[korn529p]

Hi all! I've been using this form for advice and research for years and finally had a question I haven't been able to find an answer for, so it's time to make an account and post.

I'm new to shrimp keeping and am enamored by my six red rilis. When some of them developed their saddles, I was over the moon and very hopeful that the remaining males would mate with them. Well, a week or so later and the late bloomers saddled up and now my dreams of having babies are shot.

Now, I'm starting to look at acquiring some more to see if I can successfully breed them. I know it can take a while until shrimp are sexually mature enough to show their saddles, and they often need to settle into a tank before their colors brighten up and they become saddled/ready to mate, so I'm hesitant to add to the tank unless I know I'm not spending $40 plus $50 shipping on another batch of all girls (the only LFS near me with shrimp other than RCS only ever has a max of two of a species since they keep em as skittles, so buying local isn't an option).

So: Is it possible to ask for a vendor to make sure I get some males? Or is it impossible to tell until they've totally settled in? Further, would this be too difficult to fulfill and be disregarded? Do you have any experience with this sort of thing yourself? I've got some time before I would be able to get a cycled quarantine tank ready for any potential bachelors, so I want to make sure I do my due diligence.

 

[Griznatch]

Some will do so. I think aquatic arts will sell a breeder pack. Otherwise you will probably need to order in batches of ten. Odds are you'll get a male in that many. Good news is it's ok to have more females. Shrimp have a small bioload, so the more the merrier!

 

[Nuthatch]

Would your local store place a special order for you? Otherwise you could just buy the red rilis that they have, whenever they have them. Chances are 50/50 that you'll end up with a male or two. I just bought 3 red rilis to start my tank and they are all males! Just the opposite problem from you!

 

[Sam the Slayer]

In addition to what they said, you don’t need over night shipping. Priority mail will do which most breeders charge $15 for. I ship shrimp all the time and priority has always arrived alive.


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[korn529p]

Some will do so. I think aquatic arts will sell a breeder pack. Otherwise you will probably need to order in batches of ten. Odds are you'll get a male in that many. Good news is it's ok to have more females. Shrimp have a small bioload, so the more the merrier!

Very good to know that Aquatic Arts may do that, I'll have to look into that! I originally ordered mine in a batch of 10, but 2 arrived DOA and 2 more didn't survive the first few days so I was left with the six girls who have been very happy and molted several times successfully. My tank is 10g so I definitely want a bunch!

Would your local store place a special order for you? Otherwise you could just buy the red rilis that they have, whenever they have them. Chances are 50/50 that you'll end up with a male or two. I just bought 3 red rilis to start my tank and they are all males! Just the opposite problem from you!

That's a great idea! I'm nervous about just getting the ones they have because I think the staggered adding may be problematic, right? If I have to add two more every few weeks whenever they're available, I feel like I'll never be able to control for disease. I'll definitely call and ask if they could do a special order though. It's owned by a very nice local couple so I'd love to support them if possible.

In addition to what they said, you don’t need over night shipping. Priority mail will do which most breeders charge $15 for. I ship shrimp all the time and priority has always arrived alive.

Good to know. The last people I ordered from required overnight on all livestock orders, so that's what I went with last time. I'll keep it in mind for future orders!

Thank you all!

 

[Griznatch]

Very good to know that Aquatic Arts may do that, I'll have to look into that! I originally ordered mine in a batch of 10, but 2 arrived DOA and 2 more didn't survive the first few days so I was left with the six girls who have been very happy and molted several times successfully. My tank is 10g so I definitely want a bunch!


That's a great idea! I'm nervous about just getting the ones they have because I think the staggered adding may be problematic, right? If I have to add two more every few weeks whenever they're available, I feel like I'll never be able to control for disease. I'll definitely call and ask if they could do a special order though. It's owned by a very nice local couple so I'd love to support them if possible.


Good to know. The last people I ordered from required overnight on all livestock orders, so that's what I went with last time. I'll keep it in mind for future orders!

Thank you all!

Shrimp are pretty resilent little buggers. In spite of all my mistakes they still seem to thrive!

 

[Zoidburg]

I wouldn't recommend Aquatic Arts personally... at least not for Neos. I've seen quite a few people complain about imported Neos with parasites/failure to thrive. (I do hope that they have changed or are changing!)

In orders of 10, you would normally get at least both genders. Good vendors usually sell juvies which are typically too young to sex... but males do tend to mature faster than females!

 

[ichthyogeek]

So you can absolutely ask vendors for male shrimp. Whether or not they honor that is a different situation in and of itself.