RCS Breeding : Keeping lines strong

[jeej]

I am aware that if you continually breed out of the same batch of shrimp, then eventually you could end up with weak offspring due to continual interbreeding.

So I was wondering how often breeders here add fresh shrimp to their colonies and how many etc...?

I'm lucky enough that I have someone close by that is willing to swap with me when necessary. Was just after a few pointers on the subject.

Cheers.

Gavin

[badflash]

Never in my case. I think it is a myth with shrimp that you need to do that. In most cases years ago when I tried it, it ended in disaster. Dome nasty would come in with the shrimp, or the shrimp were contaminated with wild or bad colors.

If your shimp are not doing well, check if you are over feeding or if your water isn't up to snuff.

[Neonshrimp]

I have the same experience as badflash, I still have the sme Cherry shrimp and they are as strong and red as always if not more so.

[Mustafa]

You may want to do a search on this topic. I have expounded on this several times. As was said before, it's a myth. My red cherry shrimp colony, the oldest in the Americas and probably one of the oldes in the world, has been in existence since 2003...that's the year when red cherry shrimp came on the market for the first time ever. I started with 17 shrimp. There must be several thousand of them, if you count the offspring of the shrimp I have sold over the years, as we speak. My colony has been even more aggressively selectively bred for "superred" shrimp and after all these years the shrimp don't show any genetic deterioration whatsoever.

[jeej]

Excellent, thanks for that.

This site is great, as we all know, but there are some sources on the web with very misleading info, which is a shame.

[Mustafa]

but there are some sources on the web with very misleading info, which is a shame.

That's exactly the reason why I put up this site many moons ago. Ever since the amount of garbage information about shrimp and other inverts has become considerably less. Some people never learn though....

[jeej]

Too true Mustafa and I am eternally grateful for this site and all the people that contribute to the forums.

I get the impression that a lot of info kicking about the www is pure guess work. Nonsense about dietary requirements and not being able to keep plants in tanks because they steal nutrients etc! I know the hobby is quite new in essence, but it would be a smoother ride if people wouldn't just spout total BS.

On a lighter note, just had some more RCS shrimplets hatch over the weekend. So the first two sets (that were born mere days apart) are around 2 months old now and growing very healthy, and now I have some more tiny fellas. All is good! I shall take some more photos this evening and post them up in my photos thread - the tank is looking pretty cool.

[Mustafa]

I get the impression that a lot of info kicking about the www is pure guess work.

Yep. Obviously the vast majority of the people in this hobby are not very scientifically minded. That's ok as long as someone does not present speculation as fact and spreads such speculation as fact.