Shrimp stopped breeding

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AquaticAustin

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Sep 29, 2011
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Orlando, Fl (UCF)
Hey guys so I have had my cherry shrimp for a few months now and when I bought the 10 of them locally I got 3 berried females who kept their eggs hatches and those all grew up. But since then I have only seen one berried female (yes I have both boys and girls) and have been stunted at like 40 shrimp or so. They are in a 10gal, sponge filtered tank with subwassertang moss, and alot of java moss as well as a cave for hiding. Iv only had one die on me in the whole time I have had them. They are also in the tank with blue mystery snails and Red ramshorns (both of which have been breeding rapidly). I have no snail deaths either. I feed the tank every other day and I have a cuttlebone in the water now for calcium. I do a 40% WC about every week and a half taking all the junk out of the substrate. The water parameters are perfect as of two days ago (use API master freshwater test kit). Im just a little confused as to why they arnt breeding? I know its possible as I have had the one wave of babies in my tank all or most of which survived... Any thoughts or ideas?

Also important:
The tank is approx 75 deg, it is not heated but only goes from about 73-77 as the air/heat is set at 75. (thermometer is always in tank).
Feed them hikari algae wafers.
It is a shrimp and snail only tank so no aggression or loss due to eating eachother.
CIMG0429.JPGView attachment 2012-01-15 14.33.20.jpg

CIMG0429.JPG View attachment 2012-01-15 14.33.20.jpg
 

aviva90

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Jun 19, 2010
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Aviva
Well if the water parameters are perfect "as of two days ago" maybe that's why they haven't been breeding. They will need more than a couple days of good steady parameters before they are happy to reproduce... at least thats my two cents
 

AquaticAustin

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Sep 29, 2011
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Orlando, Fl (UCF)
No thats my most recent check, the water is always fine but I know if I didnt put the most recent check that would be the first thing said. I do the WC regularly so the parameters never get out of whack.
 

Jody

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Jul 28, 2010
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I had some trouble with my yellows few months back , I asked the same question on here and my best response was my TDS mine was 450 and should have been somewhere around 150-200 TDS got it down at 200 and week later they where breeding again

check the link

http://www.shrimpkeeping.com/
 

pixl8r

MacroShrimpBreeder
May 11, 2007
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Utah
Another thing to consider, have you ever dosed the tank? That is, have you added fertilizers or medications? They can also be harmful to shrimp. I would also recommend that you get tests for metals, such as copper.

The other thing that I am wondering about, how 'old' is your tank? Shrimp and crayfish can be finicky about their environment. If it's not just right they may not breed. If your tank is only a month or two old, and your water chemistry is healthy, you may just need to wait for the tank to age and accumulate the proper microbial balance that the shrimp thrive in.

You can help this along by adding dead leaves, preferably from a low tannins leaching species like oak. You will need to soak the leaves for ~one month before adding them to a tank. While the leaves soak, you'll need to dump out the water and replace it about once a week. You want to wait until the water that the leaves are soaking in to be completely clear. Once the leaves are in your tank, beneficial organisms will grow on the leaves and them. The shrimp will eat the microbes off the leaves. This looks like the shrimp are eating the leaves, but they aren't.

The other advice I often give people is wait. Many times when a problem occurs in a tank, that has no obvious solution, the best course is to wait. Making multiple changes in rapid succession do more harm than good. This can include doing water changes. Sometimes it is best to leave a tank for a month or longer. It's still a good idea to regularly monitor the tank during those times.

Good luck
 

AquaticAustin

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Sep 29, 2011
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Orlando, Fl (UCF)
Tank is approx 8 or 9 months old and I bought it new (was a 10 gallon kit from petsmart) never dosed or treated and was fully cycled before they were added. I live in orlando so im sure the water here isnt perfect, I bought prime because I heard that can help and I treated the tank and treat any new water (in addition to dechlor). I have just been waiting for a few months, and im not rushing now I just thought Id post and pick peoples brains for possible problems... The snails that have been breeding like jackrabbits in the tank have kept me entertained lol. Thank you all for your input so far!
 
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