Shrimpscales Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Just wondering if anyone can recommend a food or mineral that can increase the color of blue bolt shrimp. I recently bought some high grade blue bolts and they seem very healthy but lost a little color after having them for a month or so. I have noticed the same problem with blue bolts i have bred myself. I keep them in ro water with salty shrimp gh+. They are fed a variety of high quality fresh and commercial food including binibachi gold and borneo wild grow.The picture is what it looked like when i first got it now it is showing some white on the back half. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Not saying this is what happened to you, however some people will feed foods to increase color without telling the buyer. What happens then is that the shrimp lose color later when fed different foods. As long as the buyer knows a food is used to increase color when buying, I have no problem with it. It is only when a seller sells to an unsuspecting buyer that I have my problem. Tracy and eozen81 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenteam Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 This is my personal experience with blue bolts so not absolute. When I used BT-9 I would notice my BB's would turn a dark blue and slowly over weeks fade back down to a light blue. I never gave them color enhancing foods I just supplemented a little bit of extra minerals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eozen81 Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 This is a nice question as I also read that food triggers colouring for blue bolts a lot. I am not sure if this is valid onyl for Blue bolts or other Taiwan shrimps as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4n Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I've had great success with MK-Breed Black Diamond. I've fed it to culled royal blue tigers and turned them solid dark blue. also same goes for pandas I've fed turning them into a blue tinted shadow panda. let me know if your interested in trying some. I would love to see if it will work for blue bolts also. DETAquarium and ANBU 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpscales Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Thanks all. I have blue tigers as well and have noticed their color can vary greatly form month to month. I have heard of the bt-9 but not the mk- breed black diamond. I would like to try both and see if it has any effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4n Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I can help you with both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpscales Posted November 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Just ordered. Love this site, its nice to have contact with others who have the same obsession with these tiny creatures. I live in a small town in Iowa and if it wasnt for the net and sites like this it would be impossible for people like me to pursue such a hobby. Thanks countryboy12484, Desireenfh, Pika and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h4n Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 thanks! Yes this is best spot for all us shrimpers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 One trick that most sellers try not to tell you is blue shrimps get bluer when under stress. When you just receive BB or OEBT, their colour will be much more intense. As they get used to your tank they will become lighter. My experience on BB is they should get to their best colour (without stress factor) when they go into breeding size. See this big mama.... she wasn't like that until she got close to breeding size. She was no more than like this at juvi size. h4n, Soothing Shrimp and eozen81 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I totally agree with Randy on this one. once they get settled in and mature they color up nicely. I've NEVER found any kind of food to help with their color. One trick that most sellers try not to tell you is blue shrimps get bluer when under stress. When you just receive BB or OEBT, their colour will be much more intense. As they get used to your tank they will become lighter. My experience on BB is they should get to their best colour (without stress factor) when they go into breeding size. See this big mama.... she wasn't like that until she got close to breeding size. She was no more than like this at juvi size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eozen81 Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I asked the owener of blue shrimps below and he confirmed he does nothing special about food but only keeping some black males (2nd pic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I wouldn't say no food helps in colour, but food alone won't do it. Healthy balanced nutrition is good for everything in life, ours or the shrimps'. h4n and Pika 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I’ve been keeping shrimps and breeding them for more than 7yrs now, and what I’ve learned from keeping and breeding shrimps is there will always been products available on the market that will claim this and that. After spending a lot and testing a lot, I found that in terms of foods, there are VERY little differences among commercialized foods. It’s great that everyone likes to try different things because it keeps the hobby and passion strong. I know I always get excited when I get new equipment or foods to try on my shrimps. On the food front, I found there’s a lot more horror stories associated with foods containing “color enhancing” properties than happy stories. Often, hobbyists buy into these specialized foods only to find their shrimps turning into a sort of ugly brown. Hence, I’m a firm believer in finding a food that works and is affordable. There is not magical shrimp food that will make an ugly (poor genetics) shrimps into a beautiful prize winning shrimp. This leads me to my second point, genetics. More often than not, a shrimp is limited by their genetics. A shrimp with poor genetics can only look so good, but a shrimp with great genetics will look great, even under stress. Randy hit the nail on the head when he said that “blue shrimps get bluer when under stress” because this is true. Shrimps DO look bluer when they’re stressed (usually fresh from overseas shipping or long distance shipping). What you do notice is that a stressed blue color shrimp will have an almost transparent blue color. What I mean is, the shells of the stressed shrimp, will be clear