stripes maintenance of Tiger shrimp

[Daudin]

Will I have to permanently select the best trait animals in every generation to maintain typically stripes of Tiger shrimps?

[Robert]

Hi,
yes it would be the best thing to select the best colored shrimps for breeding. In a large good colored group it is perhaps not necessary but nowadays many tiger shrimps are the result of inbreeding and such bad colored ones appear quit often. When I started breeding them in 2002 I didn't have such problems and my line never showed any specimen with thin or broken stripes. But to make sure you don't loose this distinctive pattern select the best ones.

regards
Robert

[Daudin]

When I ordered my Tiger shrimp I imagine broad stripes as speciments in beautiful internet photos. I was dissapointed. Shrimps have narrow and broken stripes and some even have no stripes. I would like to ask you. Is coloration of specimen of first photo of your Tiger species description normal or exceptional? Potencial problem or disadvantage in Tiger shrimp selection is sex maturation preceding to full coloration :-(. Advantage in selection is shrimp fast grow and early maturation :-). How serious problem is inbreeding in shrimps? How many generation may I cross relative specimens? Do you have some inbreeding problems or experience? I´m afraid that strong interbreeding animals will sensitive and easy to die.

[Robert]

Hi,
my pictures of my nromal tiger shrimps show no special specimen, just some which found the way to my Camera's lense :) .

Inbreeding can become a problem. I had to inbreed once my green shrimps. I started with a single pair and breed them then for years. In the F6 and F7 I got big problems and in the end I lost the strain because I couldn't some fresh blood (I guess at least 30-40% of all green shrimps in Germany have ancestors of my strain because I was one of the first who bred and sold them). I bought some new green shrimps but they belonged to another species and so I got no offspring.

I also inbreed my tigers to the F5 or F6 but I don't have such problems because I crossed some fresh blood into the line in every second or third generation. It helps a lot. With too much inbreeding they can become very sensitive and there fertility decreases a lot.

regards
Robert

[Walter]

By selecting good quality parents obviously passes the good genes over their spawns. :D

Of course there are exceptions but the possibility is higher with those showing better traits. It meant the desired genes that you want is there. :)