Baby Shrimp

TheReefer12 · 02-23-2007, 05:19 PM

I am not sure where they came from. I only have one cleaner shrimp in the tank and I am positive they are shrimp. They are swimming crazy all of the tank. What are the odds of having some survive? I don't have any fish in the tank and in addition to the cleaner shrimp I have snails and hermits.

cdemeritt · 02-23-2007, 05:57 PM

Very low odds in the main tank. Filters will most likely get them, or corals. I suppose it is not impossible though. I've been raising my peppermint shrimp and they are now 20 days old. I moved the parent shrimp to a 10G with a foam filter. they are easily damaged. and you need to feed quite a bit of small food at first, I had about 25 at hatchout and only 4 remain, even with good care and proper food.
Now, As far as where they came from. Shrimp carry their eggs under their tail for about 7 days. They are greenish mass. http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93158 is the link to the thread I've been posting in the breeding forum. Message 8 has a picture of my peppermint with eggs. If you didn't see this on your cleaner, They are most likely not hers (assuming you like to check out every inch of the tank every day). How long have you had the cleaner? if a recent purchase she might have been "knocked up" at the LFS. I seem to remember reading some plce that they can only breed after molting, and can store the sperm until they are ready to produce eggs, sometimes months later. ( may be wrong with this one). As far as peppermints go, they are hermaphrodites

Quote:

Individuals of Lysmata wurdemonni first mature in a male phase (MP) and then change to the external phenotype of females (female-phase=FP). The FPs retain the male gonadal system and function both as male and female (simultaneous hermaphrodites).

I don't know if other shrimp are the same, or if self-fertilization is possible, but who knows?
If not shrimp, might they be Hermit crabs?
Chris

JY13131 · 02-23-2007, 06:15 PM

they will be gone in a matter of moments!

UseSkaForEvil · 02-23-2007, 06:31 PM

if you only have one shrimp and its not too new it could be another type of shrimp, i cant remember what kind but people find them randomly

fish.freak · 02-23-2007, 06:46 PM

cleaner shrim can store sperm, and I think they are herms as well. If you want to give it a shot get them into a tank w/ only a foam filter or somthing like that. keep us posted...

cdemeritt · 02-23-2007, 07:19 PM

Quote:

if you only have one shrimp and its not too new it could be another type of shrimp,

Are you thinking Mysids?

TheReefer12 · 02-23-2007, 07:37 PM

When they slow down enough, the tail indicates its a shrimp of some sort. The cleaner shrimp is 2 weeks old. They seem to stay at the bottom of the tank. The only thing in the tank is a leather and the cleaner. I am running a filter, skimmer and power head.

cdemeritt · 02-23-2007, 07:44 PM

Sounds like they could be cleaner babies, but most likely lunch for the leather. PH and filters do a number on them. They may be on the bottom at the moment, but if my peppermints are any indication, they will soon move into the water colume for a pelagic stage

fish.freak · 02-23-2007, 07:46 PM

prob. misids since they are near the bottom.
cleaner shrimp larvae go through a planctonic stage where the look like baby brine shrimp. Just twitching there in the water colum. I witnessed this once with mine.
What color are they?

JY13131 · 02-23-2007, 08:53 PM

I have definately had cleaner babies born in my tank before and they ALWAYS released at night after lights are off and they basically look like a swarm of tiny brine shrimp swimming around. But they got sucked right into the intake, one after the other

TheReefer12 · 02-23-2007, 10:58 PM

Right now they are clear in color. There is a little brownish green where I would assume the guts would be.