"Colorless" Red Cherry Shrimp

[ken(Toronto)]

I need advice:

I bought 15 "Red cherry shrimps" off someone on Kijiji. We met at the local donut shop. He showed me the shrimps in the plastic bag inside a cooler (to keep it warm). The shrimps were all colorless. He said they lose their color when they are scared, but they were all "red" like the cellphone photo he showed me .

Now, it's been 5 days in my aquarium, they are still colorless. They are all active and have a voracious appetite, so I presume they are not "scared" anymore.

The question is : Did I get ripped off? were these shrimps originally red as he stated , in his quarium; or, were they colorless to begin ?

I have a 5 gallon tank, which have been cycled for 5 weeks; lots of plants. The substrate is light colored (beige/blue) and I've put a dark poster behind the aquarium to give a background. The light is a 25 watt incandescent light bulb. The water temp is around 73-74 degrees.

Thanks

Ken

 

[neilanh]

Are they small? RCS get their really deep red coloring as they age (the females at least). The males will exhibit hints or patterns of red, but are more translucent than the females.

Welcome to AA!

 

[bs6749]

While it's true that RCS will get more color with age, there should still be a very noticeable amount of red on them when they are 1/4" long and they should look far from pale. That's the size I sell my shrimp at and I inform people that they get more color with age (females). Even my males have quite a bit of red compared to other strains. People often sell cheap RCS and people often buy them thinking that they are all the same. The truth is that there ARE differences in the bloodlines of RCS and some are more naturally red than others. Mine I sell for $1-1.25 each at 1/4" depending on quantity and demand, etc since they will get far more red than other RCS. I've seen cheap shrimp with no color, most likely similiar to the ones you purchased, go for 50 cents each at that size. You get what you pay for. If you are happy with them, than I guess you didn't overpay. However, since you are unhappy with them, I'm guessing you did overpay. Personally I wouldn't have a clear RCS in my tanks. What's the point of having something like that but not be able to see it? I want RED cherry shrimp in my tanks. -Bryan (breeder of RCS, yellow shrimp, snowball shrimp, and higher grade CRS/CBS)

 

[Zagz]

What bs6749 is saying simply is that the seller has probably sold you less than the quality you wanted. Or as neilanh has suggested they could be very very young. How big are they?

 

[ken(Toronto)]

What bs6749 is saying simply is that the seller has probably sold you less than the quality you wanted. Or as neilanh has suggested they could be very very young. How big are they?

They vary from 3/8" to 3/4". I do see some "red" spots on the larger ones, but basically colorless.
I do ressent the misrepresentation that they "were all red as in the photo, but lost their color because they were scared when netting them"; whereas it seems they were never red to begin with.

Ken

 

[Zagz]

I would consider contacting the person who sold you the shrimp. Does he/she still have the ad listed? If so you could always report the ad.

As I stated I am not a shrimp expert but most RCS that I have seen at that size are more red not clear.

 

[bs6749]

Check out the pictures I have of my RCS. You can see that the juvies have a considerable amount of red and they'll only get more red as they mature.

Image of Juveniles - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Those are about 1/4" long.

 

[bluerose]

My Amano shrimp have reddish/dark brown spots... aside from that they're clear.

Can you get a photo?