Silane's King Kong and Panda Shrimp

Here's a video of some beautiful King Kong and Panda Shrimp (Silane Shrimp), watch in HD!

Setting Up a Shrimp Tank Guide

Here's a good guide from Benibachi on how to start a shrimp tank: Benibachi Guide. Do note that there are several ways to start a shrimp tank, and the views expressed here are simply those of Benibachi.

New Shrimp!

On Friday I received a shipment with new shrimp!

Crystal Red Shrimp and Red Rili!

Red Ruby!

Panda!

Also got some new Cardinals from a different shipment!

New Bulbs

I recently changed the bulbs on my light fixtures to 10,000K ZooMed Ocean Suns.  These give off a cooler, white light that really brightens up my tanks.  The old bulbs were 8000K and had more of a warm, pink glow.  Here's a comparison between the two:

8000K vs. 10,000K

Increasing Devastation in Japan

Aerial view of damage after earthquake and tsunami. (CNN.com)

It has been several days since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and many still face the anguish of the aftermath. Amidst the freezing weather and destruction, reports now indicate higher levels of radiation than normal, after an explosion at a nuclear power plant. Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless and the death toll is rising as rescue efforts continue. There has also been hundreds of aftershocks since Friday's major quake, with little certainty of what is to come.

Please consider donating to a non-profit humanitarian organization to assist in the earthquake/tsunami relief efforts.

Crystal Red + Crystal Black

Here's a good picture from the Crusta10 team that shows a possible phenotype from a Crystal Red and Crystal Black pair. Notice the brown coloration on the younger shrimp. (http://Crusta10.de)

Join the Shrimp Club on Facebook!

The Shrimp Club is now on Facebook!  Join and share your pictures, videos, experiences, and meet shrimp keepers from around the world!

Shrimp Club on Facebook <--- click!

(http://shrimp-club.com)

Earthquake and Tsunami Strikes Japan

On March 11, 2011, an offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 struck Japan and triggered a tsunami that devastated much in its path.  The death toll is estimated at at least 1,000 people.  Several Japanese blogs indicated damage to their tanks and livestock as well.  There is now great fear that several nuclear power plants will experience a meltdown, causing widespread radioactive exposure.  This catastrophic event shows how minor our own problems may be; my thoughts are with everyone in Japan and everyone affected by this tragedy.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

I received my TDS meter this week and have been doing various tests: my tanks, tap, RO, and RO with crushed coral. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are the total amount of charged ions (minerals, salts, or metals) dissolved in water, and is expressed in parts per million (ppm). TDS may help with the coloration of shrimp; however, if it is too high, shrimp may have difficult time molting properly. From what I've gathered from other breeders, the ideal range should be between 150 - 220 ppm.

TDS Meter and Calibration Solution

My current readings:
Tap: 236 ppm
RO: 8 ppm
RO w/crushed coral: 72 ppm
Tanks: 59 ppm (lowest) - 133 ppm (highest)

My tanks are not in the range above due to the use of RO water primarily for water changes and top offs, but now I will gradually add tap water to bring the TDS up.

Filtration

I came across this filtration setup on a Japanese blog (RexFarm):

For my ten gallon tanks, I use AquaClear HOB filters, and HMF filters on my 20 gallon tanks.  I think it's time to change to Eheim canisters : ) you can really get pristine water with this arrangement.

Orange Eye Blue Tiger

My Orange Eye Blue Tigers (OEBT) show up really nice against the brown Azoo substrate; I used to keep them in ADA Aquasoil, but they blended too well in and I hardly saw them. This is a nice group with strong blue coloration.

Orange Eye Blue Tiger

ShrimpNow 2011 Desktop Calendar

ShrimpNow has an awesome calendar collection that you can save for free and use as your desktop wallpaper. The images were submitted by forum members and a poll was taken to select which images would be included. Check out the calendar here: ShrimpNow Desktop Calendar.