I have cherries now... and Bumblebees too

[TKD]

Hi guys,

I finally have cherries... just 2 as they were 9$ CND each...

I bought them on Saturday so they will be ok now
The female has colored up since then and has the saddle (which is why I bought her)

I was wondering if the males are normally shyer then the females as I don't see him as often.

I will hopefully be getting other cherries... at a more reasonable price lol

Oh and It is very obvious that noting is wrong with my tank now has I now have over twice as many Japanese trap door snails then I stared out with (had 4) and that has just a month ago. lol

TKD

[amber2461]

Congratulations TKD!

[GunmetalBlue]

Oooo Ahaha! Was wondering when this was going to happen! But $9 - OUCH!

The only potential hitch I see is if the one you think is a male is really a young female... then you may very well have to wait until you get more to see if you can get a male in the batch. On the other hand, if he/she is for sure a male, if you cross your fingers and squeeze blood from between your furrowed brows, you may be on your way! I by chance started with only 2 females and one male - and lol, I have about 100 RCS now.

As to shyness, individuals vary - perhaps still settling in? Also the fact that you have so few. They seem to be bolder in numbers. It may also be that it's not so much that he(?) is so shy, but that the female is bold because I would think she's constantly foraging for food.

Anyway, best wishes on your Shrimpin'!

-GB

[TKD]

Hi all and Thank you,

I starting to think that it really is a male as it is still clear and has those tiny red dots along the side... the female is still coloring up.
Oh and she was the female with the less color in the entire group that was there.

$9 Canadian so about 6 or 7 American... ya I guess compared to Mustafa's prices it was a bit high.

But I hopefully I will get some from the pet store were I got my first cherries (the ones that died in 4 hours). They were $3 each.

Thanks,

TKD

EDIT: I guess she just molted because he now has that "dreaded crack" behind her head. She does have more color though. I guess I will be feeding to feed the pleco and snails less then...

[TKD]

Hi all,

I just got three Bumblebee shrimp on Saturday, along with another cherry.

So I did end up with a male cherry and the new one is a female.

I think I have two females Bumblebees and a male but kinda had to tell.

Oh and the four were $8 Canadian sigh...

The Bumblebees look like the picture on the Shrimp Varieties page.

TKD

[csmike]

TKD,

did you get four shrimps for 8? if so, that is a good deal. Lucky you. =D

[TKD]

Umm no, unfortunately the were 8$ each

They would have been $10 each but I need to get four so the price would go to $8.


TKD

[GunmetalBlue]

I guess she just molted because he now has that "dreaded crack" behind her head. She does have more color though. I guess I will be feeding to feed the pleco and snails less then...

Is everything okay there? I remember some time back a person having trouble with shrimp getting a crack behind their head - is that what you're talking about? The shrimp still hanging in there?

Hope your Bumblebees do well. Although it's less relevant with winter coming, be sure to take seriously the heed, "they will not tolerate higher temperatures" and have some plan of action should there be a heat wave. I think that was one of my problems with my first round of Bumblebees; I didn't keep the temp quite low enough. Cherries can usually handle temps when it creeps into the 80's, but BB's will do poorly and most likely stress out and/or die. The mid 70's were better for some people as well as Bumblebees.

-GB

[TKD]

Hi GunmetalBlue,

Is everything okay there? I remember some time back a person having trouble with shrimp getting a crack behind their head - is that what you're talking about? The shrimp still hanging in there?

I'm starting to think it was not even a crack but just a clear band and the shrimp is fine and as doubled in size.

Hope your Bumblebees do well. Although it's less relevant with winter coming, be sure to take seriously the heed, "they will not tolerate higher temperatures" and have some plan of action should there be a heat wave. I think that was one of my problems with my first round of Bumblebees; I didn't keep the temp quite low enough. Cherries can usually handle temps when it creeps into the 80's, but BB's will do poorly and most likely stress out and/or die. The mid 70's were better for some people as well as Bumblebees.

