Breeding Sakura Orange Neocaridina Shrimp

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

 

[Minanora]

On 2/22/2022 at 10:25 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

 

Cool idea. I'll have to make something like that as a backup.

In other news, here are some photos of the shrimp from last night. They get "the zoomies" when I put certain foods in.

[jwcarlson]

I bought six "fire red" cherry shrimp (some of which look a lot like "bloody mary") right before Christmas.  They ended up in about a six week quarantine as a bit of a bacterial infection got hold and it took a bit to get it under control.

Was doing 50% water changes twice a day for two weeks of that period.  No issue (aged water)... just dumping it into the tank as fast as I could reasonably pour it.

I thought I'd lost 2-3 of the cherries as I was barely seeing them.  When I went to move everyone from 10 gallon QT into the 37 gallon community tank, all six original cherries were still alive.  And I ended up finding about 40 babies (left the QT tank sitting and checked it periodically for about a week).  All of these surviving QT (med trio, lots of Ich-X, and medicated Kanaplex food) and a 10 gallon tank FULL of fish (6 corys, 1 dwarf gourami, 16 tetras, brushynose pleco, hillstream loach)... The majority of them where holed up in the Co-Op course sponge filter (like you've got).  At one point I spun it underwater a couple of times and about 15 of them came zipping out.  I don't know if there's better cover for shrimplets than a course sponge filter.  Food galore, safe.

Now the 37 gallon has lots of growing shrimplets and they're more common to see.  I gave them a nice smooth rock pile in the new tank and they're absolutely loving it.  Wouldn't surprise me to learn that there's 50 shrimp in there right now.  They're very good at hiding! 

 

In any event, I say all that to say that I think you might be over thinking it a bit, but glad it's working out well. 🙂  They're very fun to watch and their reproductive cycle is pretty cool.

Edited February 23, 2022 by jwcarlson

[Minanora]

@jwcarlson thank you for the post. That makes me feel better about putting some into my 75G. I can see how I could give the impression of overthinking. I do go ""mom mode" frequently when it comes to fry and shrimplettes. 🤣 I like to save allllll the babies and allllll the shrimp.

I'm letting the reins out a bit by adding the chili's. Then after that I'll be adding a small group of pygmy corydoras.

 

In other news, my one mature breeding female is fanning her third brood as of this morning! 🦐🧡😀

Her last brood is maybe 11 days old. Max. They're almost all orange already. You can see one in the first photo at the front of the tank to the right side. So cute!

[jwcarlson]

@Minanora did she drop a few extra eggs this batch?  🙂  She looks massive!

As long as they have somewhere to hide they will probably be fine.  They really seem to like the little rock pile and folded indian almond leaves in our 37.  Shrimplets everywhere once they hit about 1/2 adult size they seem to get more brave. 

[Minanora]

@jwcarlson I feel like this is her biggest clutch so far. There are even two eggs that she's got attached exposed and not neatly attached to her swimmerettes the same as the rest. It's like she ran out of room. Lol.

Shrimp video!

 

[Minanora]

MORE SHRIMP VIDEO! I just love them. After a long day cutting wood and getting my pants/shoes covered in bar-oil.... SHRIIIIIIIIMP!!!!!

Tiny shrimp song. I love the shrimp okay. Don't judge me, I'm so tired.... I've been hand digging a well, cutting wood, working on the tractor, fighting columnaris in the 75G, and dealing with freezing temps for my fruit trees.... Oh and then the neighbors house is in escrow so it's totally nerve-wracking.... We have no idea if we're getting a new neighbor, or if they are going investment... and getting tenants. I just hope neither smoke. Smoke lays siege to our house when the neighbors smoke. Can't open a single window.

 

 

[Minanora]

Also, I have a family. So you will hear me talk to my kiddo. In this case; he had toots that sounded like bubbles... So I laughed a lot at the end... that and people brushing teeth. 😛

[Minanora]

Well today I spent time with the sanctuary. One of the Gen1 females is fanning eggs as of today. She's about half the size of P1 aka Mama shrimp. Mama still has eggs so I was able to compare the two. Mama looks massive compared to babies.

I did forget to turn my phone for this video but I have another to upload. Please excuse the audio of my small human in the background.

https://youtu.be/B8h0cyBonjw

I checked the parameters of the tank since I'm trying to gently nudge the parameters to match the local water supply. So far we're at:

pH: 7.4

GH: 15°

KH: 8°

So, slow but getting there. Very slowly.

Photo of tank this evening. A bit cloudy from shrimp fit food.

