Not every good shrimp belongs in the same tank. On the farm I sort animals into jobs — and the job decides whether they stay, move, or leave the line.
Keepers
Keepers are the animals I trust to push a line forward. Strong pattern, clean body, the look I want to see again in the next generation. These go into breeding tanks with intention — not “because they’re pretty today.”
A keeper isn’t only the flashiest shrimp in the cup. It’s the one that still looks right when I grade calmly, under the same light I always use.
Project stock
Project stock has potential — a color direction, a pattern idea, a cross I want to test — but it’s not finished. I keep these separate so they don’t blur a stable keeper line.
Projects need patience. Numbers first, then pressure. If I mix project animals into a settled keeper tank too early, I lose the map of what I’m selecting for.
Culls (still useful)
Culls are not “trash.” They’re information. Off-type, weak coverage, wrong base, soft structure — each one tells me what that pairing threw.
I remove them from the breeding path so the line doesn’t drift. What happens to them after that is a business decision; the breeding decision is already made when I grade.
Farm note: Selection is rhythm. Keepers hold the standard. Projects explore. Culls protect both. If everything sits in one tank “for later,” the line slowly becomes average.
How this pairs with grading
Grading is the eye. This is the sorting after the eye. See also How I grade and breeding setup & ratios.