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I wanted to share this experience in the hopes it is helpful to others. I have a 5 gal tank that I have had for a while...with Painted Fire RCS. It was neglected (long story) and got down to one inhabitant. I restocked from an online source only to find stowaway copepods that multiplied significantly. When I notified the supplier they did indicate they have had some issues with copepods but were also dismissive to say "they are not harmful". Well, that is true and it is not. They may not pose a threat to the shrimp...but I do not maintain shrimp tanks to be infested with unwanted pests. So I debated what to do including potentially starting up another tank...transferring shrimp and break down my main tank. Then I read that someone had some good luck with eliminating copepods with Chili Rasporas acting as assasins. I was gonna go that route...but those are hard to come by and quite pricey...somewhere around $30 or so for a handful of fish. So I decided to go a similar route with neon tetras and an albino cory. The thinking was the cory would patrol the lower tank and the neons would take care of any copepods above. I went to my LFS thinking I would get 3 neons....decided to up it to 5 cuz they like to school and the clerk inadvertantly got 7 in the bag and at $1.25 per or so I said sure just keep them. I put the 7 neons and the sole albino cory into the shrimp tank after acclimating them all...and lets just say magic ensued. Within hours I could barely see a copepod and previously they were everywhere. Not wanting to risk the assasins eating shrimplets I transplanted 4 of the neons after about 12 hours and at 24 hours transplanted the remaining neons to leave the cory on duty. Throughout this I did observe the neons going after copepods even some that were hiding in the substrate. I plan to leave the cory in there for a while longer at which point I will decide whether to keep him there...but likely some point transplant him as well. I will post updates on future developments...but the copepod infestation really bothered me and at the moment I am happy with the outcome.

Thanks for that information, very interesting. I had an infestation of seed shrimp (?) a few years ago, and the mosquito rasbora and killie I put in there did the same, but your fish would be safer with shrimps in the tank! Simon

Well... I just bought 3 unknown type caridina..... I don’t know what they are but they look interesting. Big Almwas reluctant to sell. Said they were rare last Friday but today they were for sale 10.00 each. 1. Looks like a red crystal but maybe it’s a red wine? The other might have black crystals genes it has black head but interesting orange tinge to the body it stead of the white. The 3rd the prettiest of them all almost looks like a sunkist orange but whit spot on skull... Al pet store calls them red bee shrimp. Now they were also kept with the raccoon tigers....so now I have 9 aldult raccoon tigers, 3 black crystals, 3 red bee, Unknown amount of raccoon shrimplets 2 batch’s of eggs waiting to be born.I soon have to set up another tank I think....

Well I see one baby I think was from one mother... and 3 from the other.... why I say this? Well 1 is a bit bigger then the other 3. I not sure where the mothers are there’s a few hiding places.....but there’s at least 5 babies.

Sadly, I believe the yellow is mostly a result of lighting. I got really excited when I saw a red shrimp with yellow stripes, then he turned slightly and the light changed and he was normal... In my observations it only occurs on the shrimp who have taken on golden color instead of white. My hopes are this is evidence of localized shadow gene dominance. I am going to try breeding King Kong Yellows into this group in hopes my theory is correct. It took every bit of wisdom I had to not just order them last night with my breeder supplies, I don't want to chance introducing disease to my main colony. Ordered supplies to setup three 10 gallons and a 20 long. They will all have Matten filter dividers, so I'll have 9 segregated enclosures. Once they are up and cycled I intend to get some more blue bolt, and yellow and red King Kongs to experiment with my theory about shadow genes.