Sex my Cherry

[bitbot]

Hi,
I'm new to keeping shrimp, bought some red cherries, supposedly male and female , but I suspect they are all females.
In the photo the one in the foreground - would you say male or female?
Sometimes s/he looks like s/he is showing a saddle; or could that be some other internal organ than an ovary?
http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu221/bitbot/DSCF0253_shrimp_crop.jpg
Also, can someone clarify:
if a female is showing a saddle, does that mean the eggs in the ovary are already fertilised?

[msjinkzd]

female

[bitbot]

Dang!

[dixienut]

males show almost no color compared to females

[southerndesert]

female

What Rachel said and yes it is showing a saddle....

[ChrisK]

:footinmouth::lol: Anyone else laugh at the thread title or am I the only Sicko here??
:lipssealedsmilie:

[bitbot]

Thanks guys.

So if it's showing a saddle, does that mean that the eggs are already fertilised?

[bitbot]

:footinmouth::lol: Anyone else laugh at the thread title or am I the only Sicko here??
:lipssealedsmilie:


I was trying to appeal to sick minds like yours!

[ChrisK]

Oh yeah its a female by the way :)

[mroth_3]

I tried to get a good pic of a male for you but couldn't get one to turn out. Need to clean the glass and get a better camera. My males are red and clear striped. Also smaller than the female and dont have the rounded belly..

[msjinkzd]

the saddle is just the eggs visible within the ovaries, you need a male to fertilize them.

[bitbot]

I tried to get a good pic of a male for you but couldn't get one to turn out. Need to clean the glass and get a better camera. My males are red and clear striped. Also smaller than the female and dont have the rounded belly..
Well, thanks for trying - I went back to the shop and told them but they were quite unabashed. I asked them to find a couple of real males for me (shrimp, that is), but the stock they have now are so small, that it's even harder to tell, even with a better idea of what to look for.
They are smaller, less colourful, and without the saddle or belly, which are all good signs, but I guess that might just mean they are juveniles...

[Sounguru]

Female Saddled
http://www.stopactionphoto.net/images/Into%20the%20Light.jpg

Female with eggs..and young male
http://www.stopactionphoto.net/images/You%20Did%20This%20To%20Me.jpg

Male
http://www.stopactionphoto.net/images/Shrimpplant.jpg

A young male..
http://www.stopactionphoto.net/images/Lady%20Killer.jpg

Hope those help ID for ya....

[jimi]

the title is great, and there beautiful cherry's even if they are all female. now you jsut hunt down a male.

[bitbot]

Beautiful photos, Sounguru - thanks for posting.

jimi, I'm keeping a close on two new shrimp, and hoping they really are males. Hard to tell, they are so small. But the females I've had for a couple of weeks, and they are looking good and growing fast - they have all moulted, I think. To be honest, I was nervous about them, and a bit surprised they haven't died!

[bitbot]

Well, I went back to the shop and brought home a couple more, and looks like I got me at least one male, because:
http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu221/bitbot/DSCF0354-1.jpg
- and I think another is about to 'lay' eggs as well (if that's what you call it).
Thanks for all your replies!

[Sounguru]

Cool glad you got one male at least....

By the way it is called Berried when they are carrying the eggs.

[bitbot]

Cool glad you got one male at least....

By the way it is called Berried when they are carrying the eggs.

Thanks - now a second female is 'berried' - two in one day!
I am way too excited about this.

[Sounguru]

I was the same way when my first shrimp berried now I'm like no not agian.... :-)

[msjinkzd]

That is wonderful news! Congrats!

[bitbot]

That is wonderful news! Congrats!


Thank you, thank you!
It's been a big fortnight for me, with my Bolivian Rams spawning last week. I'm sure the Rams and the shrimp are like 'Give us some space, will you! Stop staring!'


Now that I can see the male and female shrimp side by side, it's pretty obvious.:)

[bitbot]

82786

Finally got me some baby shrimp! I actually thought the mother had dropped her eggs some time ago - maybe she dropped some of them? Can't believe how tiny they are, and have seen 8 so far.

This make it 8 days from introduction of the males to when the female berried.

24 days till hatching (assuming they hatched today).

Over-excited over again!:)

[cam191919]

neat