PRL - Autumnsky's next shrimp adventure

[Autumnsky]

Update time with pics now!!!

Moved the 2 Aponogeton Capuroni and Ulvaceus both had 12-14-18" leaves.

Ulvaceus was planted but the Capuroni was just placed into the tank to have a location with decent lighting while I decided what to do with it.

Grew like a weed, both did and moved them to the 72G to still wait for planting in their permanant places.

Tank was cloudy earlier and I just retook the FTS. Cloudy from adding BorneoWild Shrimp White Ebi Mineraru 2 right before the photo.

Closer up

This guy is pretty active up front have got a few pics of it. Has a heart. arrow head kind of shape on the back.

Nice pic of a couple on the DW next to the nicely attaching Subwassertang, it looks so nice on there.

And one with a great shot of the color of the Chili Rasbora who is the start of this pic

Saddled female from Sept. 30, 17

Pretty pic

They are some beautiful shrimp!

Super close shot of the leaf of the Aponogeton Cupuroni

Closer up - not the best pic but a really nice shrimp!

Cropped pic earlier when the tank was a little cloudy

Comparison day I got it A. Cupuroni 9/11

9/30

Today 10/30 behind the spiderwood and to the left of the Blue Angels tail / just past center
The Aponogeton Ulvaceus stuck into the corner left front to try to avoid breaking the brittle leaves

Enjoy the pics!!!

 

[TMaier]

So lovely.

 

[V227]

You got skills Aut.

 

[Autumnsky]

Thank you, I am truly enamored.

 

[Fresh2o]

I forgot you had this tank. Does not hurt to have that perfect water. Unless I get an RO system or (or buy RODI water) I’m sticking with neos.

 

[Autumnsky]

They are, so far - knock on wood, easy. With the perfect water and using Ro most of the time for evap fills, mostly have been using my own water and they haven' dropped dead.

I counted over 40 earlier today, thinking it was around 50 when I put them in. I did lose 2, and there are so many hiding places I am not worried after counting to 40 that I have lost more.

Still worry near every time I look at them that they are alive and well.

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Thinking of add Corydorus Hastatus ($9.99 each ) or maybe just C. Habrosus, like half that cost each. Need to review the sizes again.

Hastatus is the harder to find one which swims all around the lower half of the tank like a regular fish and doesn't shoal very tightly. Just watched them at the lfs Saturday.

I have 5 baby Pygmy (in a different tank) but was worried I could never get them out of that tank if I changed my mind.

Already second guessing myself, and whether I should remove the Chilis. I will wait it out a couple weeks as there are a couple mommas getting ready to drop soon. See if there are any surviving babies.

Also planning on getting some Ebi baby shrimp food.

Always looking for ideas and pointers. This is still pretty much uncharted territory for me so any comments, don't be shy members.

I have been doing the pwc about every 5-7 days depending upon the feeding. Did cut back a little bit on shrimp food due to feeding the Chilis almost every day.

But thinking I will go back to 2x per week of up to a gallon, and start offering a little more variety.

Thinking of trying a couple brands of sample packs from sellers.

 

[Autumnsky]

Also this is interesting
The BIG shrimp food test — Practical Fishkeeping Magazine

 

[Fresh2o]

Question: How do you feed the powder type of foods? I have a LOWKEYS sample pack from Han Aquatics and a few of them look like fine powder. I figure a feeding dish would work but i am having troubling figuring how to lower it into the tank without it dissipating (sort of).

 

[Autumnsky]

Question: How do you feed the powder type of foods? I have a LOWKEYS sample pack from Han Aquatics and a few of them look like fine powder. I figure a feeding dish would work but i am having troubling figuring how to lower it into the tank without it dissipating (sort of).

I'm a wild one, I just let her rip! Sprinkle a little bit in the top of the water and let the current take it where ever.

So far I have 3 or 4 feeding dishes and can't really find the best way to add it to an Edge tank to use them effectively. I tried it for a while a long time ago with the Mr. Aqua 12G rectangle tank, and I didn't care for it it was boring.

Watching the shrimp scatter everywhere is enjoyable to me.

It seems like it would be more natural looking seeing them feed that way rather than the dog pile.

All that said, I just got one when I got the PRL. Which got me thinking that some of the food should be corralled and create less pollution in a substrate which is very difficult to clean in an Edge tank.

Sounding like a contradiction? lol!

Now I would consider it because of it being a highly specialized tank, and because the value of the babies could help off set their food and maintenance costs. (Still have the issue of the Edge shaped tank and how to attach or mount it or something.)

