Cherry Shrimp questions...!

[nursie]

I had some cherry shrimp in with a few fish..and soon only had 1 left. I now have a 10 gallion dedicated to cherry shrimp, and a new order of them from Beviking that all arrived happy and healthy. I think my lone survivor from the first batch is a female, and I think now that she's been in with the newbies she may have found true love, as it were. How do you know your shrimp is reproducing..and what do they do..lay eggs?..I don't think they are livebearers...but what do they do? The lady in question was hiding under the filter, which I had the forethought to cover with a knee high hose to cover the intake, and it looked like the under part of her aboman was moving up and down. this went on for quite a while.
Someone explain shrimp reproduction to me...and is there anything I need to do, like supply special food...hiding place..whatever. And there are snails in the tank..will they eat the babies??

[RTR]

You will see the gravid females carrying eggs on their swimmerets (the swimming, not walking, legs along under their "tail"). they fan these periodically to provide oxygen to the eggs. They are released when they hatch. The fry eat the same foods as the adults, just smaller and less of it. Good water quality and plenty of refuges (Java Moss is good) and rocrk or woof tangles are good refuges.

Snails will not eat the fry.

[nursie]

Thanks!! That must be what I'm seeing, is her fanning the eggs. Whoo hoo..I'm gonna be a granny!
I'm afraid to use the python to clean the tank. What do others with shrimp tanks use to clean..and do you clean the gravel, or just change water?

[daveedka]

With my Shrimp and snail tanks, I stick a sponge inside the end of my gravel vac. It essentially stops the Vaccume idea but is till quite effective for water changes without worrying about removing the yung uns. If I get an excess of mulm build-up I simply stir the tank up several times before my weekly Media changes this lets most of the mulm go to the filters and I take it out that way.

Cherry shrimp eggs are usually dirty white to light yellow and are generally pretty visible long before they hatch. Once the little rascals start reproducing they rival guppies in their ability to fill a tank.
Dave

[nursie]

Good, good. I have plans for excess cherry shrimp.
What kind of filter do you use? I have a fluval in tank filter but read about babies getting sucked in, so I put a old knee high hose over it...seems to be working.
I want to get the right thing, buit don't know what. Any suggestions? I have other uses for the fluval...I have I-want-a-new-tank fever.

[daveedka]

In my 15 G I run a fluval 2 plus internal on full flow, and do not have issue, I also run an RFUG. The RFUG has a sponge on the intake (Of course).

On the 10g I have an AC 150 with a spnge over the intake and an RFUG. I have heards stories as well about the fluval filters collecting shrimp, but Both cases I know of were Fuval Cannisters with no sponge over the intakes. Baby Shrimp are suprisingly adept at escape, and will cross the distance of my tank in less than a second when spooked. I cannot see how they would get trapped in an internal fluval unless they were already weak or sick. The fluval internals have a fairly large surface area of media, and IMHO are designed quite well for this type of application. The output leaves a bit to be desired, but the intake is safe IMO.
dave