Im hoping to get to a point where by i can supply some LFS for some store credit or whatever. My first aim is to just gain some knowledge with them. I have a load of babies in my starter tank, and ive given up trying to count them all the time. I know ill soon have more than i can handle.
I have a heater for one of my tanks, and just bought another for my new one. I was thinking about not using one seeing they can thrive in lower temperatures. I do not know the down side to that although ive heard lower temps can be better at avoiding certain fungi attacks.
I keep my red cherries and crystal shrimps in an unheated tank atm, and they are doing fine. I also have some ricefish in there ready to go outside in late Spring (bought them this winter and felt like they shouldn't go outside immediately) The shrimps don't breed as much during winter without a heater but I don't mind that tbh, I had a lot of crystal deaths due to a dodgy heater before so happy to wait for summer for the natural temp to increase, you don't see any ugly heater in the back, and it saves on the electricity bills slightly!
So i think they need the warmer temps for faster growth, and breeding rates. Im not looking into becoming a pro breeder, so time is not a problem. I was just reading they have a higher chance of catching disease at lower temps so some of the advice out there is a bit conflicting. At lower temps the shrimp are believed to live longer, but as per usual cannot find any research other than the odd anecdotal here, and there.
