Panda shrimp

Description

The Panda is a very beautiful form of the Red Bee. The animals prefer a pH of approximately 6–7.5, a carbonate hardness of 0–5° and a total hardness of approximately 1–10°. Conductivity should be between 80 and 400 µS, although successful breeding has already occurred at a conductivity of 937 µS. Females of this species grow to approximately 3–3.5 cm in length, whereas males reach only approximately 2.5–3 cm.

It is still unclear whether the Panda is a mutation or whether breeders developed the animals' black coloration through targeted breeding and selection.

How breeding happens

Breeding the Panda is very similar to breeding the Red Bee and Black Bee. The animals prefer slightly acidic water, in which they often also display better coloration. Once sexually mature, females develop a saddle behind the head when water quality is good and the water parameters are suitable. During the next molt, the male attaches a spermatophore to the female, which then tries to press the eggs previously produced in the saddle into her abdominal brood pouch. There should normally be approximately 20–30 eggs. Inexperienced females often lose some of the eggs, and sometimes all of them. After approximately 4 weeks, the female releases the juveniles, which immediately hide in the moss. There they graze all surfaces for microorganisms and are constantly searching for food. At this still very young age, molts remain relatively frequent. However, their frequency steadily decreases with age. The animals become sexually mature at approximately 3–3½ months. The use of juvenile food is recommended to achieve better rearing success rates.