[Minanora]

Of course the day after I get all excited about mama shrimp and her eggs she passed away this morning. Seems like the last few weeks has been a "What will happen next!?" series. I collected mamas eggs, they have little black eyes. I got them off of her about an hour after she passed away. I hope they make it. Fingers crossed.

Other than that it appears that more of the Gen1 females are berrying up so there's that.

[Jawjagrrl]

On 1/16/2022 at 5:02 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Levi_AquaticsI think you got a good deal. Those are online prices not LFS prices. 

Watch out for the collectoritis with Neocaridina. Next think you know you could make your own skittles tanks and that’s not a good thing for your relationships! 

I’m terms of setups as long as it’s been established for awhile you can put Neocaridina anywhere such as vases, gallon or 2.5 g jars. This way you can say it’s not a tank honey it’s a jar or a vase. Make semantics work for you and your MTS! Or you can grab 27 g tubs from Lowe’s and use those for breeding! Oh geez I’m a terrible influence!

I was considering converting my trifle bowl into a shrimp setup because I've got at least six colors now. 😉 eyeballing some 1/2 Mason jars too....

[Jawjagrrl]

I started with neos last fall and like you have been fascinated by their berried states and babies! I've started losing mamas (except my snowball) but it's quite likely they were approaching a year old. I went the skittle route, but I find I enjoy the orange and yellow ones the most. 

Your setup has me wanting to do an easier setup as a breeding operation - it looks great in terms of a tiny planted tank, but it would be great to be able to see them and how things are going better.

I moved what I thought were culls to another tank - really dark green, almost black. But they matured into beautiful deep blue and one "painted" chocolate that has had babies in the new tank. Somehow the little guys are managing just fine with endlers, kuhlis and a crayfish. I've ap but given up on predicting what colors might appear after randomly getting yellows in my main tank and the chocolate turning out deep blue and orange shrimplets. After seeing yours I feel even more motivated to start breaking out colors into proper colonies before lines get too muddled. 

Congrats on your shrimp success and oral health 😄

[Minanora]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:26 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

I started with neos last fall and like you have been fascinated by their berried states and babies! I've started losing mamas (except my snowball) but it's quite likely they were approaching a year old. I went the skittle route, but I find I enjoy the orange and yellow ones the most. 

Your setup has me wanting to do an easier setup as a breeding operation - it looks great in terms of a tiny planted tank, but it would be great to be able to see them and how things are going better.

I moved what I thought were culls to another tank - really dark green, almost black. But they matured into beautiful deep blue and one "painted" chocolate that has had babies in the new tank. Somehow the little guys are managing just fine with endlers, kuhlis and a crayfish. I've ap but given up on predicting what colors might appear after randomly getting yellows in my main tank and the chocolate turning out deep blue and orange shrimplets. After seeing yours I feel even more motivated to start breaking out colors into proper colonies before lines get too muddled. 

Congrats on your shrimp success and oral health 😄

that's so interesting. I love my 5.5G shrimp sanctuary. I am going to do some updates to it once the order from Co-Op comes in with the new light. More rotalas and the Chili Rasboras will be going in. I hope they like it in the larger, yet brighter space. My hope is that the rotala will give them the security they need so they stay colored up.

My orange sakura have produced some Rili orange and a few um, well, red-orange... and a few very light orange. I dunno what to call them. They're not yellow, but definitely not sakura orange at all. The rili and off orange/red will be going into the 75G as a test to see if I can keep neos in there with the swordtails. My Amano do fine, but the neos are dumb-brave. Hopefully they do good in there.

And yeah I brush my teeth a lot while I observe the shrimp........ I'll be kinda sad to move them into the living room, but it needs to be done.

[Jawjagrrl]

Interesting... I also got some red/orange recently, but I had an orange and a bloody Mary berried at the same time. What temp are you keeping your colony? I had planned for rasboras with them, but I keep them at 78 and the shrimp around 69-70. I went with Male endlers and that's worked out just fine. They are dumb-brave, aren't they? My shrimplets will stay out in the open a lot and don't move unless the crayfish is about to step on them (amazingly uninterested in trying to catch them). 

I look forward to seeing how your transition to the 75 goes. I love the idea of some in the small fish side of our dual55 project, but figured it would really limit stocking choices.

[PineSong]

Just caught up on your shrimp...I hope mine will breed and be brave like yours. I'm now worried I am not feeding them enough/they have too much competition. 

[Minanora]

On 3/13/2022 at 9:11 AM, Jawjagrrl said:

What temp are you keeping your colony?

I keep mine at 74-76.

@PineSong how often and what are you feeding them?

