amano shrimp behavior?

[pixl8r]

etspam,

Look at the shape of their bodies, in particular the tails. Male amano shrimp are sleek and their tails taper evenly to the tip. Females have a bulge where their carapace extends down where their swimmerets are located. This is where they hold their eggs, until the eggs hatch.

See http://www.petshrimp.com/amanoshrimp.html for some excellent pictures.

You should also check the females to see if they're 'saddled'. That is when they are fertile, which initiates the mating dash by the male shrimp.

 

[etspam]

Hmm. The four or five I've been able to spot so far all look male. But I can't spot them all, and I would assume all it takes is one female to set all the males off. It's rare that I can see all seven out at once, and I don't want to rile them up, just so I can sex them. I'm assuming that pet stores normally get a mix, and I got ten at once, so odds are good that a few were female, but three have disappeared. I don't recall seeing any of them really looking different from the others (maybe one), but I don't know if that one is still around. As long as they're in good health (appear to be foraging normally now), I'll be happy. Even if I did get females and they were saddled, I'm not equipped to raise them, since I don't have a separate tank with all the brackish/salinity that I've read is required to rear them correctly. Might try to raise cherry shrimp though at some point.