with hints of blue. Thus, a true representation of how a shrimp will look can only be determined when they’re not under stressed and usually as adults. You can confirm this by closely inspecting a few macro shots of shrimps whose been shipped from overseas, mainly Blue Bolts and Mosura Blue Pandas. They will demonstrate very clear nearly transparent shells. Healthy and happy Blue Bolts (with good genetics) will have a varying degrees of blue but opaque shells (Color intensity and opaqueness is a known attribute of Taiwan Bees). Lastly, given an unstressed state of being and good/great genetics, shrimps require good/great parameters to demonstrate great colors. It makes sense in a way, because given great genetics, if you’re living in less than ideal conditions a champion won’t look like a champion. I will use my Mosura Blue Bolt (and other TB and Bolts inside my tank) as an example. When I first got my Mosura Blue Bolt (It was not originally purchased as a Mosura Blue Bolt) it had very poor coverage. It was nearly transparent. The only saving grace was the Mosura Crown it had above its head. Around the same time, I had other Pandas and Blue Bolt inside my tank that had “okay” colors. After exploring online and coming across a blog, I learned that a shrimp lacking necessary minerals and nutrients. Long story short, I was able to get my hands on such minerals and after dosing it and waiting, the Mosura Blue Bolts (along with all the Taiwan Bees) inside my tank colored up. Everyone is healthy and their shells are opaque to the point of being shinny. So… take away from my rant is, there’s many influence factors that makes up a beautiful Blue Bolt or Blue Shrimps. Genetics, current state of being, given living conditions, etc. all play a role in achieving this. Finding the proper balance and providing what they need is critical. It’s the difference between keeping shrimps alive & breeding and keeping shrimps alive & thriving! Example of the Mosura Blue Bolt and some of her tank mates. Below is example of before/after what I (at the time) considered half bodied Blue Bolt. Her today (no longer considered a half bodied Blue Bolt) She is also a good example of genetics influencing her maximin potential. She isn't a super high grade, but with proper minerals and ideal parameters, she definitely my rags to richest happy story. randy and Tracy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 After exploring online and coming across a blog, I learned that a shrimp lacking necessary minerals and nutrients. Long story short, I was able to get my hands on such minerals and after dosing it and waiting, the Mosura Blue Bolts (along with all the Taiwan Bees) inside my tank colored up. Everyone is healthy and their shells are opaque to the point of being shinny. care to share ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 I don't mind at all. I think I've mentioned before, but its Hyoushoku aka ShrimpyDaddy (you can google ShrimpyDaddy for his detailed blogs). I've been a long time user of his Revive products ranging from minerals to mineralizers and also foods. I've recently switched my Taiwan Bee tanks over to utilizing his mineralizers. The switch from salts to liquids has been pretty good. Shrimps are all healthy and happy. I just didn't post his name because I didn't want to shameless plug incase people find offense. Anywhose, I've had great success with the Revive Mineral and Revive Vivace products. EricM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpscales Posted November 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 Fascinating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted November 5, 2014 Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 yes liquids are my choice for remineralizer now also. I would live to give his line of products a try but doesnt seem to be in the cards just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted November 5, 2014 Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 yes liquids are my choice for remineralizer now also. I would live to give his line of products a try but doesnt seem to be in the cards just yet. Hah! Tell me about it. I've been hunting for months and still no success finding good black tigers to start my pinto project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctaylor3737 Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 I would also say that there is really not much that can be done to affect the color of the shrimp. If you water is really bad that can have an effect on them. I have had blue bolts go from deep blue to almost white then the next week be back to normal. I also keep shadow mosuras which also seems to change from month to month on the color and pattern of the shrimp. I think it really comes down to genetics as long as the basic parameters are met and its a matured tank they should do fine and will change and adapt to the conditions of their surroundings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sbarbee54 Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 I had over a thousand btoe if you wanted some should have hit me up before I sold them all. I am down to 20 now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 I had over a thousand btoe if you wanted some should have hit me up before I sold them all. I am down to 20 now I did!!! You were always sold out or something happened to your tank were you were left with limited supply. [emoji24] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpscales Posted November 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 I received some of the mk breed black diamond food today. The shrimp definitely like it. I will keep you all posted as far as color in my blue bolts as well as blue tigers. As long as it is a natural food with minerals that enhance color i think its worth a try anyway. countryboy12484, h4n and Soothing Shrimp 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countryboy12484 Posted November 11, 2014 Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 I just started using mk blood diamond liquid yesterday.. Ill keep you guys posted on the results! So far so good! Woke up to a berried golden! mayphly and h4n 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 I just started using mk blood diamond liquid yesterday.. Ill keep you guys posted on the results! So far so good! Woke up to a berried golden! Hey Country how are you using the Blood Diamond? Daily, Weekly, at Water Changes, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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