# Blue Ridge's shrimp rack



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

This is going to be a long progression and I probably won't be sourcing much livestock until near year's end. But even though shrimp are a long way off and I had wanted to set this up in my home, I'm pretty excited about it. 



As many of you know, I opened a local fish store in 2007 but was forced to switch focus to dog and cat supplies in 2013 since that's what was keeping the store open. And then I was left with over 100 empty used aquariums. I've sold off quite a few over the years, but still have 4 racks of 8 20 gallon long tanks. I've decided to set a few of these up in my back room and start some breeding projects for shrimp. If all goes well, I may expand this from the current 4 tanks to also filling the 4 above them. If that goes well, I have 3 more racks of 8 20 longs (for a total of 32 20 gallon tanks) but that's getting waaay ahead of myself. For now, here are the 4 tanks I'm starting with on the bottom row. Ignore the top row, they had crested geckos in them once upon a time and are empty except for plastic plants and caves:











I filled two of the tanks in April, just putting in a thin layer of Flourite for substrate and Aqua Clear 50 filters. A single bulb T8 light illuminates them for now, will need to upgrade that in short order when I add some plants. Added ammonia daily for a while, then just started throwing food pellets in there when I think to. Getting some brown and green algae going in these two. Never would have thought I'd be happy to see film algae. 










The other two I got cleaned out today; they'll be set up for Caridina. These all had saltwater in them previously and even though I cleaned them when I broke them down, there was quite a bit of purple coraline algae still on the glass. 2 hours of elbow grease, a razor blade, and multiple vinegar rinses and it's almost all gone. I'm guessing the rest will eventually dissolve in the soft acidic RO water. I will be using active soil, but haven't settled on a brand yet. I've only ever tried ADA and Dennerle, which seem identical to me. 










I will be using air driven sponge filters for all of these, though may leave the Aqua Clears on the neo tanks. The two empty tanks on the left have 2 54 watt T5 HO bulbs suspended about 12-14" over the top. This was fine to illuminate fish for sale, but a lot of light intensity is lost at that distance -plus the glass tops have seen their better days. I'm thinking I might be better off putting LEDs over all four of these.


I have ordered sponge filters and a large air pump which should arrive Friday. So if the store isn't too busy, will get the other two at least filled and circulating by the weekend. Still unsure on using the glass tops. They are older, scratched, lime stained and block more light than I would like. But I've found more than my share of shrimp on the floor so either the tanks will stay 2" from filled or I will have to use something as a cover. 



Stocking plans for the two that are filled will be the best blue Neos I can find and the best red Neos I can find, trade names be darned. The two on the left I am leaning black King Kong Caridina and red galaxy or similar. I'm going around and around in my head about testing these tanks out with shrimp I currently own. In my past tanks I've always done that, but as sure as the sun shines I will miss some when I go to remove them. That's not too bad when it's a CRS in a michling tank, but another matter when it's a CRS in a BKK tank and might breed with them. I've also considered breeder nets to put any tester shrimp in. The two tanks that are currently filled are only some plants and a water change away from being ready. Well, and a light that will actually grow plants that aren't single-celled. 



Thanks for looking and happy to hear any thoughts or ideas!


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Yes.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I assume by that you meant I should go ahead and fill the other two with RO water, so I did. >









Might try the buffering substrate in a bucket and otherwise glass bottom in these two. Something tells me I'll be up all night watching shrimp-bro videos.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

I am excited to see this come together. What is the name of your store?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Blue Ridge Pet Supplies, formerly Blue Ridge Reef and Pets. These aren't where the public can see them, though.


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I assume by that you meant I should go ahead and fill the other two with RO water, so I did. <a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/PlantedTank_net_2015/smilies/tango_face_devil.png" border="0" alt="" title="Devil" ></a>
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am glad you understood what I meant. 
Truly envious, excited for you and for the coming updates!


----------



## Yaboihunt (Mar 27, 2019)

@richie.p


YaBoiHunt


----------



## Shrubbery (Jul 1, 2019)

Looks like it will be a really cool project! It will be fun to follow along.


----------



## Richie.p (Aug 8, 2019)

Pitty it didn't work out the first time, I'll follow this itll be interesting, do you intend putting some sacrificial shrimp in the once salted tanks or are you happy


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Of course, I'll test the water thoroughly before adding livestock. I don't expect it to be an issue. Most every tank in my house was formerly saltwater and they didn't present problems switching over. As for stocking, I'll test them with shrimp from my home tanks for a few weeks before introducing new stock, though I don't expect them to be "sacrificial."


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Pbbbt. I've used dirtier tanks than that - some of them caked in coraline and salt creep - with all kinds of sensitive shrimp in the past. 

This is going to be a great project and I have a feeling you'll really enjoy it.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Added substrate in the Caridina tanks today, and Friday put a new bag of Flourite split between the 2 Neo tanks. 








The dusty ones nearest camera are the Caridina ones. The second two are remarkably clear already. I rinsed Flourite until I thought I'd lost half of the bag's weight and it still clouded up both tanks. But 48 hours later and crystal clear water. Thinking of leaving the lights on 24/7 to grow more green and less brown. Will move some plants to them when I get lighting sorted. I think the T5's over the Caridina tanks will grow low light stuff fine. The other two need a strip. And I have tanks at home running 24" cheapo Finnex lights that I could use on these and replace them on their current tanks with something a little better. Those new Fluval 3.0's have definitely caught my eye since the latest update.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

I am so jealous! Just look at those racks of tanks!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Ha! If it makes you any less jealous, just know that these racks of tanks represent the worst financial investment I ever made in my life.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Is that investment reefing? Or fish keeping in general?


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Mate it is looking amazing! 
That the amazonia mucking up those tanks then? Damn that is dusty, never seen that with amazonia before.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Woah! How quickly did you add water to those tanks? I'm always surprised when people have serious cloudiness.

Cloudiness aside, this is going to be fun to watch.



Blue Ridge Reef said:


>


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

@AquaNerd, Opening an LFS.

Tanks were full of water, I added ADA right to them. Not concerned about cloudiness, those two are months from having shrimp in them.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

What a difference a day makes:


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Wow! My dream in pictures. :0


----------



## evil8 (Aug 7, 2018)

Nice project! Can't wait to see you get started on culls! I want a super green neocardia tank so bad...


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

What filters and what size tank was it?

Bump: https://aquaticarts.com/collections/freshwater-shrimp


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Made a little headway over the weekend. I got sponge filters set up in all 4 tanks and put a 36" LED reef light from my old reef tank to straddle the two Neo tanks. Wondering how much impact it will have on temperature, and if it will need to be elevated. Lightly planted each of them. All 4 got Bolbitis and C wendtii green, also put some micro sword and leopard Val in one. I always forget how hard these substrates are to plant in! Doesn't help that it's only 2" deep. I will surely add more plants over the next few weeks and months, but outside of that we are getting to the hurry up and wait portion of this project. I should probably order another bag of ADA.















evil8 said:


> Nice project! Can't wait to see you get started on culls! I want a super green neocardia tank so bad...



Culling has been so far my least favorite aspect of breeding Neos. Catching one gray shrimp in a heavily planted tank full of others you are trying not to net can be maddening! I've never seen super greens in person but the photos are impressive. There's a very pretty green baubalti that might breed more true, just a thought.


----------



## evil8 (Aug 7, 2018)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Culling has been so far my least favorite aspect of breeding Neos. Catching one gray shrimp in a heavily planted tank full of others you are trying not to net can be maddening! I've never seen super greens in person but the photos are impressive. There's a very pretty green baubalti that might breed more true, just a thought.


You're correct. Catching those little suckers ain't easy. I tried moving my 4 amano one day... 3 of them just disappeared... LOL! Shimp Life had a video on her green jades not long ago and they are stunning, but I will check out the green baubalti too. It will be awhile before I get a serious shrimp tank set up anyway. Sometime around the 1st of the year.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Not a very exciting update, but I dried some oak leaves and added them this week. If there's any downside to these vs capatta and such, I can't tell. They last about the same amount of time, grow biofilm well and basically "seem" the same to my untrained eye. 

