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the white stuff is melting down and has almost dissapeared overnight! ☺️

This is still a draft now final but can still be updated to accommodate new info. Please help me refine the terminology, and let me know if I have forgotten anything that has to be included. Common Terminology Tigers, Crystals and Taiwan Bees will all breed together. Here are some common terms or names that are used in the Shrimp hobby to describe various shrimp. The following picture from rah-bop will paint a better image as we go through the descriptions. Refer back to this picture as you read the descriptions. (Click to expand) What is a Tibee? A tibee is a hybrid between any Tiger (OEBT - orange eye blue tiger or also blonde tiger) - and usually a Taiwan Bee (TB) OR can also be hybrid between any Tiger and Crystals - CBS (Crystal Black Shrimp) and CRS (Crystal Red Shrimp). The preference is to cross with a Taiwan Bee. Since TBs are rarer and more expensive, you might not have enough TBs to breed. Using a Tiger as a partner to the Taiwan Bee, will ensure some genes are carried over when you cross the Tibee back with the Taiwan Bee parent. It's offspring could yield some Taiwan Bees. Crystals are more common. So a Tibee from TigerXCrystal is not as sought after. But nature can throw up some amazing colours from this hybrid too. I am working on a TigerXCRS myself to try to get some Red Tiger tibees. What is a TaiTibee? A Taitibee is a Tibee crossed back with a Taiwan Bee. What is a Pinto? A Pinto is a colour variation and type of Taitibee. There are 3 variants of patterns: Spotted Head Zebra Fancy - Such as skunk pattern and cloud patterns. The creative name for skunk pattern is derived from the black-and-white pattern, which very much resembles that of a skunk, especially due to the pattern on the head. And as the name suggests, the Cloud pattern very much resembles clouds shapes on the head of the shrimp. Colouration of pintos generally come in either black or red base. Black Zebra Pinto Red Zebra Pinto Cloud Pinto Skunk Pinto What is a Mischling? Mischling is a German word for "crossbreed" (plural: Mischlinge). A mischling (in the shrimp hobby) is a hybrid cross between Crystals and Taiwan Bees. When this crossbred mischling is crossed with another CRS, it's genetics are diluted, and you get a small % of Taiwan Bees. When mischlings are crossed with another mischling it's genetics are even more diluted. And the % of TB are even smaller to the point of never getting a TB. It's like striking Lotto. However, when you cross a mischling back with a Taiwan Bee, you get a larger % of TBs, but with the added benefit of strengthening it's gene pool when it's original parents were mixed with a CRS. BlueBolts has already started an excellent sticky thread on Mischling here: http://shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/index.php/topic/714-minchlings/ This article is a supplement to information already on SKF. It is by no means trying to supersede any information found elsewhere. Here is an excellent explanation from Ineke as well “Taiwan Bees crossed with Crystals give Mischlings which are then crossed back to Taiwan Bees to help people get to their goals quicker in having more Taiwan Bees (TB) however on this forum we like to let people know when Mischling bloodlines appear in our breeding so more initials are added. If you get a King Kong (KK) Bluebolt (BB), Panda or any other TB from a TB/ Mischling cross we like to let people know by saying we have a KK(TBM)-King Kong from TB / Mischling. If you are lucky enough to get a TB. From 2 Mischlings it would be a KK (TBMM) or whatever type of TB you have. This just keeps people honest and let's buyers know that they will get a percentage of Mischlings from their TBM / TBMM. Nothing worse than having Mischlings showing up in your TB. Breeding program when you thought you had purebreds". What is a Tibee cross Mischling? To my knowledge, this has not been given a common name yet. It's still a Caridina Cantonensis. It's still a bee shrimp. It is just a different colour variant. Let's call this variant a "Tischling" for now (03Oct2014), unless someone can confirm a common name that pre-dates this name. This Tischling is an uncommon hybrid, possibly because the desirable genetic traits are too diluted and takes the shrimp keeper further away from achieving desirable goals. Not when there are easier and faster breeding choices that would achieve the same goal. Like for instances, using the Tibee or Mischling to be crossed back to a pure Tiger, Crystal or Taiwan Bee. A hybrid Mischling might carry recessive traits, and is unseen (like a specific colour), and crossing it with another hybrid Tibee would be like trying to get a certain colour (say red), from something that doesn't show any colour. A complete guess.

i have recently started a 10 gallon aquarium and the tank seems to be cycled there is no ammonia and nitrites are low but my nitrates never spiked. i have a cryptocoryne and a red dwarf alta in the tank with one guppy. what could be causing this? is it the plants consuming the nitrates?

Yes plants will most definitely consume nitrates.

sorry just did another test 5ppm nitrate.

Once they are acclimated and the water condition is good, they will try to play with you. Their behaviour is not like fish, more like dog. LOL!!! There are a few interesting behaviours you could try to observe: When you put your head close to the tank wall to look at the shrimp, they will swim and suck on the tank glass right in front of your eyes. Kind of trying to get your attention. When it is sucking on the tank glass not moving, use one finger and put in front of it then wiggle. They will greet back by waving the fin. One thing you need to take note when keeping with shrimp. They love to hog on food. Meaning, they love to hide the food under their mouth or tummy to prevent others from eating. If you see such behaviour happens, try to feed during the period when your lighting intensity is the strongest. When light intensity is at the strongest, it will be Oto's sleeping time. This is another variant of Otos worth collecting: Their body length is about 0.5 to 1cm longer than the one you have. It still consider quite small.

So cute! Love them too. You need to feed that one more Nogi. Have you ever touched them? I catch mine to pat them occasionally. Nice otto. pat pat pat. Just kidding. No, not really. What mean to say was, they have very rough skin, almost like sand paper, especially near the head and snout. You can just see it in your excellent photos.

no he doesnt when he sells them.. but when i go up there to get any bristlenoses we both have a go and pretty much are always correct .. its kind of different when you have time to fool around and play fish .. btw this method has been pretty good upto date and works for bristlenoses only..Longfin and shortfin.. no other plecos

i sex them at 3-4cm..the best way i have been shown is by bigjohnofish a really awsome guy and great pleco beeder.. best way to do it ..is to catch them with a net and put them in your hand out of the water.. then you have to feel the top of there nose ... if this section is soft and squishy it will be a male if the nose region is harder to the touch it will be a female.. best way to know the difference is for someone to let you try on a mature male and fem.. then you will be able to know what your looking for.. or seeing if you have one that is starting to show bristles feel that one first as its most likely male.. then feel other one and see if it feels same or rougher ;) hope that makes sense and good luck honcho