skunk shrimp babies?

[berkdog]

The only thing in my tank that could possibly reproduce is the pair of skunk shrimp that are always hanging out with each other. 2 days ago I noticed some small tadpole-like creatures running around under a larger rock where no other fish/things go. The last few nights, I've seen the same thing. These are running around quickly in the late evening and seem to be pretty happy. I've even seen some miniature shrimp skins floating from them molting. I'm pretty sure these aren't ispodes or any small creature like that, which are slower moving. yeah? could this be right?

[leebca]

Moved your post to the Reef Forum where invertebrates are more frequently discussed.

Good luck!

[metalhead]

The only thing in my tank that could possibly reproduce is the pair of skunk shrimp that are always hanging out with each other. 2 days ago I noticed some small tadpole-like creatures running around under a larger rock where no other fish/things go. The last few nights, I've seen the same thing. These are running around quickly in the late evening and seem to be pretty happy. I've even seen some miniature shrimp skins floating from them molting. I'm pretty sure these aren't ispodes or any small creature like that, which are slower moving. yeah? could this be right?

Sure could be... My skunks have eggs frequently though I've never had any baby shrimp make it for very long w/o becoming a meal for someone else. Good additional fresh food source for the system though IMO and if you can propogate them and sell a few off... even better!

[berkdog]

awesome! and thanks! yeah, I hope they can survive... it's really fun to watch them run around. I wouldn't wanna sell them though--maybe give them to friends or donate them to my favorite pet stores, or get a larger tank for them to play! ha

[berkdog]

btw, any suggestions on special dietary needs? etc

[metalhead]

btw, any suggestions on special dietary needs? etc

Not sure on the little ones but my adults love those little sinking shrimp pellets something fierce, maybe some cyclop-eze would be good too. Good luck.

[Ninong]

btw, any suggestions on special dietary needs? etc

It's extremely unlikely that they will survive beyond the first few days. They will either be eaten by something in the tank -- fish, SPS corals, their own parents -- or they will be killed by the tank's filtration system.

Successful rearing of the larvae requires a dedicated tank designed specifically for rearing shrimp larvae. I believe the initial diet is live phytoplankton (e.g. Tetraselmis chuii) followed by live enriched rotifers.

As a word of caution, be wary of what you may read on Wikipedia about this species (Lysmata amboinensis). I just browsed through their entry on this species and came across some misleading claims, in particular a reference to a "mating season" and the possibility that the "male may eat the female following fertilization of the eggs." I don't believe we have to be concerned with cannibalism among conspecifics in a typical reef aquarium environment. It's much more likely that your freshly moulted skunk cleaner shrimp will be eaten by your banded coral shrimp, should you try keeping both of these species together in a smallish aquarium. Cannibalism is much more common in commercial shrimp hatcheries that raise shrimp for human consumption and, when they occurs, it's likely to be the result of overcrowding.

The Wikipedia reference to a "mating season" is misleading because these shrimp reproduce continuously, usually every other week, in a reef aquarium. If you put two of them together in your tank, in no time at all they will adjust their schedules so that they are in perfect harmony with each other. In other words, you will be getting a fresh batch of newly hatched larvae approximately every 7 to 8 days or so. They will alternate with each other so as to maximize the opportunities for "getting it on." They want to get it on as often as possible.

Some people may be misled by the Wikipedia entry to believe that the eggs are fertilized by the "male" after they have been extruded. That's not exactly the way it happens. The male, who is carrying eggs at the time, deposits a sperm packet in the newly moulted female and then the female fertilizes them as they are extruded. The sperm remains viable for several weeks following a single deposit. In other words, even if you buy just one shrimp, you may notice viable larvae being produced for the next six weeks. The eggs were fertilized as they were extruded using leftover sperm. After they are extruded, the fertilized eggs are carried on the pleopods where they will develop before being released a couple of weeks later. And this individual -- the one who just moulted and received a sperm packet -- will return the favor a week from now.

Shrimp in the Lysmata genus are simultaneous hermaphrodites but they are only in the female condition for one to two hours every other week or so. The normal cycle is every couple of weeks but sometimes with some pairs it can be every month or so. Only a soft-shelled, freshly-moulted shrimp is in the female condition. A hard-shelled, egg-carrying shrimp is in the male condition.

The bottom line is that this species is being successfully bred commercially now for the aquarium trade but very, very few hobbyists have bothered to get into this. If you're willing to search around on Reef Central, there have been at least a couple of detailed reports from hobbyists who have been successful raising them but it takes a lot of effort and a lot of dedication to do something like this.

P.S. -- Please remember that shrimp do NOT require extra iodine to moult and reproduce. All they require is natural levels of iodine as found in the ocean: 0.06 ppm (all forms).

Don't forget, excess iodine is toxic. It's no coincidence that we use it as an antiseptic. Excess strontium is also toxic, which is why it causes bone deformities in children who have elevated levels of it in their blood. Excess strontium causes exactly the same problems in corals as it does in children: it interferes with the deposition of calcium. In other words, it messes up skeletal formation because it is chemically very similar to calcium and if you have too much of it, it will displace some of the calcium.

Vendors who sell iodine and strontium and tell hobbyists that they need to add these poisons on a daily basis are being irresponsible. Never add iodine or strontium unless you have tested first and found them deficient in your aquarium. And this won't be easy because hobby-level iodine tests are unreliable and reliable strontium tests are very expensive. Salifert's iodine test jumps from 0.06 to 0.20 ppm. If you're measuring 0.20 ppm, you definitely don't need to add iodine. I believe the units of measurement on their strontium test kit are 5 ppm. Whether their strontium test kit is accurate or not is debateable.

Natural seawater levels of iodine (iodate, iodide and molecular iodine combined) are 0.06 ppm. NSW levels of strontium are 8-9 ppm. You do NOT need iodine or strontium at levels in excess of NSW levels.