Setting up CRS tank

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:34 am

Unfortunately, Winter just started apparently this week, it was 60 degrees every day now there is a high of 35 for the entire next week. I wonder if anyone will ship shrimp in this temperature?

Sure, they will ship the shrimp with a heating pack. This should be standard during this time of the year. But be sure to ask them to do this just in case it is not their normal procedure.

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:36 am

Ok I finally got a dozen CRS about 3 weeks ago.. Here are some pictures

The java moss brought some nasty BBA, I need to pull it out a little at a time and bleach dip it. I kept a pair of RCS in there for a week to make sure everything was ok. You can barely see the female in the hole on the driftwood.

Drip drip!

I ordered them overnight but USPS lost the package so they took 3+ days. It was below freezing and the heat pack was done so they weren't too happy.

Here are most of them.

My camera doesn't like doing macro mode with glass in between. I need to get a tripod too.

One died about 3 days into it, and then a week later another one did. No unexpected deaths since then except for when the water got down to the spray bar and one decided to make a break for it. He made it all the way across the glass canopy before being cooked under the lights. I did have a wierd film on the water for the first week but it has since gone away.

Water parameters:
pH 7.0
TDS 150 (I suspect the Ecocomplete is still leeching something)
KH 1
GH 2
Temp 75F
Doing 25% PWC once a week using RO water.
Feeding algae wafers and rain- shrimp food.

No berried females yet, but since they are a poor enough grade it really looks like some have a saddle but I'm still trying to figure out how to sex them and may be wrong.

The algae on the glass was getting out of hand so I just picked up 3 Otocinclus 2 days ago, I will remove 1 or 2 after they clean up a bit. They are nice and fat right now though.

I am putting in a small piece of food less than the size of a pea and the shrimp don't even really care about it, they are busy picking the glass or the substrate. If one stumbles over it, they eat it but that is about it. I am having to remove it after a bit since I found a piece that was carried off that had a fungus growing on it...

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:10 am

First off, great looking tank!

Sorry to hear about your losses, I guess the trip to us is a rough one since this happened to one of my CRS. It may be a while before the shrimp are comfortable enough to breed in their new environment, it took mine about two months before they were breeding.

May I ask you what grade shrimp you ordered and how many? They look great no matter what but certain grades may be more sensitive than others.

Thanks again for the pictures

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:22 am

There was no grade specified when I ordered them, the picture of the tank showed that they were probably all C or B grades. There are only a couple that have white on them so I am guessing mostly just C. This was mainly to test out the tank and see if I could get them to breed before I get some A or S grades. I am too impatient to breed from C to A.

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:47 pm

I was able to get a couple pictures using "digital macro" mode that turned out ok. Most of the shrimp wouldn't come to the front for pictures though.

This one is a female right? The extra cavity on the bottom?

Another female?

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:57 pm

My guess would be male in pic 1, females in both pics 2 and 3.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 4:49 pm

Very nice shrimp and the Eco-Complete looks good in the tank

I see you have a few leaves in the tank, my shrimp work on mine for about a month before I need to replace the leaves.

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:12 am

That was wierd... I saw a little piece of moldy food in there so I reached in and grabbed it. About an hour later I come down and there were at least 4 moults and all the shrimp were flying around the tank. Next morning I had 2 berried CRS and the lone RCS was also berried.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:16 am

I have had the same experience, great isn't it

The molts were from fertile female shrimp which released pheromones that drives the males into a frenzy and stimulates the mating process

Now we just sit back and enjoy the babies. Be sure to keep the water qualities and conditions at its best!

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:04 pm

During the day today my berried RCS ?released? the babies, I see two super tiny live ones on my sponge filter so far. So total time was 23 days. The two CRS that berried up the same day still have their eggs, they look ready too but who knows.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:11 pm

Congratulations, Now and Soon to come

!

Mine have started to hatch also

argblarg · Post by **argblarg** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:08 am

I have lots of baby CRS now! I could see them the day they hatched, they are much easier to see than RCS are. I would guess 30 from one female and 10 from another. I have one more pregnant one that will give birth any day now that is loaded with eggs too.

Total time was 32 or 33 days, my water has been 70-72F.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:21 am

Congratulations

! I like how they look also with their tiny little stripes

I know you probably know this but for the rest of you, please have the CLEANEST water for the babies as the need it to survive since they are very sensitive. I learned this with my first hatching

RCSGuy · Post by **RCSGuy** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:45 pm

Wow! Congratulations man! That was some quick baby making, horny RCS ...

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:08 pm

I saw a little piece of moldy food in there so I reached in and grabbed it.

I scraped some wet, moldy food off the lid of my 10 gallon tank and dropped it in for the shrimp. They loved it, seemed much more eager to eat it than the fresh flakes and/or pellets.