# How long for shrimp to regain their color after shipping?



## swrdply400mrelay (Mar 19, 2012)

I received a batch of "fire red shrimp" in the mail, however it's been 2 days, and their color and markings still look very pale. Honestly they look more like RCS rather than the PFR. It's been awhile since I received shrimp through the mail and I have forgotten: How long does it usually take for the shrimp to regain their original color?

EDITED for picture:

This is one of the adult males, about 1" in length.


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## moosenart (Feb 18, 2012)

Personally it varies for me. I have have CBS color up while they acclimate and others that take a day. Try feeding?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

The less stressed they are, and the darker your aquarium substrate/background is, the faster they will color up. I'd say the LONGEST it would take to color up would be a week.


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Your water parameters can have something to do with their colouring up too. If PH and TDS are too low, they can't show their colour. However, FRs are pretty hardy and unless your water is way off, they should get their colour back in less than 2 days.

It could be they are just higher grades of RCS, sellers are sometimes too generous at grading their RCS. So I would only get them from a trusted sellers to get consistently graded shrimps, if I can see the shrimps before I buy than even better.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Randyl touched on it. The difference in water parameters between the seller and yours will be the largest determining factor as they would now go under transition to your tank.

Also photos of shrimp for sale are not entirely representative of the stock sold. Females tend to be deeper in color which is reason why berried mommas are often posted in photos. Most shrimp do not breed 100% true meaning their color patterns and intensity will often be skewed from their parents. This is a known fact and often overlooked by new buyers. buy from a reputable seller who has quality stock over someone who's picked up random shrimp who started to breed... the prices are often the same but the quality you would get are worlds apart.


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## swrdply400mrelay (Mar 19, 2012)

Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately I don't have a TDS meter. pH 7, ammonia/nitrites = 0/0. I have Fluval Ebi stratum, and they've been fed once already.

I'm really disappointed in this transaction; I really wanted to diversify my colony of PFR, and would take the RCS out, but I don't have a spare tank. 

Really tempted to just flush the RCS down the toilet...


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

How big are they? A 4 month old PFR doesn't look like much of a PFR as opposed a year old female who has bred 3 times already. Do your look male, can you see a saddle?


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

give them a bit some times it takes a molt to get their colors to come back all the way


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

You haven't ruled out that your tank parameters are the reason they aren't colored up. So, depending upon some other factors, it may not be fair to blame the seller.

If you're tempted to flush shrimp because you don't like their coloration, it may be time to reconsider this hobby. Unless, of course, you're joking... and then it may be a good idea to note that it was a joke so people don't get angered.



swrdply400mrelay said:


> I'm really disappointed in this transaction ... Really tempted to just flush the RCS down the toilet...


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

chin up swrdply400mrelay and dont lose hope. give them a week or two.

Here are some tips beyond coloring...

Pure PFRs have lovely full red legs. A beautiful thing indeed.

Their shells also should be fully colored and not transparent at all.

Then again, this is common with Sakuras which have all the above but a lighter pale red. 
PFRs should have a really dark and rich red with no transparency which mostly turn up in healthy juvies and darken through adulthood. Hardly distinguishable during the peewee stage.


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## arktixan (Mar 12, 2010)

Pictures will also help out . 

Especially if u think they are RCS... in that case it could be a possibility, also stated above as well... if you ended up purchasing from a none reputable seller, there's always that chance where you were given false information. The majority of pictures that can be posted online now... you can never know who's photo it is anymore... the seller could have easily just snagged someone elses an using as their own etc etc.

When I put in my new CRS it took a good 24 hrs before they showed their true coloring...


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## Tanman19az (May 14, 2011)

Remember too that PFRs won't be PFR quality until the reach adulthood. That is why if you buy the adults then they are $5-$7 a piece whereas most sellers will send juvies that will take a few months to get to the PFR status. Always tell people that they could possibly be any grade between Sakura and PFR when I sell my shrimp. Most will color up and be a nice bright red with the painted look.


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Yeah, size matters. The female shows the real PFR status at breeding size from my experience. You can tell them from RCS at smaller size but that requires experience or compare them side by side.


