# What variety and grade of RCS do I have? Blood Red? Painted Fire Red? Sakua?



## Redshrimp2709 (Mar 21, 2016)

The images show the most vibrant, deep, and most solid red shrimps that I have and they are offspring of what I originally purchased from Aquarium West as RCS. Some however, have deep solid colour that is vibrant, unlike others that barely have any red to them or an even sprinkle of red 'freckles' all over. Help with identification would be awesome! Thanks guys.


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## MDT (Aug 8, 2014)

Looks like sakura or painted. Hard to tell in the pictures. With a true painted fire red, the red pigmentation in the shell is so thick that it looks like someone brushed a dense coat of red acrylic paint on it. There may be a few small cracks here and there but the density of colouration remains constant throughout.


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## Dawna (Jul 29, 2013)

It's a low grade fire red shrimp. Mostly covered in red but not quite there yet.


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## Redshrimp2709 (Mar 21, 2016)

Thanks Dawna, 

you seem pretty sure. Are you also familiar with Aquarium West's stock of freshwater ornamental shrimp? How did you identify it as low grade? I would like to learn and perhaps selective breed to slightly enhance the stock I have.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a tank full of RCS just like that. I have never advertised or sold them as anything but RCS. Given the right diet and enough hardness in the water, they grow and big and red.


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## Dawna (Jul 29, 2013)

Redshrimp2709 said:


> Thanks Dawna,
> 
> you seem pretty sure. Are you also familiar with Aquarium West's stock of freshwater ornamental shrimp? How did you identify it as low grade? I would like to learn and perhaps selective breed to slightly enhance the stock I have.


Frank (jiang604) used to teach me it. Most people just sell low grades and sakura grades together, fire reds together, PFR alone and bloody mary alone.
Some people like to be more specific about what grade they sell whereas others just generalize it while selling. Pictures are always the way to go while selling shrimps.

This image online could help: https://cralphas.files.wordpress.co...ter-shrimp-in-aquariums-red-cherry-shrimp.png

Bloody mary/red is still a type of cherry shrimp but selectively bred for the shiny blood-like appearance. It is like a high graded fire red/pfr that went through a wax job.

Also unfortunately I don't go to aquariumswest often but I know they sell various neocaridinas and caridinas that they get 'mostly' from a local breeder (don't know who though).


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## Gaia (Jun 20, 2016)

Dawna said:


> Frank (jiang604) used to teach me it. Most people just sell low grades and sakura grades together, fire reds together, PFR alone and bloody mary alone.
> Some people like to be more specific about what grade they sell whereas others just generalize it while selling. Pictures are always the way to go while selling shrimps.
> 
> This image online could help: https://cralphas.files.wordpress.co...ter-shrimp-in-aquariums-red-cherry-shrimp.png
> ...


This may be a stupid question but what is the shrimp in the 3rd picture doing? Mine do that sometimes and it freaks me out. The only one I ever had die was doing that constantly.

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## DunderBear (Nov 9, 2015)

Gaia said:


> This may be a stupid question but what is the shrimp in the 3rd picture doing? Mine do that sometimes and it freaks me out. The only one I ever had die was doing that constantly.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


Normally the female is fanning/aerating the eggs she is holding.


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## Gaia (Jun 20, 2016)

DunderBear said:


> Normally the female is fanning/aerating the eggs she is holding.


Thank you. No babies yet. Hopefully they aren't dying right after birth.

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## Ramorous (Jul 31, 2016)

Gaia said:


> This may be a stupid question but what is the shrimp in the 3rd picture doing? Mine do that sometimes and it freaks me out. The only one I ever had die was doing that constantly.


They often do this before the molt (not always) as the break is at the top of the tail section there. If you have a lot of shrimp dying it may be a calcium issue, if it was a freak occurence, well, sometimes they struggle to shed, and there is nothing you can do about it.

On topic though, the bloody mary shrimp are a different colour lines than the reds. I agree mostly with what Dawna said about the reds, peer-to-peer it is easier to just call them red (and include pictures while selling). To enhance your own breeding stock, make sure to cull out any of the ones with features you don't like (such as being under coloured) so they don't breed with your prize stock


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