Neocaridina backstripe, is it grade or preference in breeding, and how to get rid of it

[uuaaayyy]

Recently most red, orange, yellow and green neos in local shrimp store have back stripe, in tanks marked with general strain name, like high grade fire red, orange rili and pumpkin. Young and old shrimp have it. Is it a breed specific, someone intentionally bred them to have it, or a low grade shrimp? Could anything be done to remove it in future generations or better to get a breeding stock without it? Only some lower grade reds are without it locally.

[JSak]

I'm not sure if the backline is specifically a grade standard, but personally I like the color distinction with the backline. I've seen wild shrimp in streams that were dark brown/blueish with a pretty prominent backline so it might have some genetic roots to the ancestral wild-type neos. I'm sure there are breeders/sellers online that have neos without the backline or you may be able to ask on forums like this for breeders who specifically have neos without the backline that breed relatively true. I don't buy shrimp from pet stores anymore, but if most of them have it I'd have to guess that they're just more popular than shrimp without the backline. Pet stores will go with what's most popular and is more likely to bring in money. If you have a good enough relationship with your stores maybe you can ask them about possibly bringing in neos without the backline?

 

If you'd like to do it the old fashioned way, you could buy the ones with backlines and as they breed select for the ones without the backline or ones with a less prominent backline, either by placing them in a separate tank or removing the ones with the backline (since your local stores sell the ones with backlines I'd think they'd be happy to take your backline neos that you don't want). As you keep selectively breeding for the shrimp that don't have the backline or is less prominent the backline should disappear over the generations and eventually you can have a colony of neos without the backline that will hopefully breed relatively true. I'd find it hard to believe there's any shrimp that breeds 100% true so you might get backlines every now and then but you can always give those away. 

[uuaaayyy]

Thank you! I'll see if I can find breeding stock without it and will watch how the current shrimp will be breeding.

[Danky808]

Sorry about the picture quality! The camera for my iPhone XR has A cracked lense so it has A hard time focusing and producing clear pictures! 
 

This shrimp isn’t mine, it’s just one of the parents of the unknown FreshWater Cherry Shrimp babies I just received. This shrimp is actually A VERY VERY Dark Red, like A dark maroon color. But it’s Dark Yellow Backstrap gives it some contrast, this is the only one out of A group of 7 Adult Cherries that has that stripe in the middle starting at its head extending completely down to the end of its tail

[FishyMamma]

Pardon my ignorance, I am new to shrimp breeding.  I have quite a few of my fire red painted neos with a whitish line like that. I thought maybe it was the beginning of the molting process.  Is that possible?  See pic.  I’m referring to the shrimp on the center right with the whitish line.  

Edited April 24, 2020 by FishyMamma
Typos

[uuaaayyy]

I am new to shrimp with backstripe, few months, but it is permanent in my shrimp, it could become paler or visible under certain angle of light, but it's always there. Related to molting is light stripe across the body, a beginning of molting. If found on the dead shrimp, it's called white ring of death.