OK. Not complete success (yet). :hmm3:
A few weeks ago 'something' bred in the tank. Fortunately, my niece had a microscope. A quick look through the microscope revealed it was my peppermint shrimp doing the breeding (I also have a mated pair of clownfish. When larvae are tiny, it's hard to tell the difference).
I decided that it was too late for this batch. "Fish food" I said. But I started setting up the second tank as I've always wanted to try breeding peppermint shrimp.
4 weeks later... The larvae are doing well.. They're growing well. Some are nearly 7mm long..
Don't ask me what I did.. I don't know. I *think* I've just managed to create a 'safe place' for them. They're not getting harrassed by anything. When I feed fish and the food settles, the current naturally takes the food right past this 'haven'.
So, I suppose my question is:
How big do they typically get before they metamorph? All I've gotten is 50 - 100 days. Time is all well and good, but I was hoping for a size indicator too.
--------------------------
At the end of the day I am expecting 100% fatality. If/When I fail, well it was interesting none-the-less. And my second 15G tank is setup for future 'experiments in larvae survival'.
If I do have success, rest assured, I'll let people know.
Heaven knows we need Peppermint Shrimp breeders where I am. I only know of 1 commercial outfit that breeds Peppies in Australia, and it's on the west coast. Fatalities + cost make peppermints expensive in East Coast Australia. The rest are wild caught.
A few weeks ago 'something' bred in the tank. Fortunately, my niece had a microscope. A quick look through the microscope revealed it was my peppermint shrimp doing the breeding (I also have a mated pair of clownfish. When larvae are tiny, it's hard to tell the difference).
I decided that it was too late for this batch. "Fish food" I said. But I started setting up the second tank as I've always wanted to try breeding peppermint shrimp.
4 weeks later... The larvae are doing well.. They're growing well. Some are nearly 7mm long..
Don't ask me what I did.. I don't know. I *think* I've just managed to create a 'safe place' for them. They're not getting harrassed by anything. When I feed fish and the food settles, the current naturally takes the food right past this 'haven'.
So, I suppose my question is:
How big do they typically get before they metamorph? All I've gotten is 50 - 100 days. Time is all well and good, but I was hoping for a size indicator too.
--------------------------
At the end of the day I am expecting 100% fatality. If/When I fail, well it was interesting none-the-less. And my second 15G tank is setup for future 'experiments in larvae survival'.
If I do have success, rest assured, I'll let people know.
Heaven knows we need Peppermint Shrimp breeders where I am. I only know of 1 commercial outfit that breeds Peppies in Australia, and it's on the west coast. Fatalities + cost make peppermints expensive in East Coast Australia. The rest are wild caught.
