A "Red Neck" Neo Journal

[Buff Daddy]

I was doing a w/c on my OEBT/Red 10G tank yesterday and realized that I already have two different groups of PFR/RCS/Sakura shrimplets! One group of at least 6 were born last Wednesday (I think), and are clearly red tinged (< 1/8").

Then, I found a bunch of shrimpies that are extremely tiny (about 1/16"). They were scavenging on the hardscape and going in and out of the cholla. I only noticed them because of the tiny dark spot on their carapace that indicates they've been eating! I thought they were tiny scuds until I got down to their level and saw them along the crest of some stones. They are soooo small! I saw one swim to the FSS substrate, only to get rudely "sifted" by an adult. It headed back to the hardscape, kinda woozy.

I also counted at least 8 more berried moms... This tank will be exploded by the end of the month! I began culling males that are almost full adults without much red and ended up putting 6 culls in my 75G to "root hog or die!" You might say it's too late to cull the less than acceptable males, but I counted 5 more saddled babes, and one berried & saddled mom! I suspect others are saddled, but the dark/full reds are too solid to tell. I have at least 3 very red/full red males that are old enough to mate.

Oh boy, this is going to be awesome! Pictures are coming!

[jasonpatterson]

Congratulations! It's never too late to cull shrimp you don't like. Population genetics ftw!

I don't know what you've got in your 75g, but I put half a dozen cherry culls into my native river tank (full of carnivorous fish) and have found survivors months later. You might wind up with a second shrimp tank if you accidentally move a female.

[Buff Daddy]

I managed to get 3 pics before the battery went out in my camera. I missed the best picture where a baby was riding a Fluval Shrimp Food Granule in the flow across the tank. By the time I got the camera, he was swimming into this myriophyllum tuberculatum:



Yeah, those rust colored "limbs" are as thin as kite string. He/she is about 1/16". What's cool about babies is that they "pop up" when you aren't expecting them. I was searching for an unobstructed shot when I realized this guy was sitting on the glass... about 2" from my face:



I leave the sides and back pretty much covered in dust algae, as I consider them to be just 3 more pastures for shrimp to graze on. I apologize for the picture quality. My camera is just a Kodak Z712 IS (12X optical zoom). Here are two potential mates:



More to come.