ghost shrimp babys???

[o.jonathan.o]

I have 2 ghost shrimp and I'm wondering. Will they mate? How will I know if they mated? How long till babies show up? Thanks for any and all help

 

[TotallyCoral]

Hello there!

A female shrimp will have a "saddle" on the back part of her body. If they have mated, you will see tiny eggs under her belly (the baby shrimp.) They can be green in color or clear... either way it doesn't really matter.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I have 2 ghost shrimp and I'm wondering. Will they mate? How will I know if they mated? How long till babies show up? Thanks for any and all help

Hey Jonathan,

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it'll be very unlikely to see any breeding or baby ghost shrimp in your tank.

For one, you only have two ghost shrimp, so you could easily have two males or females compared to a pair.

For two, if you do get a female that is berried and lays the eggs, the babies are so small they need special micro food to survive.

For three, you'd have to remove the female from the main tank, into a temp. breeder tank and let her do her busy there, then remove her after eggs are laid. Order special food and feed. You'll also need a super fine sponge filter.

Hope that helps,
Ben

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Hello there!

A female shrimp will have a "saddle" on the back part of her body. If they have mated, you will see tiny eggs under her belly (the baby shrimp.) They can be green in color or clear... either way it doesn't really matter.

Just letting you know that both males and females have "saddles" on their back. It is near impossible to sex dwarf and smaller shrimp. The only difference between male and female ghost shrimp is that at full maturity the female is normally larger

 

[o.jonathan.o]

WOOOOOW!!! that's complicated. Wont the babies eat from the bottom also

 

[TotallyCoral]

Just letting you know that both males and females have "saddles" on their back. It is near impossible to sex dwarf and smaller shrimp. The only difference between male and female ghost shrimp is that at full maturity the female is normally larger

Wow, really? Had no idea. All of these sources on the net say that only females have them... Thanks for the heads up!

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

WOOOOOW!!! that's complicated. Wont the babies eat from the bottom also

It's not really that complicated, ghost shrimp just need a few extra steps compared to other shrimp like red cherries, yellows, tigers, etc. Most shrimp are scavengers, staying on the ground looking for left overs, so yes eat from the bottom mostly.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Wow, really? Had no idea. All of these sources on the net say that only females have them... Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, I've heard that too but it's more mythical then fact.

 

[jetajockey]

Just letting you know that both males and females have "saddles" on their back. It is near impossible to sex dwarf and smaller shrimp. The only difference between male and female ghost shrimp is that at full maturity the female is normally larger

Where are you getting this information from?
What do you believe the saddle is exactly?

On the contrary, sexing dwarf shrimp is actually really easy. At least it is with the different neocaridina and caridina species that I've kept so far.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Where are you getting this information from?
What do you believe the saddle is exactly?

On the contrary, sexing dwarf shrimp is actually really easy. At least it is with the different neocaridina and caridina species that I've kept so far.

I get my my information the same place everyone else does; secondhand, personal experience, and research.

Yes their are minor differences in the sexes, like wider tails, size, and color differences. But a female can be the same size as a male, a male can have wider tails then females.

Other aquatic life like actually fish, for the most part, have more distinct differences.

Don't talk to me like I don't know my information, I've breed and sold 15+ different species of shrimp.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Very nicely played out. Can I have my thread back please

 

[jetajockey]

I get my my information the same place everyone else does; secondhand, personal experience, and research.

Yes their are minor differences in the sexes, like wider tails, size, and color differences. But a female can be the same size as a male, a male can have wider tails then females.

Other aquatic life like actually fish, for the most part, have more distinct differences.

I'm talking about major differences. With the dwarf shrimp I've dealt with, the difference between adult male and females is large. The females are larger, have a rounder shape along the bottom, and if translucent enough, a saddle can be seen, as well as eggs (obviously). Planetinverts seems to agree with that conclusion as well.

That's why I asked questions about your statements.

Don't talk to me like I don't know my information, I've breed and sold 15+ different species of shrimp.

Don't read into what I posted. I don't know anything about you and never claimed to, just asked a few questions about your statements since they are very contrary to pretty much every resource I've seen and heard of.

Does that mean that you are wrong? Not at all, but if you know that all of the info out there is inaccurate then you surely have the ability to explain why you believe differently. No need to get defensive about it.

 

[jetajockey]

Very nicely played out. Can I have my thread back please

Sorry, to answer your question, if you have a male/female combination, you'll see the female carrying eggs at some point. The eggs of ghost shrimp go through a larval stage, which means the water needs to have a lot of microscopic critters in it. I'd get a green water culture going just for this purpose.

However, I've been told that many ghost shrimp found in pet stores are brackish and require brackish water for the fry to survive. As to the accuracy of that, I can't say, I get all of my ghost shrimp from the wild myself (full freshwater).

 

[Coleallensmom]

Just letting you know that both males and females have "saddles" on their back. It is near impossible to sex dwarf and smaller shrimp. The only difference between male and female ghost shrimp is that at full maturity the female is normally larger

I have to agree with Jeta on this one- this statement is completely untrue. Only ovulating female shrimp have saddles as this is the eggs developing in the female's ovaries (appearing as a triangular "saddle" marking on her back).

 

[Coleallensmom]

Sorry, to answer your question, if you have a male/female combination, you'll see the female carrying eggs at some point. The eggs of ghost shrimp go through a larval stage, which means the water needs to have a lot of microscopic critters in it. I'd get a green water culture going just for this purpose.

However, I've been told that many ghost shrimp found in pet stores are brackish and require brackish water for the fry to survive. As to the accuracy of that, I can't say, I get all of my ghost shrimp from the wild myself (full freshwater).

This is true. Some species of Ghost shrimp do need brackish water to successfully reproduce but ghost shrimp also have a short larval stage which is where I think the problem occurs for most aquarists. Ghost shrimp larvae don't swim, they float through the water column, so in normal aquarium environments they most likely can not find enough micro-foods to grow (or they are sucked up into the filter).