My water is in the low 70's (just noticed that it was kinda low).

My cherries are out most of the time and I see regularly. The BB's however are another story I don't see them that often and they don't tend to "expose" them self much if at all.

One other thing too, my first female has turn a more pinky color then red. Is this normal?

Thanks,

TKD

[GunmetalBlue]

Okay, I'm glad it wasn't that dreaded crack behind the head thing.

Your Bumblebees probably need a little more time to adjust to their new environment, again along with the fact that you have so few. It wasn't long ago that you were worried about the same with your male Cherry. Mine are not shy at all, so I would expect with due time you'll see your Bumblebees more often, too.

I think you will find that your female Cherry will vary in shades depending on any one of numerous factors (mood, lighting, substrate/background, etc.). Perhaps she looks more pinkish when she is a little more translucent? It's okay for Cherries to look different at different times up to a point.

Since you don't have a mob of Cherries to compare to see if they've all turned for example, pale, you could try looking more closely at her behavior - is she still spending most of her time picking (aside from just before and after a molt)? It might be that you're over worried, which is not a bad thing, being vigilant. But after you've checked through your basics of potential problems and ironed them out, you can relax and enjoy your shrimp.

-GB

[TKD]

Hi GunmetalBlue,

Hmmm, your probably right.

Just strange that the first female originaly had the same color red as the first pic on the cherry page (she had less color at the time). She is now closer to the other two female pics in coloration if not lighter.

The new female is the same coloration as the first picn and has the same amount.

I guess I will just have to get more shrimp to make them feel more comfortable. lol

Oh and one thing, is it for sure now that Tigers and BB will cross breed or is that up in the air still?

Thanks,

TKD

[GunmetalBlue]

Hi TKD, what color substrate do you have; is it light? Some time ago, I changed out my regular colored sand in the 20gal (I really like sand) with Tahitian Moon sand (black), and boy what a difference. First I moved out all those juvies, who seemed to be taking forever to color up, into two 10 gal which already has black sand or substrate. But in the process and with much thought as to how to deal with an exploding population, I finally decided to make the 20 gal an "All female RCS shrimp utopia!"

So far I have 15 females who have matured enough to have saddles (that's how I know when to move them in there). But just to let you know, even with black substrate, the shrimp still do vary in color intensity at different times. Then there are those times that they are day-glo red; it's surreal and sort of ridiculous-looking in that it looks fake.

The shrimp seem to have times they are more see-through (which makes their color less intense) and times when they are less see-through (which causes light to reflect off them and be more intensely red). Don't know if that makes any sense.

Do you have fish (neons?) in that tank? If so, that could be another reason for shrimp hiding more.

I've pondered the Tigers/BB thing too, as Tigers would be another shrimp I would want to try one of these days. Right now I'm leaning towards the idea that they very well could cross breed. I did read one thread where someone witnessed hybridized offspring of BB's and CRS, though of course I only have their words to go by. Since it's assumed that CRS, Bee and Tigers will hybridize, it seems logical to assume that if BB's and CRS do, it seems BB's and Tigers would too. *BUT that's purely speculation on my part and would love to hear anyone else's opinion. In the end though, if there's a "slight chance," I tend to be conservative and op to keep them separate.

Additional info: Hwchoy verifies Tigers and Bees hybridize (second to last reply on first page)
viewtopic.php?t=331&highlight=jaguars

But I haven't read personal reports about Tigers/Bumblebees yet.

-GB

[TKD]

Hi GunmetalBlue,

I have no substrate. About 90% or more of the tank is covered with java moss and java fern on rocks, wood and a clay brick thingy...

So it is green lol

I have 6 neons and 5 black neons... they don’t seem to bother the cherries or the bamboo (like they would) shrimp though.

I was thinking of that thread too, but have yet to hear of it else where...

I have yet to see actual tigers... just curious as I'm starting to see more shrimp available at reasonable prices.

Thanks,

TKD