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every now and then I find a shrimp climbing airlines or heater cables and have lost the odd one from climbing out. I found that the little plastic tabs from the end of a plastic bag of bread fits nicely over the tubing and acts as a barrier to the shrimp stopping their little escapade! The tags are also handy to number and put onto electric cables so you know which tank they come from when you have multiple heaters and lights. Saves me ages with having to follow cables back to tanks before switching them on and off. As I have 12 tanks that equates to 12 of everything so it saves quite a bit of time to have the cables numbered

I spied this little stunner the other day getting about in my tank, still to young I think to accurately tell if its male or female, but WOW. The wormy looking things in the tank are in fact that, my thriving population of blackworms which I harvest every so often as a treat for my other fish.

As we are probably all well aware of the hitch hiking capabilities of our shrimp, I thought it was important to warn of another possible hitch hiker when moving plants about from different tanks....and its not snails. This afternoon I happened to be looking in my one dedicated cherry shrimp tank and was shocked to discover a small fish fry now apporimately 2mm in length. It is most likely a blue eye fry (pacific or spotted) and the only way it could have got into the tank was as an egg on some Hornwort either from the tank next door or the spotted blue eye/ native shrimp tank below. There is the very faint chance the fry is a rainbow fish but being a blue eye is the most likely. Considering the size of the fry and the fact that it has not been getting any fry foods only some tropical flakes and any sinking foods I put in for the shrimp to swarm over, I am guessing its lucky to have got to the size it now is. But it also makes me wonder if any brothers and sisters might have made the unexpected trip with it. I know I have not added weed to the tank for a number of weeks, in fact the last time I mucked around in the tank I removed a heap of weed. I will be showing my husband the little fry, and re-interating what I have told him previously " NEVER just throw excess plants/ weed from the tanks out, you never know when a fish might have laid eggs on it". For now I will leave the little fry in with the shrimp and once its big enough to identify which species of fish it is I will then put it back with its respective parents.

Great tip and so simple. I've lost count of the number of dried up, shrivelled shrimp carcasses I've found behind my tanks. Going to start collecting those tabs asap.

I wish I had contacted you when we were there 2 years ago. Trying to talk Alan into another trip -we have a great old 4wd with 4" lift and good all round tyres so could use that for off road stuff- but convincing Alan he won't be bored with shrimp stuff is another story!!!!!! I tempted him with other wildlife but now he keeps reminding me I'm not supposed to go rock climbing etc . Think he is whimping out! So Bob if we use our car do you fill up the tanks- we only have 2 long range diesel tanks and a 25 litre gas tank LOL (yes we do have diesel and gas- gives more bang for your burn it makes a heap of difference especially when towing ) I still say you don't know what cold is but damn 10 degrees is cold for up there!!!!

Breed heaps and cull ruthlessly! ...and do the same with your shrimp!

Stop complaining Bob I don't think we reached 10 today!