I like to cut a limb or find one broken from wind and dry that out rather than picking leaves off of the ground:









After about a month, they will look like this:









I pull them off and stick them in a baggie and crush them somewhat:









Then I add RO water to the baggies and let sit overnight. I didn't photograph this step. Next I strain off the water and add them to tanks:









Total cost, 9 cents for the baggie, and maybe a penny's worth of RO water.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

(Terminalia) catappa leaves are thicker and larger when mature but beyond that, they're accomplishing the same thing in a tank. 

If you have any Willow Oak (Q. phellos) near you, I've found that they hold up a bit longer compared to White, Black and other common Oak varieties. They were my absolute nightmare in the Charlotte area and were easily the worst leaf I've ever had to deal with outside. They get everywhere - in shoes, cars, clothing - and that's when they're dry. Basically needed an airlock in order to get inside without bringing a ton of them with you. Have been awesome in shrimp tanks, though.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I googled that tree and am familiar, but don't have one on my property or know where any might be nearby. It's crazy to think about all the things you buy in this hobby that might as well be growing in your own yard. 

I have some tangerine tigers (Caridina serrata) coming this week and am very tempted to put a few in one of these 20's. Parameters are testing out perfectly and even without as much algae as I would like, I figure a half dozen in a 20 gallon tank should be fine. I have a mature tank for them at home, but have a pretty good deal of confidence that if I put half in one of these new ones they will be fine there. I still have two days to decide.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Currently drip acclimating a few tangerine tigers to one of the "old" tanks (set up in April). Added a few more plants here and there, but the original plants already have a good bit of new growth. Added a little aquasoil to the Flourite tanks as KH is hanging higher than I'd like. Will get some shrimp pics in a few days when they've settled down.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I googled that tree and am familiar, but don't have one on my property or know where any might be nearby. It's crazy to think about all the things you buy in this hobby that might as well be growing in your own yard.
> 
> I have some tangerine tigers (Caridina serrata) coming this week and am very tempted to put a few in one of these 20's. Parameters are testing out perfectly and even without as much algae as I would like, I figure a half dozen in a 20 gallon tank should be fine. I have a mature tank for them at home, but have a pretty good deal of confidence that if I put half in one of these new ones they will be fine there. I still have two days to decide.


Cool! Are they the same ones that were advertised on member forum? Those were really nice tigers!

Bump:


Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Currently drip acclimating a few tangerine tigers to one of the "old" tanks (set up in April). Added a few more plants here and there, but the original plants already have a good bit of new growth. Added a little aquasoil to the Flourite tanks as KH is hanging higher than I'd like. Will get some shrimp pics in a few days when they've settled down.


What parameters will you be shooting for? Tanks look great, by the way---


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Discusluv said:


> Cool! Are they the same ones that were advertised on member forum? Those were really nice tigers!


Yep, and the seller packed them perfectly and they got here on time for once from USPS. Had zero DOAs and no losses so far a couple of hours after acclimation. Would highly recommend if you have interest in those. I've only had better luck with local shrimp than from this board. They're still paled out from shipping but absolutely zooming around the tank and feeding so am optimistic for their future. 


Discusluv said:


> What parameters will you be shooting for? Tanks look great, by the way---


KH was 5-6, and my goal was 2. TDS was over 260 and aiming for < 200. pH was 7.5ish and 6.6-7.0 was my goal. My tap is soft and neutral but something seems to be bumping things, perhaps old coraline algae and such from them once being saltwater? Did a roughly 1/3 partial wc with RO/DI but worried about a jump so thought 2 cups of Aqua Soil each tank might take care of that. I used Dennerle Shrimp Soil which produces ammonia but the two older tanks are solid as Sears at this point. I'm guessing the nitrogen these soils produce is a big reason but the Rotala indica I put in has grown like crazy in just a couple of weeks, near an inch a day it would seem. And the once-tiny stems of guppy grass are getting obnoxiously big already. It's all I can do to keep sitting on my hands and waiting until November or so to get started but I know it's the best route.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Do you by chance have any Bloody Mary Sakura Shrimp? If so, would you recommend them to a novice shrimp keeper?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

It's just a selectively bred cherry shrimp. Care would be the same as any cherry but when keeping anything line bred they may be a bit more fragile.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

I just realized that they are just a color strain of cherries, thanks though. I have heard they are hardy, so I just expect them to be a little less hardy than the normal ones.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

aquanerd13 said:


> I just realized that they are just a color strain of cherries, thanks though. I have heard they are hardy, so I just expect them to be a little less hardy than the normal ones.


 Did you see the picture of the Bloody Mary's I just got? 
They really are very pretty. 

Try them for the 10 gallon.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Got a batch of blues drip acclimating now. Still holding off on the two newest tanks for a bit longer.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Got a batch of blues drip acclimating now. Still holding off on the two newest tanks for a bit longer.


 Ohhh, very nice. :wink2:
Look like very good quality and color.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, they're still small too. I got them in the classifieds here and the adults looked amazing. Hopefully these grow up to look as nice as the photos and breed more true than my first two batches.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, this is a first. Went to check the pitcher since they'd been dripping for 90 minutes. And the airline tubing had gotten below the surface in the pitcher. I pulled it out, and it was full of shrimp!









Guess they must have liked my water!


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

It's the shrimp version of, "if it fits, it sits!"


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

lol! I can't wait to get shrimp.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

You'll love them Aquanerd, just bear in mind that they take *way* more patience than fish!


Shrimp are settling in and coloring up. These are 1/4" juveniles and have been in the tank an hour and already look this good. I'm very optimistic about this line from day one. My iPhone 6 does not take good macro photos, but this was the best one I could get of a few eating Jake's complete veggie:








Similarly, the tangerine tigers are fans:









I can't believe the tiny tiger shrimp I got just a month ago are already breeding in there. While technically Caridina, these are berrying at half the size CRS do. That's ADA and Flourite substrate, to give it a sense of scale. I was telling my better half how excited I was and that I'm not trying to breed for profit here, but just to trade/subsidize the other varieties of shrimp I want. She said, "You won't even let two colors be in the same tank! You know you're just going to set up your whole fish store again, except that nothing will be for sale or view-able to the public, right?" 
After a long pause, I assured her that there would be no more than 32 20 gallon tanks set up. :surprise:


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> You'll love them Aquanerd, just bear in mind that they take *way* more patience than fish!
> 
> 
> Shrimp are settling in and coloring up. These are 1/4" juveniles and have been in the tank an hour and already look this good. I'm very optimistic about this line from day one. My iPhone 6 does not take good macro photos, but this was the best one I could get of a few eating Jake's complete veggie:
> ...


I see nothing wrong with selling high-quality shrimp for a profit ( just not a gauging). I certainly would pay for high-quality shrimp and would not at all resent you made a profit from them.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> You'll love them Aquanerd, just bear in mind that they take *way* more patience than fish!:


Uh oh. Patience is my weakness!!:grin2:. I think I can manage though lol.


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Those blues are looking lovely indeed!!!! Omce you establish a strong colony perhaps I will see if we could trade some blood lines. Depending on how mine continue to go that is! 
This is amazing. I am extremely jealous of your set up.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Had my phone in my pocket today and took some updated snaps of each tank. Not very exciting stuff, sorry. These updates are for me to look back on to keep the dates straight! Hope that here and there along the way I can provide a quality post. 
9-20-19 and these four tanks are off to a great start! Plants are thriving and two of four have shrimp in them now (the two on the right). 








The empty ones are using active soil only and remineralized RO/DI water, the other two are more traditional for the way I do planted tanks. All ran with Aqua Clear 50's and sponge filters while cycling, now just running the sponge filters off of an over-sized Whisper. Guess I'll label them numerically from left to right. Tank one:








Filled with ADA and planted mostly from other tanks, but did purchase _Eriocaulon Vietnam_ and a fistful of moss, no fauna besides snails & pods. 
Tank two is set up identically. Both of these have some time to go yet before shrimp:








Tank 3 has been running since April. As of 8-12, tanks 3 & 4 have a 1/4-1/2" base of organic topsoil strained fine to the consistency of flour, then a couple of inches of Flourite. I then added 1/2 a bag of Dennerle active soil to each to bring down KH that I was fighting. These ran fallow for months. I use straight dechlorinated tap on these two. Tank 3 contains 12 very small but quite pretty yellow Neos. Don't have a good photo yet. It's going to be a few months on these but I think they are a striking line, they're almost white. My hope is to get some nice blue tiger shrimp to add to this tank. Orange eyes not preferred but considered if anyone "knows a guy.". I don't want any shrimp of either the Caridina or Neocaridina that even the worst cull might confuse me on which species it might be so yellow and blue striped seem pretty safe. I also still have the AquaClear running on this one I started them all up with, not sure why. Anyway, tank 3:








Tank 4 has the Tangerine tigers and blues shown in the earlier post. Similarly, I feel sure I won't mix the worst culls of these two up.









