Lysmata amboinensis larva
- Thread starter Luis A M
- Start date
Fishwhisperer
New member
Has anyone tried putting coralline algae 'dust' in the amboiensis larval tank to try get more of them to settle????
I heard it somewhere that coralline algae produces a chemical cue that makes the larvae settle but i've never done shrimps thus I cant say either way, perhaps instigating and encouraging the growth of coralline in the larval tank might do the trick?
also I heard that small halides are helpful in larval moulting, possibly related to the types and amount of UV they emit????
anyone shed any further light on these ideas I'd be very grateful as this is one of next year's many projects i plan to undertake
Tom
I heard it somewhere that coralline algae produces a chemical cue that makes the larvae settle but i've never done shrimps thus I cant say either way, perhaps instigating and encouraging the growth of coralline in the larval tank might do the trick?
also I heard that small halides are helpful in larval moulting, possibly related to the types and amount of UV they emit????
anyone shed any further light on these ideas I'd be very grateful as this is one of next year's many projects i plan to undertake
Tom
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
The problem is that settling cues can be different or even nonexistent depending on the type of larvae. Some settle with corraline. Some with chemical cues given off by adults of the species. Or whatever. It's really a matter of finding out whether anyone has done the research on whatever species in particular you are interested in. Of course, it probably wouldn't hurt anything to try it.
Luis A M
Premium Member
Lysmata larvae don´t require settling clues.It is just a matter of keeping them alive and when the last stage is reached,it will settle.
Three days ago my CB shrimp released it´s first batch of larvae,a little over two months after settling.Pretty good numbers for a first time!
Now that I have a larger number of larvae to study,I can see that pleop.development do show some variability between individuals:
One Z10 again showed initial buds,but only three.
One Z11 showed initial biramous buds,but much less developed than in Z12.
On the other hand the antenna proved to be a much more stable and reliable staging character;
Z10-doesn´t reach less than the fork of A1, slightly shorter.
Z11-reaches beyond the fork.
Z12-very much longer,reaching about half the branches of A1.
Three days ago my CB shrimp released it´s first batch of larvae,a little over two months after settling.Pretty good numbers for a first time!
Now that I have a larger number of larvae to study,I can see that pleop.development do show some variability between individuals:
One Z10 again showed initial buds,but only three.
One Z11 showed initial biramous buds,but much less developed than in Z12.
On the other hand the antenna proved to be a much more stable and reliable staging character;
Z10-doesn´t reach less than the fork of A1, slightly shorter.
Z11-reaches beyond the fork.
Z12-very much longer,reaching about half the branches of A1.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
Congratulations, Luis!
Luis A M
Premium Member
Zoea 13
Zoea 13
This is the 13th zoea,at 55 days.Pleopods developed. The exopod is paddle shaped and with about 15 setae around the distal half.
Endopods are about 1/2 the length of exopods and with 2-3 terminal setae.Endop.of the 1st pair is bare.Both uropods overlap in the picture's lateral view.
Zoea 13
This is the 13th zoea,at 55 days.Pleopods developed. The exopod is paddle shaped and with about 15 setae around the distal half.
Endopods are about 1/2 the length of exopods and with 2-3 terminal setae.Endop.of the 1st pair is bare.Both uropods overlap in the picture's lateral view.
Luis A M
Premium Member
No,I wouldn´t sacrifice a shrimp or fish for pics or data!
I put them in a well slide and carefully remove most of the water so that they can´t move much,and put them under the scope.They take it very well
Just checked all my "seven little indians".There are four Z13 and three Z12,at 59 days.
I put them in a well slide and carefully remove most of the water so that they can´t move much,and put them under the scope.They take it very well
Just checked all my "seven little indians".There are four Z13 and three Z12,at 59 days.
Luis A M
Premium Member
Seven little indians still holding on.Seems like they were less delicate in these last stages,provided they are kept clean and hydroid free!
Checked them again and they are three Z13 and four Z12.Staging is not easy,as the pleopods show marked individual differences.Again,the antenna helps as a more reliable and constant character;in Z12 it reaches about half the length of the branches of A1,the antennula.In Z13 it is longer,just a little shorter than A1.
Following Ricardo´s table,up in this thread,there are just four stages showing pleopods.So I must expect only one more stage.
The Z12 show about 10 setae (hairs) in the exopods and 2 in the endopod,except for that in the 1st pair which remains bare.One showed 4 apical setae in the exop.and two spines in the rostrum.The others show 3-4 spines.
Z13 have 4-5 spines,15-25 setae in the exop.and 5 in the endop.
Checked them again and they are three Z13 and four Z12.Staging is not easy,as the pleopods show marked individual differences.Again,the antenna helps as a more reliable and constant character;in Z12 it reaches about half the length of the branches of A1,the antennula.In Z13 it is longer,just a little shorter than A1.
Following Ricardo´s table,up in this thread,there are just four stages showing pleopods.So I must expect only one more stage.
The Z12 show about 10 setae (hairs) in the exopods and 2 in the endopod,except for that in the 1st pair which remains bare.One showed 4 apical setae in the exop.and two spines in the rostrum.The others show 3-4 spines.
Z13 have 4-5 spines,15-25 setae in the exop.and 5 in the endop.
Luis A M
Premium Member
Zoea 14
Zoea 14
This is the 14th zoea at 76 days.Pleopods are functional and covered by setae all around,about 40 setae in the exop.The endop.now has an AI.
Again in this pic,the two branches can be seen.The smaller is the endop.and the little spur in it´s left border,the AI.
This is the last larval stage,so this species has 14 zoeal stages.In any other species,the larva should be ready to settle at this point.
But L.amboinensis is now only in the middle of it´s larval life,and about half the size it must reach before settling.
I lost one of the larvae, but accidentally.It got trapped in the tank´s pipework.So six remain.
Zoea 14
This is the 14th zoea at 76 days.Pleopods are functional and covered by setae all around,about 40 setae in the exop.The endop.now has an AI.
Again in this pic,the two branches can be seen.The smaller is the endop.and the little spur in it´s left border,the AI.
This is the last larval stage,so this species has 14 zoeal stages.In any other species,the larva should be ready to settle at this point.
But L.amboinensis is now only in the middle of it´s larval life,and about half the size it must reach before settling.
I lost one of the larvae, but accidentally.It got trapped in the tank´s pipework.So six remain.
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melev
Well-known member
Hi Gresham! It isn't so much speeding up a life cycle as what I'm just beginning to understand about getting the shrimp to settle more quickly. I've been recently talking with a couple of people (Brian at ProjectDIBS and one LFS owner that is propagating corals and has worked with peppermints) and it seems that if you can speed up the settling, you have a better success rate.
I really don't know enough to have a real conversation about this. :lol: All I know is what I've read and that is really bits and pieces. I need to go through this thread again to understand all the lingo Luis uses to get better educated.
Btw, are you going to go to MACNA again? I'll look for you.
I really don't know enough to have a real conversation about this. :lol: All I know is what I've read and that is really bits and pieces. I need to go through this thread again to understand all the lingo Luis uses to get better educated.
Btw, are you going to go to MACNA again? I'll look for you.
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
The idea is to reduce the number of "marking time" molts. Sometimes the larvae will molt because they have to molt, but they won't have gotten what they needed (nutritionally? environmentally?) to move to the next developmental stage with this molt, so they are stuck at the developmental stage they were in previously. If you can keep them on track to change developmental stages with each molt, the time to settlement will be reduced.