[PineSong]

@Minanora, I give them Shrimpee pellets from Xtreme, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Algae wafers go into the tank to feed the mystery snail at night.  But there are at least 50 juvenile guppies/fry in the tank so the shrimp are harassed away until the guppies go to bed. There is a cuttle bone and bag of crushed coral in there, and my water is off the charts hard out of the tap. I sometimes do blanched zuchini for the snails, and today I put in a little blanched bok choy.

I have not been feeding them every day--more like 2-3x per week. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by PineSong

[Jawjagrrl]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:25 PM, PineSong said:

Just caught up on your shrimp...I hope mine will breed and be brave like yours. I'm now worried I am not feeding them enough/they have too much competition. 

I know I am probably overfeeding mine out of paranoia. I put in flake food for the endlers 2-3x a day, just a little. Now using a bottom feeder wafer daily for the shrimp, which they seem to really enjoy. My plants are getting eaten lately, which I didn't think they would do. Part of why I want to rescape so I have a better handle on how many there really are.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Jawjagrrl

[Minanora]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:19 PM, PineSong said:

@Minanora, I give them Shrimpee pellets from Xtreme, Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, Hikari Algae wafers go into the tank to feed the mystery snail at night.  But there are at least 50 juvenile guppies/fry in the tank so the shrimp are harassed away until the guppies go to bed. There is a cuttle bone and bag of crushed coral in there, and my water is off the charts hard out of the tap. I sometimes do blanched zuchini for the snails, and today I put in a little blanched bok choy.

I have not been feeding them every day--more like 2-3x per week. 

What is your pH, GH and KH? I feel like that may be a bigger factor considering your mention of super hard water and adding the coral. Feeding schedule seems good. Fry can make a pita to gauge though.

[PineSong]

On 3/13/2022 at 4:40 PM, Minanora said:

What is your pH, GH and KH? 

My pH ,KH and GH look like this in every tank. This is from the red cherry shrimp/guppy fry grow out tank just now. 

[Minanora]

On 3/13/2022 at 1:59 PM, PineSong said:

My pH ,KH and GH look like this in every tank. This is from the red cherry shrimp/guppy fry grow out tank just now. 

Hmm. I have a hard time with reading hardness on the strips. I actually got myself the GH and KH liquid kit from API to deep dive those parameters in my tanks that have shrimp. I know your shrimp hide really well... I wonder if there are babies and you just haven't seen them yet. But it's possible that your GH is too high and is keeping the shrimp from breeding. Though unlikely. My GH being at 15, one of the newly berried females dropped her eggs with a molt. But that could just be because they're still growing faster than they hatch eggs. I don't know though.

[Minanora]

I moved the shrimp sanctuary out of the bathroom! The new light came in today. I now have a fancy pants Fluval Planted 3.0 on the shrimp sanctuary! So, with the move, came some scape changes! BEHOLD! My cloudy/hazy sanctuary!

Some kind of bloom happening in there, but that's okay. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate <10ish. It'll clear up eventually. When it does, I'll add the Chili's! .... Or maybe I'll just buy more Chili's.... I really like having the Chilis on my desk in the office. I feel bad having them in a 2.6, but they are coloring up nicely and are still very friendly.

[Minanora]

One of the Gen1 females still has eggs in the sanctuary and the one in the Chili quarantine is fanning away as well. Shrimplettes may happen but I feel like they're likely to molt them off since they're still growing pretty fast.

[Lizzyduff]

On 1/13/2022 at 10:09 PM, Minanora said:

Saw the first babies this morning before work!!! One of them came right up to me when I looked in. I knew what he was even before I put my glasses on!

Then I saw 3 more! All four mom's still had eggs as of this morning. One had far less but I didn't see eyeballs on any of the ones she had. I'm thinking they don't all hatch at the same time.

Two of the other moms eggs mostly have eyes I can see now, too.

I look forward to them being big enough for my camera to focus on. 😂 May bust out my real camera and the bokina and it's macro converter.

Mine just hatched too! I'm curious how long until they get color... right now they're still clear, look like commas lol.

[Minanora]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:13 PM, Lizzyduff said:

Mine just hatched too! I'm curious how long until they get color... right now they're still clear, look like commas lol.

They're so cute! I've had some color up more quickly than others. I generally see color when they're about 1/8"-3/16" long. So 2 weeks or so. At least that feels about right. I do have some that are clear still even though some of their brothers/sisters have color already. Some variants seem to color up faster than others as well. My littles that went Rili instead of solid took longer to color up, same with the yellowish-oranges.

I will track coloration better on the next brood!