shrimpnow! // Meet the members

**imke_j** · 22nd Sep 2011, 02:32 PM

We thought you would like the idea of having some of our members presented in a short interview. As there is no better thing to learn from others experiences, hopefully you'll enjoy it

The first interview is in preparation - I guess we are ready to publish in a few days!

**Soothing Shrimp** · 22nd Sep 2011, 03:51 PM

Sounds great!

**Jrwestcoast** · 22nd Sep 2011, 05:21 PM

That sounds great, looking forward to interviews.

**imke_j** · 11th Oct 2011, 04:33 AM

Tell us a little bit about yourself, please
I started breeding shrimps in 2008, when I was about 11 years old. I first began this adventure with some simple Atyaephyra desmaresti, although I never got to breed this specie, since I had to give them away, and also because their reproduction cycle, goes through a larvae phase, and I had just beginning the hole aquarium hobby. Has most people the first shrimp I ever bred was Neocaridina heteropoda var. ‘red cherry’.

How many tanks do you currently have?
Currently, I’m only keeping 7 aquariums alive, and preparing myself to dive in a small saltwater reef.

What`s your favorite shrimp and why?
It’s really difficult to name a favorite shrimp. There are, literally, a million species that I could name in this interview, and that I love, all of them for different reasons. All of them have unique breeding and feeding habits, all of them have different aspects, and different behaviors. Although, let’s just say that I’m particularly fond of the cantonensis genus in general, specially, species such has crystal red and tiger shrimp.

How much time do you spend weekly (or daily) with the hobby?
With the hobby itself, maintaining the aquariums, spent in average 1-2 hours daily. And with the hobby in general, including forums, writing and publishing the ShrimpScaping magazine, I can spend (when it’s possible), 3-4 hours daily. What means that I spend in average something around 20 to 30 hours weekly, more or less, what is a shame, since I still spend more time in school, than with my hobby.

Three web pages you find useful:
It’s really difficult to shorten a list of about 20 forums and websites, in which I’m registered into only three, so, with shrimp-attack’s website aside, here goes my favorites:

These last two are not fully dedicated to shrimps, but fish keeping in general, but I find the really great and actually the two best general forums in Portugal. That and I’m part of the staff in the 2nd one.

Your personal motto is?
Be patient, make sure you plan things, in order to do everything right, at the first attempt, without putting in risk the life of living creatures. Although, never give up, and most of all, always learn with your mistakes. The information available in the Web, specially in forums is great, but there’s nothing like learning with your own experience, and if so, mistakes.

You are the publisher of the shrimp scaping magazine. Tell us more!
Yes, that’s true, although I haven’t had much time for this project, I haven’t given up. The ShrimpScaping magazine is a Portuguese magazine, about invertebrates. It all started in May, 2010, with it’s announcement and the publishing of the 1st edition in a group visit in the “Aquário vasco da Gama”, here in Portugal. Since than a few editions have been published, and also a few contests have been organized. You can visit our website, here: www.shrimpscapingmagazine.pt.am

What think you family and friends of your shrimp enthusiasm?
Not much, let me tell you. They only like them, when zoomed in, in a nice picture. Otherwise, for them, the shrimps are nothing but tiny boring creatures. I disagree off course.

As a teen, what want you adult shrimp keepers to say?
Do you feel fully accepted in the community forums? Yes, I never felt any problems concerning my age in forums, and in events. Actually I have competed in live, aquascaping competitions, and I always, noted an enormous, respect and attention concerning other competitors, and I can just say that I have made tons of friends, that are certainly old enough to be my parents.

Thanks to Hugo F. for this interview