Berries!

[sfsamm]

So I'd just like to say.... My RCS one female has eggs and the whole thing kinda grosses me out.... Told my sister I was bringing her up and she refused she doesn't want to lose baby shrimps lol. So my disaster qt tank with the CPDs and shrimp is going to be having babies. I'm not prepared, what's the best ideas to not suck them up? Tanks overstocked right now and get every other day cleaning and water changes (syphoning poo not because of parameters). How do I not kill shrimp babies? I haven't run parameters in the past couple days, but they've consistently been (0,0, less than 10). I have several amano, 12-15 RCS and four CPDs in a 5 gallon stock fluval spec v.

I was completely under the impression that I was going to be waiting a while for babies not having them before I'm confident that the CPD crisis was averted.... Like two weeks [emoji27].

I can't move anyone right now. Is it a lost cause to try and not kill little shrimps? We do actually want the RCS to breed but we were thinking it'd be once everyone was in permanent homes!

[sfsamm]

And maybe berries isn't right term... She's fanning the eggs under her tail. Constantly fanning eggs... And jostling them.... That's actually what grosses me out... Gives me flashbacks as to why I don't eat crayfish or lobster tail.

[Slaphppy7]

LOL...I don't think it's gross at all, it's "the circle of life"

Very simple solution: use a knee-high nylon stocking over the end of the siphon to avoid sucking up the shrimplets...I have to use one every WC, because all 4 of my tanks have shrimp

[sfsamm]

LOL...I don't think it's gross at all, it's "the circle of life"

Very simple solution: use a knee-high nylon stocking over the end of the siphon to avoid sucking up the shrimplets...I have to use one every WC, because all 4 of my tanks have shrimp
I had quite a horrifying experience, twice actually (and twice in a row at about 14 since I'm going to probably TMI everyone anyway), while eating crawfish once and baby lobster tails the other, where I cracked them open and eggs came out.... I do not eat lobster or crayfish, and have no intention on changing that.... Regardless the shrimps eggs look like it and it grosses me out. Granted I'm not going to be eating them but it still disturbs me on some primordial level, somewhere under morbid fascination, where I just pretend it isn't happening. I imagine I'll get past it eventually now I'm keeping shrimps but for the time being I'm completely grossed out.

If I use the knee high it going to get the poops through? Because at the time being and for another couple weeks this tank handles the bioload fine but the mess is a bit out of control for a display tank lol hence every other day syphoning. Or maybe I go on a moss mission and just hide it with a moss mat if I can find some on a trip to town? Then get my hussle on in finding some dwarf water lettuce for the tank.

[Slaphppy7]

If you "swish" the siphon around a bit, the "poops" tend to dissolve and get sucked up, anyway.

Yet another advantage of using disposable poly floss in your filters at every water change...what doesn't get sucked up in the siphon will become suspended in the water column, then sucked into your filter(s) when you turn them back on...and trapped in the floss...next WC, you toss the floss (and poop) and start with a fresh piece.

The much more difficult option from using a nylon is to carefully watch while you siphon, with one hand on the shut-off valve.... if you see a shrimplet get sucked up, quickly shut off the siphon, allow them to swim out, then turn the valve back on and continue...this takes much longer, and you have to watch very closely...if you use gravity to siphon, shrimp won't get sucked up as easily as they would with water flow from the tap creating the suction, which is much more powerful

Lastly, you could siphon into buckets, then net any shrimp that get sucked out of the tank and replace them...again, this is a PITA...just try the nylons

[sfsamm]

I still syphon to buckets lol but they are white buckets, not good for seeing tiny swimmers. I actually syphon off my bladder tank to the bucket and let it settle before going and picking out my snails then pouring the top off and then pour the gunk into a colored bowl to pick out the rest of the little ones. I'm not wanting to catch things that swim in the same meticulous manner. I'll try the nylon and cram some filter floss into my overflow to catch what I kick up. I'll change that as it's gross :)

And yes I really should get a Python... With 5 tanks I really should lol but I've never had one so I don't miss it and I don't want to be taking apart my kitchen sink all the time either lol I'll probably break down for the 55 gallon though. Last big tank I syohoned out a window and filled with the hose. Wasn't quite an ordeal but this house in the winters lol nope

[SueD]

I don't use my python for my 5g tanks as I find it to big and unwieldy. So I use the manual syphon and a white bucket. I usually suck up a shrimp or two here and there. Just let the water in the bucket settle and the shrimp are very easy to see swimming in there and not very hard to net out. If this is a Spec V, I'm not sure how well the filter floss will work in there. You'd have to stuff it between the skimmer slats and sponge for it to trap anything. Be sure to be careful pulling out the sponge as my shrimp go in there often and I find them hanging on when I pull it out. So my sponge goes directly into the bucket of water I just drained. I shake the shrimp free of the sponge and net them back into the tank.

[Slaphppy7]

And yes I really should get a Python... With 5 tanks I really should lol

Indeed, you should...I use mine for all of my tanks, even the 5.5G

Look into these, too, or you will be finding shrimp in your filters

http://www.hanaquatics.com/ss-filter-guard/

[sfsamm]

I actually do have a spec v but picked up these for a couple bucks at my fave fish spot and haven't had a shrimp in the filter since... I'm sure babies will change that because of the lower slit, but then again the filter floss may be beneficial to cram behind it and at the bottom so they don't get stuck to the pump.... Or depending how tiny they are I guess even in it.

SueD warned me previously of shrimps in the filter! I've rescued many amano from back there lol the cherries don't seem to get in there just the daredevil amanos. When they aren't on the filter I put a dowel and a net in the hole and they'd generally put themselves back in the tank in few minutes.

[sfsamm]

Meant to add that before lol this is the shrimp barrier lolhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170606/e5b520f7388f8c5ba39f279309ee6aa6.jpg

[BluewaterBoof]

Yay for berried shrimperdoodles!

I'm very glad I saw this thread! I have a shipment of CBS coming in and forgot to order a prefilter for my HOB!