# This hobby is soooo confusing...



## zzz (Sep 18, 2013)

Well, at least for me and sometimes I still feel like a beginner...

I was doing some internet research on blue rili shrimps and here is what I've got- 3 totally different colors:









(at https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...41829.470325053043356&type=1&relevant_count=1)









(at http://www.theshrimptank.com/dwarf-shrimp/blue-rili-shrimp/)









(at http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwinverts&1386226284)

How can you guys even buy shrimps online?
Did it ever happen that you've ordered and when shrimps arrived they looked differently than expected?


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Never mind buying online, I've seen store tanks where there were obviously at least two different shrimps other than those listed on the tank tags. Mistakes happen, and the genetic lines are such that even if you get just what you expected, their babies may not be all the same. I was recently told Chocolate Neos can have babies that are blue, another colour I forget at the mo' as well as Chocolates, because of how they were selected to get the Chocolate colour. 

The blue babies you get from the Choccies are really nice.. I think it's a bonus but if you aren't expecting it, can be a bit of a bummer I guess.


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

I laugh when I go to the chain fish shops and they have a label of fire red shrimps and Harlow grade cherries. Biggest scam ever. As far as I know, that last pic are what blue rilis are like. I haven't quite seen the others. I guess they are simply what people have achieved though specific breeding


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Common names of Neocaridina is bound to be confusing. Even the scientific name of these shrimps is getting debates (Neocaridina heteropoda or Neocaridina Davidi, same thing, for different reasons). So ask for pictures or see in person or tell the seller exactly what you are looking for or what you are getting.

First pic you posted is a high grade dream blue. The reason it's named ultra blue rili is because it's selectively bred from blue rili line. I have some of these and get tons of rili-like babies. The current development of this line almost gets rid of the middle section, a bit different from when I got them 10 months ago.

Here are some of mine,




The more rili-like offspring from the same line,


And another one


Second pic you posted is either a regular rili or a low grade blue rili. (with clear middle section)

Third pic you posted is blue Velvet or blue Panaque (no clear middle section) You may see some Blue Perl which looks similar but aren't the same. Blue Perl are closer to snow ball shrimp.

However, anyone can name their shrimps any way they want, sometimes because certain names are more popular and commanding a higher price, sometimes just purely confused.

What I said above is more following the rules most people I know follow, rule is simple, a rili should have a middle section that's either clear or in different colour than the head and tail. If you have bred fire red, you have likely gotten some regular rili shrimps in the offspring. But because from the same line you can always selectively breed out a new line without a clear section, and you can keep the rili in the name to claim its linage, I mean, it's your shrimp and you get to name it, right?

The rili came from my PFR breeding tank.


The difference between a blue rili and regular rili is that blue rili should have blue in the clear section. Why? Because regular rili (or sometimes called red rili) came out first. Then some used that line to come up with blue in the middle section. And since they wanted to distinguish this new line from the previous, the name blue rili came out. And both lines have come out for a long time (a few years in neocaridina is a long time), and their novelty has diminished, so when a newer line came out breeders would try to give it a different name (such as blue panaque). This way, they can sell them at a higher price.

If you read all I wrote above, I'm sure you are not less confused ;-) That's okay, my advise is still -- ask for pictures or see in person or tell the seller exactly what you are looking for or what you are getting.

Also, price means nothing. No reason to chase the newer line at a higher price just because they are new. These rilis are as pretty as the new lines, it's your preference. Most of them are about as easy as cherry, some newer lines are a bit finicky but not by much.


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

If I may make a post loosely related to this thread...
In that last picture, the shrimp appears to have bubbles in it's abdomen








Ive never seen that before. What is it?

Sorry for semi-threadcrapping.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

mistersprinkles said:


> If I may make a post loosely related to this thread...
> In that last picture, the shrimp appears to have bubbles in it's abdomen
> Ive never seen that before. What is it?
> 
> Sorry for semi-threadcrapping.


I don't think the bubbles are in the shrimp....


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## zzz (Sep 18, 2013)

Thanks for explanation randy as well as for nice pictures of your shrimps.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

Should I confuse it even more by adding Poison Blue neo?


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## zzz (Sep 18, 2013)

Unless you call it rili you don't make it more confusing. I'm aware that there are various blue shrimps out there with various degree of blue coloration. I just found confusing that all three color modification above were called rili.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

matti2uude said:


> Should I confuse it even more by adding Poison Blue neo?


Nice, I got a blue one with that chocolate dye (not sure how else to describe it) and with a golden back line... I have to find her and see if I can take a picture of her.


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## Shrimp Daddy (Mar 30, 2013)

mistersprinkles said:


> If I may make a post loosely related to this thread...
> In that last picture, the shrimp appears to have bubbles in it's abdomen
> 
> 
> ...


You've never had gas?


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