Ghost Shrimp Pregnant?

[meegosh]

Hey guys, hope this is in the right place. I picked up another 5 ghost shrimp for my tank yesterday and it looks like two of them have eggs inside them. I see probably 20-30 small yellowish-clear looking balls inside them. I have never bred anything in my life so any suggestions?

Does this mean they are going to lay them soon? I know they won't last long in a tank with 2 diamond tetras and 4 neons(i've heard tetras like eggs) but is there anything I should do to help them out?

I have an empty, probably half gallon, hex tank I could setup. I don't have a filter or light for it though. Should I put the two pregnant ones in that for a while? If they are pregnant I wouldn't mind keeping them separate until they lay their eggs.

 

[Purrbox]

I think it might help to clarify some terms when it comes to breeding shrimp.

Saddled: When a shrimp is ready to mate their ovaries become very visible in many species and looks a lot like a saddle.

Berried: Once the eggs are fertilized they are carried on the swimmerettes until they hatch. This term is used instead of pregnant since the fertilized eggs are not carried inside the shrimp.

Based on your description it sounds like some of your shrimp are berried. I'm not sure of how long it takes for ghost shrimp eggs to hatch. Depending on the variety they may or may not be able to make it in freshwater. Some need brackish water for the babies to mature. Provide lots of hiding places for the babies, and if they can survive in Freshwater you should have some survive and avoid being eaten by the fish.

 

[meegosh]

Thanks for the reply Purrbox! I think I have around 10-12 in my 10gal tank right now. Two are berried and I believe two are saddled. I read up a little bit more after I posted and I still wasn't clear what stage they were. Thanks for clearing that up!

I going to just let things play out and keep them in the tank. Two of my smallest shrimp, probably less than half an inch in size, are still alive and doing well. I always get a little worried when I see my diamonds eying one up

Thanks again for clearing things up for me!