Leaderboard

I'm starting to really like to post here on SKF because ideas and opinions aren't jaded and folks have a genuine interest to learn and call bs when bs is due. Some folks are too nice to call out BS when it occurs and the result is the seller or provider will continue to get away with selling trash, which in the long run ruins the fun for everyone. I really can't agree more on what has already been say. There's been a lot of people going around (especially in NA where good shrimps is hard to get) selling CRS as PRL and it's downright deceitful. Selling culls is one thing, but to sell CRS as PRL is just on a whole new level. I think this happens because it's just so impossibly hard to get GOOD/LEGIT PRL available in NA (and I assume Australia as well). Being that the PRL market is so hot right now, it's very easy for someone to get a single good photo of their shrimp (notice that typically the shrimp pictures is usually a single specimen with exceptional colors) and fool folks into buying. 'Show the best, sell the rest' mindset as I like to call it. Heck, there's' even times when some people sell the DREAM of having nice PRL culls by typically selling EXTREMELY overpriced PRL (given they're very nice) at prices so high no one would buy but at the same time sell "culls" from the "same stock" who looks no better than those very faded colored CRS. It's the old 'bait and switch' method that has left so many people scratching their heads wondering that just happened. It's very hard to find good PRL (I've learned the hard way) and so I've opted that the best practice (for me) was to not buy any until I could HAND PICK my shrimps. It's sort of a quality assurance usually not afforded to many but for the few that can do this, I would highly suggest it. It's the only TRUE, sure way, to insure that what you're getting is the very best. Sometimes we get tunneled visioned by those gorgeous photos of shrimps we see online that we're blind sided from the truth (Bloody Mary, Rili, etc..). I find that with a little patience and little self control, you'd save a lot of money and those distrustful sellers will learn that their tricks won't work and it will "cull" out those would-be baddies and improve the community as a whole.

Whoot whoot!!! We have a winner!! Congratulations to Ineke!! First with all fifteen winning words!! I will post the winning words below soon! Thanks to everyone who entered it was a close contest!!

Personally, everything mentioned would be labeled as "cull" if I was selling them, as that is what they are, if you can't use them to further your line then you are culling them.

It's Tuesday again (at least on this side of the world) and time for a new post. I'm glad you're not bored so far, so lets continue! . This time as promised: antenna coloration. For me, a PRL shrimp is only complete with white colored antenna's. Without it, it looks like a normal shrimp. I cull out all shrimp with no or bad antenna coloration. So far just one exception of one piece with very very beautiful red and white, I keep that one and hope the offspring will have full white colored antenna's instead. When talking about the antenna's we are talking about a lot of parts. I'm not an biologist, but I've looked it up: The antenna starts with a thicker part and then the actual small antenna. A total of 6. But most people talking about antenna coloration are talking about the thick part. I've never seen the thin part also colored like Sulawesi shrimp have. This is very very rare among Cardina shrimp. Still I hope to breed it one day if possible. 1. This are a 4 small antenna attached to the upper tick antenna part. 2. This are the two long antenna's attached to the thick part below. 3. This is a part in the middle. I believe you should not call it an antenna, but with the naked eye it just seems to be a part of it. Sometimes the shrimp moves this parts sideways (to clean them?) and you can see them. Sulawesi shrimp, full colored white antenna's up till the end: Back to the PRL antenna. When you look close, almost without exception there is some red in it. Especially on the middle antenna part (nr. 3 in the illustration). When the antenna is red, it looks like it has no color with the naked eye. Because of the contrast I guess, so I always aim for a least full white of the upper tick part (nr. 1 in the illustration). This has the most effect when you see them in real life. Red colored antenna's: Looks nice hu? But only on a macro image, in real life this looks not very nice at all. This is an example of a piece with white colored upper part (nr. 1) but red or no color at the other parts: Or this one, with more red in it: Most of the time this will be enough to give the shrimp a good look. But when the other parts are also white it shines even more. Like this one that has almost completely white only, just a small touch of red. Again, with the naked eye, you can't see this small red spots: This is the same shrimp as used before in this topic: I'm sorry if the pictures a not top quality. I've had little time and to show the antenna's I have to use a lot of 'digital zoom' (crop) an this makes it even worse. But beside that I think this is a good example of antenna coloration. Next time I hope to show something about.... surprise . I will first contact some people with PRL/JRB to see if they got some images of the subject I have in mind.

