Marketability of captive bred blood shrimps

[FuEl]

After seeing a post in arofanatics about a crystal red shrimp selling for $1500 , I was wondering if breeding marine shrimps are even worth the hassle. For one thing marine shrimps have larval stages, unlike freshwater shrimps which are easy to raise. For blood shrimp larvae to settle, it takes about 2 months. And an additional month of growout is needed if they are sold between 1-2 cm. The above pricing is for this size range, which is great for nano tanks. If current commercial sizes are to be reached it would take at least 8 months of grow-out, needless to say shrimp will become more expensive by then. Maybe at twice the price? Growing out shrimp is not cheap. Blood shrimps have lifespans of about 2-3 years (that is what I have heard), so it is sometimes advantageous to get not too large specimens.

So the question is, how much are reefers here willing to pay? Probably from this poll I can extrapolate it to other species as well. Just need to find out if blood shrimps are even worth the hassle. Obviously this poll would have furthur consequences in the future sustainability of the marine hobby so please vote with consideration to this.

[MadScientist]

Shrimp at $1500?!?!?! Wow, that's more than what a lobster costs! Captive breeding is never profitable. The costs involved are just way too high. Catching from wild is so much cheaper. It may be difficult to market out since it's difficult to match the price of a wild one. This is my 5 cents worth, haiz, y they phase out 1 cent, ?

[Terryz_]

Most reefers wun wanna pay more for CB shrimp(smaller) when they can get WC shrimp (bigger) at that price too..

Singapore is too small a market to promote CB stocks... Not many ppl are willing to spend more money to get CB fishes and inverts...

[arcanehacker]

Why would people pay $1500 for a shimp which probably wouldn't live more that 3-4yrs?

Unless its some lobster that is able to live way past 5yrs.

or a really large lobster laid on a platter with excellent garnishes..

[arcanehacker]

Most reefers wun wanna pay more for CB shrimp(smaller) when they can get WC shrimp (bigger) at that price too..

Singapore is too small a market to promote CB stocks... Not many ppl are willing to spend more money to get CB fishes and inverts...

whats CB and WC (Waste collector?) ? Can we not use so many abreviations.. its getting confusing..

[neokn]

whats CB and WC (Waste collector?) ? Can we not use so many abreviations.. its getting confusing.. 

At first I was shock at it too.

CB - Captive breed.

WC - Wild caught

Genrally, CB or AC Ls are more expensive than WC LS. As CD or AC LS have a higher survival rate than WC LS.

[Nickel]

That piece of crystal red shrimp (CRS) mentioned is probably not the highest you will come across for good grades.

Cannot be compared as suggested in this thread as CRS as graded. Grades can range from very low C grade (S$2.40 @ at current lfs market prices) to very high grades of Mosura which is very sought after and rare. There are at least 7 grades just for such CRS. Further, very low probablilty and success raising of such high-grade offsprings even from high-graded CRS parents will dictate the market value of such grades of shrimps. Marine shrimps are never graded and same specis of shrimps almost always looks alike.

These CRS shrimps are the current craze of Japan. Everyone will know anything in Japan when it is the craze, $ value knows no bound.

CRS has a life span of around 1.5 years with tight water parameters control and breeding (genes) management. However, if you can breed them successfully, the payback from investment is there.

Hope info helps offer some lights to discussion.

[Fuzzy]

CRS prices have plunged drastically in recent days, so I guess now the breeding of marine shrimp is looking like a more attractive prospect!

$1500 for a single CRS is never seen any more these days, especially locally.

The most expensive and rare mutations of Bee Shrimp in Singapore are presently "King Kong" (predominantly black) and "Red Wine" (Predominantly red)

and they go for up to $300 - $400 a piece.

They are not expensive because of their survivability or longevity, it's just that the cull rate and the chance for certain genetic mutations is so low

that it's like playing the lottery to get a certain set of traits expressed.

Additionally they are very fragile shrimp, I believe the entire stock of CRS worldwide has been bred originally from less than a dozen red mutations by

the original Japanese breeder.

The highest grades of CRS are incredibly inbred from this selection process and require temperatures between 23C - 26C and pristine water conditions to thrive

and in some cases just to survive. It's not uncommon to hear stories of blackouts or weekend vacations and other minor mishaps wiping out entire tanks of CRS.

So really, even if this specimen was worth $1500.00 (most unlikely) you might never be able to genetically select for the traits that it expresses with your own CRS,

without sheer luck or an incredibly enormous investment into breeding CRS and then culling 99.999% of each of the subsequent generations.

