Sexing
Male shrimp are a less intense red, being mostly clear with red spots on them. Females are bright red. As the females mature, you may notice a yellow patch in the neck area – these are the ovaries.
Breeding
As long as you have both males and females in your tank, and no predators, you shouldn’t have problems breeding these shrimp.
Once a female is mature, she will begin producing eggs. A male will sense this, and deposit a sperm packet on the female to fertilize the eggs. If there is no male present, the unfertilized eggs will be dropped within a few days.
The female carries fertilized eggs for around 22 to 28 days, after which she releases them as fully formed babies. You will see the female carrying the yellow eggs in her swim bladder, and aerating them occasionally. Extreme stress can cause the female to drop her eggs. A first-time mother will also sometimes drop her eggs.
A female will produce somewhere between 10 and 20 babies, usually. The babies are about 1mm long, and look like miniature versions of the parents. The babies are usually almost clear when released, and take on a reddish color within a few days.
It’s a good idea to put a sponge or mesh covering over the intake of a power/hang on back filter to stop the babies from being sucked up into the filter. Even if they are sucked up, they often survive.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Food Review : Lunch at Nando's Gurney Plaza
1/4 Chicken with Rice at Extra Hot Peri-Peri levelI ate this today at the recently-opened Nando's at Gurney Plaza. The place was crawling with people since the new wing of Gurney Plaza had opened just last week. The chicken was tender and not overdone on the grill. However, it still did not meet my Extra Hot level expectation... when Nando's first opened, the Extra Hot Peri Peri was mindblowing, but these days it has calmed down to a tamer level. The rice was excellent as usual, I've always loved the Mediterranean rice with the onions, peas and carrots in it.
Pros :
- No complains on the food.
- The ambience was good, we had a good view of Gurney Place due to the wall-to-floor glass walls.
Cons :
- No plain/warm water provided, I would expect a restaurant of Nando's level to be able to provide its guests with some drinking water, it was not provided despite 3 separate requests for warm water (we brought our 78-year-old aunt out for lunch). A BIG con in my view.
- Service was poor, could be due to the branch being new and all.
Conclusion : All in all, I'd recommend to give this restaurant a miss until they get all their operations and customer service in order.
Pros :
- No complains on the food.
- The ambience was good, we had a good view of Gurney Place due to the wall-to-floor glass walls.
Cons :
- No plain/warm water provided, I would expect a restaurant of Nando's level to be able to provide its guests with some drinking water, it was not provided despite 3 separate requests for warm water (we brought our 78-year-old aunt out for lunch). A BIG con in my view.
- Service was poor, could be due to the branch being new and all.
Conclusion : All in all, I'd recommend to give this restaurant a miss until they get all their operations and customer service in order.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Cherry Shrimp - Tank & Care
Cherry shrimps are easy to keep, requiring only an absence of predators and low nitrates (under 10ppm). They do well in a planted tank, and happily spend their days eating algae and leftover food.
A basic tank contain just sand and stones which can be setup easily
Date of Setup of Planted Tank : 24 Nov 08
Dimension: 27cm x 16cm x 16cm
Volume: 7L
Total Population: 10 Cherry Shrimps
Filter: Nil
Gravel: Brown
Lighting: Nil
CO2: Nil
P/S: Check out the article on how much cost to set up a basic tank and how to go on from there.
If you keep them in a species tank with little or no algae, feed them a variety of foods, such as algae wafers, shrimp pellets, vegetables or special foods for crabs/lobsters. A good supply of calcium in the shrimps’ diet is important, as is iodine.
Some aquarists add some reef iodine supplement to the tank (half recommended dose, every two weeks or so) to help with molting. Molting is the periodic shedding of the outer skin. There is controversy about whether the shrimp can use iodine in the water column or not. As they grow, the shrimp molt on a regular basis. As they get larger, they molt less frequently.
It is fine to leave the molted skins in the tank, as the shrimp will often eat them to gain back the nutrients lost on the skin. A 5g or 10g tank is fine for these shrimp. If you plan to breed these, small tank mates that will not eat the young are the best choice. Bottom feeders such as otocinclus or pygmy cories would be fine. Smaller rasboras or very small livebearers might also be a good choice.