How well do you know our sponsors?? (Boss Aquaria) Something a little different to see how well you know your way around our sponsors websites. I have selected one product and I want you to find it, post a link to it, and then you will be the winner of this challenge. I will post clues throughout the day, until the item has been located. If you like something you see whilst hunting for my target, feel free to have a spending spree too!! I am sure our sponsor won't mind! There are rules to follow and these are listed below: This competition is open to members with a post count of 30 or higher This is open to all members internationally (exceptions below) Mods and Admin are excluded from entering this competition Clues are posted in the competition thread From the clues given, try to locate the item on www.bossaquaria.com.au Once you feel you have found the item, please post a description and a link in the competition thread The first person to find the product will be deemed the winner You will only get one guess between my posts, so consider your choice carefully Once I post the next clue, you get to have another guess Any posts outside of the above rules may be deemed invalid and possibly remoed The correct answer will be given to Nogi prior to commencement of competition for further confirmation where required The competition will begin once posted on SKF and finish once the correct product has been located Happy shopping!! TODAY'S PRIZE Boss Mineral Powder 50g Essential Minerals for moulting, breeding and general health More info on this product can be found here http://www.bossaquaria.com.au/mineral-powder-50g/

Hmmmmmm, if I could get anything I would be looking at the Skunk pattern or Metalica. Or something that I have been working on trying to achieve, orange eye pintos(not mine in the picture, I can only wish) I'm also a brig fan of the red marble Tibees that have been surfacing lately, gonna try for something like that next I think.

Hey man what state are you in? I can probs post u a bit out of mine if you like? A whole bottle is gonna last me aaaaagggees

Challenge 5 finished really quickly. Well done Ineke.

Congats ineke i missed led and light

Congrats Ineke. I swear I looked at the letters for light heaps of times and didn't notice it until the answers were given out haha.

Several weeks ago my partner and I put in an order with Aquagreen for some DAS and DRNs. We also picked up some Blue Eyes for his tank that are gorgeous. Because my tank wasn't ready, my shrimp went into his 'fry' tank, which is actually a tank for Mr Shoggoth, the mystery snail. Shoggoth was getting harassed by the danios in the main tank so he got his own space which he seems pretty happy with. Today I went over and we pulled out the furniture in that tank and I transferred them into buckets for the trip home, which was thankfully very short. Everything I've read about DRNs being jumpers is true. Three DRN made desperate bids for freedom during transfer and had to be rescued. I hope that didn't traumatise them too much and they're ok, although one now seems to have a bubble stuck in his carapace. Aren't DRNs supercute? Even though they are the least shy, they seem to be the hardest to photograph, they do tend to move a lot. I can already see that the DAS are extremely under rated. They're gorgeous, variable in colour and pattern, and eat like demons. There was a diatom issue in my partner's main tank, and the DAS he put in there loved it. There was also a strange flat black algae, (definitely not BBA, maybe a variant of green spot algae?), growing on his anubias. It wouldn't rub or scrape off the leaf at all, yet the DAS have almost eliminated it. Here's some of the DAS, showing the variation in patterns in just a handful of them. Some nice black stripes along the sides of this one. Love the white spots all over this one. Terrible colour balance for this photo because it was sitting just under the lights, but it shows some nice black striping with white spots. Finally there was a surprise as well. One night spotted something in the tank and my first thought was 'Red Cherry', but it couldn't be because we don't have any cherries at all. Then I realised it must be a Chameleon, it scuttled out of sight before I could show my partner. Today when we pulled all the furniture out of the fry tank to net out the shrimp we discovered that there were two Chameleons in there, so they came home with me too. They were a dark brown today, but tonight I found one under the driftwood and it was looking red. These guys seem to be incredibly shy and hard to spot. Terrible photo, but it was the best I could do trying to aim a penlight and a camera at the same time. I'd like to give a shout out to Aquagreen. As I've read many times, Dave was great to deal with, simple and easy to order and everyone arrived happy and healthy, quickly and in great packaging. Actually many of the shrimp were berried, but dropped while still in my partner's tank. In fact I'm very tempted to put in another order to double my number of DRNs and DAS, and maybe grab a couple more Chameleons while I'm at it.

I have to agree, the term "low grade"is being thrown about to boost prices way too much lately. I have to agree with Fishmosy, definitely buy off breeders you know & have proven quality, I also have to agree with something that Shrimpy Daddy said in another thread & that is if a breeder is saying they are "low grade" anything(especially PRL, PBL or any other high grade shrimp) then they probably aren't. I also have to laugh at everything being labeled as "pinto gene" basically just means it's been crossed with a tiger, lmao.

Sulawesi shrimp is kind of overly catch right now, and I worry about the environment impact; just like a lot of bucephalandra gone from the nature. Hence, I am trying to avoid those wild catch type. Silane claims that the blue cardinal is selective breed either in his or his friend's farm in Taiwan. Hence, I may look at the blue cardinal in Taiwan.