There are many more types of "Shrimp" foods/diet supplements than I have really been keeping up with in the last couple years, and now trying to play catch up.

The PRL also came with a Lowkeys mineral tile - not sure of the official name.

Just added 1/3rd to the hob filter - have one chunk just sitting there in the tank on a DW.

Also getting more interested in the bacter and mineral type stuff and supplemental foods. Was just reading through the various offerings of sample packs.

As for the feeding powder, first thought after letting it run wild is to add a drop of water and make a little paste and push into the edge corner of the dish and lower it to the feeding location.

 

[kashif314]

Congratulations Ma'am. Very very beautiful tank and shrimps. You have some A grade and some exceptional Ss grades. Good luck. Please let me know your feeding schedule and also your water agitation system or air stone. Keep us posted about your experience with them. Most importantly please tell me what is the TEMPERATURE of your tank. Thanks.

 

[kashif314]

Also you calling your red crystal shrimps PRL? What is full form of PRL please?

 

[Autumnsky]

Thank you. It has been 70F though just went up 1 degree. Will be watching how they behave.

 

[Fresh2o]

PRL = Pure Red Line
Not sure where it falls in the classification of CRS

 

[Autumnsky]

My understanding is only red sports of the wild black - CBS, are bred together.

Crystal Red Shrimp are bred often adding in a Golden Bee to add white to the breeding line for higher grade development.

The PRL would not have that. In theory would take longer to develop the line of higher grade, and in theory have purer white, and not throw yellowed looking babies.

Honestly it would be needing a DNA test to know for sure. Also some say after breeding true in a line for a long time could also be called PRL as not having yellowish babies, so it can get murky.

As with many shrimp, a keeper goes with the most educated information in regards to where they are sourced and with such I am going with the word of the importer (or breeder)... who sells the CRS and CBS as well in different grade packages. Mine came from someone who bought them from the known importer.

For 10 months I waited for another PRL SS-SSS grade package but one was never available.

For the time being I love these guys enough to just keep and enjoy them.

Maybe I will get to the point of specifically wanting to breed further for quality atm, just too much going on, and trying to reduce the number of tanks project.

 

[Autumnsky]

I did see a few which I would remove / cull - I got a good view of a nicely berried female, and tried to get a pic but was too blurry to show off.

At least 15, maybe 20 eggs there.

Over the past week I think there were 3 I saw berried.

Often people misunderstand and think that the PRL mean SS-SSS quality shrimp would be.

Just like with CRS there are all the same grades as with PRL shrimp. It is the genetics which are different.

So you could have a B grade clear pale and splotchy shrimp where there would be nice white, still be a PRL.

Here is a nicer grading guide (shows CRS)
Crystal Red Shrimp Grading Guide .:. Information to successfully grade the Crystal Red Shrimp

 

[Autumnsky]

Something else is interesting about Golden Bee Shrimp, its shell is white but the body inside of the shell is orange-ish golden colored.

 

[Autumnsky]

Been awhile not updated here.

This dozen Boraras Brigittae I last purchased did very well and look so beautiful with the duckweed floating and not too bright of light, with lots of plants and hiding places.

They seem to have become more social with the frozen foods and will stay out more often and for longer periods of time!!!

The new food I have been using I believe has brightened them up/conditioned them and I have not seen them look better than right now. It is frozen cubed Cobalt Coral Food, made from zooplankton with Spirulina and is vitamin enriched. Also bought Cyclops which is a tiny food too. It circulates in the water column very nicely.

Bought a container of Fluval Bug Bites for small fish and been throwing those in periodically too after a little rubbing the granules together in my fingers to make sure they are pretty small.

Pretty soon (next few days) will post a few pics my daughter took with her new phone camera. Really great feature in the camera of manual focus option!!!

The water is pH 6.2-6.7 depending on the water changes. Usually using the tap for water changes which is around 6.8. But will do the evap refill with RO. Have had readings in those parameters.

KH is 0 to .5 normally.

Haven't checked the GH for 6 weeks at least.

Temperature is running at 70F. I think it was lower maybe 68F then upped it but it was too warm around 74/75F and I got scared I might kill them. Probably not but.... They were a little too active imho, so changed it back to 70F /21C.

This next week I plan to do a double water change, of 20% and 20%, just to make sure the GH and TDS don't go up too much. I don't have a TDS meter.

I think my GH test expires this month too.

Need to look into a TDS meter more seriously and get a new GH.

