cleaner shrimp pregnant?

foster200

New member
I believe I have two pregnant cleaner shrimp, I think. I have two that currently have, what looks like, eggs under their tails. Do they have to have sex before they get pregnant or do they get eggs first and then hope a male is present to fertilize the eggs? I have no clue. I have two cleaners, two fires, and 3 pepermint shrimp. Both cleaners appear to be pregnant. Can someone help explain this to me. What do i do? thanks!
 
I think an egg-laying animal can be 'gravid' but not 'pregnant' (the latter is reserved for livebearing animals).

I'm not sure exactly about the entire shrimp-sex procedure, and don't know at what stage in the game the eggs are fertilized. I trust that a female shrimp will not release eggs without the presence of a male (chickens and chameleons will lay unfertilized eggs, but I think this is a somewhat uncommon thing).

Here's one thing I know -- you have two male cleaner shrimp, and also two female cleaner shrimp. For a grand total of...two cleaner shrimp. (WHAT?!) Yep. Each cleaner shrimp is a 'simultaneous hermaphrodite', which is a cool way of saying that each is a male and a female at the same time. One shrimp, even though it possesses both male and female reproductive organs, cannot fertilize itself (bummer...), so it needs a partner. But any partner will do (cool...!).

Seems your cleaners had a wild night and each fertilized the other's eggs. Usually they take turns (only one carrying at a time), but both carrying at once is not impossible.
 
As I understand it the eggs are fertilized before they are glued on to the pleopods. This usually happens just after molting. I had a pair that would switch hit carrying eggs, but I don't see why they couldn't both carry them at once. I tried to raise the fry but found them nearly impossible.
 
ive had peppermints spawn and caught about 20 but was unsuccesful at rasing any i kept the babies for about 3 days
 
I have a pair of cleaners where only one has eggs. Not going to attempt to raise the fry but yay for free coral food!
 
My cleaner shrimp would take 14 days to hatch. The eggs will change color a couple of days before hatching then get really big. The female will not eat on the day of the hatch. The hatch should occur a couple of hours after lights out. It's a really cool thing to watch as your tank fills with hundreds of new fry.
 
Responses given were mostly accurate and informative.I could only add that all Lysmata are hermaphrodites and that it is normal that both partners are holding eggs,perhaps not laid the same day,as they need to be freshly molted (and soft) to be fertilized,and not so recently molted to act like a male...
Sex takes weird routes sometimes...:fun2:
 
is it possible for them to have the eggs, but never hatch them? I swear I've seen eggs on mine more than once, but never had any hatch.

P.S. subscribed. Good info!
 
is it possible for them to have the eggs, but never hatch them? I swear I've seen eggs on mine more than once, but never had any hatch.

P.S. subscribed. Good info!

No.Eggs develop during 2 weeks,change colour and hatch at night,perhaps unnoticed.:confused:
Exceptionally, infertile eggs vanish in a day or two...
 
The hatch typically occurs at night, so you likely missed it while other critters in your reef had a feast ;)
 
As I understand it the eggs are fertilized before they are glued on to the pleopods. This usually happens just after molting. I had a pair that would switch hit carrying eggs, but I don't see why they couldn't both carry them at once. I tried to raise the fry but found them nearly impossible.

I agree. I have two cleaners and they both are carrying eggs. They were not fertilized at the same time however. I'm unsure if they mate and store the sperm until they molt or they mate before or after a fresh molt. Here are pics of the two shrimps on the same day. One has eggs that almost ready to hatch and the other is just showing signs of being there.

i tried to enhance the photo so you can see the eggs more clearly. my photography sucks.

shrimp009.jpg

the shrimp on the right has eggs that are more developed
shrimp008.jpg

the eggs of the shrimp on the left are barely visible
shrimp007.jpg
 
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