So now I'm left with deciding what to put in the first two, leaning Taiwan bees of some sort, my michling tank is what got this all started. Need to move some more plants from other tanks in too, I realize looking at the photos. And of course, the next order of business is finding blue tigers... 
See you when I get something new or have something to update again.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

It would be nice to just roll around with a silenced office chair, watching the tanks.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

That would probably help my knees quite a bit! These are hardly even going and I already spend too much time at work looking at them.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Put a GoPro on your chair and give us a rolling video tour.


----------



## germanblueramlover (Jun 9, 2013)

Shrimp are looking wonderful!

And I have to say, I like your new signature :wink2:


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I coaxed a few of the little yellow Neos to come near the front with a piece of Jake's mulberry food, they're gaining some size:








Seeing some growth in the blue and tangerine tiger tank too:








As much as I appreciate the snails, they sure seem to get to the food quickly!

I'm moving a few plants from my home tanks every time I get my hands in them and bringing them over to spread among these. The two on the left are not too far off from shrimp at this point. With some luck finding a few oddball Caridina I want, by the end of October these will all be stocked. From there, it will just be minimal maintenance and waiting for fry.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Shrimp are looking great! Especially the Tangerine Tigers. But that snail is even better. How big is that thing? It looks like it knows its way around a shrimp tank.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

I’m still waiting for the rolling office chair tour with your phone.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

If my phone could zoom better, I'd do that! But right now these are all pretty small.



somewhatshocked said:


> Shrimp are looking great! Especially the Tangerine Tigers. But that snail is even better. How big is that thing? It looks like it knows its way around a shrimp tank.


 It's not as big as the photo makes it appear, the shrimp are 1/2" or so. I pulled a bunch of those pond snails when you pointed out that they weren't your average bladder and are making some more to send your way. 

Also thought you'd be interested to see this gal in a cull tank. She's a unit! Odd color considering her stock came from blue and cherry culls:


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Those really do look great. I wish more people would keep darker, more wild-type-ish shrimp like this. 

Don't get me wrong - I really like bright, colorful shrimp. But it's nice to see these, Babaulti and even Wild Bees pop back up in the hobby.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Not much to update so here are some random musings:

The little yellow Neo females are showing saddles. 








I changed out all the RO and DI cartridges and membranes last week. Hadn't run much water through the old ones with just a few tanks using it, but I realized that they had been in use for over 4 years. They were still making 0 TDS water, but I wasn't sure I should trust them. Set me back over $200, which cuts into the aquarium budget pretty deeply but I think these should serve me for the next 24 months with no more water than I make. 

The two tanks for Caridina should be ready for shrimp at 71 days in. I'm interested in some super tigers from the classifieds here, but am now considering putting those in my 50 gallon planted display. I don't use RO on that one but I have sub 100 TDS tap that is soft and neutral that Neos have thrived in for over a decade now. Care sheets seem to indicate that these can thrive at the lower range of Neocaridina, which is what I currently have. 

Still asking around for blue tigers. It's pretty amazing to me how many ads from 1-2 years ago I've found and none of the people are still working with them. Makes me suspicious of their hardiness and longevity. Does anyone know of a hobbyist who has had a few generations of OEBT's or just BT's without incident?

Leaning RKKs or blue bolts for the other Caridina tank. If I move the super tigers to the planted display I can have both in this rack. 

This little project has really been an exercise in patience. Feels like I've been looking at empty planted tanks for so long. And even the two with a couple hundred dollars of shrimp in them are going to take several months before there's much to look at. My cull tanks are far more interesting right now.

I was diagnosed with degenerative disk disease yesterday. Spine doc told me no more hauling 5 gallon buckets. That's not realistic but I am thinking about cleaning out and filling the tanks above these with change and top off water to minimize it. Take care of your bodies, any young people reading this!

Lastly, I just wanted to say that shrimp were just what I needed to rekindle the spark for me and this hobby. I love breeding fish and will probably always have a fish project or two, but there's something I love about the "sit on your hands and wait" aspect of these little inverts. Once the babies start coming all that waiting is long forgotten.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

It is so awesome to see new shrimp show up and grow!

Cheers


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Not much to update so here are some random musings:
> 
> The little yellow Neo females are showing saddles.
> 
> ...



_I hear you-- I feel the same way about ,my recent conversion to shrimp. Although I have never bred fish, just kept fish, like you have. being able to see offspring in my tank is a real joy. But, I also have the same feeling about the adjustment from a "hands on" approach that is required with fish to a more gradual, watchful approach necessary to keeping shrimp. The adjustment hasn't been easy, I still find myself taking out too much water at weekly water changes, having to tell myself "Do not feed today, " and have a generalized feeling that I should be "doing more " and am neglecting the shrimp tanks. 
_


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Those yellows are going to be carrying eggs in no time. Bout to have a population explosion.

It's disappointing but I think people just give up on shrimp in general. Most of the big sellers of OEBTs were folks who imported to make a quick buck during the peak of popularity. But people burn out, get tired of tank maintenance or get occupied with some other flashy hobby. Those types seem to come in waves every few years. At the moment, I see a lot of us lifers hopping back into shrimp like it's a meditation. We all seem to get an intense bit of relaxation out of it that takes us away from the daily insanity in a way that's so much more... something... than fish.

I kept OEBTs and pretty extreme Black Tigers. Traded most of both off for various things. The only ones I really wish I hadn't parted with were the black ones. Guy who took them still has breeding colonies of both. Will have to see what his numbers look like these days and try to encourage him to offer them here. Surely someone out there has them.

Have you considered doing a tank of mixed Bees? Could be enjoyable. Especially since you have tanks with some nice volume.

Health stuff = no fun. Sounds like it's time to get a couple extra roll-y dolly things from Harbor Freight! I've been using one to move 5gal buckets lately and it makes everything way more enjoyable. Not because I'm incapable of lifting but because it prevents spillage. I like it so much I'm gonna pick up a couple smaller ones when they're next on sale. On a related note: I find that about 90% of my spills happen once I've already gotten the bucket to the tank I'm working on because I bump into it. When they're on wheels, they just slide out of the way.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, this last bout of back pain was the worst I'd ever experienced. The neurologist basically said surgery, pain center (opioids) or live with it. I'm going to choose the latter for as long as I can. To that end, I just got 2 of the 20's on the top rack cleaned out to facilitate water changes. Most boring photo ever:









But I think filling these from hoses and then dripping into the tanks beneath them to refill is pretty ideal. 

Yeah, I've tried rushing shrimp before and not going to ever again. Aquariums just get so much more stable after a few weeks/months post cycle. I'm sure it can be done much more quickly without high losses *sometimes*, but isn't worth the risk, IMO. Besides my own experiences, there seems to be a thread a week on here about someone losing cherries in a newly cycled tank. I feel like the nitrogen cycle is just the beginning of making a tank truly shrimp-ready. 

Will check out those OEBT's on AquaBid, thanks for the heads up!


----------



## TheDukeAnumber1 (Sep 13, 2018)

Yeah back issues are no fun, sorry to hear about that. Personally I would rather fanagle hoses and power heads rather than haul water anymore, so I think using those top tanks is a good idea. 

I never really got into shrimp, why do they require so much patience? And are you using another creature to cull or "other" methods?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

TheDukeAnumber1 said:


> I never really got into shrimp, why do they require so much patience?


