Need Help Grading A Particular Crs!

[ech0o]

Have a really neat CRS starting to get a little bigger and I can finally distinguish his colors good, was wondering if anyone had any idea what he/she would be graded or what kind of color variation, I look at charts and he seems to be right in between on grades.  Anyone have any idea?
 

 

[bigcheed]

im pretty new to crystal reds my self but i have a couple that are very similar. i believe he would be grade A tigers tooth. i may be wrong its just my opinion. he is a fantastic looking fellow though. well done. what are your water parameters if you don't mind me asking. always looking for extra knowledge and tips. my colony are breeding like crazy. i have lots of little fellers swimming around.lol

 

[fm1978]

Somewhere in between A and S but much closer to S.
 
Nice colouring!

 

[ech0o]

I keep them with my orange sakuras so my levels are by no means what people suggest for CRS.   I actually haven't tested PH in a while but the tank is filled with scoria which I have heard should raise the PH, and everyone says to keep the CRS in acidic water (they seem much much much happier with the scoria, their colors have really intensified and the whites have brightened up, but I have heard it will affect breeding).   My water stays at about 23 degrees celc.   They eat 3 different foods, veggie stick, algae wafer, and spirulina powder.  

 

[fm1978]

Sounds about right.,..
 
Your temp is on the high end of their range but totally fine. ph should be 6.0 - 6.8. How about your TDS? Should be about 80 - 180.

 

[ech0o]

Oh i am sure my ph is no where near 6.8 LOL, probably maybe something closer to 7-7.5, any way to buffer down?

 

[fm1978]

Don't worry too much, they are quite tolerant of some water params, except the usual NH3/NH4, NO3 etc...
 
You could try bogwood or mopani wood which should naturally lower the ph by releasing tannins. 

 

[bigcheed]

I bought my crs on ebay. they were quite cheap so i dident expect them to be high grade at all. they are a mix of between a and c. some are very white others are not. bog wood is a must for breeding any dwarf shrimp. i had real trouble getting my cherry shrimp to breed at first. the addition of bogwood and catapa leaf has worked wonders. all my shrimp are breeding like crazy. i keep the temp at 21oc. my ph is always and has always been 7.2. its pretty standard for the area i live in. it bothered me for ages but after a bit of soul searching with local breeders and fish stores ive found that in the grand scheme of things its fine. heres a couple of pics of my set up. love yours by the way.

 

[ech0o]

my largest that is photographed is only between 1/2 and 3/4", how big until breeding occurs?

 

[bigcheed]

my crs where all adult size when I bought them. some of the females were already berried. but if they are like cherrys at about an inch long. its difficult to tell when crs females are saddled with eggs because of their colour. but you will notice when they are carrying them. you will see the brown coloured eggs under the females swimmerettes.  also don't be alarmed if you find some of your shrimp going nuts one night. when the female is ready to mate she will release a chemical into the water to let the males know. it sends them crazy. can be a little unnerving if you've never seen it before and don't know whats happening.

 

[fm1978]

my crs where all adult size when I bought them. some of the females were already berried. but if they are like cherrys at about an inch long. its difficult to tell when crs females are saddled with eggs because of their colour. but you will notice when they are carrying them. you will see the brown coloured eggs under the females swimmerettes.  also don't be alarmed if you find some of your shrimp going nuts one night. when the female is ready to mate she will release a chemical into the water to let the males know. it sends them crazy. can be a little unnerving if you've never seen it before and don't know whats happening.

 
Yeah, that's true. I got a bit of a fright when I seen that for the first time! They go mental as if they're about to explode!
 
As for sexual maturity - age-wise, it's about 3 - 4 months old. Difficult to say just by looking but I suppose some indication might be when full colouration has been reached.