so confused right now

[smicko]

Hi all. I seem to have reached peak cheery output lol.

I am currently breeding chocs, rillis, blues, pumpkins, yellows and reds ( I swear I had no reds left but they appeared again lol).

My problem is that I have some really nice crosses coming out of a display tank at the moment .

I have some light green, blue with black stripes, choc with black stripes and tiger reds.

I am planning a rack but its already full and it isn't built yet lol. I am thinking of concentrating on the crosses as I get more enjoyment from creating and selecting rather than straight breeding. But I dont want to lose the genetics that created these.

What to do. Anyone's input greatly appreciated, you just might sway me one way or another.

I hate first world problems lol.

Cheers mick

[neosin]

Give them to me :)

first dibs woot!

any pics?

[BlueBolts]

Yeah, 1st world problems are tough ! LOL. Besides doubling up on ALL my tanks and having external and internal breeding boxes, it all eventually comes to a head... I can solve your green shrimp issue by sending them to me :-)...but, seriously, if there's no option of building new tanks/racks....then you just gotta choose ! There maybe some hobbyist here that would like to selectively breed with what you've got and will pay good $ ? That way, it all goes in circles.

[ineke]

It really depends on what you want, like you said almost anyone can put 2 ordinary shrimp together and eventually have more ordinary shrimp no big brainier. To start selectively breeding variants gives more satisfaction because of the unknown factor of each brood of babies you never know quite what you might get. A bit like the mishlings you don't know what you are getting. However you will either need to let them go and have a free for all with all sorts showing up or you are going to need a lot of extra room for the different variants. I would pick a few variants to selectively breed not too many or you need heaps more tanks but in the end you will still need more tanks and someway of disposing of the culls because there will be lots of them.

You can double up the cherries with the crystals but breeding may be slower also you need to think is this for pleasure or do you want to make money from the variants because it will take many generations to breed true.

You have come to that crossroads in a hobby when you need to make decisions- I did that a while ago when I gave away my reds - good luck this is just the beginning

[smicko]

Thanks all. I am more interested in creating new variants for pleasure rather than money. I breed bristlenose which covers the cost of me running all my tanks. After my mishling drops and I buy a couple more types of tb all the tanks will be doubled up but wp will be for tb which will slow the cherries down a bit. I know I need to decide what cherries to keep but I get attached to them lol. In one tank at the momenyt I have mishlings, red, choc and green/ black stripe cherries and chameleon, now that the mish is berried that's the first tank I want to clear to give the babies the best chance. Maybe I could trade some cherry varieties for some other types, probably crystals.

But as I said I get attached to them, too much emotion involved to make a clear choice lol.

Cheers mick

[ineke]

It doesn't get easier does it? I am cutting back on my cherries but how do you choose what stays and what goes? I've been hooked into tibees and mishlings like the not knowing damn its hard:encouragement:

[wayne6442]

Hi Mick, yes it is a hard decision to make, I am faced with the same problem almost every day, ( and I only have cherries) my main problem is space for tanks on the boat, and I have no hope on getting any more, I have now gone to attaching hang on breeding boxes to cater for the different cross variations I have, and still I am quickly running out of space..

I have 10 2ft tanks running ATM and are stocked this way ( 1) my orange "Sun Kissed" cherries with six fresh water crabs as companions, (2) yellows, (3) chocolates and Blues from Chocolates ( cobolt) (4) Sakura red cherries and wild type gupps,

(5)fire reds with some CBS,(6) culls, and sump ( need the space) (7) Mystery tank ( wild type cherries and off spring) (8)brackish tank , mangrove crabs from Cairns (9) Zebra Shrimp Nth Qld. (10) Velvet blues, red rilli, orange rilli, highland rffle shrimp, and Darwin red nose. the 5 hang on's have, green cherries, blue tigers , red tigers, cobolt blue / green cherry, and red tigers. I still have to find room for three other cherry wild type variants as much as I envy people with more space and other types of shrimp I think I will stay only with cherries in the main .

Regards

Wayne

[smicko]

Like wayne I love the cherries and the potential for new strains so a decision has been made (for now at least lol)

The yellows will go to a mate to try and give him a shrimp addiction bwwaahaha lol.

The rilis will have to go, the reds and tigers will go in with endlers and alot of plants and cover.

Such a hard decision that may change, but the possibilities are endless with what comes next.

Thanks to all that replied.

Cheers mick

[Squiggle]

That's some serious choices you have to make there mick, wouldn't want to be in your shoes. :dejection:

[wayne6442]

Hi mick, I can give a good home to some of your rillies if you like

Wayne

[smicko]

That's some serious choices you have to make there mick' date=' wouldn't want to be in your shoes. :dejection:[/quote']

I fear we all have these choices. But I feel I've made a good one.

I can help some people with new blood on the ones I'm giving up and try to add to the selction of available cherries in aus.

Cheers mick

[smicko]

Hi mick' date=' I can give a good home to some of your rillies if you like

Wayne[/quote']

You must be a mind reader wayne, you were my first thought for rilis and I would like you to select some of the reds/tigers I have for your other programs if you want, all free of course. Pm me and let me know when your able to come and have a look.

Cheers mick

[MrShrimp]

In my opinion, don't over think. Even if you find a weird pattern pair, it takes a long time for the pair to breed true. And when you do breed them true, there will be other variety of cherries on the market demanding high prices like green or purple.

[smicko]

In my opinion' date=' don't over think. Even if you find a weird pattern pair, it takes a long time for the pair to breed true. And when you do breed them true, there will be other variety of cherries on the market demanding high prices like green or purple.[/quote']

I understand what your saying and thank you for the advice but;

I'm not concerned about prices with shrimp, the fish I breed cover the costs of all my tanks.

I got into shrimp because I enjoy them not to make money. I have bred just about any fish available over the last 15 years and was getting bored with it, to the extent that I shut down and sold 30 tanks and was about to give up the rest of them.

The shrimping world provides me with a hobby I enjoy and new challenges. I suppose I enjoy the thrill of the chase more than anything if that makes sense.

Cheers mick

[wayne6442]

In my opinion' date=' don't over think. Even if you find a weird pattern pair, it takes a long time for the pair to breed true. And when you do breed them true, there will be other variety of cherries on the market demanding high prices like green or purple.[/quote']

I think that that is what keeps us cherry breeders going, the thrill of getting new patterns and colours ( cherries are proving to be the variety wonders in the shrimp world)and the challenge to get the var stable is what we enjoy the most. Time is really not an issue ( in my case anyway) I have had purples kicking around now for about a year and a half, and they are just starting to breed true, however I am not completely satisfied with them as yet so it will still be some time before I will put some up for sale, greens are progressing along nicely but still a work in progress, I notice that there is a potential problem for them to go yellow under certain conditions so we ( the cherry breeders) will be working to sort that out so I figure it could be a little time before you will see them on the market as well.

I know Mick will be a lot happier now that he knows what direction he is going in.

Cheers

wayne

[smicko]

I think you hit the nail on the head wayne.

One of the fish for that I am breeding at the moment are convict cichlids. For those that aren't into fish they breed so easily that they are hard to give away.

The problem is that the quality has dropped to a very poor standard through inbreeding. I am currently selectively breeding them to get the colours back to what they were 10 years ago.

I know I'm not going to make anything out of them, in fact I will definitely lose money in the long run but its the challenge and satisfaction of providing quality that interests me.

Cheers mick

[Wraithie]

I have a soft spot for convicts and red forest jewels, they were the first cichlids I kept and bred.