Cherry shrimps wont breed!

[imma24]

I'm not doing anything with the pH though..the pH level in our tap water is around 7 and I dont add anything to change it. (though the bogwood might lower it a bit I guess) tho if you ment the gh level? Then yeah maybe I should stop adding the powder? could that be stressing to them?

I know fish don't do well when we start trying to adjust water chemistry - I don't know about shrimp - just a guess. I would want to maintain stability without adding anything.

[hardlytangerine]

The gravel is very light coloured, it's a sort of sand that's top notch for corydoras to nuzzle through (most corydoras-lovers use is at it's ridiculously inexpensive, not pet-store stuff.. but it's perfect for aquariums, lmao)

If I could find inexpensive dark sand...I've seen one but it's a bit pricey! (i prefer sand over gravel) i'll get it for another shrimp tank, because I also think shrimps stand out better against it.

andreaph, i'm gonna try to not add the powder for a while when doing water changes.. who knows, that could be the reason.. i dont add that to the community tank (since i got fish that wants soft water) - and seems the cherry shrimp bred there.

I've been watchign my shrimp for days and weeks now and no sign of fertilized eggs carried around, only the saddle. Maybe i should do a mild water change today and not add anything!

[homemadepopcorn]

Whats the temperature in the tank?

How long has it been since you moved them?

Did any of them die?

[hardlytangerine]

The temp is usually at around 23'C - 28'C (73 - 82 F) it depends on how long I leave the light on, as it's a normal lightbulb that warms a bit. The heater is a constant 25'C with a slight margin, and the temp rises slowly throughout the day (as the bulb gets warmer)

I moved them in January, it was only two from my own tank that was moved by then, and none of them died. They spawned one fry that is still alive. I bought two shrimp at the pet store uhmmm maybe a month ago, or three weeks and both of them are alive. So no deaths.

(just want to add I use a heater in the winter/spring/fall months in my tanks because it can get a bit cold during the nights and well in the day aswell tbh, haha) :)

[Alasse]

I have cherries.

I do monthly water changes. The water that goes back in is unheated, straight from the tap (rainwater)
They are demand fed, as soon as one lot of food is gone more is put it.
I have them on white sand and black gravel and they are the same stunning colours on both.
The tank has live plants.

I pretty much leave em alone, i just sold over 150 shrimp out of the tank and it is still crawling with adults and babies.
Cherry shrimp are as tough as nails!!

[Strider199]

You may want to start adding a few more shrimp to that tank. I usually start with 20-30 shrimp and they multiply very quickly. With only 5 shrimp in your tank the chances of young ones is low in my opinion. Sorry.

Try and increase your stock.

Just a thought, I am not familiar with your filter. Is the water intake covered with a fine sponge or some other type of screen? Shrimp like to hang out on the intake tube and if they are small enough they could be getting sucked into the filter. I know I read it was a shrimp friendly filter but baby shrimp are really small as Lady Hobbs said.
I would also stop using anything that would alter the water hardness. The store probably doesn't do that because of the cost, so the shrimp will be adapting to that change instead of doing what they do best, after eating that is.

[hardlytangerine]

Strider199; I'm gonna try adding more then! Though I'm gonna buy them from private breeders instead, as it's half the price usually. Just so typical that I want to do all sorts of DIY projects and aquarium-stuff around holidays when postal services and shoppes are closed and such, haha!



this is the filter, though I've got a sort of nozzle on it that "clamps" the water outtake a bit, oh here's a pic of it btw, though very small.


I'm not sure if the filtermedia I switched too is shrimp-safe, as it was something you could choose when buying the air-driven filter. I think I chose the shrimp safe one as I had planned to use the filter, but it was far to big and clunky for my taste so I never bothered.

I often see shrimps sitting upside down where the filter sucks in the water, they seem to enjoy picking at stuff there, and the sponge I switched to was extremely "fine" compared to the coarser ones that are in my other tanks. :)

[Strider199]

Buying shrimp from a private source is the way to go. It took me a few months to find a local cherry red shrimp hobbyist but the stock is awesome and the price was 1/4 of what the local store wanted.

That is a really neat filter. Just thinking out loud here, if you have an old pair of nylon stockings, maybe cut some material so it fits around the lower part of that filter and fasten with a rubber band. That way those little guys cant get into the grates and the shrimp will still sit on the nylon because stuff will build up on it.
The down side is, you'll have to clean it more often as it will plug up with stuff especially if you have life plants or moss in your tank.

Good luck and keep us up to date.

[onneeye]

Mine started to breed when I added a led light that had blue led for night time and added black sand. I started with 8 and now have over 60. Took me 1 1/2 hour to move them for a 2 gallon to a 4 gallon tank. I have a fluval c2 hob with a sponge covering the intake to protect the baby shrimp.

[hardlytangerine]

Thanks for all the helpful tips guys! More shrimp will hopefully be here next wednesday. And hopefully I'll get hold of a new and bigger tank aswell... though maybe not until around the 18th. My mom is out of town and was gonna look for a nice used one while away. (hard to come by here haha)

I'll keep you updated haha :)