Help me decide which shrimp colony to start!

[Kazin]

I want to start a brand new shrimp colony!!

After some selling and shuffling, I now have room in my fully cycled 20G long for a new and beautiful shrimp colony. And I definitely need some help to decide what to get.

I'm leaning towards breeding some fancier neos. They're fun and easy and brightly colored. How can you go wrong?

I looked everywhere online and I couldn't find any sources for neocaridina ketagalan (neos that are actually tigers, mentioned in one scientific paper). They'd be my top choice. I would be grateful to be put in touch with anyone selling these guys. Or neocaridina saccam (possibly the same species but found in a different location in Taiwan).

I've seen the photos on the aquatic arts website for blue dream velvet shrimp and they look amazing, so I may get them if I can can't find ketagalan. Does anyone have experience with them? Are they as beautiful as in the pictures? Is the line stable?

Any and all recommendations highly appreciated!!! Thank you!

 

[joeychizzle]

How about some golden tigers and crystal reds? Tibees would be pretty awesome.

I'd personally love some black neos, sulawesis and freshwater harlequins.

 

[Kazin]

WOW!! Those tibees look AMAZINGLY beautiful. I don't know why I haven't thought of them very much. Thanks for the tip.

How viable are the tibee offspring? Do they breed or are they sterile? Golden tigers (aka tangerine tigers?) are really pricey atm so I may not be able to do this right now. If they look like: Mystery Shrimp - General Discussion - The Shrimp Spot I might have to save up though. Just... wow.

Do you have experience with any interesting neos? I was thinking more along the lines of less expensive for 10+ and fun/easy tank. I just read that chocolate neos can spit out some weird colors... Are they similar to the black neos?

As for the Sulawesi shrimp... I know my limitations lol. Maybe when I can master "easier" shrimp breeding quite well I'd slowly work my way up to them. This hobby has taught me that you definitely can't run without first learning to walk.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[joeychizzle]

WOW!! Those tibees look AMAZINGLY beautiful. I don't know why I haven't thought of them very much. Thanks for the tip.

How viable are the tibee offspring? Do they breed or are they sterile? Golden tigers (aka tangerine tigers?) are really pricey atm so I may not be able to do this right now. If they look like: Mystery Shrimp - General Discussion - The Shrimp Spot I might have to save up though. Just... wow.

Do you have experience with any interesting neos? I was thinking more along the lines of less expensive for 10+ and fun/easy tank. I just read that chocolate neos can spit out some weird colors... Are they similar to the black neos?

As for the Sulawesi shrimp... I know my limitations lol. Maybe when I can master "easier" shrimp breeding quite well I'd slowly work my way up to them. This hobby has taught me that you definitely can't run without first learning to walk.

Thanks for the advice!

I've only had crystal reds for about a month and I bought around 2 dozen golden tigers for about 4 USD. (fortunately shrimp and fish and other aquatic stuff is super cheap here in Hong Kong, I'm hoping to breed them by sticking the more vibrant ones in a breeding box. I've heard they aren't too easy to breed but I'm just playing the odds lol

I had a batch of cheap orange sakuras in my 1 gal office tank and they bred like mad despite me giving zero ****s about their welfare, and my fire red neos are THRIVING despite me not checking any parameters apart from temperature. Don't be like me and assume everything will continue being fine because my tank is stable lol

part of the fun is finding out whether or not tigers and crystals will breed!

if you want some hardy easy shrimp I recommend some cherries or yellow shrimp. tougher than a cheap steak and cheaper than said steak haha

you know I never thought about the correlation with black and chocolate neos, but I wouldn't interbreed them just to be sure. you don't want them reverting back to the wild colour type, which is a rather dull brown.

haha you're definitely right about the learning curve. I stupidly bought a batch of 10 crystal reds and threw them in an uncycled tank and boy did I regret that LOL

 

[Kazin]

LOL! $4 for two dozen Tangerine shrimp! Wouldn't that be nice. Need to move to Singapore. I've briefly owned them during a San Diego heatwave / AC breakdown. Briefly... I wouldn't mind trying them again if they were sold for good prices.

Funny how with shrimp, the tanks you pay less attention to (or plain don't give a $*it about LOL) will do the best. I was busy with work and didn't touch my tank for two weeks and voila... dozens of babies all the sudden. They really don't need our help, as much as it's hard to admit.

I have been breeding the cherry shrimp with success, but I am hoping to upgrade to different and more rare colors. I love neos. They're easy and beautiful. They get a bad rap as a beginner shrimp but... does everything have to be hard to do to be worthwhile? The blue dream velvet shrimp look fantastic to me!

I really wish my office would allow aquariums. I'd have a 55 gallon in there and breed them without my wife getting annoyed by how big my aquariums are getting...

 

[Kazin]

Anyone else have some neocaridinas to recommend? Any beautiful lines that pictures do not do justice for or maybe some interesting colorations? I will seriously consider all recommendations. I am getting ready to buy the new shrimp colony this week and I need your advice to make sure I'm getting the coolest!!!