Red fancy tigers have been in the market for at least ten years now. Initially, they were unattractive, which motivated breeders to refine them into the beautiful specimens we see today. It was a long and painful process, but eventually, success was achieved in Taiwan.

They are essentially a cross between crystal red shrimps and the original super tiger shrimp. The first generation (F1) would exhibit a shrimp with a brownish body featuring tiger stripes and specks of white around it. However, the F1 would barely display any red on its body, as black is the dominant color passed down from the tiger shrimp.

The same outcome would occur if you were to cross a crystal black shrimp with a super tiger shrimp, with the base black color serving as the recessive gene. Among the F1 offspring, breeders would select the best specimens and cross them back with the F0 crystal red parent to enhance the red and white coloration on the shrimp.

Subsequently, numerous generations will involve inbreeding to refine the current breed. Additionally, some breeders might introduce the Galaxy Tiger into the breeding pool to enhance the coloration of the 'Fancy Tiger.' However, this approach would be considered unorthodox since it would compromise the purity of the bloodline with Pinto genes.

Typically, fancy tigers are expected to be free of Pinto blood, as refining a lineage without any Pinto influence demands greater skill and patience. There are various methods to identify a fancy tiger with Pinto blood, but we'll delve into those details in the next blog post.

At a certain stage in refining fancy tigers, some breeders experimented by crossing the offspring with either super red (Santa Claus) or super black (Ninja Black) shrimps to intensify their base color. The outcome was highly successful, leading many breeders to refine their lineages using this method. Importantly, this practice is still regarded as pure since both super red and super black shrimps are selectively bred from pure red and pure black lines.

The fancy tigers we admire today are the culmination of relentless dedication from numerous breeders. They've become not only remarkably stunning but also surprisingly affordable. Furthermore, their inherent hardiness, attributed to the tiger genes they possess, sets them apart. If you're embarking on a Caridina journey, now is an excellent time to begin your adventure with fancy tigers.