do you have Shrimp Madness?

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:57 pm

badflash wrote:Shrimp madnes can be overcome, but only by something worse!

rotfl

Crayfish Madness!

oh nooo, please don't tempt me...

guntank0079 · Post by **guntank0079** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:51 pm

Lucky me, at least I won't go to the crayfish madness stage...

I had bad experience before---
I caught some wild crayfishes from Lake Michigan and tried to raise them...
Probably the tank was too small (only 10 gallons), not enough space for them...they turned aggressive towards each other and hurt themselves so badly...

Shrimp Madness is enough for me to handle already. I am not ready for another Madness.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:48 am

guntank0079 wrote:I had bad experience before...
Probably the tank was too small (only 10 gallons), not enough space for them...they turned aggressive towards each other and hurt themselves so badly...

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with them. Crays sound neat. I would suspect the space was too small, like you said.

But that's one of the reasons why dwarf shrimp appeal to me so much. I like that they're just not equipped for aggression. That's why I haven't gotten into the Macrobrachium shrimp or crays yet. Maybe I'm just a wimp

Ghost shrimp used to be my favorite shrimp. Now that I'm used to Neocaridina and Caridina species, the ghosts seem downright aggressive!

Jackie · Post by **Jackie** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:35 am

Constant fights or deaths of shrimp usually mean WE did something wrong. IMO the behavior of agressive species is just more interesting

Some useful tips how to be a shrimp maniac and not drive everyone around crazy:

1. If a friend/family member/guest says your shrimp are cute, nod, smile and say 'thank you'. It's enough. Don't start a lecture on species, water parameters and tank setup for shrimp, how we came to love shrimp ect., 99,9% of people really don't give a damn (hard to believe, isn't it?).

2. Ditto to flirting and making new friends. People with passion are interesting, people with obsession are just plain scary

3. Visit pet shops alone, or with someone who won't have an urge to kick your butt when you spend 2 hours looking for the best shrimp food in the store.

4. If you share a budget with someone, respect the fact the some people need to eat, dress and sometimes go to a movie.

5. Never, I repeat - NEVER make any comments on the fact the some people like to eat shrimp

6. If you absolutely MUST talk about shrimp and have no other maniac around, ask local schools about lecturing. Pick topics that will likely be of interest to people that have no knowledge of shrimp and prepare yourself for bizarre questions. You won't believe what kids ask about

7. If you haven't heard 'I love you' or 'I like you' for a long time from anyone but your shrimp

realize it is time to panic

shrimpbaby · Post by **shrimpbaby** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:40 pm

Jackie wrote:Constant fights or deaths of shrimp usually mean WE did something wrong. IMO the behavior of agressive species is just more interesting

Some useful tips how to be a shrimp maniac and not drive everyone around crazy:

1. If a friend/family member/guest says your shrimp are cute, nod, smile and say 'thank you'. It's enough. Don't start a lecture on species, water parameters and tank setup for shrimp, how we came to love shrimp ect., 99,9% of people really don't give a damn (hard to believe, isn't it?).

2. Ditto to flirting and making new friends. People with passion are interesting, people with obsession are just plain scary

3. Visit pet shops alone, or with someone who won't have an urge to kick your butt when you spend 2 hours looking for the best shrimp food in the store.

4. If you share a budget with someone, respect the fact the some people need to eat, dress and sometimes go to a movie.

5. Never, I repeat - NEVER make any comments on the fact the some people like to eat shrimp

6. If you absolutely MUST talk about shrimp and have no other maniac around, ask local schools about lecturing. Pick topics that will likely be of interest to people that have no knowledge of shrimp and prepare yourself for bizarre questions. You won't believe what kids ask about

7. If you haven't heard 'I love you' or 'I like you' for a long time from anyone but your shrimp realize it is time to panic

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:32 pm

Those were AWESOME, Jackie, thanks! The one about passion vs. obsession is an important one to remember

I find myself constantly needing to make that distinction, too, when I deal with people in 'real life'.

Jackie wrote:Constant fights or deaths of shrimp usually mean WE did something wrong.

Absolutely.

IMO the behavior of agressive species is just more interesting

hmm, that's something I didn't think about. I also tend to like fish which are passive as well, so it might just be me.

Jackie · Post by **Jackie** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:11 pm

Baby_Girl wrote:I also tend to like fish which are passive as well, so it might just be me.

Probably

I on the other hand always preferred fish with character, like cichlids.
Don't get me wrong, I like dwarf shrimp and always managed to find place in my tanks for them. It's just that the longarm shrimp are more fun to observe, as they tend to be territorial. Also, the individuals often have different characters. They build a community, fight for domination - it's like watching a gangster movie

Cactus Bastard · Post by **Cactus Bastard** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:19 am

Jackie wrote:If you haven't heard 'I love you' or 'I like you' for a long time from anyone but your shrimp realize it is time to panic

Do cats count?

Mordaki · Post by **Mordaki** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 2:50 am

Cactus Bastard wrote:
Jackie wrote:If you haven't heard 'I love you' or 'I like you' for a long time from anyone but your shrimp realize it is time to panic
Do cats count?

hehe.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:23 am

Jackie wrote: It's just that the longarm shrimp are more fun to observe, as they tend to be territorial. Also, the individuals often have different characters. They build a community, fight for domination - it's like watching a gangster movie

that's fascinating! I can totally see where you're coming from. Their more complex behavior means they have to find ways to get along, or else perish. Of course, that also means you have to monitor them carefully to intervene before things get out of hold. A little too much work for me, though

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:16 am

That is how crayfish madness starts! Don't go there! It is the DARK SIDE!

that's fascinating! I can totally see where you're coming from.

Opopanax · Post by **Opopanax** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 8:24 am

badflash wrote:That is how crayfish madness starts! Don't go there! It is the DARK SIDE!

that's fascinating! I can totally see where you're coming from.

I'm on the verge of crayfish - even got a second tank just waiting. But I can never find the Dwarf crayfish in my area. They're all either those blue crays (with no actual species name listed) or some "unknown" cray that turns out not to be anywhere close to dwarf...

that's the only thing preventing me from falling into the darkness:)

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:10 am

You won't find them locally. Aquabid has them all the time, but if you are in Hawaii, you may never get them due to the import restrictions.

Be sure to only get captive bred ones. Wild caught just about toally die in a month or so. Be sure your tank is well aged, not just cycled.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:45 pm

badflash wrote:That is how crayfish madness starts! Don't go there! It is the DARK SIDE!

LOL

OK, I'll take you advice and not let myself get sucked in... this time. Heck, I've got enough bad habits/obsessions that I need to draw the line somewhere

sstimac · Post by **sstimac** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:06 pm

I just had a disturbing realisation. I've had my discus tank up and running since June. A month and a half ago I put a dozen RCS in it. They're reproducing really well. I watch the shrimp all the time, I don't even really pay attention to the discus anymore. What's worse is that they are probably eating some of my babies. That just will not do. I'll probably trade them for other shrimp.

I think I have contracted the disease that is circulating this forum.