Whisker Shrimp berried but....

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Patriotbmw

Registered Member
Jan 4, 2013
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All, I'm new the forum but have kept tanks for over 20 years (salt and fresh) but am new to inverts. I have had six whisker shrimp for about six months now and I believe I have four females since they are frequently berried. However, I never see any little shrimps? They are in a very heavily planted 90 gallon with a mixture of tetras (probably around 40 or so?). The shrimp appear very healthy and get along fine with a handful of Amanos that I have in there and have never caused me any anguish over killing fish. The females are about 1.5 inches long, males probably two or more.

I am debating grabbing one of the berried females and putting her in a bottle with some flow holes in it and seeing what happens. If I put one in a breeder net she'll just climb out (tried that). What are your thoughts?
 
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XanAvaloni

AC Members
Nov 13, 2009
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hi Patriotbmw, welcome to AC! I too have kept shrimp both salt and fresh, and must admit I have never heard of a variety known as "whisker shrimp." Could you give us some more specifics on the species name and variant type? They sound from the size like they might be closer to bamboo shrimp or one of the other larger ones, those I am not acquainted with. But there are quite a few aquatic shrimp, such as Amanos, that require the young to spend a part of their impressionable youth in salt water, so these would perish, possibly before even becoming visible, in all fresh.

Hope to learn some more about these and maybe we can figure out how to promote breeding. Best of luck... :)
 
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Cuvier

AC Members
Feb 26, 2006
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They're undoubtedly a kind of small South or SE Asian Macrobrachium, sometimes assumed (not necessarily correctly) to be M. lamarrei or M. lanchesteri.

The young, like those of Palaemonetes ghost shrimp, hatch as small floating larvae that are very vulnerable to fish and filter intakes. Successful breeding in a regular community tank is therefore unlikely. A separate setup with sponge filters, lots of vegetation (floating plants and moss), maybe supplemental feeding with a fry food or greenwater, would greatly increase your chances of success. A net breeder theoretically could work too, if the mesh is fine enough, but I've never had success with those.
 
pixl8r

pixl8r

MacroShrimpBreeder
May 11, 2007
720
0
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Utah
Just because a female shrimp is 'berried' does not necessarily mean that the eggs are fertilized. You need to pay close attention to your shrimp. Take a quick survey of each shrimp, once a day. When you spot a female with eggs take note of the date, and color of the eggs. Then keep a record of the color of the eggs. It is also handy if you can take close up pictures of the eggs, for visual reference. As the larvae age the color of the eggs change, usually from bright colors to more muted ones.

If the eggs are not fertilized, or if the environment is not healthy, the female will eat them. The eggs will gradually vanish, it takes about four to seven days for the female to eat all of the eggs.
 
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