SKF Interview 3 - Shrimpmaster

[Disciple]

Good afternoon my fellow Shrimp Keepers,

I have received the answers for the 3rd SKF interview.

Today we have a interview from Shrimpmaster. He is a very well respected and known blogger based in Europe. You can find his new website at http://www.shrimpmaster.net/.

SKF - Hi Shrimpmaster can you please tell us a little about yourself?

SM - I got into this hobby for about 4 years now. I started with a fish small tank and added some shrimp into it then I gave them their own tank and before I knew I had 13 tanks, shrimp only. I keep TWB, Pinto, Spotted head, Crystal Black, Bloody Mary, all kinds of tiger shrimp, some crossbreeding results and my PRL. I love to observe them and improve quality by selecting. I also like to do macro photography and write something about them. You can find my blog in Dutch: www.shrimpmaster.nl and in English www.shrimpmaster.net. The last one is quite new and I hope to add a lot more content in time.

Question 1 - What is your weekly/monthly maintenance schedule?

SM - I try to do this every week but sometimes I skip a week when tanks and shrimp activity looks perfect. I change about 20% water. Do some cleaning, trim plants and moss and check the temperature. About once a month I do a complete parameter check for all tanks and write it down in my journal. Also I add new leaves once a week.

Question 2 - What is your favorite additive/products?

SM - I like the Salty Shrimp products, because it’s simple to use. Also I’m experimenting with products of Shrimpy Daddy. When it comes to food, I feed them all kind of stuff, also the 'big' brands. Worth mentioning are the BossAquaria products, I love them. And my shrimp are addicted to the Shrimp Crack food. 

Question 3 - What is your worst shrimp experience?

SM - To lose almost a whole colony was my worst experience. I believe we’ve all been there at some point. The thing is to keep searching for the cause and fix this. Also keep track of everything in a log book might help. You might think you can remember it all, but when you look back at the numbers, they can tell you a lot more.

Question 4 - What are the biggest myths in Shrimp Keeping?

SM - Let me think; some people say that shrimplets can get stuck in the soil and die. I never had this experience, I’ve been looking at the little ones that went caving about 5cm deep, but they always reach the top again. For me this is a myth.

Question 5 - Unusual things that you use with your shrimps?

SM - No not really. At least for me things are not unusual that fast.

Question 6 - Can you give us tips on selective breeding? And how to improve the quality of our shrimps?

SM - It’s all about strict selecting if you ask me. If you have a little doubt about a shrimp, you should cull them out instantly. Also you have to be very patient. The best result might take several generations, don’t expect that the first generation will be it. Also if you have the tools, macro pictures will come in handy. When you can zoom in that much, you can see more about the quality of the antenna's and cover thickness.

Question 7 - What do you think will be the next big thing in shrimp? Will it come from crosses or line breeding pure species?

SM - We are always thrilled to see new colors or patterns, but I believe we’re almost there already. All the cross options seems to been tried (I hope I’m wrong!). As much as I always hammer on focus on quality, I also love to see new crossbreeds or patterns. We should keep an eye open for mutations in or tank that could hold some potential. I’m working on a cross breed project at the moment which could result into something nice. But chances are small I have to admit. If something works out, you will know it right away.

Question 8 - How do you mineralize and what WP do you aim for?

SM - I use osmosis water as a base. I mineralize it with Salty Shrimp Gh+ to about 190 microsiemens. I aim for a GH5-6, KH0-1, PH 6-6.5, temperature 23 Celsius. Sometimes I also filter the new water over peat for a while to lower the PH for my tanks with inert soil. When the room temperature is cold I also put in a heater to give the new water the same temperature as the tank.

Question 9 -  What food enhances the welling being of shrimps and increase shrimplets survival rates?

SM - I believe a little pinch of dust food will do no harm. Also I’m starting to believe that shrimplet survival depends a lot on the phase before they were born. Good food for the females to develop good eggs that will result in strong shrimplets.

Question 10 - How often do you cull?

SM - Not enough, I’m too attached to my shrimp ;). But about once a month. The best thing is to do it all the time. When you see a piece that don’t belong in your top group, transfer it to your cull tank right away.

Question 11 - What is your funniest shrimp experience?

SM - Shrimp aren’t funny, they are ruthless cannibals ;). But if you ask: I have to go back to the first shrimp I bought. I had one fish tank at that moment and I found some shrimp on the internet. It was about an hour trip and when I came there a woman opened the door for 20cm and pushed a little bowl through the opening. “You have the money?” she asked and I gave it here. The door slams and left me with a stupid look on my face. “Well, shrimp people are weird?!” I thought haha. The good thing is that this was a onetime experience. I’ve only met very kind shrimp people since then and that is one thing that kept me in this hobby!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I wanted say on behalf of SKF and its members, Thank you very much Shrimpmaster. I am really curious what was the shrimp you bought off this lady @Shrimpmaster? 

[Astro]

These interviews are fantastic Disciple. I love Shrimp Master's 'funniest shrimp experience' ?

 

[Shrimpmaster]

Yeah, it's a great honer that I could share a little of my experience with this interview .

The funny experience was not so funny then, but looking back it make me laugh. The shrimp I bought from this woman were Crystal Red, A-grade pattern. These shrimp were the one that opened up the shrimp world for me. Before them, I did not even know that fresh water shrimp existed! 

I found an old picture of my first tank, here it is. The shrimp must be in there somewhere.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Shrimpmaster
typo

[Astro]

That tank looks great!

Thanks for taking the time to answer Disciples questions for us Shrimp Master, and thanks Disciple for also taking the time to put these together.

I could end up like you soon SM with 13 shrimp tanks lol. 

I can't believe how these little shrimp have taken over my life . 

Wake up - say good morning to the shrimp, before work - check the shrimp, get home from work - check on the shrimp etc etc! 

 

[revolutionhope]

thanks disciple, shrimpmaster.

i think you've inspired me to (try to) keep a record of my tank parameters and activity! if (when) i have my first catastrophe I'm sure it will be very helpful. Thanks for the tip!