Either Thursday or Friday I should be getting some Red Cherry Shrimp. I have done tons of research, but if you have any suggestions/tips I would be ever so grateful if you would let me know!
A few questions: How old do the females have to be to lay eggs? How do you sex them? How to tell age?
I don't claim to be an expert, but here's what little I know.
Females need to be mostly full grown to hatch eggs. It's in the neighborhood of 1". All I can say is that once you've seen a few, you'll know.
About the only tips I have are:
- Keep them away from larger fish that will think that they're food
- Have some moss and flaoting plants around. Hiding spots help them feel safe.
- Feed them sparingly. Most of their food comes from biofilm, and other things that are too small to see.
I've had females pregnant at just over 1/2" in size, though I'm not sure about age. In a species tank with no fish around your shrimp shouldn't hide at all, even when berried. I've found that they like plants more for the algae growing surface area than anything else.
Female RCS have more red coloration than males and the sides of their tails extend downwards on either side of the pleopods to form a protective area for egg-keeping. Males can be nearly transparent. Plus, you'll see a "saddle" just behind a female's "neck" when she's carrying eggs in her ovary.
pbmax, this all sounds confusing now, but I think when I get them I'll be able to work out what you said. Females are redder, males are lighter. Got it. LOL!
So they only have the saddle when they are carrying eggs?
The saddle appears when they're carrying the eggs internally, before they're fertilized, laid, and attached to the pleopods under the tail. It's not tough to tell them apart once you have them
when they arrive.. they should be more or less.. ALL Clear.. because of shipping stress and no light.. after they settle into your tank, they'll start to color up nicely
look for a curved underbelly = females..
they also have larger more round tails than males which have a straight underbelly and a more skinny tail.
juvies are under 1", and they can start having babies at like 1/2"
They can carry eggs at around 1/2'', roughly 1.5 months old. Their eggs can be yellow, or dark green, and they are saddled before the eggs appear on their under carriage. I use panty hose to cover the intake valve on the filter, remember, no copper, and no anubias!
I was just going to ask; are they alright with filters? Also, I'm going to keep them in my 10gal. tank, which off and on has young bettas. Is that alright? At 1\2" though, I doubt the betta fry could fit them in their mouths.
Another question: How should I introduce them to the tank? Just like any fish?
