Red Tigers

My Red Tigers have been doing fairly well, though others in the US have reported difficulties with this Tiger variety (based on a recent forum discussion).  Obtained from quality stock and acclimated properly, I think they are as hardy as regular tigers and maybe even like Neocaridinas.  I also have not had bacterial outbreaks with them, and hopefully will not experience it.

I keep my Red Tigers in a 10 gallon tank with ADA Aquasoil I, peacock moss, and a sponge filter.  They are fed Ebita Breed brand and Mosura brand food, including BioPlus and Tonic Pro.  Red Tigers are quite a nice shrimp and hopefully US shrimp keepers will have more success with them.



p.s. - Happy New Year!

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 ;)

March of the Hybrids!

With hybridization, the limit of shrimp varieties are ever expanding.  For example, there are numerous Tiger/Bee (TiBee) hybrids out there, as well as suspected TiBee/Taiwan Bee hybrids; even the famed Taiwan Bees (TB) themselves are believed by some to be the result of TiBee hybrids.  All of these shrimp are very attractive and unique in their coloration and patterns.

Such hybrids show how closely related all these shrimp species really are.  In fact, I once read that given nature's mysterious ways, it may be possible for Neocardina to cross with Caridina!

What do you think of hybrid shrimp?  Beautiful, or freaks of nature/deliberate crossbreeding?

Pinto Bee (Possible TB/Tiger/TiBee Hybrid)
Breeder: Astrid Weber

Blue Bee/Black Bee Hybrid
Breeder: Marian Bungeroth

White Tiger
Breeder: Monika (http://www.doxon.de/blog/)

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

Shrimp Feeding

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