Dimension: 27cm x 16cm x 16cm
Volume: 7L
Total Population: 10 Cherry Shrimps
Filter: Nil
Gravel: Brown
Lighting: Nil
CO2: Nil
If you keep them in a species tank with little or no algae, feed them a variety of foods, such as algae wafers, shrimp pellets, vegetables or special foods for crabs/lobsters. A good supply of calcium in the shrimps’ diet is important, as is iodine.
Some aquarists add some reef iodine supplement to the tank (half recommended dose, every two weeks or so) to help with molting. Molting is the periodic shedding of the outer skin. There is controversy about whether the shrimp can use iodine in the water column or not. As they grow, the shrimp molt on a regular basis. As they get larger, they molt less frequently.
It is fine to leave the molted skins in the tank, as the shrimp will often eat them to gain back the nutrients lost on the skin. A 5g or 10g tank is fine for these shrimp. If you plan to breed these, small tank mates that will not eat the young are the best choice. Bottom feeders such as otocinclus or pygmy cories would be fine. Smaller rasboras or very small livebearers might also be a good choice.
How To : Rear Cherry Shrimp
Whenever there is a discussion about aquarium, it has always been about fish. People share their experiences rearing fish, the different type of filter used, method of taking care of the fish and even tips on cleaning the aquarium.
If you want to try a new hobby related to aquarium or aquatic creatures, but not fish, now you can try rearing cherry shrimp.
The origin of Cherry Shrimp can be traced back to Cambodia or Thailand. Generally, cherry shrimp are small in size and can grow up to about 1.5 - 2 inches. Cherry shrimp are peaceful creatures and tend to be eaten by larger fish. So, if you want to put the cherry shrimp and fish together in the same tank, it is advisable to try putting a few cherry shrimp into the tank and monitor if the fish would eat them up. Otherwise, it would be a waste of money, although cherry shrimp is somewhat inexpensive; you can get it for around RM2 per shrimp.
Scientific name: Neocaridina denticulata sinesis
Origin: Cambodia, Thailand
Temperature: 75 - 86
pH: 6-8
Maximum Size: 1.5 - 2 inches
Temperament: Peaceful algae eating shrimp, will be eaten by larger fish
Color: Cherry shrimp are a color variation of the sinensis shrimp, which also come in a brown color and a green color.
If you want to try a new hobby related to aquarium or aquatic creatures, but not fish, now you can try rearing cherry shrimp.
The origin of Cherry Shrimp can be traced back to Cambodia or Thailand. Generally, cherry shrimp are small in size and can grow up to about 1.5 - 2 inches. Cherry shrimp are peaceful creatures and tend to be eaten by larger fish. So, if you want to put the cherry shrimp and fish together in the same tank, it is advisable to try putting a few cherry shrimp into the tank and monitor if the fish would eat them up. Otherwise, it would be a waste of money, although cherry shrimp is somewhat inexpensive; you can get it for around RM2 per shrimp.
Scientific name: Neocaridina denticulata sinesis
Origin: Cambodia, Thailand
Temperature: 75 - 86
pH: 6-8
Maximum Size: 1.5 - 2 inches
Temperament: Peaceful algae eating shrimp, will be eaten by larger fish
Color: Cherry shrimp are a color variation of the sinensis shrimp, which also come in a brown color and a green color.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Product Review : O.P.I. Nail Lacquer "Little Red Wagon"
Got this as a souvenir recently :
O.P.I Little Red Wagon Nail Lacquer
It came as part of a set of 4 small bottles called the OPI Tiny Toybox. Since O.P.I has always been on the pricey side of the nail varnish market, I have not had a chance to really try it out. That is... until now... muahahhahahah!
Steps :
To do a proper "professional" manicure job, you need to do it right.
1. Lay the base coat on your nails, let it dry.
2. Paint the colour coat on... in my case, it was the RED RED RED Little Red Wagon.
3. Once dry, paint a second coat to ensure a more vibrant colour (like my red wasn't red enough?) and let it dry. This time it takes a whole lot longer to dry seeing that there's already 3 coats of paint on the nail.