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## D3monic (Jan 29, 2012)

Best thin OP can do at this point is post some pics for input. Pics are worth a 1000 words.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

I got some adult PFR in once that I was disappointed in but I held off complaining for a while just to be on the safe side. 

It took more than a week but eventually they started looking as advertised. I don't know what took them so long to color up because other PFR (even juveniles) that I had purchased always colored up pretty well within the first few days.

If in doubt...give it a little more time and patience.


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

somewhatshocked said:


> If you're tempted to flush shrimp because you don't like their coloration, it may be time to reconsider this hobby. Unless, of course, you're joking... and then it may be a good idea to note that it was a joke so people don't get angered.


Nonsense, I flush shrimp down the toilet all the time (err well the equivalent at least, I feed them to my German Blue Rams). While some people are content with just trying to breed a large population, others wish to actually improve a strain (which does a far greater service to the US shrimp hobby) and the only way to do this is to cull heavily. My "nice" culls I will sell, marking them as culls. Very poorly colored shrimp I have no problem with disposing of though.

Now I agree the OP needs to be a little more patient before taking drastic action, but I have no problem with him trashing them if the color in indeed not up to par.


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## swrdply400mrelay (Mar 19, 2012)

Wow did not expect that people would take my toilet flushing comment seriously. So for those that got mad, that was a joke/metaphor for my money in this situation.

There are 3 adults out of the dozen. Only the female looks like a PFR. I'm at work but I'll try to get pics up later tonite.


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## arktixan (Mar 12, 2010)

swrdply400mrelay said:


> Wow did not expect that people would take my toilet flushing comment seriously. So for those that got mad, that was a joke/metaphor for my money in this situation.
> 
> There are 3 adults out of the dozen. Only the female looks like a PFR. I'm at work but I'll try to get pics up later tonite.


Internet sarcasm is hard to read sometimes ... need to add some quotations... or a smiley which signifies sarcasm sometimes .


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## swrdply400mrelay (Mar 19, 2012)

Added pic for those of you interested.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Dependent upon the size of that moss ball, it sure looks like a standard cherry to me.


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## Mike Hawk (Mar 9, 2012)

that sucks man it looks like the seller dumped his culls on you. I hope you did not pay to much for these.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Ya, now that you have a pic, I'd have to say that's a male cherry and not even a good one of those. lol.


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## Polarize (Jul 17, 2011)

PFRs do throw cherry-looking ones occasionally. The picture you posted is almost definitely a male, which typically wouldn't be entirely red. I have a male PFR that seems to have almost no red on it besides a few red stripes (so worse looking that yours). I think the best colored males in many PFR stocks are sakura grade, so not entirely red like females. Females start coloring up an intense red at breeding age and in my experience, seems to turn into those advertised PFRs after they breed once. Also, a well filtered tank seems to bring out the colors as well.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Did you buy the shrimp here on this forum or e-bay/aquabid?


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Why not posting a pic of the females? It's very hard to tell by juvi males.


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## swrdply400mrelay (Mar 19, 2012)

Got it off aquabid.

Haven't been on this site long enough to know reputable sellers. Any recommendations?


The male is pretty much adult to me. The one female is decent though she is still transparent.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

swrdply400mrelay said:


> Got it off aquabid.
> 
> Haven't been on this site long enough to know reputable sellers. Any recommendations?
> 
> ...


There are plenty reputable sellers here. I actually just saw awesome PFR being offered by darkestsky.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

dude, that looks like a lower grade cherry. nothing like a PFR at all...


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## Kunsthure (Aug 2, 2010)

Pretty much anyone on here is a reputable seller, IMO. Since we're a smaller community than eBay or Aquabid, word will travel fast if someone sells crappy shrimp. Check the Swap N Shop Power Sellers section. Those people have paid extra money to be able to sell here, so they gots the goods. 

-Lisa


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

randyl said:


> Why not posting a pic of the females? It's very hard to tell by juvi males.


You know, I have to agree with this question. Fem pics would be a plus in this situation. :icon_wink


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