I think part of it is they are just so sensitive to change and tanks fluctuate a lot more in the first 3-4 months than they tend to thereafter. The plants also have time to get established and growing, which keeps nitrogen levels consistently low. And the types of shrimp I have here feed largely on algae and biofilm growing in the aquarium. This takes time to develop. All the supplemental foods in the world don't seem to equal growing "muck" for them to graze on.



TheDukeAnumber1 said:


> And are you using another creature to cull or "other" methods?


 Neither really. I have several planted tanks, some with fish some without that I move the culls to. Culls are just shrimp I don't want in the breeding population. I have one 50 gallon tank with just cull shrimp and a betta.








The betta surely eats some babies, but not enough to slow the population. In another tank with white clouds, the adult shrimp get to live out their life, but no babies ever make it in that one. But I never actively kill shrimp or even feed them to other things.


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

One idea for feeding would be to put some aquarium safe rocks in a small container full of water next to a sunny window. The rocks should grow a lot of algae, and then you could put a rock in the tank for the shrimp to feast on.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Did water changes today and tried to take an iPhone video. Kind of sorry video quality and I didn't speak loud enough but I'll do better next try.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Well, I won the OEBT auction that @Discusluv pointed out to me and got a small group of red pintos as well for the other tank from the same seller. They arrive tomorrow and I'm somewhat panicked! It's not even entirely rational; the tanks have been testing perfectly for the species I have coming. For no better reason than my GH was 9 and the sellers is 5, I just did a 40% water change replacing with only RO/DI (on an empty tank except for plants). Just in case. In part since the old water was from before I changed my RO/DI membranes. Even though my crystal reds, blue bolts and michlings are doing fine in the "old" water. I halfway feel like I should move all them to another tank with Caridina already thriving in there. But I don't want to mix these lines and these two 20's have to be solid by now. They just have to be. After forcing down the GH, every test result says they are exactly where the seller's tanks are. But I had intended to move a few shrimp to them before buying anything, and didn't get a chance to. Therefore I fear they are all going to die!

This is a relaxing hobby at most times, but I swear I have PTSD from losing prized shrimp.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Well, I won the OEBT auction that @*Discusluv* pointed out to me and got a small group of red pintos as well for the other tank from the same seller. They arrive tomorrow and I'm somewhat panicked! It's not even entirely rational; the tanks have been testing perfectly for the species I have coming. For no better reason than my GH was 9 and the sellers is 5, I just did a 40% water change replacing with only RO/DI (on an empty tank except for plants). Just in case. In part since the old water was from before I changed my RO/DI membranes. Even though my crystal reds, blue bolts and michlings are doing fine in the "old" water. I halfway feel like I should move all them to another tank with Caridina already thriving in there. But I don't want to mix these lines and these two 20's have to be solid by now. They just have to be. After forcing down the GH, every test result says they are exactly where the seller's tanks are. But I had intended to move a few shrimp to them before buying anything, and didn't get a chance to. Therefore I fear they are all going to die!
> 
> This is a relaxing hobby at most times, but I swear I have PTSD from losing prized shrimp.


 OH! I am excited for you. :surprise:
That seller looks legit-- I am hoping ( crossing my fingers) that this transaction turns out well because I directed you there. Oh, geezo, now Im as nervous as you are... I know they were costly, but the pictures appear to be very good stock. 



Please let us know how they come- I think Ill order my own tigers from him when the vase is ready if all goes well.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Thank YOU for finding these, and nothing is on you should anything go wrong! I have been looking for super nice royal blues in particular and was starting to joke that their species name should be _Caridina unobtanium_ so I'm thrilled you found some for me. The seller's feedback is solid, so I'm not worried about him or his stock nearly as much as my "new" tanks. So paranoid that I just put a giant bag of activated carbon and medium bag of Purigen in each tank. You know, just in case there was something on my hands. Or something.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> So paranoid that I just put a giant bag of activated carbon and medium bag of Purigen in each tank. You know, just in case there was something on my hands. Or something.



:laugh2:Could be cereal crumbs from breakfast or ketchup from lunch-- Haha


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

This is very exciting! Hope they travel well and make the transition to your takes without worry! 
Love this setup.


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Victory!

The only problem I've ever seen people really have with OEBTs is likely bacterial and that's something you won't have to worry about because: you have clean tanks, leaf litter, know how to use things like Maracyn-2 and won't drag your feet if you see something concerning. TL;DR: It's usually newcomers to the hobby who have problems and you're not a newcomer.

Not sure how many you were able to snag but is it possible for you to break them up into two separate colonies? That's what I like to do when I get something I'm anxious about. Maybe give you some peace of mind despite it being wholly unnecessary.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Terrifies me, but so does putting fragile lines in untested tanks with only snails and plants. I do think those tanks are solid, but maybe 2 months is pushing it. If I am 100% sure I have a gender pair out of the 5 I purchased, I may just bring 2 home to my best bee tank and keep them in a breeder net. Splitting them is a scary proposition but perhaps I bring some home tank water and drip half of them to that while I drip the others to their tank at my office. When I get off work, they should be acclimated to my best home tank. I bet they come in no more than a cup of water though. Maybe I should just bring them all home to a tank that's rocking rather than even tempt fate? These "feel like" good tanks though man, been running and growing plants for a while. Biggest change since the ADA stopped producing NH4 was today in a big RO/DI water replacement. Plants are growing, 3 batches of leaves have broken down, unless there's something I could never expect they should be near perfect environments. But this is a couple hundred bucks worth of very few shrimp. What would you do?


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I'd separate them into two tanks if that's the case. 



Blue Ridge Reef said:


> But this is a couple hundred bucks worth of very few shrimp. What would you do?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Shrimp are here. The OEBT's are almost solid black in the bag. This volume of water is *so* small to split for acclimation into two tanks, plus the stress of sitting on my counter for 6 more hours until I get home from work. I'm going for it. There's no reason to think these tanks aren't ready other than my own paranoia. Cross some fingers for me, the dripping begins.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Those look amazing!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I'm trying to leave them in the dark while they drip but it's _really_ hard not peeking. Every 5 minutes.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Good luck! Can you please post a photo of what it looks like to drip-acclimate, or link to a thread?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I just use airline tubing running from the tank to the pitchers I put the shrimp in with their shipping water. You can either use a gang valve to slow the drip to your desired speed or just tie a knot in the airline -though that's a less exact method. I just try to drip them over at least 4 hours.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I just use airline tubing running from the tank to the pitchers I put the shrimp in with their shipping water. You can either use a gang valve to slow the drip to your desired speed or just tie a knot in the airline -though that's a less exact method. I just try to drip them over at least 4 hours.


How many of the OEBT and the Red Pinto did your order? Were all alive on receipt? Was the packaging good?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Professional packing and all arrived alive (and on time). 5+1 on both OEBTs and red pintos. I wouldn't hesitate to order again from this guy, even if worst case scenario were to happen.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Professional packing and all arrived alive (and on time). 5+1 on both OEBTs and red pintos. I wouldn't hesitate to order again from this guy, even if worst case scenario were to happen.


 Whew- what a relief!
Also, now I know where to get mine- yeah! I think he even had some Black Tiger shrimp. [Not sure if they were orange-eye. ]


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

If I didn't know better I'd think that was what he sent me. That or they are so dark blue that they look black in the bag. But if they acclimate and thrive, I don't really care, I think black ones are amazing. And I never really cared about the orange eyes either, especially if they have impaired vision (which I don't think has ever been settled).


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> If I didn't know better I'd think that was what he sent me. That or they are so dark blue that they look black in the bag. But if they acclimate and thrive, I don't really care, I think black ones are amazing. And I never really cared about the orange eyes either, especially if they have impaired vision (which I don't think has ever been settled).


 I really dont want blue-- I want black. I also would prefer non-orange eyes. 

For a complete and utter amateur on shrimp I sure am picky arent I? Lol!


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

4 hours? Yowza. That's patience. I almost never have the patience to go beyond an hour. I usually aim for 4-5x their current water volume over the course of about an hour.

Looking forward to seeing how the Pintos do for you and how they breed. I don't/won't keep hybrids like TiBees but it's fun to see them in others' tanks.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

somewhatshocked said:


> 4 hours? Yowza. That's patience. I almost never have the patience to go beyond an hour. I usually aim for 4-5x their current water volume over the course of about an hour.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing how the Pintos do for you and how they breed. I don't/won't keep hybrids like TiBees but it's fun to see them in others' tanks.


