Last August, there was a 2-week period in which I transitioned from my old apartment to my new one.  I had to move all my tanks to my parents' (2.5 hours away!) since the construction of my new building wasn't completed yet.  When I moved back, I left a few tanks, along with a 20L CBS.  This past weekend, I visited my parents; the CBS population has grown well and I may be reaching the "high-density tank" level - though I anticipate selling/donating some shrimp.

Among the CBS was a "Super" Crystal Red Shrimp, though this one may be a low grade Super CRS, or simply just a super low grade CRS.  Common names aside, it is simply a CRS that has a wider red coverage and minimal white.

Here's a video of it making its way to the food:


And a video of the CBS feeding:


(sorry for the poor quality, videos were taken with my phone)

The Super Tiger x BTOE shrimplets are growing well, all at about 1/2" now.  They appear similar to Super Tigers, where the stripes are evident, but not full coverage like BTOEs.  Also, from the ones I've spotted, their eyes are dark, indicating that this trait is perhaps dominant; my earlier observations indicated light/orange eyes, which may have needed time to darken.  It will be interesting to see what the F2 generation will look like.

CRS Juvie:


Super Tiger x BTOE Shrimplet:


BKK Newborn:

November Updates

The BTOE x Super Tiger shrimplets have hatched!  I suspect they were released sometime over the holiday weekend as they appear larger than normal new/one-day old shrimplets; I was away so I cannot confirm the exact day.  They are clear/orange-ish and some appear to have light/orange eyes...hmm, is orange-eye trait dominant?  Pattern wise, they will probably resemble low-grade BTOE.

The BKK, Wine Red, and TB Hybrid shrimplets should be hatching soon as well!

Finally, here is a picture of Rachel "Msjinkzd" O'Leary and I.  She travelled from Pennsylvania to share her experiences keeping invertebrates with two Wisconsin aquatic clubs.  Check out her site for great deals on invertebrates and fish: Invertebrates by Msjinkzd.

The Return of the Super Tiger

After years of being absent from the North American shrimp market, the Super Tiger Shrimp has returned! A few US distributors are offering shrimp keepers the chance to acquire this relatively rare, beautiful shrimp. Though no visuals of the actual shrimp for sale have been provided, they are sure to be a hit if they look anything like the ones I have kept since 2008.

Happy November!

Winter is definitely coming as the temperatures outside are gradually getting cooler and the days are getting darker sooner. But things are heating up in my tanks as several females are berried. My Super Tigers have finally picked up breeding again - I think the hot Summer months really slowed them down. I also finally saw some activity with my Black Tigers, although it was a male BTOE x female Super Tiger; I suspect my original Black Tigers were all males, a similar experience shared with other breeders. And my Red Tigers have berried and released, but it is difficult to pick out the shrimplets from the mass of Red Rilis in the same tank. Finally, my Taiwan Bees have picked up activity as well. I removed all my CRS/Hybrids from this tank (except for two female CRS and their recently released shrimplets) and am sure the male responsible for the berry is either a BKK or Wine Red. Now comes the hard part of maintaining the berry and shrimplets upon release.
Fingers crossed ;)

Shrimp Feeding

Here is an old video of my Super Tigers, Red Cherries, and New Bee Shrimp feeding: