Shrimp and Egg Layers

[JeremyAllen]

Hi all, I have seen some talk about breeding and whether not eggs are safe with shrimp or if they will eat the eggs in the tank. I was curious if anyone had a history of breeding egg scatters or egg layers in tanks that had shrimp and if I need to pull eggs via a mop or if you can easily breed fish in tanks that have shrimp as the shrimp will only eat bad eggs. I hope this makes sense I appreciate all feedback!!

[Yanni]

I have found that having shrimp with egg layers is usually ok. The shrimp seem to keep any fungus growth off the eggs.

[Brandy]

I deliberately put shrimp in will my cichlid eggs--Neocaridina with Acara eggs on a rock. Despite there being nothing else to really eat (other than biofilm on the rock) they didn't harm a single egg--I actually watched pretty closely. A few eggs were non fertile. They didn't eat those either, but no fungus grew. Don't know if that was the shrimp or if I am just lucky, but I think neocaridina are pretty egg safe for cichlids I think. I think they are probably a more beneficial. 

Now snails, on the other hand, are a totally different story.

[Maggie]

I have shrimp in with my danios, and its the danios eating their own eggs(?) and fry (along with baby shrimp). I see them glass skimming/hunting pretty much every day for fry. 

[Eric R]

Other than @Brandy, noone mentioned what type of shrimp. Is everyone else's experience with Neocaridina sp. as well?

[gardenman]

I have a suspicion egg size matters. Larger eggs like cichlid eggs might be harder for shrimp to handle but the very small, dust-like eggs of something like a neon tetra might get eaten more readily. I'm not speaking from personal experience here, just supposition. Likewise, very small fry might be more susceptible to being eaten by a shrimp as opposed to larger fry like those of a molly or swordtail. 

[Andy's Fish Den]

I have put neocaridina shrimp in with corydoras eggs when I am hatching them and have not noticed them eating eggs. I have not had any problems with fungus on the eggs as well, but not totally sure if that is due to the shrimp or the few drops of hydrogen peroxide that I put in the water.

[Brandy]

I have watched neocaridina shrimp ignore freshly hatched live baby brine, but then eat it once it is dead. I strongly suspect they are not hunters by nature, but true detritovores. I would assume any egg consumption would be incidental--like the possibility that otocinclus might occaisionally hoover up a newborn shrimplet--it is not their goal, it just got in their mouth. The only thing I have ever seen from them that looks like attack is when they will ride a snail, scratching at his shell--and I add calcium and that behavior goes away.

However, that is ONE kind of shrimp. As @ererer points out, "shrimp" is a pretty broad category. I have seen an amano, supposedly a great algae eater, ignore algae and drag down small neocaridina, and half grown guppy fry. I would not trust an amano with eggs.

[shkote]

6 hours ago, ererer said:

Other than @Brandy, noone mentioned what type of shrimp. Is everyone else's experience with Neocaridina sp. as well?

I use Sulawesi malawa shrimp with Rainbow eggs and have watched them pick at and around them and then leave them alone. 

[NeoNerd]

I routinely spawn Juli corydoras in my red rili colony (the shrimp eat a TON) in a 20 gal long tank. I do pull the cory eggs after they spawn, but I have had some eggs stay behind and hatch naturally. So the shrimp must not be eating the viable ones.

Heavily planted tank with ramshorns snails. 

-SJ