Pioneers: C-SKY's Crystal Bee Shrimp Empire／C-SKY專業領軍 打造水晶蝦帝國
Pioneers: C-SKY's Crystal Bee Shrimp Empire
◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi
Crystal bee shrimps are delicate freshwater creatures discovered by German scientists around 20 years ago. Following years of selective breeding and cultivation, Japanese scientists were able to produce varieties with more attractive appearances. These pet shrimps were introduced in Taiwan a little over ten years ago, and today a Taiwanese company, C-SKY, is the industry leader. C-SKY has taken the lead globally in terms of export quantity, financial value of exports, number of crystal bee shrimps produced, and total company turnover.
C-SKY cultivates more than 20 different varieties of caridina, the genus of shrimps to which crystal bee shrimps belong, and their output is about 100,000 shrimps per month. The company's farm in Kaohsiung has over a thousand 200-liter tanks. Most of these tanks are for the company's most popular breed, the red-and-white striped caridina. Given the scale of their operations, it is no exaggeration to call the company an "Empire of Caridina."
The most significant difference between a caridina farm and other types of aquaculture is that very strict temperature control is vital for the former. Rooms must stay in the 20-25 degrees Celsius (68-77 degrees Fahrenheit) range throughout the year, and the water must be kept mildly acidic at pH6-6.5.
According to C-SKY Sales Manager Lin Kun-fong, the company has been able to expand internationally because it hit its stride when demand in Japan and Europe was high. In the past, whenever an international buyer had a big order, the buyer would usually have to contact four or five amateur breeders so as to get the quantity required. Even then, they would often receive shrimps varying in size and quality. That is not the case with C-SKY, where precise quality-control measures are in place to ensure the purity of the breed and the size of each shrimp, and to guarantee steady and timely deliveries. What is more, C-SKY has invested a lot in the cultivation process. For example, the company has its own feed formula, and the soil at the bottom of each aquarium tank has a particular composition. It is no wonder the company frequently wins competitions in Japan and Europe.
Over the years, C-SKY has established stable sales channels. The company is in constant communication with dealers so as to obtain sales information and hear about client requests. The company has done a lot to reduce the death rate of caridina being delivered, and Mr. Lin says that if an issue occurs, C-SKY always tries their best to find out what happened and identify a way which can prevent a recurrence. Each type of caridina at C-SKY is taken care of by a specialized team, and the company strives to maintain the trust of clients and dealers.
The hardest part of the production process is picking out shrimps of a specific size from the enormous tanks, especially when there is a big order. In order to keep as many shrimps alive as possible, the company aims to ship within a day. Mr. Lin says picking out 100 shrimps may not seem difficult, but to gather 10,000 is an immense challenge, especially when the number delivered must never be less than the number ordered. This part of the work is repetitive and boring. Only those who see the profession as a hobby rather than a mere job can really last.
Caridina are popular in Japan and Europe because many aquarium owners enjoy watching these colorful shrimps swimming and looking for food. If you are interested in having a few caridina for pets, please pay attention to the temperature and quality of the water. Once you have these two factors under control, you too can enjoy the charm of these darlings.
C-SKY專業領軍 打造水晶蝦帝國
◎文／侯雅婷
20年前德國人發現水晶蝦，經日人改良出更漂亮的品種，10年多前引進台灣，其中來自台灣的「C-SKY」更成為全球水晶蝦的領導品牌，出口數量和經營規模皆為全球之最！
C-SKY每月培育10萬隻20多種不同品種的水晶蝦，走訪位於高雄養殖場；設置超過1000個200公升的水族缸，為專門培育銷售主力紅白蝦的養殖基地，一窺成立於2010年的C-SKY如何打造水晶蝦帝國。
水晶蝦養殖場相較於其他水產養殖場的最大區隔，是水晶蝦的養殖環境得終年冷氣開放，室溫必須維持在20～25度，水質必須是pH6～6.5的弱酸性水質。
行銷經理林昆鋒表示，C-SKY的崛起適逢日本、歐洲對水晶蝦需求之際，過去國外客戶欲購買為數眾多的水晶蝦時，得向4至5個玩家賣方購買方能湊足數量，但經常面臨尺寸與品質不一的窘境。C-SKY除了精準掌握篩選品種和保種等關鍵環節外，且能提供全球客戶種類多元、各種尺寸且品質優良的水晶蝦，供貨能力穩定。而C-SKY也是日本和歐洲水晶蝦比賽的常勝軍，擦亮水晶蝦界的金字招牌絕非僥倖，C-SKY還進一步研究養殖控制，比如自行研發飼料，乃至於鋪設於水族箱底部的土壤。
C-SKY與代理商皆建立穩健、良好的通路，與代理商維持充分地溝通，掌握銷售資訊且重視客戶的需求，C-SKY致力於透過各種途徑降低水晶蝦的到貨致死率，林昆鋒強調，每當發生問題時，C-SKY團隊會設法了解問題發生原因，並尋求解決方法，面對同樣問題再發生時，自然能夠很迅速地排除，C-SKY每一品種皆有專人負責，讓C-SKY深受客戶與代理商夥伴的信賴。
對水晶蝦養殖業而言，要從水族缸裡，將為數眾多且身形迷你的水晶蝦挑出特定尺寸，堪稱是最辛苦的事情。特別是收到龐大訂單時，為了提升水晶蝦的存活率，必須在一天內備妥全部出貨。林昆鋒表示，挑出100隻蝦也許不是難事，但在時限內精準地挑出1萬隻蝦，而且數量只能多不能少，經年累月重複的工作內容，得把養蝦視為是興趣而不僅僅是份工作，才能夠持之以恆，。
許多日本和歐洲的飼主感覺觀賞色彩繽紛的水晶蝦移動和覓食的身影，帶給了他們好心情，想要嘗試飼養水晶蝦的朋友，不妨先學習如何掌握溫度和水質這兩大重點，就能感受水族界寵兒─水晶蝦的魅力。