Information for people wanting to breed Cherry Shrimp - Page 3

X-Treme · 10-03-2005, 06:48 PM

I have only 3 cherries in my 110 gallon tank and they seem to spend all day "cleaning" my plants for me. I recently (yesterday) bought 20 more and started my 10 gallon shrimp "baby facory". The shrimp I put in there are VERY active. They are swimming around constantly unlike the ones in my 110 gallon. Is this constant swimming normal? problem? harmful?

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vinnymac · 10-03-2005, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Treme

I have only 3 cherries in my 110 gallon tank and they seem to spend all day "cleaning" my plants for me. I recently (yesterday) bought 20 more and started my 10 gallon shrimp "baby facory". The shrimp I put in there are VERY active. They are swimming around constantly unlike the ones in my 110 gallon. Is this constant swimming normal? problem? harmful?

I have nearly 200 cherries along with 125 crystal reds in my grow out tank right now and they swim around a lot right after water changes. However, they spend most of the time crawling on the plants and picking for bits of food in the substrate.

Faust2001 · 10-11-2005, 04:15 PM

I've noticed some of mine have a deeper red and better coverage of the red color (males and females), and I started thinking about trying to selectively breed those traits.

Has anyone tried to breed a darker red/"cherrier" shrimp from their stock? How hard was attempt at selective breeding? Was it worth it? Did you learn anything that would help others who are trying?

Georgiadawgger · 10-11-2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2001

I've noticed some of mine have a deeper red and better coverage of the red color (males and females), and I started thinking about trying to selectively breed those traits.

Has anyone tried to breed a darker red/"cherrier" shrimp from their stock? How hard was attempt at selective breeding? Was it worth it? Did you learn anything that would help others who are trying?

Selective breeding can be possible...but is it really worth the time? IMO shrimp are only fun to watch when they're in the main tank rather than in a bare bottom or shrimp-only-minimal tank...and the pain in catching the ones you want is another issue. Toss in shrimp sources and waiting for maturity can also add to the wait.

Add to that, you shouldn't (IMO) inbreed the selective color traits either, once you have your F2 generation.

**Urkevitz** · 10-17-2005, 01:16 AM

I like the color variations you get by letting them breed naturally, check out this brown one. I have a darker brown one in my main tank, as well as an orange cherry.

vinnymac · 10-17-2005, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Georgiadawgger

Selective breeding can be possible...but is it really worth the time? IMO shrimp are only fun to watch when they're in the main tank rather than in a bare bottom or shrimp-only-minimal tank...and the pain in catching the ones you want is another issue. Toss in shrimp sources and waiting for maturity can also add to the wait.

Add to that, you shouldn't (IMO) inbreed the selective color traits either, once you have your F2 generation.

I'm sure it's possible but it's not worth the time and effort since they are so prolific.

I have a very strong breeding stock that produces very deeply colored red cherry shrimp. I do notice the random brown or pale colored baby and I try to net them out and dump them in my main 65g display tank. The culls usually have a 30% survival rate as my angels tend to find them quite tasty.

I've noticed a dozen or so of my mature females are solid red and I thought about transplanting them into a separate tank to see if I could breed some higher quality cherries but it's almost not worth the effort.

However, my Crystal Red population is starting to display some strong variations in the F1 generation so I will be separating them. Not to mention I have nearly 4 dozen S/S+ grade crystal reds arriving tomorrow from Asia so I will need to be more selective in the babies I keep.

vinnymac · 10-17-2005, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urkevitz

I like the color variations you get by letting them breed naturally, check out this brown one. I have a darker brown one in my main tank, as well as an orange cherry.

Yeah, I get a handful of those every now and again. I put them in my 65g display tank and they do a great job cleaning the plants. They bred pretty prolifically too as I found nearly 40 of them in my sump last time.

vinnymac · 10-19-2005, 09:21 PM

Just tossing this out there...

I have plenty of java moss and najas grass available so I'd be willing to give it to people starting up shrimp tanks if they cover the cost of shipping.

I highly recommend using java moss and najas grass to control nitrate levels and to provide the shrimp places to hide. These two plants are very easy to car form and look pretty nice in a tank.

Contact me if you want some.

Thanks!

TheOtherGeoff · 10-26-2005, 06:15 PM

I have a question now. the shrimp i got from vince are doing great and now the biggest one is a female cause she is carrying eggs. My question is how can you tell if they are good or not. or is there really a way. they are a creamy sort of yellow color and she has had them since i noticed on sunday.

They are in a small bowl, about a gallon in size and are doing great. they spend all day laning the java moss carpet and hiding amoung the rocks. very nice to watch. the najas grass is also taking advantage of the kitty litter and shooting out roots like mad.

vinnymac · 10-26-2005, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff

I have a question now. the shrimp i got from vince are doing great and now the biggest one is a female cause she is carrying eggs. My question is how can you tell if they are good or not. or is there really a way. they are a creamy sort of yellow color and she has had them since i noticed on sunday.

They are in a small bowl, about a gallon in size and are doing great. they spend all day laning the java moss carpet and hiding amoung the rocks. very nice to watch. the najas grass is also taking advantage of the kitty litter and shooting out roots like mad.

Geoff - glad to hear they are doing well. The eggs should be an opaque yellow color and the femail will carry them for 20-30 days before they hatch. I've found incubation periods to be shorter in higher temps (80F) but I recommend you keep the temp around 76-78F.

Najas will grow VERY quickly. I've had to throw away large batches in the past since it seems to double in volume in my 46g tank every 2 weeks.

