What grade are my shrimp

That depends on the parameters of the other tanks. If everything is the same, or close to same, down to GH, KH and TDS, you don't need to acclimate them. If those things are different, then you should.


Just because they use the same water doesn't necessarily mean that the parameters will be the same. Inhabitants, driftwood, decorations and substrate may all potentially change the parameters.


If the colony is big enough and/or you have plenty of hiding places in your fish tank, then a colony can surely survive, if not thrive, in there.


As an alternative to culling the less desirable shrimp, you could cull the desirable ones out! Give them a tank of their own. Depending on how many shrimp are in the colony and their different grades, this may be easier than only removing the less desirable ones!




I've just done some "musical tanks" myself with shrimp. I had shrimp in a 30g and 20g. The ones in the 20g for some reason were not thriving, so I finally moved them into a temporary tank. Due to all the changes I had done, I ended up with more shrimp in the temp tank than I had when they were in the 20g. (berried females hatched their eggs. Side Note: I hate moving baby shrimp around!) Once the 20g was re-cycled, I decided to move shrimp back into it... but I only chose the best shrimp out of the temp tank. I then got as many of the best shrimp I could get out of the 30g (I only have one that is as good as the first all red female you posted with the "white" stripe - although my female has a larger stripe) and acclimated them to the 20g. What was left over in the temp tank I then acclimated to the 30g.

I didn't acclimate between the 20g and temp tank, since I tried to keep the parameters pretty close to same, although between either one of them and the 30, well, they're different. I actually am in the process of trying to get the 30g in line with the 20g in parameters. Just don't want to make too many changes too fast.