I Heard Something Strange Today...

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 7:10 pm

I was at a local big box store this afternoon, and I got to talking to an employee. She and I got to talking about "Bamboo shrimp", and she asked me what kind of tank that I had (I was getting another one to add to my bunch

). I told her, "I have the most awesomest shrimp tank in the state of Nebraska..." blah, blah, blah, and she thought it was all funny/cute. Any who, I told her that I was waiting on a batch of eggs to hatch from one of my females, and that this species has never been raised in captivity before.

Here somes the strange part.

She then told me that she knows a guy that DOES raise them in captivity, and that the ones she has were bred and raised by him. She said that he raises them in FRESH WATER and adds IODINE in their water--the SAME Iodine that's used in salt water tanks for corals and salt water shrimp.

Someone please tell me that guy is a fluke! I am still in completer disbelief!

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:29 pm

If I had received a dollar for every time I heard someone telling a story about someone else breeding either asian or african filter shrimp in freshwater...well...then...I would not be a millionaire, but it would amount to a whole bunch of money.

In one word: nonsense. The moment you ask anyone to prove that they are breeding these shrimp by posting pictures of the larvae, the young and juveniles and describe their setup (so it can be duplicated) you quickly find out that these people are full of it and/or have no idea what they are talking about. Of course no proof ever comes. Usually they disappear, never to be heard from again.

And the Iodine myth is still alive and doing well I see....

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:36 pm

Even though it probably hasn't happened yet, keep trying and one day the dream will become reality

! But be ready to back it up with proof

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:39 pm

Get this person's name, address, phone number, email address, whatever you can and see if you can confirm this. If this store is selling captive raised atyopsis and you have the chance to track down the breeder, you need to do whatever it takes to do it. Leave a note at the store for this person, etc.

99% of anything I have ever heard said in a fish/pet store has been misinformation at best and outright lies at worst, but I'll hold onto a glimmer of hope that this might be true.

But I'll believe it when I believe it. . . .

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:43 pm

Ha! I thought so! I knew you guys would re-affirm my faith and snap me back to reality! I did get her number. She wants to buy some RCS from me.

Oh, and when I asked about his setup and that I was very interested in talking to him as one shrimp affciando to another, she quickly assissted another customer who "rudely" interrupted.

You know what I think? I think that supposed breeder buys the shrimp at a young age, sets up a mock breeding setup, conjures an amazing story, and sells off wild caught shrimp to unsuspecting customers.

Oh, and the big box store I was at when I was talking to the employee was "...Where the pets go...", if that's a clue for you. lol

The "breeder" doesn't supply the store, I think he's just some schmuck with too much time on his hands. lol

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:44 am

These stories get blown out of proportion with each telling. I've followed a few back to the source. What is almost always the case is they have hatched zoes, and they died after a week (which is what happens in fresh water). With each telling they last longer & longer until finally they succeed, which never happened.

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 4:40 am

AnneRiceBowl. . . .

Tell her that one of your shrimp-keeping friends will send her 50 free cherry shrimp in exchange for irrefutable evidence that someone is breeding these in the U.S.

zapisto · Post by **zapisto** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:49 am

Mustafa wrote:If I had received a dollar for every time I heard someone telling a story about someone else breeding either asian or african filter shrimp in freshwater...well...then...I would not be a millionaire, but it would amount to a whole bunch of money.

So True Mustafa.
it is quite amazing hor rumor and misinformation go fast , crazy.

lampeye · Post by **lampeye** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:17 am

I am "in the business," so to speak, and the amount of BS that some aquarists (and I use the term loosely) sling about is amazing. Take it with a grain of salt. For your information, the #1 best BS test is this: Have they started the conversation by telling you how long they've been keeping breeding fish/whatever?

Although, Mustafa, I do have a story to tell about tiny amanos found in a sump months after a large shipment was brought in...

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:36 am

YuccaPatrol wrote:AnneRiceBowl. . . .

Tell her that one of your shrimp-keeping friends will send her 50 free cherry shrimp in exchange for irrefutable evidence that someone is breeding these in the U.S.

LMAO!!!!! I'm actually going to try that!

marusempai · Post by **marusempai** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:53 am

YuccaPatrol wrote: 99% of anything I have ever heard said in a fish/pet store has been misinformation at best and outright lies at worst

Isn't it true... a couple days ago, I had an LFS representative try to convince me that "zebra shrimp" (which I deeply suspect are actually bee shrimp) would be perfectly happy living in salt water, so I shouldn't worry about their water parameters much... I've completely given up on getting good information from a fish store, but some of the yarns they spin are entertaining at least. Too bad there's people who believe them though.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 7:30 pm

Isn't it true... a couple days ago, I had an LFS representative try to convince me that "zebra shrimp" (which I deeply suspect are actually bee shrimp) would be perfectly happy living in salt water, so I shouldn't worry about their water parameters much...

What?!, If that is true then why aren't they keeping any shrimp in that condition

?

marusempai · Post by **marusempai** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:22 pm

That was exactly my responce! Then he gave me this BS story about how adult shrimp wander up and down rivers (and apparently in and out of the FREAKING OCEAN!

) so they're really so much tougher than any fish... I almost laughed right then and there! Makes me wonder how much of that he made up on the spot, and how much was just him confused by hearing about the lifecycle of amanos or some such.

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:41 pm

LMAO!!!!!! I think I'm going to start a new stem of the shrimp-keeping "hobby": Shrimp Story Collecting. I'm going to make it a point when I go to stores and act completely clueless about shrimp care, and see what kind of responses I get.

Pea-brain · Post by **Pea-brain** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:30 am

AnneRiceBowl wrote:LMAO!!!!!! I think I'm going to start a new stem of the shrimp-keeping "hobby": Shrimp Story Collecting. I'm going to make it a point when I go to stores and act completely clueless about shrimp care, and see what kind of responses I get.

Be careful! If you isten to too much of it too fast, you will explode and jelly beans will burst forth from your stomach!

or so it is fortold by the.........(mumbles incoherently)