# Blue bee shrimp?



## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

I for one would love crystal blue shrimp. But I'm also interested in a project like selective breeding with the blue bee shrimp.

Just two questions and I'm off.

Why haven't people done this before? A crystal blue shrimp would definitely be a hit.

Are blue bees really blue/stay one color? I've seen them from brownish to nice blue. This could be fixed through breeding but not if they change color all the time.

Thanks, I'm off. These guys are interesting.


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

blue bees change colors. I have one that was brown with stripes when i first got it, now it's totally black, like a BKK shrimp.

I also have more that are brown, but none that are actually blue. More like a gunmetal blue (blackish blue). It's worth trying perhaps!


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I have some brown and some are navy blue and I have one that almost looks black... mine like to hide, I rarely see them in front -__- Need to get some more, but kinda need a job first before I can spend another $50...


----------



## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

blue bee is a deceptive name for these guys. the ONLY time mine are blue (bright blue) is when they are stressed out from shipping. rest of the time they are brown (most common) to black. i have several decent sized colonies and they are all the same. i do like these shrimp though.


----------



## RcScRs (Oct 22, 2009)

They are not considered "Crystal Blue Shrimp" yet as they are still pretty much wild, but rather as your title says "Blue Bee Shrimp".

People are trying but this isn't the same shrimp species as the more common Crystal Red/Black Shrimp, and can possibly be in a different family which entails different genetics. I have seen Taiwanese and Japanese breeders and attempt this but they get odd patterns with poor coloration. Some patterns are like the Hinomaru and multiple stripes.

I personally have not kept Blue Bee Shrimp, however I have read and can predict they will behave like most wild shrimp with a variable coloration and probably will turn more blue for during mating and etcetera.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

I saw someone post a pic of their blue bee somewhere and it had like a no-entry marking thing that Crystal Shrimps have.


----------



## HOLLYWOOD (May 12, 2007)

Here's a link of a seller on Aquabid who has been breeding these. I am assuming that he has been selectively breeding the blue bee. I have had these in the past but never really separated the two. The blues stayed blue and brown stayed brown. *Someone correct me if I am wrong* but if they breed they would carry either a blue or brown gene.


----------



## guppies (Jan 16, 2010)

I think the brown and blue colors are random.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

HOLLYWOOD said:


> Here's a link of a seller on Aquabid who has been breeding these. I am assuming that he has been selectively breeding the blue bee. I have had these in the past but never really separated the two. The blues stayed blue and brown stayed brown. *Someone correct me if I am wrong* but if they breed they would carry either a blue or brown gene.



Isn't that guy kvntran on this forum?


----------



## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

Yeah I think he is. I saw them and they look really blue; that's what made me think about selective breeding to make their whites whiter and eventually up in the range of CRS/CBS. It'd take a while though lol. If they change colors than it's no good.

Oh well, blue bolts are pretty close to crystal blue shrimp... but they're expensive.


----------



## HOLLYWOOD (May 12, 2007)

I believe he started with lower grade blue bee's and improved to higher grade. I did not see any color change (blue to brown vice versa) in my previous colony.




Senior Shrimpo said:


> Yeah I think he is. I saw them and they look really blue; that's what made me think about selective breeding to make their whites whiter and eventually up in the range of CRS/CBS. It'd take a while though lol. If they change colors than it's no good.
> 
> Oh well, blue bolts are pretty close to crystal blue shrimp... but they're expensive.


----------



## kvntran (Feb 16, 2008)

I have not attempted to selectively breed these guys. I can say that brown vs blue ratio is about the same, some dark blue, some light blue. Honestly I think they change color similar to all other shrimps when the condition changed such as light source, substrate, water quality, and stress. I found that I would get more light blue shrimps when I put them in a bare bottom tank with nothing to hide in. But inside my tank I see about the same ratio, and the bigger ones are darker as well.

Also, I believe that all species can be selective bred, getting good results or not is a different story.


----------



## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

Man I might have to take you up on your blue bees (are you the guy from aquabid?) in the future. Still waiting on my CRS to come, then I'll start thinking about other shrimp.

that's reassuring that they're blueish at least, it doesn't sound too hard to bring out a nicer blue in them.

They're really nice looking, and I'd love a project, but I'm caught up at the moment. Maybe in a few months? lol


----------



## neilshieh (Sep 6, 2010)

is anyone willing to part with a few of these? i want to try them.


----------



## bandaiban (May 30, 2007)

I have been breeding these for a while now and i just recently started to get more white on them. If you take a blue male and a blue female and breed them. They would have more blue babies but still some brown. I also notice that when i put them in black substrate the color blue in them shows alot more. Heres a picture of one of the blue bee i am trying to breed.


----------



## Senior Shrimpo (Dec 4, 2010)

Oh wow that's awesome! Definitely closer to a crystal blue shrimp. Looks like she's already berried too.

Great job, bandaiban. That's a really great shrimp. Inspiring!

I'd love to have a shrimp like that


----------



## kvntran (Feb 16, 2008)

Senior Shrimpo said:


> Man I might have to take you up on your blue bees (*are you the guy from aquabid?*) in the future. Still waiting on my CRS to come, then I'll start thinking about other shrimp.
> 
> that's reassuring that they're blueish at least, it doesn't sound too hard to bring out a nicer blue in them.
> 
> They're really nice looking, and I'd love a project, but I'm caught up at the moment. Maybe in a few months? lol


Yeah, that's me


----------



## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

i'm a little confused...so blue bees and crystals ARE NOT the same species?? so can I put blue bees and crystal reds/blacks together without interbreeding??


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

From what I've been readin they may breed, but the eggs are infertile and will fall off.


----------



## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

so blue bees and crystals WILL breed but the eggs will not survive?


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

chris.rivera3 said:


> so blue bees and crystals WILL breed but the eggs will not survive?


Well its not certain, but Silane said his crossed with his Red Line CRS and it resulted in clear babies. But I remember reading somewhere that the blue bees may mate with CRS but the eggs will drop.



http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/sho...e-shrimp-(Blue-Bee-shrimp-paracaridina)/page3


----------



## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Blue bees are paracardinias and CRS are cardinias. They should not have surviving clutches and the eggs should remain infertile.


----------



## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I understand that the eggs will supposedly drop....but I don't understand why/how they would interbreed??? since they are different species and presumably different genetics how could they interbreed and produce eggs in the first place...would it be safer to keep blue bees separate from my crystals?


----------



## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

That part, I am unsure about. I just know that it could happen.

Honestly, I would keep all shrimp separate. That's just me though.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Yea, now I'm confused. I was gonna get CRS/CBS and dump them in with my Blue Bees, but I don't want clear babies...

http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/sho...lective-Breeding?p=43436&viewfull=1#post43436

http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/sho...ue-Bee-shrimp-paracaridina)?p=30525#post30525

http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/sho...ue-bee-interbreed-with-CRS?highlight=blue+bee


----------



## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Quite honestly, unless (nothing against Silane) I see a picture from Silane of one, I will not be completely convinced that they will cross. That picture looks more like a TigBee cross. I will have to do some testing in a breeder box to see what happens now.


----------



## Eden Marel (Jan 28, 2010)

Cool, let us know. I would do experiment too, but I don't want to pay $13 for an extremely ugly CRS from the LFS...


----------