Are the black ones TiBees?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

@Discusluv I think they are selectively bred tigers, with no bee blood, but could be wrong. The pintos are tibees, though. Actually titibees (bred back to bees again).

@somewhatshocked Yeah, I hadn't planned on going the hybrid route either but these spectacular little things just caught my eye so much. These are pretty tiny but I should be able to get some photos once I get them in the tank. Getting pretty close. I'm guessing the babies will be a pretty mixed lot but I don't mind that at all.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Okay, they are all in their new tanks now. Stirred things up a bit putting them out, but will get better photos tomorrow assuming they are alive! These OEBTs are insane. Almost solid black but when light hits them just right they are royal blue. I have had a few types of dark blue Neocaridina but none have near the pigmentation these do. Hard to see being so dark, but the shrimp is right in the middle of the photo:









Similarly, the red pintos are just gorgeous. Well, most of them. 2 are rather un-pinto like to me, but I really like them in their own way (pictured first).


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I knew I should have waited to post those! Waited a half hour and let things calm down and got some better ones. Hopefully these survive and grow into something easier to snap a photo of.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Okay, they are all in their new tanks now. Stirred things up a bit putting them out, but will get better photos tomorrow assuming they are alive! These OEBTs are insane. Almost solid black but when light hits them just right they are royal blue. I have had a few types of dark blue Neocaridina but none have near the pigmentation these do. Hard to see being so dark, but the shrimp is right in the middle of the photo:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Grogeous! Im so excited to see how these do for you!
Have you already posted the parameters that you have put the OEBT in? If not can you let me know?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

6.5 pH, 5 GH, 0 KH, 100-120, tds, 65-74 F (unheated)


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I think more people SHOULD post photos of their shrimp when they've just been added to their tanks. And then photos of them several hours or a day later. That helps illustrate how they color up and adjust to their new surroundings.

Would probably cut down on some anxieties that new shrimp keepers tend to have with their first batch.

They all look great, though. Really love those deep, dark blues!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, they sure do pale out in the shipping bags, Neos in particular. 

Found no bodies on the substrate and see a few shrimp crawling around.








Not going to disturb the tanks to look deeper since I have no reason to suspect any losses. Having only 5-6 shrimp in each, these aren't going to come out for food any time soon. But the other tanks will, so I fed and snapped a few this AM.

The tangerine tigers and blue Neos:









Yellow Neos are going nuts in that tank. Every female is either saddled or berried, and they seem to always be hungry:

















Bonus rhino pleco pic since he stole the algae wafer in the cull tank. I love this fish but if I could find him a better (equal) home I'd do it in a heartbeat:


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Any news? 
How has everyone settled in? 
Saw those pintos on aquabid....my goodness they are amazing! 
Breeding activity happening in most tanks with mature shrimp? I see the tangerines are!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Things are holding pretty steady. Haven't seen any deaths, but with only 5-6 shrimp in planted 20 gallon tanks, I have to really hunt to see any shrimp in those two newer set ups. I've seen two tangerine tiger fry but there are surely more. And the yellow Neo females are all saddled except for one who has been berried for weeks. She should drop any day now. I'd say by the new year I will have a lots more tangerine tigers and yellows, but the blue Neos, OEBTs, and pintos are probably going to need more time. I'll update as anything happens or if I manage to get a good photo. So far every pic I take looks just like other ones I've posted.


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Things are holding pretty steady. Haven't seen any deaths, but with only 5-6 shrimp in planted 20 gallon tanks, I have to really hunt to see any shrimp in those two newer set ups. I've seen two tangerine tiger fry but there are surely more. And the yellow Neo females are all saddled except for one who has been berried for weeks. She should drop any day now. I'd say by the new year I will have a lots more tangerine tigers and yellows, but the blue Neos, OEBTs, and pintos are probably going to need more time. I'll update as anything happens or if I manage to get a good photo. So far every pic I take looks just like other ones I've posted.


That's awesome though. Those yellows are amazing! My blues took a while to get going...now the population has exploded, its amazing! Despite a current set back, hope they continue breeding.
As previously stated, very envious. Look forward to more updates and pics as they come!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

So exciting! You may need to put "and shrimp store" on your pet store sign.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

10% water change day. I'm storing the change out tap water above them for a couple of days and letting it degas per the @DaveKS method. For the last several weeks I had been dripping it into the tank over the course of hours but that was just too long to keep an eye on everything. It still takes 15-20 minutes to fill 2 gallons into each tank just going through slightly crimped airline tubing though.









And as is Murphy's law, these shrimp I hardly ever see when wanting to observe them sure come out and get in the way of the siphon while draining! I did manage to get a good snap or two though.









And in my BBA ridden cull tank, I've found a few shrimp that are amazingly well-camouflaged when near a tuft! If I ever breed this color, I will call them BBA Neos!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Some questions for you on your OEBT's

Do you keep the OEBT's in cooler water as well?
Like, is 70 degrees fine for these or should I put a heater on the tank? 

I purchased a group of 6, not from the same place as you did, though. I ordered from PlanetInverts because I wanted to get some Bloody Mary shrimp and Red Ramshorns as well. Yeah, i know, me buying snails- who would of thunk it. 

What about a lid? Is it okay that this tank is open-top? Will they crawl out or like the snails- stay put.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I keep mine without a heater and it stays in the high 60's most of the time. I keep some Caridina in open top tanks but keep the water level lower on those. When I first set up that Dennerle, I had several crystals end up on my floor before I noticed they were doing that, so would be hesitant to give them an easy way out of your tank. With a filled to the rim, open top tank with floating plants, I had at least 4 commit suicide so am of the mind that they will crawl out if they can. But I've had some pond snails crawl out of that tank as well, so it could partly be the tank design contributing to them doing that. It's a nice round edge, and might be more inviting to climb than some?


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I keep mine without a heater and it stays in the high 60's most of the time. I keep some Caridina in open top tanks but keep the water level lower on those. When I first set up that Dennerle, I had several crystals end up on my floor before I noticed they were doing that, so would be hesitant to give them an easy way out of your tank. With a filled to the rim, open top tank with floating plants, I had at least 4 commit suicide so am of the mind that they will crawl out if they can. But I've had some pond snails crawl out of that tank as well, so it could partly be the tank design contributing to them doing that. It's a nice round edge, and might be more inviting to climb than some?


 Hmm.. I may need to get a lid for the Spec V. I certainly dont want expensive shrimp crawling out. 

I will definitely lower the water line. 



Thank you


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Didn't your Spec V come with a lid, @Discusluv? 

They're usually packed beneath the tank in the box, so they're easy to miss. But if yours didn't come with one, definitely reach out to Fluval's customer service to get a replacement. The original lid is perfect for keeping critters in the tank.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

somewhatshocked said:


> Didn't your Spec V come with a lid, @*Discusluv*?
> 
> They're usually packed beneath the tank in the box, so they're easy to miss. But if yours didn't come with one, definitely reach out to Fluval's customer service to get a replacement. The original lid is perfect for keeping critters in the tank.


 Oh jeez Louise 


Im not sure. Did I toss the lid unknowingly or did it not come in box? I dont know. Blonde moment :|

EDIT:
False alarm. A blonde moment is the correct guess. I have this tank on a bookcase in the kitchen and put the lid behind the bookcase to get it out of the way when setting up tank and just totally forgot it existed.:help::icon_redf


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

We could all do that. You did the right thing and kept the part, and later found it!

No need for any label but hobbyist!

I found an Eheim skimmer suction cup this weekend, and was so glad I hadn't vacuumed it yet.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Minor updates. Since I got my new Fluval 3.0 lights I was able to take the old lights and add them to these tanks. They are much brighter so hopefully will grow plants and better varieties of film algae for the shrimp to eat.

























And I bought two powerful air pumps and added airstones to each tank. 









Testing out my new phone to see if photos are any better, missed an algae spot but I think had I wiped the glass this would be way better than my old phone:









I think I'm close with this camera, but it doesn't always focus where I'm trying to. But I've never seen the substrate so in focus so hopefully with some practice can start taking better pictures.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I'm a little fine-tuning away from getting some pretty good photos, I think.









