# Why do people mix tibees, Taiwan bees, etc?



## lll

This has been stuck on my mind for a while, but why do people mix different types of shrimp together (eg, BKK and Blue bolts, RCS, Red Wine, etc)? Also, do the hybrids breed pure (red wine x red wine = 100% RW?)? Thanks for the answers guys!

I'm also wondering if I can keep CRS sss and TBs in a ro/tap mix and what the ratio should be. I bought some netlea brown soil.


----------



## Splak

Will follow along with this! Wondered it myself too. I have always been under the impression the reason for doing so is that you get mishling shrimps which can carry genes and produce those parent shrimps in later generations. But again I'm probably all wrong here and I hope someone chimes in and clears it up!


----------



## bettaforu

All of those shrimps are basically offspring of the original CBS which was the first shrimp discovered. Then the red gene was found in the CBS and wallah
we have CRS. From crossing back and forth mutations started to emerge
which resulted in the BKK, WR. Then someone crossed a golden with a BKK
and your Blue Bolts are the result....so actually they are all the same shrimps
just genetically modified.

Keeping them all together gives you a wider range of getting more diverse colors and patterns in successive generations. Now the Red bolts are from WR x Goldens etc etc.

Crossing a Tiger shrimp (entirely different type from CRS/CBS) will result in what is termed a mischling (because it was originally done in Germany) The Mischling carries both the genes to produce a tiger or bee offspring and also another mischling. 

When Mischlings are crossed back into Taiwans (BKK/WR/Blue Bolts called this because they were first produced in Taiwan) they can produce (% unknown at this time) offspring that have unique markings ie: Spotted headed white bodied shrimps, Pinto which is a solid body with 3 stripes on the back, or a horizontal stripe called a razorback and some type of marking on the head, and Fancy striped Red and Black TiTaibee Tigers.

Also when you don't have a lot of space for tanks you might be inclined to just keep them all in the one tank. With the exception of the spotted head and titaibee tigers, the Mischlings need the same parameters as most CRS and Taiwans...low PH of 6.0-6.5

The spotted heads and titaibee tigers seem to prefer the higher PH of 7.0+ in my experience with mine. It might be different with other hobbyists, but I keep mine in these parameters and they are doing just fine.

Hope that clears some things up.

Its a personal choice whether to dedicate a tank to one type or just keep them all together and see what comes out of the pot!


----------



## lll

bettaforu said:


> All of those shrimps are basically offspring of the original CBS which was the first shrimp discovered. Then the red gene was found in the CBS and wallah
> we have CRS. From crossing back and forth mutations started to emerge
> which resulted in the BKK, WR. Then someone crossed a golden with a BKK
> and your Blue Bolts are the result....so actually they are all the same shrimps
> just genetically modified.
> 
> Keeping them all together gives you a wider range of getting more diverse colors and patterns in successive generations. Now the Red bolts are from WR x Goldens etc etc.
> 
> Crossing a Tiger shrimp (entirely different type from CRS/CBS) will result in what is termed a mischling (because it was originally done in Germany) The Mischling carries both the genes to produce a tiger or bee offspring and also another mischling.
> 
> When Mischlings are crossed back into Taiwans (BKK/WR/Blue Bolts called this because they were first produced in Taiwan) they can produce (% unknown at this time) offspring that have unique markings ie: Spotted headed white bodied shrimps, Pinto which is a solid body with 3 stripes on the back, or a horizontal stripe called a razorback and some type of marking on the head, and Fancy striped Red and Black TiTaibee Tigers.
> 
> Also when you don't have a lot of space for tanks you might be inclined to just keep them all in the one tank. With the exception of the spotted head and titaibee tigers, the Mischlings need the same parameters as most CRS and Taiwans...low PH of 6.0-6.5
> 
> The spotted heads and titaibee tigers seem to prefer the higher PH of 7.0+ in my experience with mine. It might be different with other hobbyists, but I keep mine in these parameters and they are doing just fine.
> 
> Hope that clears some things up.
> 
> Its a personal choice whether to dedicate a tank to one type or just keep them all together and see what comes out of the pot!


Awesome post with great info. Thanks betta! I was also wondering if a mixture of Taiwan bees would result in a jumble of shrimps after a few generations, or if they would still be Blue bolts, BKK ,RW and etc, or would they be oddly coloured shrimps from all the mixing?


----------



## bettaforu

thanks. I have kept and bred almost every type of dwarf shrimp on the market today,having been in it both as a hobbyist and seller of shrimps for over 8 years.

It can be very confusing with all the new shrimps on the market now, as to how to keep things right. There is NO right way! You pick the shrimps you like and house them accordingly, and hopefully the will breed for you, which isn't a guarantee either. 

Don't feel you can't ask someone if you are in doubt about what to do...we all learned the hardway. One thing keeping shrimps teaches you is Patience....and boy that can be hard.


----------



## EdC

Does this method result in a bunch of dull-coloured offspring though, or a mix of multiple attractive types?


----------



## Tamtep

That depends what generation they are and Also What do you want to achieve. If they are later generation for example F4 and more, genes are stronger and stable. However if they are in earlier generation F1/F2/F3 you will get bunch different coloured some might look like normal CBS or CRS or BKK/Panda phenotypes but they actually carry both genes...



EdC said:


> Does this method result in a bunch of dull-coloured offspring though, or a mix of multiple attractive types?


----------



## agrinberg

*Mixing Shrimp*

Sometimes its just a matter of practicality, typically you need a certain amount of shrimp in a tank so that they feel comfortable enough. In a 20 gallon I always start with at least 15, any less than that they stay hidden and rarely venture out.

This combined with the fact that initially you may not want to start a new tank for every different type of shrimp you get, combined with a curiosity of what you will get "in the mix".

But as time goes by tanks start to replicate like crazy.. kind of like snails.


----------



## agrinberg

*Taiwan Bees*

Sorry forgot to add one thing.. I read in the breeders n keepers magazine that if you mix male extreme black king Kong's with blue bolts it can result in darker higher grade blue bolts or "extreme" blue bolts.. so it can be an intentional mix like that as well.


----------



## razoredge

agrinberg said:


> Sorry forgot to add one thing.. I read in the breeders n keepers magazine that if you mix male extreme black king Kong's with blue bolts it can result in darker higher grade blue bolts or "extreme" blue bolts.. so it can be an intentional mix like that as well.


Great idea!! Luckily I had a tank that's finished recycling but I'll have to wait until my extreme BKK get a bit older before I move them and the BLue bolts into it. My mischling tank seems to produce a lot of goldens which I original thought were going to be Blue bolts.


----------



## EdC

Okay, so if I get some Aura blue tiger/pinto mischlings, their offspring would include auras, pintos and mischlings? I am assuming predominantly mischlings with maybe 10% of the others?


----------