4. Finish up with a top coat to protect colour and bring a shine to the whole package. It's usually recommended that you put a second top coat the next day to really lock it in. But I cheat by just doing the top coat the next day, else it will take forever for 4 coats to dry!
It's been 3 days since I applied the nail lacquer, and it's holding up well.
Pros :
- Amazing colour
- Easy to apply
- Long lasting
Cons :
- Too expensive, a normal sized bottle costs around RM40.
Conclusion : It's pricey but worth the investment especially if it's for a special occassion. Else, just make sure that your local manicure/pedicure shop offers O.P.I as a selection and get your nails done there!
O.P.I Little Red Wagon Nail LacquerIt came as part of a set of 4 small bottles called the OPI Tiny Toybox. Since O.P.I has always been on the pricey side of the nail varnish market, I have not had a chance to really try it out. That is... until now... muahahhahahah!
Steps :
To do a proper "professional" manicure job, you need to do it right.
1. Lay the base coat on your nails, let it dry.
2. Paint the colour coat on... in my case, it was the RED RED RED Little Red Wagon.
3. Once dry, paint a second coat to ensure a more vibrant colour (like my red wasn't red enough?) and let it dry. This time it takes a whole lot longer to dry seeing that there's already 3 coats of paint on the nail.
4. Finish up with a top coat to protect colour and bring a shine to the whole package. It's usually recommended that you put a second top coat the next day to really lock it in. But I cheat by just doing the top coat the next day, else it will take forever for 4 coats to dry!
It's been 3 days since I applied the nail lacquer, and it's holding up well.
Pros :
- Amazing colour
- Easy to apply
- Long lasting
Cons :
- Too expensive, a normal sized bottle costs around RM40.
Conclusion : It's pricey but worth the investment especially if it's for a special occassion. Else, just make sure that your local manicure/pedicure shop offers O.P.I as a selection and get your nails done there!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Product Review : Sony Ericsson G900
The new Sony Ericsson G900 is a real cool and power pack phone.
If you feel bored of navigating your phone with the key control, now you can just touch the screen to navigate your phone. And if you prefer using a stylus provided, that works fine too.
It comes with a 5MP build in camera which lets you take many pictures. The phone comes with 160 MB internal memory so you should be able to take quite a number of pictures.
Need to write a quick note someone and refer back later? You can do it now directly on the Notes feature of the G900 and use the stylus to write in your own handwriting. Time to forget those pen and paper.
The best feature that I like about the phone is it has a Wi-Fi support build in. What that would mean is that, where ever I go, if there is a free Wi-Fi hotspot, I could be online and update the blog, facebook and even chatting with friends over IM.
And the price? It is selling for RM1150 now and comes with 12 months warranty plus free 1 GB memory stick micro (M2) card.
My K800 is over a year old now but still in good condition. May be it is time to trade in and get the new G900? :-)
If you feel bored of navigating your phone with the key control, now you can just touch the screen to navigate your phone. And if you prefer using a stylus provided, that works fine too.
It comes with a 5MP build in camera which lets you take many pictures. The phone comes with 160 MB internal memory so you should be able to take quite a number of pictures.
Need to write a quick note someone and refer back later? You can do it now directly on the Notes feature of the G900 and use the stylus to write in your own handwriting. Time to forget those pen and paper.
The best feature that I like about the phone is it has a Wi-Fi support build in. What that would mean is that, where ever I go, if there is a free Wi-Fi hotspot, I could be online and update the blog, facebook and even chatting with friends over IM.
And the price? It is selling for RM1150 now and comes with 12 months warranty plus free 1 GB memory stick micro (M2) card.
My K800 is over a year old now but still in good condition. May be it is time to trade in and get the new G900? :-)
Product Review : Sony Ericsson K800
I have been using the Sony Ericsson K800 for a year now. It has serve me pretty well over the past year, without any hiccup.
It was priced at RM 1799 during the launch in June 2006. When I bought it in June 2007, the price was at RM800.