Also found a dead OEBT in that tank. Bummer because it was the biggest one. But I think there are still a few tucked away and hopefully at least one gendered pair.


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> I'm a little fine-tuning away from getting some pretty good photos, I think.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very nice indeed!!!!
Sorry about the OEBT!!! That sucks, but with those that remain the likelyhood of a breeding pair is high!


----------



## houstonreef (Aug 24, 2018)

Discusluv said:


> Oh jeez Louise
> 
> 
> Im not sure. Did I toss the lid unknowingly or did it not come in box? I dont know. Blonde moment :|
> ...


Spec V does come with a lid.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Ordered a lens kit today. But until it gets here, I wanted to try to get some good shots so wiped tanks down and gently nudged some subjects into the light. Made a difference, I think.
















The rest are from home tanks, not my shrimp rack at work:


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Great pictures! The OEBT is so amazing! Mine should be here by Wednesday.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

New additions arrived today. 10 Super Tigers. These were being kept closer to bee parameters, but I'm dripping them to a 125 gallon tank with a KH of 4 and pH of 6.6, which is supposedly a target range for them if you believe care sheets. I had originally planned on bringing these to one of my home tanks, but after the crypt melt from a few weeks ago, just don't think it's an ideal place to move new shrimp. They should take off in here though, the largest fish are chili rasboras except for an L cat. 

There are typically some plants packed in with shrimp purchases, but it's typically something I don't even want in my tank (Java fern, etc.). I've never gotten a Buce before!








Best shrimp shot I could get while they acclimate:








And the dripping begins!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Ahhhhhhh! Those are gorgeous!

When have enough for babies ill be your first customer!

Happy Thanksgiving


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Ha! I have a feeling we're going to be each other's biggest customers, we just need try to not keep the same shrimp types! I'd wanted these for quite a while but for one reason or another am just getting around to super tigers. Love that there's Myriophyllum Sp Guyana in the shipping water too!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Ha! I have a feeling we're going to be each other's biggest customers, we just need try to not keep the same shrimp types! I'd wanted these for quite a while but for one reason or another am just getting around to super tigers. Love that there's Myriophyllum Sp Guyana in the shipping water too!


Yes, you will get first dibs.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Not much to update but today I am thankful that the new shrimp seem to be happy in their new environment.


----------



## Jamo33 (Feb 18, 2014)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Not much to update but today I am thankful that the new shrimp seem to be happy in their new environment.


Wow. Those are phenomenal!!!!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Another update, but one I'd have liked to have posted Wednesday. It's almost 2 PM Friday here and I finally received my package of shrimp that shipped out at 9 AM Monday morning priority mail. I'll never get anything expensive and alive shipped that way again. Not a single DOA though, which was a relief, but my worry is more that these won't acclimate as well from the stress and time. They arrived pretty cold at 60.1 F which honestly might have been helpful. 

4 varieties this time, red pintos, blue pintos, OEBT, and blue Mosura; the latter of which will go to my Dennerle tank at home. 
Pintos:








OEBTs:









Blue mosura will be put out when I get home from work so no photos of those just yet. And besides the 2 day additional wait on these, of course they'd come in while I have a wall of dog and cat food to price!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Another update, but one I'd have liked to have posted Wednesday. It's almost 2 PM Friday here and I finally received my package of shrimp that shipped out at 9 AM Monday morning priority mail. I'll never get anything expensive and alive shipped that way again. Not a single DOA though, which was a relief, but my worry is more that these won't acclimate as well from the stress and time. They arrived pretty cold at 60.1 F which honestly might have been helpful.
> 
> 4 varieties this time, red pintos, blue pintos, OEBT, and blue Mosura; the latter of which will go to my Dennerle tank at home.
> Pintos:
> ...


 Goodness gracious :surprise:
Did you eat your Wheaties this mornin' ?


Those poor shrimp- probably stressed to the last nth.
You can get them through- I am sure of it.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

First time doing a 1 hour acclimation, usually do at least 3. But there was an oil slick on their water and they'd been bagged up a long time so figured expediting the process might be a good idea.

Once upon a time I said I wouldn't keep hybrids, but I really like pintos. Here are a couple of the blues that were near the glass:
















Crazy how much larger the ones I got 5 weeks ago are:









Old and new red pinto:









Orange eyed black tigers (going in with the royal blues):









Oh, and I got some CRS a week or two back to brighten up the yellow Neo tank since they were the only thing in there:










These tanks are now all stocked. They are going to stay just as they are for quite a while. I'll surely add plants or snails but the shrimp populations are going to have to do what they do. With any luck, that'll mean go up in population. If not, I'll hopefully come away from this having learned more about shrimp husbandry. I'll still update this thread as I see babies or (I hate to even say it) should anything terrible happen. Thanks for following along!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Thank you for sharing! These shrimp are extraordinary-- at least I think so and that's all that counts 
They appear like they are good- will make it just fine.
I think it was good choice to shorten the acclimation period, they have been in those bags long enough. 

Besides getting some shrimp for the one tank that is cycling Im done too. Im tapped out.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

How are the latest shrimp doing? Did they acclimate well?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

They seem to have -no bodies, at least. But with only 10ish small shrimp in planted 20 gallon tanks with leaf litter they can disappear in these pretty quickly. It's really hard to tell if I'm seeing the same 3-4 shrimp over and over. I'll know better when I do their water changes on Thursday. They always seem to come out to see what the commotion is when I vacuum gravel.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> They seem to have -no bodies, at least. But with only 10ish small shrimp in planted 20 gallon tanks with leaf litter they can disappear in these pretty quickly. It's really hard to tell if I'm seeing the same 3-4 shrimp over and over. I'll know better when I do their water changes on Thursday. They always seem to come out to see what the commotion is when I vacuum gravel.


 Lol! I here ya! No bodies is the best sign I hear. But, I really dont think I have more than 3/6 of last shipment of Royals. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. 

The OEBT look really nice in photos


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

It's rainy and cold so not many people in the store today. I started water changes a day early and so far have seen no bodies after cleaning 4 of 6 tanks here. Not much to report except in the tangerine tiger and blue velvet tank that has had a few shrimp die apparently from muscular necrosis. (Thread on that here: https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/.../1300981-bacterial-disease-molting-issue.html) During its water change I caught nearly every shrimp and looked at them under a magnifier and could see none that appeared diseased. While I know that's a good thing, I am still concerned that I'll lose more. I did two 50% water changes on that one rather than the usual 10%. The substrate wasn't particularly dirty, I'm confused as to how this got introduced or what I could do to prevent it going forward. Should have fresh Baytril before the week is out and will give them a prophylactic dose anyway. 

I did get a decent photo of some fishbone pintos and their ridiculously long antennae. I think they're my favorite. But I probably say that about whichever shrimp I'm looking at at the moment.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Tanks are active and the new shrimp are growing. Glad I upped their numbers with a 2nd order because I previously had to search to find a shrimp in the two newest tanks. Now they're pretty bold and usually out and about like a shrimp tank should be.

















I spotted a big berried OEBT girl weeks ago but haven't noticed her since, nor have I seen fry. Hoping she's in there somewhere, but the whole back of this 20 gallon is full of plants. If not there's a smaller one showing visible eggs now:


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

How exciting! Cant wait to see the youngsters for these!

I haven't noticed any OEBT berried yet. - Just those prolific yellows! I am going to have a lot of yellow neos. Sounds like you will too.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Rolling chair video #2 because I was bored. I always forget to speak more loudly. Hopefully I'll have these figured out well enough to post publicly before too long.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Thank you for doing this! I have been waiting patiently for you to update!
Please keep doing this same video update more frequently. 

Your shrimp are beautiful. All of them. 
What is your feeding schedule and what do you feed?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Discusluv said:


> Thank you for doing this! I have been waiting patiently for you to update!
> Please keep doing this same video update more frequently.


I was worried I was posting too much about them. Since not a whole lot has been going on, it just felt repetitive. Will update more often as I see babies, hopefully.


Discusluv said:


> Your shrimp are beautiful. All of them.
> What is your feeding schedule and what do you feed?


 Thanks! I sure enjoy looking at them. 



