[My2heartboys]

One heck of a weekend. We walked in after being gone for two nights and found 2 of our 3 fish dead. Don't know what happened or why or how it happened. Water quality was just fine--although I think I know what it may have been. May need to get a powerhead with more umph behind it. Anyway as the axiom goes in this hobby---when in doubt change it out. So started a massive water change and had to remove most all of the LR just to get the bleeping damsel out of the tank to put him into the smaller tank. Since I already had most of the LR out anyway-I took the time to check it for slime algae and the little bit of hair algae that I have and scrubbed those down with a brush in old tank water. While at that might as well start re-aquascaping-so now the tank really looks like a mess--rocks really don't make sense.

Well, in all of that, I got to looked into the tank after the white lights were out last night and got somewhat of a good look at one of my peppermint shrimp and I think she might be carrying some eggs. May have some baby shrimp running around after bit. Needless to say--we are delaying getting any more fish for a month or so. We'll keep you up to date on what happens.

Anne

[charlie]

My cleaner shrimp are constantly doin this. I look at it as free food for the fish!!

[inwall75]

Ann,

You won't be able to get them past the planktonic stage like Charlie says. However, it is good food for corals.

To get them past the planktonic stage, you have to have a special tank called a Kreisel which is used for jellyfish also.

[My2heartboys]

Originally Posted by inwall75

Ann,

You won't be able to get them past the planktonic stage like Charlie says. However, it is good food for corals.

To get them past the planktonic stage, you have to have a special tank called a Kreisel which is used for jellyfish also.

Curt--could you please tell me why this is the case? Also special food--what food?

Curious as dear hubby is also asking.

Anne

[inwall75]

My English wasn't good. It looks somewhat like I was disagreeing with Charlie. I was actually agreeing that the plankton (that will be produced when the eggs hatch) are good coral and fish food. The rest will be chopped up by powerheads, end up in the protein skimmer, get stuck against rocks or tank corners and rot, etc. Our tanks just don't have vast expanses of water column for them to float in, eat, and develop that the ocean does.

If you wanted to raise them successfully, a kreisel would keep the plankton suspended in a rounded tank so nothing gets stuck in the corners.

There are some creatures that breed readily. For instance stomatella snails, nassarius snails, etc. don't go through a planktonic stage so they breed pretty well. Bristleworm epitokes are also plankton for a short period of time until the eggs and sperm meet, then normal growing can begin. (When you see someone ask what that crazy swimming worm in my tank is, now you know...it's an epitoke before it splits open releasing sperm or eggs).

EDIT: BTW....I'm very sorry for your losses.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by My2heartboys

Also special food--what food?

Curious as dear hubby is also asking.

Anne

Newly hatched Lysmata spp. shrimp larvae are capable of capturing and eating newly hatched brine shrimp nauplii, but the brine shrimp nauplii must be truly 'newly hatched' because once they are 12-24 hours old, they will be too strong and able to elude capture.

Some shrimp of the genus Lysmata have been bred commercially but not many hobbyists (that I know of) have been successful. They go through at least 10 molts during their various larval stages. As inwall75 has already pointed out, it really requires specialized equipment to breed them successfully in captivity.

Most people just let nature take its course in their tanks. With two mature shrimp, you will be getting a release of larvae approximately every 7 days. That's because they will synchronize their two week molting periods so that they are one week out of phase with each other. When one shrimp releases its larvae and then molts a few hours later, the other shrimp is mid-way in its two week egg maturation process. Within an hour or so of the shrimp molting, it will couple with the other shrimp. The shrimp that has just molted will receive a sperm packet from the shrimp that is midway through the egg development process. They are synchronous simultaneous hermaphrodites.

[inwall75]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Most people just let nature take its course in their tanks. With two mature shrimp, you will be getting a release of larvae approximately every 7 days. That's because they will synchronize their two week molting periods so that they are one week out of phase with each other. When one shrimp releases its larvae and then molts a few hours later, the other shrimp is mid-way in its two week egg maturation process. Within an hour or so of the shrimp molting, it will couple with the other shrimp. The shrimp that has just molted will receive a sperm packet from the shrimp that is midway through the egg development process. They are synchronous simultaneous hermaphrodites.

I didn't know it was that timed. Cool. Thanks.

[Ninong]

Yes, it's timed but some hobbyists have reported that a water change can extend the incubation period by as much as three or four days. I can't verify that from my own experience because my eyesight isn't that good.