The main features I like about the phone are:
a) it is capable of storing over 1000 sms
b) it is also able to store 1000 phone book entries, which is more than sufficient for me
c) it comes with a 3.2 MP build-in camera, which is excellent (most pictures in this website are taken with it)
d) it comes with bluetooth, which I can use for file transfer to my bluetooth enabled laptop
Few months ago, Sony Ericsson launched a new phone model that caught my eye. My itchy fingers could not resist it. So, I went to the shop to personally hands on it.
Check out what my thoughts are about the new Sony Ericsson G900 . It is selling for RM1150 now. It comes with 12 months warranty and free 1 GB memory stick micro (M2) card.
For all the attributes of the phone, it may well be worth it after all :-)
The main features I like about the phone are:
a) it is capable of storing over 1000 sms
b) it is also able to store 1000 phone book entries, which is more than sufficient for me
c) it comes with a 3.2 MP build-in camera, which is excellent (most pictures in this website are taken with it)
d) it comes with bluetooth, which I can use for file transfer to my bluetooth enabled laptop
Few months ago, Sony Ericsson launched a new phone model that caught my eye. My itchy fingers could not resist it. So, I went to the shop to personally hands on it.
Check out what my thoughts are about the new Sony Ericsson G900 . It is selling for RM1150 now. It comes with 12 months warranty and free 1 GB memory stick micro (M2) card.
For all the attributes of the phone, it may well be worth it after all :-)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Food Review : CRC Penang
Recently, we attended a relative's birthday lunch at CRC Penang (located near Burmah Road). It was supposed to be a 7-course lunch, but they ended up serving us several of the courses all at once! Luckily we were all hungry and attacked the food with gusto...
One of the highlights of lunch was the fish! Cooked "teow-chew" style, with a lot of garnishings on the side (check out the mountain of greens on the side of the dish!). It even comes with a waitress that will debone the fish and cut it into manageable pieces. :) One good thing we noted about the dish was that it did not come with the typical candle under it to keep it warm, and so the accompanying black sauce did not evaporate. We had plenty of sauce left to go around!
The birthday mee was served with mega mondo prawns, and they tasted quite fresh too. At a time like this, who cares about cholesterol?! Good thing the prawns were half-shelled, so no messy fingers :)
Check it out.. who can resist this dish? :)
We ended the lunch with a warm honeydew soup dessert with dates and "peh kuih" - it was a first for me. Isn't honeydew dessert always cold and served with sago?? It was pretty weird tasting to me but edible nonetheless. The price for a table of 11 persons? Over RM500 which was pretty steep comparing to some other restaurants.
Pros :
- Food was delicious, if based on food alone, I would definitely give it a high rating!
Cons :
- Atmosphere was noisy and sounded like a market place.
- The staff seemed understaffed and overworked.
- The courses were served in random order.
- Pretty pricey.
Conclusion : I'd give it a rating of 6/10 due to the noisy atmosphere and unhappy staff.
One of the highlights of lunch was the fish! Cooked "teow-chew" style, with a lot of garnishings on the side (check out the mountain of greens on the side of the dish!). It even comes with a waitress that will debone the fish and cut it into manageable pieces. :) One good thing we noted about the dish was that it did not come with the typical candle under it to keep it warm, and so the accompanying black sauce did not evaporate. We had plenty of sauce left to go around!
The birthday mee was served with mega mondo prawns, and they tasted quite fresh too. At a time like this, who cares about cholesterol?! Good thing the prawns were half-shelled, so no messy fingers :)
Check it out.. who can resist this dish? :)
We ended the lunch with a warm honeydew soup dessert with dates and "peh kuih" - it was a first for me. Isn't honeydew dessert always cold and served with sago?? It was pretty weird tasting to me but edible nonetheless. The price for a table of 11 persons? Over RM500 which was pretty steep comparing to some other restaurants.
Pros :
- Food was delicious, if based on food alone, I would definitely give it a high rating!
Cons :
- Atmosphere was noisy and sounded like a market place.
- The staff seemed understaffed and overworked.
- The courses were served in random order.
- Pretty pricey.
