Glass/Ghost Shrimp Breeding

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acewiza

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About a month ago I set up a 10-gal feeder tank in the interest of feeding my gang healthier, fresher fare. It has 2 permanent-resident pygmy Cories, 4 guppies (1 male, 3 female), 4 glass shrimp, and a bunch of snails (for the puffers). The guppies are reproducing, can't tell what the snails are doing yet, and nothing from the glass shrimp. How long before I should be seeing larvae? Is it possible the guppies are eating them before I see them? I have a good bit of java moss there for the larvae to hide in. Any suggestions? TIA...

FeederTank1.jpg
 
A couple things, the Glass shrimp maybe Ghost shrimp which do reproduce in fresh water but the babies/fry, if not eaten by the tank members will die and not develop past their larval stage because they need brackish water to grow.

If they are just clear shrimp sometimes can be called glass or grass shrimp (and can be called ghost shrimp as well) trade names aqnd vendor names aren't always the best or accurate to describe the shrimp.

And there are hundreds of kinds of shrimp all over the world which are caught as feeders.

So in short, many people have has success raising clear feeder shrimp, probably neocaridina shrimp (but who knows sometimes for sure with so many kinds???)

A shrimp with a very angled back/segmented abdomen are often shrimp with babies that develop with varying times through a larval stage.

Often a clear one will be a Ghost shrimp.

If the body is more of a shape of a bow (like in a bow and arrow) it would be more likely to be able to have babies survive in FW. Generally speaking. :)

Yes, any shrimp babies to survive would likely be eaten by some or any of those fish.

Also any babies can be sucked up by the filter intake and often pureed. Need a pre filter sponge to prevent fry - shrimp or fish from getting sucked in.

Shrimp production is best in a species only "shrimp" tank. You could use low grade/culls of Cherry Shrimp usually 25-50 cents each from a local hobbyist. Which you could breed for food. With a matured tank, they tend to breed very well. 5G -10G (larger tank better if you have less experience keeping shrimp, so fluctuations in water parameters aren't as harsh on the little moderately sensitive shrimp)



If the shrim
 
For getting ghost shrimp (the name we call them where I'm at) to breed is actually very easy.

You can use your current filter, but get a very coarse sponge to put over the intake, or else the larva will get sucked up and die.

Next, have hard water (at least 250 PPM GH) that will help them molt.

If you want them to breed with other tanks mates, you need to give them an area where they can hide from the other guys. The fish you have will likely eat the shrimp, but it can still work out if adequate hiding is given.
 
Are any of the ghost shrimp berried? I cannot remember how long the females carry the eggs before the larvae are released. They will then enter a planktonic stage where they float and molt and eventually grow into a non-planktonic stage. It's in the free swimming stage they are most vulnerable. Adequate food for the larvae may come into play as well.


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Thanks guys, but still no clue (on my part!). I suppose maybe the filter is sucking them in, but it's buried under the gravel, for this reason among others. I did manage to rescue a guppy fry from the filter a few days ago. No idea how he got in there - swimming between the rocks, going with the flow, I imagine.

I suppose I'll just stand by for awhile and if the shrimp don't get going, I'll try some other species, cherry maybe...
 
Like other shrimp, ghost shrimp will carry a cluster of green or yellow eggs on the tiny appendages (swimmerets) on the bottom side of the tail for a few weeks before the hatch.


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Like other shrimp, ghost shrimp will carry a cluster of green or yellow eggs on the tiny appendages (swimmerets) on the bottom side of the tail for a few weeks before the hatch.

I've seen that! I think it's time for the original school of guppies to become Oscar dinner. They are fat and happy - likely from eating plenty of live shrimp larvae.
 
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