Coffeehouse chat.

[Silverfang]

depending on what size your algae wafers are, you won't need half a one for your dozenish shrimp. Make sure to scoop out un eaten later! If they are roughly dime-nickle sized then 1/4 of one is good.

[Laki]

Wow really? Geez, thanks for the tip! I'll remove it before I go to school. I also need to remember to find some pantyhose to wrap the filter in. There were 2 tiny ones I put in yesterday who could easily find their way through the slots in the filter. I don't see any though on it but better to be safe.

The guy who sold me the shrimp breeds Texas cichlids and yellow cichlids and other aggressive fish. He sells the offspring to Trop and Marine pets for credit.. 0-0
Said he could get a safe couple of dwarf gourami's for me. . .

[Silverfang]

Yea, and like bettas, give them one day a week of no feeding. They don't have a steady supply of food in nature. So it doesn't hurt for them to skip a day now and then. Besides, they find lots of extra nutrients with live plants, especially the salvinia!

My other suggestion is to have a jug you use just for them. To make sure there is no cross contamination. They are sensitive little things. One missed dose of dechlorinator and you have a dead colony. I like to dose my jug, let it sit for 2-3 minutes and then add it in.

I'm wondering how they'll look in a few days. Might ask for some pictures then. Can decide if I'll get some from him or not.

[Laki]

I never forget dechlorinator- well I guess I should never say never. I have a bucket and a couple of baking bowls and cups and scoops which I use for tank stuff. I will be super careful with these guys (sometimes with the bettas I get lazy bc they're so hardy) but I guess I know to step it up with these guys.
Another female. That makes 4 definite females :)

The guy who breeds them seems to have some expertise on them. Though, he doesn't test his water would that mean his brood is perhaps a stronger one? He breeds assassin snails too, which is funny because I sold mine to a man who bought shrimp off him yesterday too!

They're still really red. They will probably stay this red because I have blue gravel.

[Silverfang]

These ones won't have any colour loss. Unless they get sick. However after generations they do seem to have other issues with their colouring. It's due to inbreeding and limited genetics. You get throw backs to the wild species.

Of course sometimes you get new colour variants, or so I've heard with oranges. This would be super rare.

[Yuuie]

morning all

[Laki]

I thought the revert-to-wild was a myth? And that coloring was pretty stable provided they keep a good diet and environment? Or maybe I am wrong.

Well, at some point maybe we can trade some to mix the genes then?? I have 4 females who have fanny-packs (totally my own phrase for their currently empty egg pouches).

And if I can see the saddle does that mean they are fertile? Or what does that indicate?

[Silverfang]

it means the males are gonna be getting friendly... very briefly

I believe the genetic "break down" occurs after like half a dozen generations. Or something like that. Not an immediate occurrence.

[Laki]

OOh oooh ooh, so these shrimplets are happy shrimplets!? (*mini victory dance*)

[FishyFishy89]

2 good things today! My cold symptoms went "poof!" disappeared! But that means someone I've been in contact with is now sick. Hubby no say he sick and BIL has been avoiding me like the plague.

So second good thing. I have evidence that a cycle is happening!!!! Looks like my babies can sit in a bucket for a short amount of time while the cycle finishes