Peppermint Shrimp
- Thread starter Firefish3
- Start date
Lunabud74
Premium Member
more than likely your fish will eat them before they mature. I always liked the thought that my fish actually got something really live for a snack. It is fun when you catch the little ones floating through the tank though, pretty microscopic. I never tried to raise them, so can't help with that aspect.
Tennyson
Active member
Its pretty easy to raise them. The hardest part though, is keeping the breeding tank clean, and cleaning the breeding tank without killing the larvae. In order to raise them, you need to seperate all of them as soon as they are released (the parent shrimp releases her babies around midnight or a couple hours after lights out). And all pumps, or things that take in water like a skimmer need to be turned off the night you think it will release the eggs which immediately hatch.
When removing the larvae from the main tank to the breeding tank, you can't do it with a net, it can damage them easily. I used a turkey baster, and none were damaged.
When I was raising them, they were in a two gallon tank, low lights, in a dark room, with nothing but a heater. (you can have an airstone for circulation, but the bubbles can damage the larvae and cause too much circulation)
I fed baby brine shrimp every day which is the best way to go I think because of the nutrition they get. But they will eat any food an adult would eat like flake, mysid. But its best to stick with brine.
And clean the tank atleast every 1-2 days. its critical that they're swimming in clean water. I just sucked the crud off the bottom with a baster so i wouldn't damage the babies.
I think thats all you need to know. remove them before they get eaten. Feed brine (live is best). Make sure the tank is clean.
The mother will hold its eggs for about a week I think, im not sure but 7 days sounds right. The first couple days, when the eggs are developing, they will appear lime green, the night she will release her eggs, the eggs will be silver white to a pale brown. The night she releases, she will appear extremely bloated, and will hide alot, not eating that day. and will come out at night, to the highest point of the tank, and release her eggs.
Anymore questions just ask. and i think theres a thread in the fish-breeding forum on succesfully breeding them.
When removing the larvae from the main tank to the breeding tank, you can't do it with a net, it can damage them easily. I used a turkey baster, and none were damaged.
When I was raising them, they were in a two gallon tank, low lights, in a dark room, with nothing but a heater. (you can have an airstone for circulation, but the bubbles can damage the larvae and cause too much circulation)
I fed baby brine shrimp every day which is the best way to go I think because of the nutrition they get. But they will eat any food an adult would eat like flake, mysid. But its best to stick with brine.
And clean the tank atleast every 1-2 days. its critical that they're swimming in clean water. I just sucked the crud off the bottom with a baster so i wouldn't damage the babies.
I think thats all you need to know. remove them before they get eaten. Feed brine (live is best). Make sure the tank is clean.
The mother will hold its eggs for about a week I think, im not sure but 7 days sounds right. The first couple days, when the eggs are developing, they will appear lime green, the night she will release her eggs, the eggs will be silver white to a pale brown. The night she releases, she will appear extremely bloated, and will hide alot, not eating that day. and will come out at night, to the highest point of the tank, and release her eggs.
Anymore questions just ask. and i think theres a thread in the fish-breeding forum on succesfully breeding them.
Lunabud74
Premium Member
LOL....That's always how it goes. One of my skunk shrimps is carrying eggs right now am debating pulling her out before she broadcasts, but I probably will not. I keep multiples of the shrimp so that my fish get a little treat now and then. Don't be surprised if you do see a wee little shrimp floating around in the next few days/weeks though
