I have a nano tank full of proper reds and they're lovely, but there's also something really nice about the wild type and the weird and interesting variations they throw up, I keep culls in my big tank.
At first I kept black cherries in my big tank - I had a few ones come out black from my red cherries - and I thought it looked cool so bought some more. But then Mr Apisto got added in (this was early with not enough cover) and I watched him eat a few of them and it worried me so I fished the rest out, they had a few babies, and now they live with @Courtneybst in his beautiful contest scape where they can multiply happily. I added some cull shrimp to the tank to keep Mr Apisto amused (they had been living in my pond outside), but they've almost all survived and bred well. I think look more natural than the red ones and that compliments the tank, though some still grow up and become bright red to spite me anyway. 😂 Now the tank is grown in there's a lot of opportunity for shrimps to thrive without being eaten, I catch a lot of babies in the filter when I clean it.
I definitely recommend a little outdoor waterlily pot pond kinda thing, then you can put your cull shrimps in that without guilt, mine survive the winter and bred over the summer. Also good for some rice fish, who don't seem to eat the shrimps either.
At first I kept black cherries in my big tank - I had a few ones come out black from my red cherries - and I thought it looked cool so bought some more. But then Mr Apisto got added in (this was early with not enough cover) and I watched him eat a few of them and it worried me so I fished the rest out, they had a few babies, and now they live with @Courtneybst in his beautiful contest scape where they can multiply happily. I added some cull shrimp to the tank to keep Mr Apisto amused (they had been living in my pond outside), but they've almost all survived and bred well. I think look more natural than the red ones and that compliments the tank, though some still grow up and become bright red to spite me anyway. 😂 Now the tank is grown in there's a lot of opportunity for shrimps to thrive without being eaten, I catch a lot of babies in the filter when I clean it.
I definitely recommend a little outdoor waterlily pot pond kinda thing, then you can put your cull shrimps in that without guilt, mine survive the winter and bred over the summer. Also good for some rice fish, who don't seem to eat the shrimps either.