I feed all 4 tanks Jake's Complete Veggie on Monday and Wednesday, and either Dennerle's Shrimp color or their Protein food on Friday. Thursday is water change day. The "busy" tank with CRS and yellow Neos is getting a lot more shrimp in it, so I've been hitting that one daily and it all gets eaten quickly. On off days (for the other 3 tanks) the shrimp in that tank are still fed and get Jake's Veggie Plus Calcium sticks and Bacter AE. I'm hoping the other 3 tanks catch up with that one, but I suspect that CRS and yellow Neos just breed better than the other varieties.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I've bought 3 batches of 5 pinto shrimp. And I'm not sure I own a female pinto.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

LOL! 
_"You can look like a girl all you want, you are a male!"_
Haha


It looks like a girl-- she was doing acrobatics!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

It's been a while so thought I'd update. Haven't seen babies in tank #1 or tank #2 (pinto, and OEBT respectively -but all pintos appear male except *maybe* one). Tank #4 was badly set back from the extreme water changes to rid muscular necrosis. It was crawling with fry and I lost every baby in that tank, and haven't seen another since. But the surviving adults are bouncing back and will hopefully berry here soon. I think it would be my most populated tank had that not occurred. Still, one tank (tank #3) is exploding with new generations even though all are treated identically. I think yellow Neos and plain CRS are just baby makers though.

Offered some snow pops to get them to come to the front today and snapped a few updates:
Tank #1 (these never seem to go wild for this food)








Tank #2








Tank #3 (all of the food was gone by the time I got to it with the camera!):








Tank#4:









After looking at @Discusluv 's yellow Neos, I now wish I had ones that are more pale like hers. So might be starting a new tank for those here soon. This has been a fun little project with just enough stress and heartache to keep it challenging, and just enough success to keep my enthusiasm high. I *need* those OEBTs to make babies for me though. A couple of them are pushing 1" long.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> It's been a while so thought I'd update. Haven't seen babies in tank #1 or tank #2 (pinto, and OEBT respectively -but all pintos appear male except *maybe* one). Tank #4 was badly set back from the extreme water changes to rid muscular necrosis. It was crawling with fry and I lost every baby in that tank, and haven't seen another since. But the surviving adults are bouncing back and will hopefully berry here soon. I think it would be my most populated tank had that not occurred. Still, one tank (tank #3) is exploding with new generations even though all are treated identically. I think yellow Neos and plain CRS are just baby makers though.
> 
> Offered some snow pops to get them to come to the front today and snapped a few updates:
> Tank #1 (these never seem to go wild for this food)
> ...


I have one OEBT berried, but I rarely see her. How long does it usually take for them to hatch out after first becoming berried?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Supposedly 3 weeks at 73 degrees, like most shrimp. I've had two berry on me so far. One died and I was gutted about it, the next I've not seen since or she lost the eggs perhaps? There's one now that's showing some early eggs, hopefully she will be the first to litter the tank with babies.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Supposedly 3 weeks at 73 degrees, like most shrimp. I've had two berry on me so far. One died and I was gutted about it, the next I've not seen since or she lost the eggs perhaps? There's one now that's showing some early eggs, hopefully she will be the first to litter the tank with babies.


 Mine must have lost her's too-- I think its been longer than 3 weeks. :frown2: They must just be harder to get offspring from than other shrimp.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Thought it had been a while so shot a video. I pulled quite a few plants out of these for my Osaka tank makeovers, so they are a bit bare at the moment.


----------



## Streetwise (May 24, 2019)

Very nice! I love your rolling tours.

You have inspired me to film a little something.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Ha! Just finished watching it! Much longer and better tour than my own. But that's just another reason I don't post them anywhere but this thread. I did find one lone female pinto in that first tank. Heaven help her when she molts, there are a dozen males!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

That lone female pinto produced!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

How exciting-- !! Pinto babies :0


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

That shouldn't give me hope that I'll have OEBTs babies soon but I'm already naming them.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yesterday was a tough day at the shop. Curbside only, out of lots of inventory, displeased customers trying to stock up, and the general worry in the air that everything I touch can sicken me. As I was closing, I did my usual checking over of the aquariums before I leave each evening. And then I saw something. Something of such a size that it has been in there for at least a couple of weeks. 
















Well I'll be...


----------



## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

That's AWESOME! What'd ya name it?


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

A baby!!!! 
That is the cutest little bugger evah!  
Congrats!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Happiest I've been over a baby shrimp in many years! Still can't get over the size of that thing. I've gone over that tank most every day with a magnifier for months. Hard to believe I'm just now seeing it. So of course, now I'm hoping there are more.


----------



## schooldazed (Mar 31, 2013)

Yes indeed! Very cool. Here's hoping for more young'uns (affected western NC dialect for those not from these parts).


----------



## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

Very nice shrimp collection! Makes it really hard for me to decide what kind and color to go for in my new tank haha


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Yesterday was a tough day at the shop. Curbside only, out of lots of inventory, displeased customers trying to stock up, and the general worry in the air that everything I touch can sicken me. As I was closing, I did my usual checking over of the aquariums before I leave each evening. And then I saw something. Something of such a size that it has been in there for at least a couple of weeks.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is this Controsoil?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

ADA went in this tank. I only know that because I took a photo! I've used ADA, Dennerle, and Stratum in various tanks and all seem to perform about the same so far. 

I found one more, so only seeing two juveniles after digging through that tank, but hoping they are female or at least a gendered pair. I have high hopes for the next generation if I can just get a few up to breeding size.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> ADA went in this tank. I only know that because I took a photo! I've used ADA, Dennerle, and Stratum in various tanks and all seem to perform about the same so far.
> 
> I found one more, so only seeing two juveniles after digging through that tank, but hoping they are female or at least a gendered pair. I have high hopes for the next generation if I can just get a few up to breeding size.


So happy for you-- and just a bit jealous >


----------



## Hujeta (Jan 26, 2020)

Had a read through whole thread. I'm just keeping shrimps for the first time so interesting to see how you do it on a tad more advanced level even if I don't understand all the lingo. The royal blue shrimps sure looks class!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Nothing too advanced, really. The left two tanks use RO water and active soils but that's about it as far as complicating things. The two tanks on the right are just 50% RO and 50% tap water and sponge filters with Eco Complete/Flourite mix for substrate since I had it on hand.


----------



## newportjon (Mar 22, 2011)

Your shrimp look awesome! I'm a big fan of OEBT and I've never kept them.

Really enjoy the rolling chair tank tour!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

I love the rolling chair commentary as well. Looking forward to the next one. [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)




----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Been a few weeks so I broke out the iPhone when I saw a new batch of pintos. So unexpected that with only one female this tank is outproducing my OEBTs.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

I missed this one. Enjoyed watching it thoroughly.  You could really see the difference in size between the pinto babies, juveniles and adults. They are a really pretty shrimp! Congrats!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Pintos are flat out one of my favorites, and you can pull many quotes from me here and elsewhere that I didn't want "hybrids" though I think a lot of what most of us keep either technically are hybridized or may as well be. They are just so darn dainty! I might enjoy them the most of all, though I probably say that about whatever I'm looking at. But your yellow Neos really tie the tank together! I'm almost certainly bringing a few of those home when I get enough numbers built up of both them and OEBTs. They'll go in my first Dennerle that had michlings. I've sold my michlings off and wanted to do OEBTs and yellow Neos in that tank like you had in yours. Only thing was, the guy who bought the michlings drove nearly an hour and I removed everything but a few plants before he got here. We were sure I'd caught every one. As is tradition, 3 popped back out after he was long gone and now they don't really fit anywhere! And I won't even joke about setting another tank up*. 

