Just snagged a freshwater blue prawn-few questions

[demonte1997]

I'm new to this site. Found it via google. Seems like a really incredible forum that I wish I found sooner. I think I can contribute a lot-owned all kinds of crazy fish and inverts (both fresh and salt) during my life.

My newest endeavor (albeit an easy one) is raising this freshwater blue prawn. I have one huge question about the guy and I can't really figure out the answer. Is this thing actually a blue prawn or a different species of macrobrachium? I've parsed through dozens of articles and pictures of these guys on the net and have to say mine doesn't look like one. However, it doesn't look like anything else out there.

I'm including two pictures. The first is what he looks like now (sorry for bad quality). The second is him a few weeks ago. He's shed four times in about a month and a half and his body measures maybe 2.5" long. Pretty sure this is a male judging by the length of the large claws. He doesn't seem to have the blue claws or markings most rosenbergii have.

Can anyone help me out here? I just want this to be the biggest, nastiest looking thing out there. hahaha

 

[demonte1997]

Not to reply to my own msg this quick but I guess my other questions would be:

If it's not a blue prawn, do you know what kind it is? How big it will get, etc?

Thanks again!

 

[msjinkzd]

maybe macrobrachium assamense (red claw macro)

 

[demonte1997]

That's what I was thinking or possibly a hybrid rosenbergii/assamense. Hard to say what ends up in the aquarium trade.

Thanks for the response.

 

[msjinkzd]

i agree, especially as macros come in as contaminants with alot of orders then are sold wholesale to stores with no real label. Shrimp in general, no matter the size, are more frequently than not mislabeled.

 

[demonte1997]

This seems like a red claw macro (with the red tinged claws), although his body definitely does not have the darker/speckled markings of one. I'm still leaning towards an odd hybrid unless someone can get me better images of these things. Google only produces pics of what looks like small, darker looking prawns with smaller reddish claws. While they are pretty and ornate looking, this guy is pretty scary. He already grew to 4x what he was when I got him and that was only in about a month in a half. Not that it is a bad thing...

He just seems like an enigma to me. The shrimp is from Ecuador and after some research, it seems like mostly Rosenbergii come from there. The shipper classified this as one so.....

Just stirring the pot.

 

[demonte1997]

Quick update:

He shed twice since original post and has grown considerably. This makes me happy. lol

After reading extensively on different kinds of Macrobrachium, I'm starting to believe that this one could be M. Acanthurus (Cinnamon River Prawn).

Here's a new pic of the rascal and one I found on the net that matches quite well.

I'd like to read more about these prawns but information seems tough to come by. If anyone has any recommendations, they are much appreciated.

 

[stackdeck]

i dont think rosenbergii's distribution spans all the way to ecuador unless it was introuced through aquaculture. we used to have them here in singapore but sadly now its extinct here.

 

[demonte1997]

I read in a few prawn thesis papers that Rosenbergii's were introduced into Ecuador via aquaculture. This might be some kind of silly hybrid. I'll keep everyone posted and provide pics as he grows.

 

[studd muffin]

Awesome!