I can still count about 45 shrimp and since there are do many hiding places I am pleased it seems the numbers are holding steady. As for babies, I just haven't really studied the tank closely in the past couple weeks. Since I found my magnifying glass, I just need a little spare time to look for the babies.

A week or so ago I pruned out the patches of BBA. Also found some hairy annoying algae on the Edge prefilter sponge. A couple days back, bought a new one and installed it and got back pretty good water flow.

Pics soon, also will finally be ordering some sample foods, since I got the frozen I didn't worry about it too much.

 

[kashif314]

Been awhile not updated here.

This dozen Boraras Brigittae I last purchased did very well and look so beautiful with the duckweed floating and not too bright of light, with lots of plants and hiding places.

They seem to have become more social with the frozen foods and will stay out more often and for longer periods of time!!!

The new food I have been using I believe has brightened them up/conditioned them and I have not seen them look better than right now. It is frozen cubed Cobalt Coral Food, made from zooplankton with Spirulina and is vitamin enriched. Also bought Cyclops which is a tiny food too. It circulates in the water column very nicely.

Bought a container of Fluval Bug Bites for small fish and been throwing those in periodically too after a little rubbing the granules together in my fingers to make sure they are pretty small.

Pretty soon (next few days) will post a few pics my daughter took with her new phone camera. Really great feature in the camera of manual focus option!!!

The water is pH 6.2-6.7 depending on the water changes. Usually using the tap for water changes which is around 6.8. But will do the evap refill with RO. Have had readings in those parameters.

KH is 0 to .5 normally.

Haven't checked the GH for 6 weeks at least.

Temperature is running at 70F. I think it was lower maybe 68F then upped it but it was too warm around 74/75F and I got scared I might kill them. Probably not but.... They were a little too active imho, so changed it back to 70F /21C.

This next week I plan to do a double water change, of 20% and 20%, just to make sure the GH and TDS don't go up too much. I don't have a TDS meter.

I think my GH test expires this month too.

Need to look into a TDS meter more seriously and get a new GH.

I can still count about 45 shrimp and since there are do many hiding places I am pleased it seems the numbers are holding steady. As for babies, I just haven't really studied the tank closely in the past couple weeks. Since I found my magnifying glass, I just need a little spare time to look for the babies.

A week or so ago I pruned out the patches of BBA. Also found some hairy annoying algae on the Edge prefilter sponge. A couple days back, bought a new one and installed it and got back pretty good water flow.

Pics soon, also will finally be ordering some sample foods, since I got the frozen I didn't worry about it too much.

Thanks a lot for the update. I am following your thread closely. Very nice to know both shrimps and chilis doing fine together. Your water parameters are ideal. Don't know Gh but I believe that's fine too. About TDS I bought a cheap tds pen and it is very accurate. I always check distilled water first and it shows correct readings always. O-3 tds.

I am having some difficulty in maintaining my water parameters good for my Shrimps mainly because I had inaccurate test kits. I am on now in fixing my water parameters slowly.

 

[Autumnsky]

Thanks a lot for the update. I am following your thread closely. Very nice to know both shrimps and chilis doing fine together. Your water parameters are ideal. Don't know Gh but I believe that's fine too. About TDS I bought a cheap tds pen and it is very accurate. I always check distilled water first and it shows correct readings always. O-3 tds.

I am having some difficulty in maintaining my water parameters good for my Shrimps mainly because I had inaccurate test kits. I am on now in fixing my water parameters slowly.

Bad tests can be a killer. I have had that experience too. It's good you have a plan to get things in order.

Many times a shrimp which is not in ideal parameters will live but not thrive and not breed.

Temp and water parameters plus feeding. I always do smaller water changes as a routine. But sometimes I will need to do 2 back to back water changes like I mentioned to help the changes in the water be small and easier for the shrimp to get used to, for them and me to be more comfortable with the conditions. Usually it is from over feeding or as a result of trying a new food breaking down more quickly than I would have expected.

 

[kashif314]

I finally achieved the water parameters I was looking for Bees. I used Sl Aqua blue wizard reminilizer in distilled water which had a TDS of 3 only. After resting water in tank for two days and after adding fertilizers and glut my readings are This:

Tds: 160
PH: 6.5
GH: 5
KH: 1-2
Amonia: Nill
NO3: Nill
NO2: Nill
Temperature: 72-74

I felt like when an athlete wins marathon or when someone gets his PhD dedree lol.

It was a very stressful time. Mainly problem occurred because of wrong inaccurate test kits and then api which doesn't measure correctly if Gh and KH are nill in distilled water. Now I can finally order more Taiwan Bees.