Conclusion : I'd give it a rating of 6/10 due to the noisy atmosphere and unhappy staff.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Product Review : Simple Deep Cleansing Face Mask
The brand Simple has long been known for being hypo-allergenic and non-animal tested (PETA supporters will love this brand!). Since I have sensitive skin, we decided to try this brand's facial mask and see the results!
The natural clay has detox and purifying benefits, and the seaweed extract - cleanse, soothes and softens... eh? well ok, I'll try it anyways...
1. Washed face with my usual cleanser and patted dry.
2. Apply a thick layer of the mask all over... hrmmm, pretty cooling effect.
3. Put on some slow music, switched off the lights, and took a snooze while waiting for the mask to take effect.
4. Washed face with warm water and voila! My mask experiment is done.
The promise?
"Reveal fresher, brighter looking skin with our Deep Cleansing Face Mask to draw out deep down dirt and eliminate dead skin cells."
The result : My face does seem brighter after the mask. No sensitive reaction and breakouts (a definite plus for me!). However it did not do anything to my "deep down dirt"... LOL! Guess those may need more work.
Conclusion : A good buy for less than RM20 compared to the other products in the market.
The natural clay has detox and purifying benefits, and the seaweed extract - cleanse, soothes and softens... eh? well ok, I'll try it anyways...
1. Washed face with my usual cleanser and patted dry.
2. Apply a thick layer of the mask all over... hrmmm, pretty cooling effect.
3. Put on some slow music, switched off the lights, and took a snooze while waiting for the mask to take effect.
4. Washed face with warm water and voila! My mask experiment is done.
The promise?
"Reveal fresher, brighter looking skin with our Deep Cleansing Face Mask to draw out deep down dirt and eliminate dead skin cells."
The result : My face does seem brighter after the mask. No sensitive reaction and breakouts (a definite plus for me!). However it did not do anything to my "deep down dirt"... LOL! Guess those may need more work.
Conclusion : A good buy for less than RM20 compared to the other products in the market.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
How To : Step by Step in Making Your Own Home Made Pizza - Yum Yum!!
For a while, we have been talking about making home made pizza. We didn't wanted the ready made pizza which you can get at Cold Storage and just bake in the oven for 5 minutes. We wanted to make home made pizza which we can add all the toppings we like :-)
For a start, we went shopping for the ingredients to make the pizza at Tesco. We bought the pizza crust, sausages, crab meat, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce.
Back at home, we preheat the oven at 210 C for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, we spread the tomato sauce over the crust. Once the oven is hot and ready, we bake the crust in the oven at 210 C for 10 minutes.
Next, we take out the crust from the oven and add the toppings. We placed the sausages, crab meat, cheese and onions on the baked pizza crust. Then pop it back into the oven for another 5 minutes. If you would like the crust to be a little crispier, another 5 minutes would just do the job.
And out from the oven.....
And guess what is the cost of making your own home made pizza?
b) Sausages - RM2.00
c) Crab meat - RM2.50
d) Mozzarella cheese - RM5.00
e) Tomato sauce - RM2.50
A mere 16 bucks. Worth it eh? Of course it's not including the electricity but I guess we can offset it with the fun and the experience of making your own home made pizza.
It's definitely worth a try and a wonderful experience making home made pizza :-)
For a start, we went shopping for the ingredients to make the pizza at Tesco. We bought the pizza crust, sausages, crab meat, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce.
Back at home, we preheat the oven at 210 C for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, we spread the tomato sauce over the crust. Once the oven is hot and ready, we bake the crust in the oven at 210 C for 10 minutes.
Next, we take out the crust from the oven and add the toppings. We placed the sausages, crab meat, cheese and onions on the baked pizza crust. Then pop it back into the oven for another 5 minutes. If you would like the crust to be a little crispier, another 5 minutes would just do the job.
And out from the oven.....
And guess what is the cost of making your own home made pizza?
b) Sausages - RM2.00
c) Crab meat - RM2.50
d) Mozzarella cheese - RM5.00
e) Tomato sauce - RM2.50
A mere 16 bucks. Worth it eh? Of course it's not including the electricity but I guess we can offset it with the fun and the experience of making your own home made pizza.
It's definitely worth a try and a wonderful experience making home made pizza :-)
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