TheOtherGeoff · 10-26-2005, 09:09 PM

hahah thats cool that it grows so well. i need to find something like that for my 55.

anyway, the eggs are an opaque yellow so i will keep an eye on them. she seems to be very active still prunning all the algae off the plants. the temp im not sure of what it is. most heat it gets is from the 15 watt PC almost right above the water. it feels be to around 76 -78 so i think im good.

vinnymac · 10-26-2005, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff

hahah thats cool that it grows so well. i need to find something like that for my 55.

anyway, the eggs are an opaque yellow so i will keep an eye on them. she seems to be very active still prunning all the algae off the plants. the temp im not sure of what it is. most heat it gets is from the 15 watt PC almost right above the water. it feels be to around 76 -78 so i think im good.

Yeah, it sounds like everything is fine. A female cherry will drop her eggs if anything is out of order with the water, environment, or diet. Just keep an eye on her and if, in a few weeks, you notice the eggs are gone....start checking for babies. They will be TINY at first but they grow very quickly. Good luck and keep us updated on the progress.

Safado · 10-27-2005, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff

hahah thats cool that it grows so well. i need to find something like that for my 55.

I would recomend people avoid Najas in a regular planted tank. I have some ing my 10g, and am very happy with it. I have some in my 55 g, and went through what I hear a lot of people go through with glosso or Riccia.

Wow, I have a plant that is doing really well.
This is getting old trimming it every other day
how did it get on that side of the tank?
Ok, now I have ripped it out, how is it still coming back???

I have pulled every bit I could find for the last two months. because it breaks in little pieces, some of it seems to escape me. So while this is a great plant, add it to your tanks with the knowledge it may be hard to get rid of.

vinnymac · 10-27-2005, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Safado

I would recomend people avoid Najas in a regular planted tank. I have some ing my 10g, and am very happy with it. I have some in my 55 g, and went through what I hear a lot of people go through with glosso or Riccia.

Wow, I have a plant that is doing really well.
This is getting old trimming it every other day
how did it get on that side of the tank?
Ok, now I have ripped it out, how is it still coming back???

I have pulled every bit I could find for the last two months. because it breaks in little pieces, some of it seems to escape me. So while this is a great plant, add it to your tanks with the knowledge it may be hard to get rid of.

I agree to a certain extent. Najas is a very fast growing plant and it can get out of control quickly. However, I've never had a difficult time getting rid of it. It's easy to pull out by hand then scoop the rest out with a net.

TheOtherGeoff · 10-27-2005, 05:23 PM

yes it may be hard to get rid of but if it grows then its all good. hey said it would be impossible to get rid of java moss and i got rid of all of it. so im not worried about it. Vince the next time you are going to throw some out lemme know and i'll take some. anyway- back on topic, no more thread hijacks.

10-26-2005, 06:15 PM	#39 (permalink)
TheOtherGeoff Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,346	I have a question now. the shrimp i got from vince are doing great and now the biggest one is a female cause she is carrying eggs. My question is how can you tell if they are good or not. or is there really a way. they are a creamy sort of yellow color and she has had them since i noticed on sunday. They are in a small bowl, about a gallon in size and are doing great. they spend all day laning the java moss carpet and hiding amoung the rocks. very nice to watch. the najas grass is also taking advantage of the kitty litter and shooting out roots like mad. __________________ The Fish Tank, Tranquility in Motion 10 Gallon Eco, Moonlights, Not much else 20 Long T5's, flourite, no CO2, moon lit 75 Gallon T5 & PC, flourite, moon lit, WILD Discus

10-26-2005, 09:09 PM	#41 (permalink)
TheOtherGeoff Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,346	hahah thats cool that it grows so well. i need to find something like that for my 55. anyway, the eggs are an opaque yellow so i will keep an eye on them. she seems to be very active still prunning all the algae off the plants. the temp im not sure of what it is. most heat it gets is from the 15 watt PC almost right above the water. it feels be to around 76 -78 so i think im good. __________________ The Fish Tank, Tranquility in Motion 10 Gallon Eco, Moonlights, Not much else 20 Long T5's, flourite, no CO2, moon lit 75 Gallon T5 & PC, flourite, moon lit, WILD Discus

10-27-2005, 05:23 PM	#45 (permalink)
TheOtherGeoff Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,346	yes it may be hard to get rid of but if it grows then its all good. hey said it would be impossible to get rid of java moss and i got rid of all of it. so im not worried about it. Vince the next time you are going to throw some out lemme know and i'll take some. anyway- back on topic, no more thread hijacks. __________________ The Fish Tank, Tranquility in Motion 10 Gallon Eco, Moonlights, Not much else 20 Long T5's, flourite, no CO2, moon lit 75 Gallon T5 & PC, flourite, moon lit, WILD Discus

10-03-2005, 06:48 PM	#31 (permalink)
X-Treme Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 52	I have only 3 cherries in my 110 gallon tank and they seem to spend all day "cleaning" my plants for me. I recently (yesterday) bought 20 more and started my 10 gallon shrimp "baby facory". The shrimp I put in there are VERY active. They are swimming around constantly unlike the ones in my 110 gallon. Is this constant swimming normal? problem? harmful?

10-11-2005, 04:15 PM	#33 (permalink)
Faust2001 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fairfax, Virginia Posts: 113	I've noticed some of mine have a deeper red and better coverage of the red color (males and females), and I started thinking about trying to selectively breed those traits. Has anyone tried to breed a darker red/"cherrier" shrimp from their stock? How hard was attempt at selective breeding? Was it worth it? Did you learn anything that would help others who are trying?

10-19-2005, 09:21 PM	#38 (permalink)
vinnymac Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (53) Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 515	Just tossing this out there... I have plenty of java moss and najas grass available so I'd be willing to give it to people starting up shrimp tanks if they cover the cost of shipping. I highly recommend using java moss and najas grass to control nitrate levels and to provide the shrimp places to hide. These two plants are very easy to car form and look pretty nice in a tank. Contact me if you want some. Thanks!