man. Go the distance. Be the guy.


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

my ghost shrimp glow every now and then. Thats with a pitch dark room. You can see them fly from one end of the tank to the other.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

Again I observed a few a few luminous RCSes in my tank yesterday after turning the lights off. None of them close enough to the glass wall. In the total darkness I managed to take one pic of a specimen perching on an edge of the cork backwall, just beneath the outlet from my filter. The picture shows ....reddish shrimp. I infere from this that the light from flash nullified luminosity...

To make the thing funnier, I noticed that the dead shrimp I picked out from my tank yesterday in the morning, was ...luminous that evening!!! Since I use everything organic to bury it in my garden, it just happened that the said shrimp was resting on the coffee grounds in the bowl I use for all parts of wegetables, fruits, etc., from my kitchen.

So some (?) shrimp are luminous even after departing for the shrimp haeven, which could point to speculation that the luminosity I observed may be due to infection with some bacteria(?), or some other organisms, which may result in untimely death of an individual and the whole colony in the end.

This conclusion I base also on the slow, but steady decline in the population of my RCSes, as well as Ghost and Amano shrimps in my tank. The last two vanished from my tank completely several weeks ago.


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

the luminous aspect of animals are from phosphourus if i'm not mistaken.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

timwag2001 said:


> the luminous aspect of animals are from phosphourus if i'm not mistaken.


If so, then all the animals living in rivers and lakes subjected to agricultural runoff would be visible from the Space....


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

EdwardN said:


> If so, then all the animals living in rivers and lakes subjected to agricultural runoff would be visible from the Space....


You have taken one statement and assumed it means another. This is not the case. 

BTW, this would be considered bioluminescence. If you would like to understand the chemistry behind it(there around 10-12 different chemical processes that cause bioluminiscence) read here: http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/chem/


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

timwag2001 said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus


and? ....

The link I provided explains that there are MANY chemical reactions are responsible for BIOluminescence. Further, the mere presence of phosphorus is not luminescent, but the chemical reaction.



> A reaction with oxygen takes place at the surface of the solid (or liquid) phosphorus, forming the short-lived molecules HPO and P2O2 that both emit visible light.


--from your link

Phosphorus degradation does cause luminescence, but the mere presence in soils and waterways(and our fertilizer bags) does not mean they glow...


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

Again I observed a few RCSes showing themselves as a little yellow spots in my tank last night.

There's no way to show that using a regular camera with a flash. So may be any of you, wise guys, who demand taking a picture of 'glowing shrimp', could tell me how to...


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

when i take a pic of my tank i turn the flash off. i doubt it would work considering the lights are off. maybe worth a try though.

another thought. in my experiences with cool things that glow when the lights are off. they always respond to black light. if they glow in the dark, i bet they look freaking sweet with a black light.


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

timwag2001 said:


> when i take a pic of my tank i turn the flash off. i doubt it would work considering the lights are off. maybe worth a try though.
> 
> another thought. in my experiences with cool things that glow when the lights are off. they always respond to black light. if they glow in the dark, i bet they look freaking sweet with a black light.


My home photographer just learned some more about the camera I have and will give it another try this evening...

Thanks!


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

the flash or the blacklight?

very curious because i really want to see them under the black light. if you lived closer i would come over and do it myself


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## EdwardN (Nov 7, 2008)

timwag2001 said:


> the flash or the blacklight?
> 
> very curious because i really want to see them under the black light. if you lived closer i would come over and do it myself


 
W/flash. He,he... seems cheaper this way.

I'm convinced that the luminousity is due to some becterial infection, so it is no big deal.


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## timwag2001 (Jul 3, 2009)

my lfs was just offering "Sakura Luminous Red Shrimp Caridina pingi"

maybe you just have a strain of these shrimp


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

EdwardN said:


> W/flash. He,he... seems cheaper this way.
> 
> I'm convinced that the luminousity is due to some becterial infection, so it is no big deal.


