Breeder basket or no?

[2sweetladyz]

Hi all! I have a shrimp and snail only tank and have my first berried red cherry shrimp. Do shrimp need a breeder basket if no fish are present? I have 2 young mystery snails, an abundance of bladder snails, and about 12 other shrimp (some rcs, some blue...yet to figure out the mystery of types of blue shrimp, 2 chocolate, and several that my pet store call amano).

[libertybelle]

No need, if there are no fish in the tank a breeder box would just unnecessarily stress out the female!

[Gallonmilk]

From my experience with baby shrimp you do not need one. I had bought some rcs and blue dreams and two had spawned while getting bought. I do have fish and they don’t mess with the babies. It also depends on how high up your filter is in my opinion, as the accidental tag alongs don’t get sucked up in mine. They also will be very hard hard to spot when fist spawned so you probably won’t be able to find them but as they get bigger they’ll show more. This is just my experience so try and get other opinions as well. If you are uncomfortable with them free roaming then put them in a breeder basket.

[2sweetladyz]

Originally Posted by libertybelle

No need, if there are no fish in the tank a breeder box would just unnecessarily stress out the female!

Thank you! I was thinking this and then got paranoid that other shrimp would eat the babies.

[2sweetladyz]

Originally Posted by Gallonmilk

From my experience with baby shrimp you do not need one. I had bought some rcs and blue dreams and two had spawned while getting bought. I do have fish and they don’t mess with the babies. It also depends on how high up your filter is in my opinion, as the accidental tag alongs don’t get sucked up in mine. They also will be very hard hard to spot when fist spawned so you probably won’t be able to find them but as they get bigger they’ll show more. This is just my experience so try and get other opinions as well. If you are uncomfortable with them free roaming then put them in a breeder basket.

Thanks for the reply! My filter is sponge to prevent shrimp getting sucked in, so I think I'm good there. I was just concerned that other shrimp or snails might eat the babies. I'll feel much better leaving the mom free roaming, as I would hate to make her live in a basket until the eggs hatch.

[libertybelle]

Yeah, cherries/snails won’t eat the babies. The only reason cherries would eat other cherries is if the shrimp is dying or dead already. They’re not sentimental so they will definitely eat a dying/dead shrimp! But they don’t attack other healthy shrimp.

And stressed mama shrimp can drop their eggs and they won’t hatch, so I’d avoid a breeder box if you can help it.

[2sweetladyz]

Originally Posted by libertybelle

Yeah, cherries/snails won’t eat the babies. The only reason cherries would eat other cherries is if the shrimp is dying or dead already. They’re not sentimental so they will definitely eat a dying/dead shrimp! But they don’t attack other healthy shrimp.

And stressed mama shrimp can drop their eggs and they won’t hatch, so I’d avoid a breeder box if you can help it.

Thanks! No box for me then!