Offspring variability in Crystal Reds

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beviking
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Offspring variability in Crystal Reds

Post by beviking »

Hello, I'm looking for info on the rate of variability of offspring from a given Grade of Crystal Red Shrimp.
For example, if I were to purchase a dozen low grade "C" shrimp, would most of the offspring be C-grades with a few B-grades and possibly A or S-grades? Conversely, would Grade-S parents produce mostly S-grade offspring or not?
Thanks in advance for any info!
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GunmetalBlue
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Post by GunmetalBlue »

Hi Beviking, if your question is a straightforward "what is the variability," I would say there is a reasonable amount of variability between offsprings; at least that is what it states in the Shrimp Varieties page for Crystal Reds.

Having said that, if what you are trying to ask is how to go about getting better grades - if you start with "C," it would take some time to make progress; you'd have to constantly select the best out of the offsprings and continue improving upon it. If you introduce better grades into the process, the chance of your improving the grades are better and also faster. The easiest way to have a certain grade or better, is to start with the best grade you can get your hands on and continue selectively breeding for what you are going after. You should have a decent brood of high grades when breeding same, I would think.

So basically speaking, it would depend on one's goals. If somebody's selectively breeding "C" grade and slowly bettering their grade as a hobby and for their enjoyment, that's fine. But if one is very specifically trying to breed high grade shrimp, they should invest in the higher grades IMHO. It would be safest though, to have some initial CRS experience before spending the big bucks. No point in watching your $$ go down the drain while learning the ropes :smt087 .

Any other opinions/corrections welcome, as I do not own/breed Crystal Reds. It's only been very recently that more people in the USA are getting higher grade Crystal Reds. So there's still a lack of breeding info in that arena, at least here. I'll PM you a site that is more familiar with them. :)

-GB
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