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3,093 Posts
I was doing my weekly 10% water changes on shrimp tanks yesterday and I am all but certain that I am down to one OEBT. I bought two batches of 12 from two different sellers, IIRC both claimed that they were homebred. I kept them like bees at first since both sellers I purchased them from did, but as their numbers dwindled, I moved several over to Neo parameters just to see. They survived the transition, but over several months I've lost all (but one) of them. I even sold off my thriving mischling colony just so that I could try a male and two females in that tank since it seemed so solid. Those shrimp have since died, though seemed to be doing well for the first month or two. One female was heavily berried when I found her body. I believe I have now read every care sheet and watched every YouTube video out there on their care. There seems to be no consensus on whether they do better at 0 dKH like the sellers I bought them from, or 2-3 dKH like Mark's Shrimp Tanks suggests. But both methods failed me. In every case tanks were aged for months before adding them. Every parameter I have the ability to test is in line with what I aimed for, both in acidic aqua soil tanks and (slightly) alkaline inert. I use remineralized RO/DI water, and change the RO membranes typically before they're even due. They are fed and maintained identically to my thriving groups. I did have a few females to berry and an odd baby survive, but something is wrong here.
Neos of all colors do great for me. I've produced hundreds of crystal reds. Baubalti shrimp and super tigers have fared pretty well, though not as fecund as the formerly mentioned types; they at least have increased in numbers rather than dwindle down. But I can't seem to get OEBT to take off for the life of me. @Discusluv got into them at the same time I did, and had a similar experience. I've found thread after thread on various forums of people buying them and either having poor luck long-term or never posting again. But the folks in Singapore exporting them are managing to make thousands of them. Mark of the YouTube videos has big colonies. I know it can be done, and it's absolutely killing me that something I feel that I have more or less down pat (breeding shrimp) could seem so impossible. So I beg of anyone out there reading this who has long-term success with this specific variety of Caridina cantonensis, please share your secrets. My fingers have hovered over more "buy now" buttons than I could keep track of, but I'm not willing to put the animals through less than optimal conditions and be responsible for more deaths until I feel sure I have a wise game plan.
Neos of all colors do great for me. I've produced hundreds of crystal reds. Baubalti shrimp and super tigers have fared pretty well, though not as fecund as the formerly mentioned types; they at least have increased in numbers rather than dwindle down. But I can't seem to get OEBT to take off for the life of me. @Discusluv got into them at the same time I did, and had a similar experience. I've found thread after thread on various forums of people buying them and either having poor luck long-term or never posting again. But the folks in Singapore exporting them are managing to make thousands of them. Mark of the YouTube videos has big colonies. I know it can be done, and it's absolutely killing me that something I feel that I have more or less down pat (breeding shrimp) could seem so impossible. So I beg of anyone out there reading this who has long-term success with this specific variety of Caridina cantonensis, please share your secrets. My fingers have hovered over more "buy now" buttons than I could keep track of, but I'm not willing to put the animals through less than optimal conditions and be responsible for more deaths until I feel sure I have a wise game plan.
