Month: January 2023

ChatGPT on bloody mary shrimp

Posted on by Andy Pierce

Filed under “how are we doing with this AI thing” and just for funzies, I asked ChatGPT to help us out with bloody mary shrimp, the main feature of the Shrimphaus.

First attempt:  write me a 500 word blog post about bloody mary shrimp

Bloody Mary Shrimp is a delicious and unique twist on the classic Bloody Mary cocktail. This dish combines the bold flavors of a Bloody Mary with succulent shrimp, making it a perfect appetizer or main course for any occasion.

To make this dish, start by marinating the shrimp in a mixture of tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, horseradish, and lemon juice. Let the shrimp marinate for at least an hour, or overnight for maximum flavor. Once the shrimp are marinated, skewer them and grill or broil them for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through…

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Planting Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov’

Posted on by Andy Pierce

Microsorum pteropus ‘Windelov’ also known as Leptochilus pteropus is one of the many varieties of Java fern.  I picked up a pot from Pro Shrimp in an order that also included Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’.  Developed by Tropica, the ‘Windelov’ version I received was grown by Aquadip.

The ‘Windelov’ arrived totally overgrown and just a touch ratty on the ends in places as if it had been waiting for a sale for a long time.  I don’t mind actually, and the pot separated out into a nice variety of sizes and forms of plantets.  Java fern is a rhizomatous plant where a thick lateral ‘stem’ sprouts leaves growing upwards and roots growing downwards.  Although there are many terrestrial plants that grow with rhizomes underground, the conventional wisdom in the aquarium trade is that rhizomes must never be buried in substrate or they will rot and kill the plant.  Accordingly, best practice is to attach the rhizome to a component of hardscape, usually rock or driftwood, either by tying it on with thread/line, or more simply by ‘supergluing’ it on using a cyanoacrylate-based adhesive.  It is also possible to wedge the rhizome into a convenient crack in the hardscape where eventually the roots will naturally bind the plant on.

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Planting Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’

Posted on by Andy Pierce

After an unsuccessful go with Alternanthera reineckii (didn’t thrive) and another with Alternanthera reineckii ‘Rosanervig’ (eaten by Amano shrimp), I’m giving it try with Alternanthera reineckii ‘Mini’.  This AR ‘Mini’ came from Pro Shrimp, and was grown by Tropica.  I have had mixed results purchasing aquatic plant tissue culture cups before, but this AR ‘Mini’ cup is one of the best I’ve ever seen.  The plants arrived in superb condition, with a huge number of goodly sized, mostly correctly structured plantlets.  Sometimes tissue culture plants can have a confused growth structure where it seems the plant doesn’t really have a good sense of top (leaves) from bottom (roots) and in some quarters tissue culture plants have a reputation for being more fragile than their potted counterparts, but I’m really optimistic about this latest batch.

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