CRS babies?

[GnarlySalamander]

hello!
i've been stalking your forum for a while and everyone here seems very helpful and informative

i recently acquired two CRS for my community tank simply because i thought they looked cool. no intentions to breed so i wasn't really concerned with having them in with my tiny fish.. today at feeding time i realized one of them was carrying eggs! i guess i got lucky and got a male and a female because i've had them about a week and it certainly didn't have them before today. now my concern is what i can do with the momma shrimp so her babies don't all end up as lunch.

my options are as follows:

1. let nature take its course and see if any manage to hide long enough to grow to a size where they won't be eaten.

2. a net breeder. i have one from my platy days but i don't know if it's even possible to do this with the shrimp? would they be able to survive in there if i threw in some of my java moss? should i take out the mother once she has them or leave them in there? i know it can stress fish to be in the breeders so i imagine the same would apply for such sensitive shrimp. this would be the easiest option for me to try to save them if it's possible as that tank is much more stable and spot on to the conditions that they need to thrive.

3. i have a 10g shrimp tank with ghost shrimp. can CRS live with ghost shrimp? if so this option seems like a better idea, aside from the fact that i'd have to condition that tank for the CRS as the pH in the 10g isn't as low as the CRS prefer, and the water is a bit on the hard side. i don't know if the 3-4 weeks it will take for the eggs to hatch is long enough to get everything in order without harming the shrimp that are already in there, and i don't know how good of an idea it would be to acclimate a pregnant shrimp into a new environment.


if anyone could take the time to give me the pros and cons of my second and third idea i would greatly appreciate it. i figure i should at least try to raise them since the two i have are S+ grade.

note: my main tank is well planted [20g] and i have a sponge pre filter over my filter intake, so if you think it would be possible to just leave them as they are i'd be open to that suggestion.

 

[Cybercyde]

With the CRS babies vs Ghost Shrimp... Buy new ghost shrimp later. Sell a couple crs to pay for a few dozen ghosts if you miss them.

Not sure on the net breeder, but stressing a berried female usually doesn't go well.

In the well planted community - If you're truly not worried about it, I'm a fan of letting nature do its thing. Odds are 1-2 will make it through the nibbling - especially if your fish are well fed and you have dense plantlife to hide in. Java moss, anacharis, dwarf hair grass, hair algea, etc.

If they establish a colony, they'll tend to do well so long as they're not picked on.

I'd consider feeding the ghost shrimp to larger fish or adding to the main tank and letting the CRS have the 10 until you can heavily stock the community tank (Won't take long at all).

Second move would be laying a fish net / breeder net on the bottom, lay an algea wafer / sinking pellet on it to draw the CRS. When they're on it, suspend it and add your java moss. Probably the lowest stress method I can think of for trying the net. If the moss is thick enough to block their view while allowing water flow, odds are they won't care. They'll climb out of the net anyhow.

Close second - letting them have it naturally. Most animals won't breed if they think there isn't a chance they'll have some survivors. (They're still quite often wrong, but they've got a better view at eye level than we do. ) If you go this route, split up feedings for your fish. Feed the same amount, just spread it out through 1-3 more feedings. No more gravel vac while watching for shrimplets. (Though with a dense tank, you probably don't vac much to begin with.)

 

[GnarlySalamander]

thanks for the fast response!

i think i may just take my chances and see what happens if i leave them in the tank... if they bred once there shouldn't be a reason they wouldnt try again so if i'm unsuccessful i could just try another method another time..

i love my ghost shrimp. i couldn't bare to see them get eaten =P and like i had said that water is less than ideal anyway.

and no gavel vac for me. i've got about a 4x4" square where i can still see substrate lol. its easier to just stir it up and let the filter do the rest.

 

[Cybercyde]

thanks for the fast response!

i think i may just take my chances and see what happens if i leave them in the tank... if they bred once there shouldn't be a reason they wouldnt try again so if i'm unsuccessful i could just try another method another time..

No worries. ^_^

I tend to just do my small part - I keep the water clean, warm, and feed the fish. Anything beyond that is up to them, unless they crowd the tank out to the point of being unhealthy.

i love my ghost shrimp. i couldn't bare to see them get eaten =P and like i had said that water is less than ideal anyway.

I had a feeling. Just a "sensible" route since they need brackish to marine to successfully breed, alongside the vulnerable stage the eggs hatch into. Bit of a "one lifespan" critter for 99% of hobbyists. That, and nearly any local fish shop would leap at the chance to nab crs in trade for feeder shrimp considering you could raise them in a 5gal bucket near a window with a spongefilter and java moss. ^_^

and no gavel vac for me. i've got about a 4x4" square where i can still see substrate lol. its easier to just stir it up and let the filter do the rest.

Agreed. I do the same in my 10g. I'll spin a toothbrush to pull algea, then stir up the bottom a bit before pulling water. Occasionally I'll gravel vac to turn over the pea gravel to thin out the carpet.

I actually have a hair algea carpet in my 10g. I still get to break out scissors and mow the lawn while trying to convince myself I'm planted-pro. lol

More importantly, my ottos seem to live to convince me they're dead. -_- they lay on their sides, their backs, on their heads... They seem to love the hair algea. The missus has appologized for banging the glass more than once now because "Honey, I really thought it was dead this time..."... They're healthy as could be. Just practical jokers. -_-

 

[GnarlySalamander]

No worries. ^_^
More importantly, my ottos seem to live to convince me they're dead. -_- they lay on their sides, their backs, on their heads... They seem to love the hair algea. The missus has appologized for banging the glass more than once now because "Honey, I really thought it was dead this time..."... They're healthy as could be. Just practical jokers. -_-

goodness, this reminds me of a betta fish i had for about 6 years that from day one would sleep on its side on the bottom of the tank. he'd wait until i had the bowl half dumped into the toilet before waking up and moving. had a couple close calls with that one!

I'd consider feeding the ghost shrimp to larger fish or adding to the main tank and letting the CRS have the 10 until you can heavily stock the community tank (Won't take long at all).

does this mean that can not live together at all [obviously not the same breeding conditions] or just that they won't breed if they're with the ghost shrimp?

 

[Cybercyde]

does this mean that can not live together at all [obviously not the same breeding conditions] or just that they won't breed if they're with the ghost shrimp?

The ghosts might take a shot at picking off your baby crs.