red rili variation

[smicko]

Hi all. Just took some pics of the rili tank and thought I would share. I have everything from near solid red to only spots of red. Also if anyone wants to have a go at grading them feel free. I won't get offended by your grades even if they are classed as culls lol. I am just so confused on how to grade them.

Cheers Mick

[smicko]

Does everyone else have this sort of variation or is my line not as stable yet? I currently have 4 females carrying eggs so I can't wait to see what comes out.

Cheers Mick

[BlueBolts]

I personally would consider them as culls, as rilli's are already a variant, their quality and intended pattern/intensity needs to have equivalent scrutiny. So traditionally, full coloured red head/tail only.....if you created a red polka dot rili, and it breeds true and has the intensity/colour, and eventually becomes acknowledged as a true variant, then great, but anything between that would be a cull or part of a breeding program. Rili's do intensify with age, check your WP, and you maybe surprise that they will colour up better with the right conditions.

[sajica]

I think we agreed that anything that wasn't a solid red head and solid red tail with a clear portion in the center of the body is a cull. I have so many baby culls from mine, I'll be keeping them for my own enjoyment.

[smicko]

Thanks for the honesty. I will keep them for now as they are my first rilis. I am surprised that I appear to have a near solid red male and the spotted females from the same batch. If I was to put that male with the females would that have a chance of reintroducing the full red head/tail?

Cheers Mick

[sajica]

I have the same problem smicko. I have near solid red shrimp and a few average looking juvis. I have a low percentage of what I consider acceptable Red Rillis from my first few batches of young. I'm not sure how you'd go breeding the solid red and clear shrimp back to each other.

At this stage the culls will be going to the pond :p

[Gbang]

Don't worry smicko we all have a lot of culls!!!! Only 30 percent of mine are satisfactory in my eyes..... Sigh

[Gbang]

That combo is highly u likely of getting red head and tail. But you never know u might always get some!!!

[BlueBolts]

Smicko, that's part of the fun and selective breeding program....I recently culled 80+ rili's, and was left with 12 I considered OK.... Many of the "culls" were juveniles, which meant they may colour up and have the correct rili at terns, but due to tank space etc... I thought other hobbyist should try their hands on them etc....

Its great that were having this discussion. Look what happen to the humble red cherry shrimp, without a specific forum, and hobbyist improve quality etc, they're all looking terribly washed out now in LFS.

[smicko]

I totally agree that we should be having these conversation about quality without getting upset. It is the only way that quality gets better.

I also tested the water today and the results are in lol n02;0, n03; 0, ph; 7.2, kh; 30-40ppm, gh 25-30ppm. Not sure on kh/gh but I think ph high

So I went to the shop and am in the process of converting all my tanks to fluval stratum shrimp soil. It says a recommended depth of 3-4cm, would their be any harm in running it a bit thicker say 6cm. I will put pics up later after the first one settles.

Cheers Mick

[BlueBolts]

Great attitude smicko, many here are very passionate about quality, so thanks for syaing so.... Your GH is rather low, which I suspected, as this is fairly common with many breeders. I would generally get my GH for cherries at 5+ (equivalent to 90 ppm).....they'll molt and colour up better.

[northboy]

This is such a great conversation and out come, as it makes people starting out have an HONEST look at what they are doing and there should be more people asking the same questions with the same HONEST and helpful answers.

IDEAR!!! we should have a ask the experts segment where BB, Saj, Gbang, Dean and a couple of others can give and HONEST, helpful answer about colour and pattern and what suggestions that May help to correct some problems. Register them as experts to. Sorry to dump you in it boys, NOT

Bob

[sajica]

we should have a ask the experts segment where BB' date=' Saj, Gbang, Dean and a couple of others can give and HONEST, helpful answer about colour and pattern and what suggestions that May help to correct some problems. Register them as experts to.

[/quote']

I have no idea when I became an expert Bob...... But thank you for the compliment

[Gbang]

thanks for the compliment mr bob! smicko!!!! don't change substrate!!!!!! your substrate is fine.

here's my general rule of thumb when i set up cherry tanks and it works amazing

midnight gravel (or any inert substrate)

test water (mine is 90 tds or 180 ec)

i add sulawesi mineral mix untill tds is a minimum of 150 or an ec of 275 and up

trust me ;) they will be breeding like nuts. or alternatively just add shirakua mineral rocks and benibachi mineral balls to lift gh and tds/ec

that's all i do. true story

[smicko]

Too late gbang, already done the rili and yellow tanks so unfortunately I may have to get some new shrimp to make full use of the new soil.Time for some crystal or tb lol. I have left the standard red and royal ruby red tanks so I will get some minerals and a tds pen so I can check and adjust the levels. The yellows and rilis have coloured a bit better after only 2 days on the new substrate and I have 4 berried rili females So I will see how the next gen goes for quality. Thanks for the advice so far, keep it coming its the only way to learn.

Cheers Mick

[Neo-shrimp]

Hope you don't mind Mick if I can ask yourself or Gbang in regards to both sulawesi mineral & bee shrimp mineral? What's the difference and which would be recommended for Cherries? Also where can you purchase Shikaru mineral rocks from ?Cheers CJ

thanks for the compliment mr bob! smicko!!!! don't change substrate!!!!!! your substrate is fine.here's my general rule of thumb when i set up cherry tanks and it works amazingmidnight gravel (or any inert substrate)test water (mine is 90 tds or 180 ec)i add sulawesi mineral mix untill tds is a minimum of 150 or an ec of 275 and uptrust me ;) they will be breeding like nuts. or alternatively just add shirakua mineral rocks and benibachi mineral balls to lift gh and tds/ecthat's all i do. true story

[Gbang]

All good! Bee shrimp mineral is mainly for all Caridina bee shrimp species such as tb CBS crs tigers and so forth. Sulawesi is really for Sulawesi shrimp of course but apparently the Germans use that for cherries as well! That was my advice from dean

[Gbang]

Shirakura rocks that's a lol hard to find. I buy mine from eBay.