Interesting news article I saw today:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24579481/detail.html


> *NEWPORT, Ore. -- * People who bought pink shrimp at some Oregon stores are reporting that it glows in the dark. Experts told The Register-Guard that they shouldn't worry because it's due to certain marine bacteria that can cause shrimp and other seafood to appear luminescent. They said it's not a health risk and does not indicate mishandling during processing. Specialists at Oregon State University Sea Grant Extension say the bacteria can grow at refrigerator temperatures, especially on seafood products where salt was added during processing.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Anyone who has been to the washington coast at night knows about this bacteria, jump on the sand and you leave a glowing nova around your feet.

Despite the fact that the bacteria survives in both marine AND freshwater environments, it is considered a deep-water bacteria and typically lives in a symbiotic relationship exclusively with deep-water fish. The bacteria blooms that float up here in Washington are blooms from the deep water that have washed ashore. I highly doubt any fish or shrimp in a home aquarium setting would ever come into contact with this bacteria. Perhaps a wild caught shrimp could carry it into the aquarium, but even that would be highly unlikely.

However, in that news story, it makes perfect sense. Shrimp that is caught for food is constantly feeding on the bottom of the sea, and during a bacteria bloom, you could definitely see the bacteria latching on and attempting a host/guest relationship.

I would totally freak if I peeked into the fridge only to see a glowing container of shrimp staring back at me... lol!


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Oh, and someone mentioned phosphorus earlier... And phosphorescence is completely different from bio luminescence. It's also different from fluorescence.


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## jargonchipmunk (Dec 8, 2008)

/snore

pics or it didn't happen. end of story.

Bioluminescence in freshwater shrimp? I don't know too many people who wouldn't immediately run out and FIND someone who knew how to take a picture.


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## deleted_user_6 (Jun 19, 2010)

Eden Marel said:


> Interesting news article I saw today:
> 
> http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/24579481/detail.html



Yeah. All the grocery stores around here have signs next to the fresh seafood, explaining that it's safe. I am tempted to buy some, just to see it glow. I have a hard time eating the little buggers now though. It makes me feel like a traitor. :biggrin:


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## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

mordalphus said:


> Anyone who has been to the washington coast at night knows about this bacteria, jump on the sand and you leave a glowing nova around your feet.
> 
> Despite the fact that the bacteria survives in both marine AND freshwater environments, it is considered a deep-water bacteria and typically lives in a symbiotic relationship exclusively with deep-water fish. The bacteria blooms that float up here in Washington are blooms from the deep water that have washed ashore. I highly doubt any fish or shrimp in a home aquarium setting would ever come into contact with this bacteria. Perhaps a wild caught shrimp could carry it into the aquarium, but even that would be highly unlikely.
> 
> ...


Wow that would be kinda cool. It would be like little glow on the dark bacteria dancing around. Cool cool. But I'm here stuck in Colorado, so I can't see glowing bacteria 





onefang said:


> Yeah. All the grocery stores around here have signs next to the fresh seafood, explaining that it's safe. I am tempted to buy some, just to see it glow. I have a hard time eating the little buggers now though. It makes me feel like a traitor. :biggrin:


Buy some and take pics of them glowing!!!!


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## bulrush (May 7, 2007)

I've heard of luminous PLANKTON in the ocean which floats on the water's surface (some websites sell it) but not luminous BACTERIA.


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## GoodnNuff (Aug 7, 2010)

BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT LUMINOUS BACTERIA
The investigation of the World Ocean bioluminescence showed the luminous bacteria to be among the most numerous unicellular inhabitants of sea waters. Bioluminescence is one of the forms of a chemiluminescent reaction, the final product of which is visible light [Hastings, 1968, Gitelson et al., 1984]: 

google


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## mattycakesclark (Jun 11, 2010)

I heard a quick new blurp on NPR today on glowing shimp at stores,.

Do you still have these shrimp EdwardN? Do you still live in Deltona, would be interesting to see, I live in DeLand


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