Arkardios
Community Member
Hi all!
Earlier this year I tried my hand at breeding my sexy shrimp. About every two weeks the female would release hundreds of larvae in the night. So I did some research for a couple of days and DIY'd a tank to raise the lil' shrimp.
I went with a 12 liter/3g glass tank in which I placed this contraption, the larvae cylinder:
It's a round 2,3 liter plastic box which is siliconed to a glass pane. In the top I cut a hand-sized hole for maintenance, and in the side is a hole for the air line tubing.
This is placed in the 12 liter tank, along with a heater set to 27°C/80°F, and a bottle for hatching artemia. No extra light other than some daylight from the window. Both the tank and the larvae cylinder are filled with saltwater from my main tank, where my sexy shrimp pair lives.
I waited until the next spawning night and fished off as many larvae as I could, and transferred them to the cylinder. The air to the tank is set to bubble just so that the larvae are constantly being moved around. They shouldn't settle at the bottom.
During the larvae phase, for the next 4 or so weeks, I feed them freshly hatched artemia naupli daily. They also get a water change every day, wherein old naupli are replaced with fresh. Fresh water comes from the main tank, never freshly mixed. Once a week I did a 100% WC and cleaned the cylinder.
After 5 weeks, the first larvae started its metamorphosis. It settled at the bottom and looked like a little shrimp (still with larvae coloring).
The metamorphosis takes a few days. It'll gain adult coloring, markings and all.
When it's done, it'll start accepting food. Anything the adults eat is fair game from then on.
And that's that. Not terribly difficult but takes some daily dedication.
Hope this might help someone raise these guys. They're well worth it.
Earlier this year I tried my hand at breeding my sexy shrimp. About every two weeks the female would release hundreds of larvae in the night. So I did some research for a couple of days and DIY'd a tank to raise the lil' shrimp.
I went with a 12 liter/3g glass tank in which I placed this contraption, the larvae cylinder:
It's a round 2,3 liter plastic box which is siliconed to a glass pane. In the top I cut a hand-sized hole for maintenance, and in the side is a hole for the air line tubing.
This is placed in the 12 liter tank, along with a heater set to 27°C/80°F, and a bottle for hatching artemia. No extra light other than some daylight from the window. Both the tank and the larvae cylinder are filled with saltwater from my main tank, where my sexy shrimp pair lives.
I waited until the next spawning night and fished off as many larvae as I could, and transferred them to the cylinder. The air to the tank is set to bubble just so that the larvae are constantly being moved around. They shouldn't settle at the bottom.
During the larvae phase, for the next 4 or so weeks, I feed them freshly hatched artemia naupli daily. They also get a water change every day, wherein old naupli are replaced with fresh. Fresh water comes from the main tank, never freshly mixed. Once a week I did a 100% WC and cleaned the cylinder.
After 5 weeks, the first larvae started its metamorphosis. It settled at the bottom and looked like a little shrimp (still with larvae coloring).
The metamorphosis takes a few days. It'll gain adult coloring, markings and all.
When it's done, it'll start accepting food. Anything the adults eat is fair game from then on.
And that's that. Not terribly difficult but takes some daily dedication.
Hope this might help someone raise these guys. They're well worth it.
