# RCS acting strange ?



## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

First let me give you all a laugh,
I'm poor. So I don't have a test kit. Likely will eventually but not soon. I have only had one problem that made me buy a test kit(single for Kh) when
my plants stopped growing. Fixed that. I had little hair like things growing from my plants but the plants themselves were not growing...low Kh.
But now I just put one RCS onto my just started tank, cycled/w Safe Start differently than the instructions say cause there are no fish yet.
Anyway it's been up a week, running bio-filter/heater/light a few plants and a piece of driftwood complete/w two kinds of algae. 
But since I put the RCS in there about three hrs ago he has not stopped swimming around the tank. Not normal. This tank now has two nickle size
freshwater clams/ephippia, daphnia eggs(water flee)/Fairy Shrimp eggs and two RCS in it plus the plants. Guess I should say it's a ten gal.
Anyone on here that has seen RCS act this way please let me know if it's just because of a new environment. The first RCS I put in was tiny and
just by accident as I was transferring the driftwood he came/w it in the moss/algae. Haven't seen him since, likely won't till he gets bigger so I
didn't get to see how he acted. Don't want more than one after the last tank full. No breeding allowed !! LOL...


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

My RCS zip around the aquarium all the time. Males do it more often than not, hunting for females to knock up.

You'll know your shrimp are distressed if their color fades. Males are a lighter, more transparent red normally but your females should be as red as little cooked lobsters, normally. Also look for chalky whiteness on their exoskeletons; means they are getting ready to molt. Dosing a few drops of iodine will help them molt, if you care to help them out.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

He's about half growed but that don't mean it's not from what you said. He also calmed down a bit. Now instead of continuous it's from corner to corner
with a brief stop at each place. Thought he'd run out of energy sooner or later but 3 hrs none stop ? If you have that many you've seen what I have.
A mutation happened a couple of months after I first got them. Now there are some normal color but there are two distinctly different color variations
also. One that has a lighter red strip down the back. And one that has lost color on most of each scale except the rear edge of it giving it the apearance 
of a tiger except that it is red and clear. 
Aquarium Gallery - mutant color on RCS
It's one of those that I put in the new tank. Might try to save one of the crown type but don't really want another heard of them in this tank as the 
result of breeding.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Looks like a bunch of males and females. Might want to get some iodine - the females look ready to molt.


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## Sherry (Nov 22, 2011)

My RCS look exactly like that during feeding time. I love my rcs, wonderful creatures. Just found baby shrimplets yesterday. I must be doing something right.


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