Whisker Shrimp

[octoxpuss]

Whisker shrimp do they keep there eggs always? So, Everything i need to know about shrimp she has this big clutch of things undert her with little black dots on them and she is fanning them with her back claws. so r their babies

[octoxpuss]

Are shrimp eggs supposed to be green with two dots on them or do they turn a different collor. how do i know when she will release them

[octoxpuss]

Can anyone help me? when will they release the baby shrimp

[pbmax]

I don't know about whisker shrimp specifically, but most shrimp and crayfish hold their eggs for at least 2 and sometimes up to 4 weeks, from what I understand. In some shrimp the eggs turn a darker color as they get closer to hatching. The best way to know when they'll hatch is historical data for a given shrimp - how long it's been since she was berried and how long it took last time to release the eggs.

pbmax

[dragoonwoman]

Don't know much about shrimp, but I would suggest you put something over your filter intake, like a sponge, to keep the babies from being "inhaled." If you haven't already, that is. That's advice from several Forum members, usually talking about fish fry.

What do whisker shrimp look like? How big do they get? I'm interested in starting a shrimp tank and am looking around for possible occupants. Thanks!

[pbmax]

I believe whisker shrimp are a macro species, as opposed to a dwarf shrimp species like myself and many hobbyists keep. They're pretty large (4" max maybe?) and fairly aggressive toward just about anything they can get their claws on.

Red Cherry Shrimp are a great first shrimp - they stay small (1.25" max), they're totally peaceful, they're pretty hardy, and they can handle a range of water parameters (PH, GH, KH). As with all shrimp you need to have good water quality - the tank needs to be completely cycled before you add them.

[dragoonwoman]

The tank I intend for shrimp housed a Betta until recently. The Betta died, and rather than just getting another one, I decided I'd like to try something new.

The tank is planted and cycled, but otherwise empty and I'm keeping the biofilter alive by dripping in ammonia every day ("fishless cycle"). I will be replanting the tank soon in preparation for the shrimp, and once that's done, I'll check all parameters and adjust before getting the shrimp.

I know inverts are sensitive to nitrates, so I plan on twice-weekly w/c of 20% to 25%. Does that sound okay?

[pbmax]

Dwarf shrimp are much more sensitive to ammonia and nitrites than nitrates. That said, definitely keep the nitrates in check. My shrimp tanks run about 10ppm max, I believe. I do water changes about every other week. Without fish, the nitrates don't pile up too much unless you overfeed. Since dwarf shrimp can easily survive on bio-film for the most part, just make sure they consume all of the food you feed them within a few hours. Fast-growing plants are always a plus because of their ammonia and nitrate uptake. Shrimp prefer smaller water changes than bigger ones, but my RCS and Malawa easily tolerate 50% water changes weekly.