Shrimp is pregnant, what to do

Lophura

Lophura

AC Members
Jul 21, 2009
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Spokane Washington
I have never had shrimp before and got some cherry's last week. Today when I was doing a water change I was noticing that one of them is full of eggs. Should I put her in one of those fry net things, she is in a tank with Calvus cichlids and I have seen them eat baby shrimp before. How long until the eggs hatch?
 
Hi Lophura,

I think females carry eggs for a few weeks (3-4) before they hatch. I'm not familiar with that cichlid, but I would have thought even an adult cherry would be in danger of becoming lunch. If you can't put the shrimp in another tank, dense plants like java moss can give babies a sporting chance - they tend to hide in plants if they can when they are tiny, even without predators around, in my experience.

I'm sure others will know more.
 
Calvus are a Lake Tanganyika cichlid, they tend to feed on inverts but they are only about an inch right now so they have only been caught eating a couple little ones. I have lots of plants, some at the top and others at the bottom with more coming in the mail. What I was hoping is that I can get a shrimp colony started while the calvus are still small then when they get bigger I will move them into a seperate tank.

Thanks for the info about carrying eggs, I didnt know if it would be like fish where they hatch in a couple days.
 
Thanks for the info about Calvus.
You've got a few weeks' grace, and the plants will help the shrimp. I'm sure the Calvus are fast, but the shrimp can 'jump' fast too when they need to, so I reckon you can get a colony going
I've read that females may display a new 'saddle' when the eggs are about to hatch, although I haven't actually seen this in mine.
I think it's strange they carry the eggs externally for so long - I don't see the point, but I guess it works for then.
 
It takes about 21 days for the eggs to hatch. I honestly would recommend starting an invert only tank if you want the shrimp to survive and multiply then add adults to your calvus tank. I doubt you will retain a sustainable colony otherwise, but would be happy to be wrong.
 
msjinkzd said:
It takes about 21 days for the eggs to hatch. I honestly would recommend starting an invert only tank if you want the shrimp to survive and multiply then add adults to your calvus tank. I doubt you will retain a sustainable colony otherwise, but would be happy to be wrong.
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Thats what I am thinking. I picked up 2 10 gallons for free on craigslist and I am thinking about putting shrimp and snails in it. Dumb question but will I need all the filtration and all for an invert only tank?
 
a sponge filter would be adequate, you still need oxygen exchange though their bioload is very low. Heater depends on teh ambient temperature of your house.
 
Caution to putting snails in a shrimp tank. I had brigs in mine and started to out compete the shrimp and ended up taking over the aquarium completely. A 10 gallon with some Java moss, sand and a nice piece of driftwood would make them happy. :)

Sponge filters rock for invert tanks, less chance of them getting killed due to power filters.
 
Ok, thanks. I just wasnt sure. For snails I was thinking about putting some trap door snails in the same tank, it seems like the shrimp love all the algea on the shells.

Thanks for all the help everyone,
Michael
 
I keep ramshorn snails and a brigg with my cherry shrimp. In order to keep the snails from getting all the food I take the food (bottom feeder wafers) and break them into pieces and scatter them around the tank. This makes sure everyone gets a share.
 
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