But the idea of this rack was to farm shrimp and plants for my display tanks and try different things; foods, substrates, lights, water change regimens, and so forth and better familiarize myself with the ins and outs of shrimp keeping and it is serving that purpose. I had also meant to focus on plants in these, but have kind of dropped the ball on that aspect. I need to tinker more with the plants in these tanks as well as try new species, especially in the ones with soil. Once the shrimp went in, they became all I concerned myself with. 
_

*My wife was discussing how many houseplants and aquariums I have the other day and how many I had when we moved in together. While I had scores of geckos, colubrid snakes and such that I no longer keep, I had to admit that I've gone from 5 aquariums to 12. Most are quite low-maintenance and I might spend 3-4 hours a week doing tank stuff -and I enjoy my time doing that immensely as long as everything is well. But leaving for any period of time would be tough (assuming we ever travel again post-COVID) and these aren't tanks I could just call a teenage neighbor to look after._


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Wouldnt OEBT's be hybrids? If they are- they are _my_ favorite. So there goes the idea of "pure line shrimp"- Lol! 

The combination of the OEBT and those Gold-back yellows is a killer combination. In the Fluvel V where they are the light on thta tank hass a lot of blue so it really punches up the colors in these two shrimp. 

Funny, I was considering the plants that I have in my shrimp tanks. They are really hindering me seeing my shrimp. The OEBT's especially-- these shrimps are really shy or like to hide under in the back of the tank where they cant be seen. I dont know if its that they dont like light or like to be confined in "spaces", but they are so unlike the yellows. The yellows are out and about and busy... a mingling type of shrimp. .

Leaving is going to be tough. My husband and I are going for 6 days in July for vacation ( we are taking our dog because she is 15 and a complete baby) and I had to get a Petsitter for the cats and the fish. They are going to come by 2 times a day for 15 minutes each. Its going to be tough on the juvenile fish only getting fed 2 x daily, but they'll be okay. I wish I was leaving tomorrow...


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Monthly update. I think I'm going to do some different things with 2-3 of these tanks. Two tanks have done as well as expected, the pinto and golden back yellow Neo tank and the crystal red tank with orange Neos. Random pics:
















Those have increased in population and have babies everywhere. I've sold 100 CRS this month and only have a few shrimplets left. The rest are all orange Neos which I have more of than I can move locally.

I feel I'm at a 50% success rate here. The other two tanks are stalled. One has tangerine tigers and blue dreams Neos. The TTs were infected with muscular necrosis and never really bounced back, though several survived. The blue dreams did okay until that tank got a Baytril treatment, but most babies from them lately have been cull grade and moved out. The other stalled tank has orange eyed blue tigers. They've thrown a few babies, but nothing to write home about. I think I've lost more than I've produced, which stinks because they're probably my favorite of all. 
So I'm feeling rather over 3 of the 4 tanks as currently stocked. 2 from lack of success and one from just tiring of the 2 varieties that have thrived. So at least 2 of these tanks will see new shrimp inhabitants in 2020.

Part of me wants to try some more difficult Caridina but my lack of success with the OEBTs has me wary. How can crystal reds and pintos do so well and those simply fail to take off? Same water, substrate, food, care regimen etc. If I ever do get more I'm keeping them more like Neos and off of 0 dKH soil, but I'm skeptical that would have made a difference. Perhaps it's the line, but others here have gotten them from different sellers and had similar experiences. For now I'll just continue to give them the best care I can and see if some of the newer ones grow up to berry and make healthy babies like you would hope for from imports.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Monthly update. I think I'm going to do some different things with 2-3 of these tanks. Two tanks have done as well as expected, the pinto and golden back yellow Neo tank and the crystal red tank with orange Neos. Random pics:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Its beyond frustrating. 
As you and I discussed earlier, I have spent so much money on these OEBT's and tried them both on active and inactive substrate and I cannot keep them alive. They are also my favorite shrimp. 

I chalk it up to my inexperience. So, in order to not kill anymore of these beautiful creatures, I will wait until I have some more knowledge on shrimp-keeping overall to keep them in future. But, it makes me sad.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

They are the only shrimp that have frustrated me this much since I started using RO water. I haven't lost many since they acclimated, but when there's only a new baby every 4ish months, it doesn't take many. If/when I tear any of these down I think I'll go with Aqua Clears with mesh over the intakes. Looking at my 7 tanks with shrimp and Aqua Clears, they are all doing great, and these with sponges have more variation. I tend to believe the additional water flow makes for a better environment.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

After 14 months I am starting over with 3 of these 4 tanks. The variation in success I had in these 4 is phenomenal, considering identical care, feeding, source water, etc. on each pair. The two on the left with ADA soil use RO/DI water remineralized to exact parameters (0 dKH, 6 dGH, 145-150 TDS), the two on the right with inert substrate use 50% RO/DI and 50% tap. All source water is stored and aerated for at least 48 hours before each water change. And in both cases, the shrimp in one tank flourished and the tank beside them was problematic in one way or another. 

Now, there are a couple of reasons I can pinpoint. Tank 1 had pintos (and more recently yellow Neos from @discusluv added to them), tank 2 had orange eyed blue tigers. One line of shrimp is almost certainly hardier than the other. And tank 3 had crystal reds and orange Neos, and tank 4 had blue dreams and tangerine tigers and that tank got disease; presumably muscular necrosis. I'm at least grateful that I manged to keep that disease out of my other tanks. I used one red net only for that aquarium, water changed it last, and cleaned the siphon and anything else that went in it thoroughly as soon as it came out. I wouldn't even put my hands into another tank after that one. The disease responded to treatment and a only few blue Neos survived. 

I've sold scores of shrimp from the odd numbered tanks and watched helplessly as numbers dwindle on even numbered tanks. I was going to keep tank #3 with CRS and orange Neos simply because they did so well, but decided I want to work with other colors so sold them off. I think they will be replaced with either black rose or green jade Neos and super tigers next time around. Pretty confident that tank will continue to do well if I source hardy shrimp. This experience has shown me that sometimes it's impossible to overcome the stock that you purchase. 

Here's a short video of one full tank and 3 near-empty ones. Next update will be whenever I get more shrimp to start over with. I'd normally be doing this now. This is typically a great time of year to ship, but 2020...


----------



## annejohnson (Sep 24, 2020)

This is a great idea.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

There is still hope for my OERT. When I moved them to another tank I had 6/15 left. One of the females was berried. It seems that the females die soon after coming berried. I dont know why. The OERBT appeared to be the same. 
It makes me so frustrated.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

The most recent OEBT I lost was one of the two juveniles I moved over to my home tank with the rest. If there were to be any shrimp I didn't expect to lose, it was the two born into my water. At least one is gone now. If I get OEBT again and have a repeat experience, it will be 100% on me. Part of me wants to start over and try them from a totally new source and the other part says I gave it my best, no need to kill anything else.


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> The most recent OEBT I lost was one of the two juveniles I moved over to my home tank with the rest. If there were to be any shrimp I didn't expect to lose, it was the two born into my water. At least one is gone now. If I get OEBT again and have a repeat experience, it will be 100% on me. Part of me wants to start over and try them from a totally new source and the other part says I gave it my best, no need to kill anything else.


LOl! Read my private message to you. We are both pining for the OEBT-- and vacillating from NO MORE!! to-- maybe one more time. :laugh2:


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I feel fraudulent even having one in my avatar.


----------



## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

Its okay. I never replaced my true siamese algae eaters from quite a few years back.. but yet it's my avatar. I did feel like changing it. Except I'm not sure what to.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Hybrid or not, I think that these fishbone pintos -trade name I bought them as -might be my favorite shrimp that I own! Well, caveat being shrimp I own that breeds and does well. And I think that goldenback yellow Neos might be my current favorite cherry variant. This will all change as soon as I get something new (or if good lord is willing) ever have luck with OEBT.


















Part of me is thinking that rather than try my hand at all these troublesome lines I should just keep what does well that makes me happy. Sulawesi shrimp are even back on my radar at this point, and I have soft water and really prefer not using heaters. Two of these do have inert substrate though... and are empty now...


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Are you out there? We miss you! Need update!!


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Not much going on, but here ya go!


----------



## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> Not much going on, but here ya go!


Those red ones are beauties! Are they Pinto's?


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Yeah, they might be my 2nd favorite to the ever-elusive OEBT. And I was wondering why so many females were berrying and just a few babies growing up until I realized I had planaria in this tank (and the OEBT one). Not sure where those came from originally, but they've been a curse on my shrimp tanks for over a year now. I'm nuking them all this week -even ones I don't see any in. I can't so much as move a floating plant from one tank to the next until I know they are all clear of these evil things.


----------