[DUCADOS]

In order not to feel the pinch due to selling CB shrimp for little profit.

The only way is to do it in a ''Breeding while reef keeping way''

E.g,breed them like the way we keep them.Dun think about the profit etc...

If come out how many shrimp then just treat it as a bonus lo.(Extra income)

As for advantages n disadvantages for people to purchase CB or WC specimen depend.

If u r going for real good grade,WC can provide it most of time but not CB.

For CB it can guarantee no parasite etc but not for WC.

Pardon me if i'm wrong

[Underwater]

Personally i thought marine shrimps are many times nicer and hardier than those CRS. CRS needs even cooler waters than marine shrimps also. Talk about willingness to spend lots of money on CRS, in marine, there are also many reefers who are willing to spend quite a bit to buy rare fishes, some even with very low survival rates. When it dies, all the money spent also goes with it. It's a matter of choice and how deep the pockets.

Coming back to CB, I don't mind spending a little more to buy cos the livestock will be more stable and CB also help to reduce the demand on wild caught specimens, living them time to reproduce and populate. Actually looking at the rate and quantity of livestock we get every week in shipments at the farms, I wonder how long can this scene last. Won't we deplete the stock in the ocean one day if they are caught indiscriminately? I once saw the shipment of very tiny blue tangs(poor survival rate if of such size) in a LFS and most of them were either struggling to survive or already died on the tank bottom.

[DUCADOS]

+1 for bro underwater. As for the tiny blue tang he mentioned I did saw also at CF. was really small until dunno like wat.

Anyway wat bro underwater trying to emphasized I would do it with a word ''SAVING GAIA''

[FuEl]

Going back to the initial purpose of this thread, there is no point in breeding blood shrimps here.

If blood shrimps are to be bred in Australia, then yes. Over there, a single blood shrimp will set you around AUS $100 per shrimp.

As for the polls, even if the shrimp is captive bred, most people will not pay more than $10. So in terms of economic feasibility, it is impossible. The only way for this to work is for wild-caught bloodshrimps to be banned for the trade, or even become extinct. Both these possibilities are highly unlikely.

This is a classic example of how hobbyist mindset can greatly influence the sustainability of the marine hobby.

[DUCADOS]

Wow... Didn't know blood shrimp over there can fetch such price...

If I can breed n sell that kinda price over here I think I very fast drive Lambo liao.

[Terryz_]

Wow... Didn't know blood shrimp over there can fetch such price...

If I can breed n sell that kinda price over here I think I very fast drive Lambo liao.

You will be surprised how much FW fishes will cost there compared to singapore...

[DUCADOS]

You will be surprised how much FW fishes will cost there compared to singapore...

Ya i know n i really not gonna be susprise.

Like the Indian Star Tortoises in local we use to get them around 30 - 50,even now so little people doing liao we can still fetch at around 160 - 180 but in the states it easily cost $500 USD.

[FuEl]

Ya i know n i really not gonna be susprise.

Like the Indian Star Tortoises in local we use to get them around 30 - 50,even now so little people doing liao we can still fetch at around 160 - 180 but in the states it easily cost $500 USD.

The difference is that in the States it is legal. If it was legal here, the pricing will easily be SGD $500 per pc as well.

[DUCADOS]

The difference is that in the States it is legal. If it was legal here, the pricing will easily be SGD $500 per pc as well.

Bro Fuel,i think u make a mistake. What i mean was in singapore it was sold 160-180 now despite illegal but in states it can fetch easily $500 USD (legal)

It's not due to legal or illegal. It's the distance for importing the livestock. For us despite illegal,it's really much more easy n near to attain such specimen n for all i know their side is legal but they r facing high selling prices for such specimen. Transporting these item to there is a killing...

[FuEl]

Bro Fuel,i think u make a mistake. What i mean was in singapore it was sold 160-180 now despite illegal but in states it can fetch easily $500 USD (legal)

It's not due to legal or illegal. It's the distance for importing the livestock. For us despite illegal,it's really much more easy n near to attain such specimen n for all i know their side is legal but they r facing high selling prices for such specimen. Transporting these item to there is a killing...

No I meant it. 160-180 is cheap, for something illegal. People have to sell so cheap to clear stock as it is illegal. Once these kind of things become legal, do not expect prices to be the same as it is now. It will definitely go up. Take Hongkong for example, look at the prices there.

Topic closed. Too off topic.