Petshrimp vs. AzGardens

[badflash]

I placed orders for Red Cherry shrimp from Petshrimp and AZgardens at the same time. AZgardens wanted $4.59 each for their adult shrimp, Petshrimp was $1.99. I ended up getting 6 from AZgardens and 20 from Petshrimp for just about exactly the same price. AZ charges a LOT for shipping.

They ended up arriving the same day, but I had advance notice from Petshrimp, and some good support before they arrived. Azgardens makes you jump through hoops to try and e-mail them. The shipping notice came a day after the shrimp did.

Petshrimp packed a lot better, but all shrimp in both shipments arrived alive. After 24 hours only 1 AZgardens shrimp was alive while all the Petshrimp cherries are doing fine. I moved 3 of the Petshrimp cherries over to the AZgardens tank, and they continue to do fine.

All of my questions via e-mail have been answered by Petshrimp within 24 hours. I;m still waiting to hear from AZgardens. Their policy does not cover shimp that die after delivery.

I vote with my wallet. I just ordered another 20 from Petshrimp. These guys will be going to work in my Crystalwort tank.

[GunmetalBlue]

Welcome to the forum, Badflash.

I hear only good things about Mustafa's packaging and service, glad things worked out well for you.

Enjoy your shrimps!

-GB

[badflash]

Yep, just got my 2nd order from him and they were even better than the 1st batch. A little bigger and more lively. The 1st batch is going great and growing fast. Still haven't started to color up yet.

[lennyoides]

My First post wihtout asking a question. AZGarders still hasn't changed this:

"About 1/2 the size of Amano Shrimp with beautiful red coloration on males, less red on females (hardly noticeable)."

When I was checking out their plants, I found the Shrimp, my first exposure. I started checking online for more info and on other sites they were saying the females were red.The more I checked the more I realized, the females are red. I thought about sending them an EM, but I can't be the first one that has seen this error. This info has been on the website at least since May. Anyone that checks into Shrimp will realize this and should think twice about buying from someone that claims to have a succesful breeding program and still gives out the wrong info. I got my first shrimp on Aqubid, and then I found PetShrimp. Wish I'd have found this site sooner!

This is the best site with the most answers.
Lenny

GunMetalBlue my Guru![/u][/b]

[badflash]

The one surviving AZgardens shrimp has just got a nice yellow saddle. I assume these are unfertilized eggs. From what I've been reading these would be fertilized at her next molt. Would any of the Petshrimp males be old enough to fertilize these eggs? Anyone know when males are old enough? I've only had them for about 2 weeks now.

[tapmxt1]

Depanding on feeding and tank condition. My cherry red shrimps usually take 6-7 weeks to mature but it can take up to 3 months.

[badflash]

Looks like this will be a race then. I don''t know how old Mustafa's shrimp were when I get them. They are well fed with agae (all they can eat) and a little fish food (about a pinch a week) so they must be more than 6 weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[tapmxt1]

Once they adapt to their new home and start breeding, you can expect each female deliver one batch a month.

My tanks are usually at 76 degree. At this temporature, the eggs take about 16-18 days to hatch and the female will get pregnant again in a week or so (at next molt)...


Also my shrimps in the tanks with black gravel/sand seem more reddish (some even look like dark purple color) than those in the tanks with white gravel/sand.

[Mustafa]

Looks like this will be a race then. I don''t know how old Mustafa's shrimp were when I get them. They are well fed with agae (all they can eat) and a little fish food (about a pinch a week) so they must be more than 6 weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

All the shrimp you got should be sexually mature by now (but of course not yet fully grown and colored out). So the breeding should start soon.

[badflash]

In the above discussions of timing, when does breeding occur? Is this when the saddle appears, or when the molt happens and the eggs are transferred? I'm thinking it is the latter.

How long from when the eggs appear on the back to the molt? I now have 2 females showing and several males that hang out with them, at least I am assuming these are males as there are no eggs.

[GunmetalBlue]

The mating occurs after a molt. Then afterwards, the eggs travel from the ovaries to the pleopod (swimmerette) area. I'm not quite sure at what EXACT moment the eggs are fertilized, inside the ovary or that they pass through while on their way down to the swimmerettes.

Although some species of shrimp temporarily carry eggs on their swimmerettes after a molt even without being fertilized, so far, I have not seen RCS do that (but that doesn't mean they never do). If mating/fertilization does not occur, mine have kept the eggs in the ovary area and do not become "pregnant." That's just my experience.

The timing of molting depends on when it last molted and varies with the individual, its age, size, circumstance and will vary throughout its life. But on the other hand, shrimp are cyclical and for example, the females follow a pattern of molting first then mating and becoming pregnant - that way, her pregnancy should not be interrupted by a molt. If it did, most likely the babies (eggs) would not survive. The reason is because with a molt, everything comes off - including the exo/casing over the pleopod - which would cause the eggs to be separated from the mother.

-GB