Raising cleaner shrimp larvae.

[DivaMan]

Since the day I bought my two cleaners, both go through cycles of egg carrying, always at the same time, and the eggs hatch just before molting, and reappear two days afterwards. I have determined how to catch the larvae. I am just unsure of how to raise them. Im guessing phytoplankton, like most other crustacean larvae? ANy experience or tips would be nice.

 

[mwp]

FuEL? Divaman, there's probably a jilliion threads on this...skunk cleaners are purportedly beyond tuff to do, but they HAVE BEEN DONE now by a couple folks around the world. BBS is the starter food (I think). The problem seems to be keeping them alive long enough to settle, and deaths at settlement (or at least when settlement should occur).

It's 2:00 AM, you can probably get onto the Forum Search engine right now...just filter it for the Breeding forum and set the time to be "from the beginning" and try every permutation of names, scientific and common, and you should have PLENTY of info to start with!

Matt

 

[FuEl]

It is indeed very tough to work with this species. Frankly any one who tries should feel a sense of accomplishment, even if only 1 specimen settles. So far I think most people who have tried are getting settlements around 4-5 months. Waikiki aquarium reports them settling much much sooner though. Apparently the larvae will need to reach 2 cm plus before settlement. They tend to die alot once they reach close to 1 cm.

There is not enough work on the larval rearing of this species from the scientific community, which is rather discouraging. In the experiments with other Lysmata species, there also seems to a bias towards mono-diet experiments (which are easier and less tedious to perform). This does not truly represent the wild diet of larvae, which can possibly give us a false impression of their larval duration (in this case, 4-5 months). I believe what is needed to conclude the larval rearing of L. amboinensis is a carefully planned out co-feeding experiment (involving different types of microalgae and Artemia). This will not be an easy task but I think we will understand more from this species if such an experiment can be carried out somewhere in the world.

 

[DivaMan]

Well, I did not see your reply matt, bbs are the starter? Then again the larvae are rather large at hatching time, no bigger than half a centimeter. Ill do a search, and see what I come up with. Maybe i could get extra credit in bio for trying this?

 

[DivaMan]

Another quick few questions, I looked at most of these threads that turn up in a search, but they I am sad to say, have a few things I do not understand. First and foremost, I am guessing there are multiple larval stages named zoae 1 2 3.... Then what is settlement, is it when the shrimp goes through its first molt? Then it is home free? I am seriously considering trying this over my summer break.

 

[mwp]

Settlement is when the shrimp does it's final "juvenile molt" and stops free swimming (looses the swimming appendages). At settlement, that's when the shrimp really looks like an exact miniature replica of an adult. Post-Settlement is indeed basically the "home free" stretch.

FWIW,

Matt

 

[DivaMan]

Thanks. Just trying to learn as much as I can. I think from reading several of those threads, and many of the links to other boards, or articles. I will Initially feed, the night of capture with phyto. I will the switch directly to artemia napulii. I also, rather soon here will be starting a copepod culture to feed my mandarin, but I believe an experiment is warranted to test how well they take the pods, and if the pods fill the nutritional deficit that in later stages the artemia are unable to fill, because of their relative lack of nutrition. Keep in mind I think this thread will probably lay dormant until summer when I begin my very lavish experiment.

 

[GreshamH]

I've got an article in spanish (from Mexico) that is one a operation (CICIMAR) gearing up for commercial production of fire shrimp. I'll have to ask permission to release it though as it's been published all ready.

 

[DivaMan]

Sounds interesting. I have a break in febuary, I think I may try to start, and acquire my cultures then.

 

[DivaMan]

Fuel, what did you mean by this?

Fuel, what did you mean by this?

I doubt the water volume is the key. Most probably it has to do with water current somehow. I had many large ones in an upwelling system that all failed to settle, although they grew much much faster compared to larvae in tanks. Some larvae (about 5 or so) from the same batch were taken from the upwelling before the die-offs occured and placed in a small glass aquarium (probably only 6 liters at max). A simple airstone was set on low output. Viola the first larvae settled at 150 days. The rest died though, the person who was in charge of caring for them during the vacation overfed the tank.

Are you saying that the small amount of cleaners that you put into the 6 liter tank settled? If so maybe the key is to give them space, when they are developing in the ocean, they are not clustered like we house them.

 

[DivaMan]

Im thinking maybe, as I just read the thread about raising sexy shrimp, that I wil try these first, to learn the basics, like stages, and develop my capture techniques. yes I know they are different, but a 19day period between settlement and birth will be easier for me. AS school takes up a lot of my time.