Cleaner shrimp spawning

[kenny80]

Hi, I have 2 cleaner shrimp with eggs for nearly a month now,how long until they spawn?

 

[melypr1985]

Hmm. Let's see if we can get some help with this one. #reefsquad

 

[3mm3]

Mine spawn regularly about 1.5 to 2 months. Beginning to end.
It stays closer to 1.5 months for a cycle. They will release the baby shrimp at night. Their behavior seems to change right before this.

 

[kenny80]

One actually spawned that night! At least I presume one had as there were thousands of things that resembled baby shrimp swimming around after lights out,although I am confused as both are carrying eggs again! I turned my skimmer off over night to give em all a chance to survive until morning so my mandarin could go mad on them but no evidence of them[emoji43] Do they start again straight away and what is the survival rate of the young?

 

[3mm3]

One actually spawned that night! At least I presume one had as there were thousands of things that resembled baby shrimp swimming around after lights out,although I am confused as both are carrying eggs again! I turned my skimmer off over night to give em all a chance to survive until morning so my mandarin could go mad on them but no evidence of them[emoji43] Do they start again straight away and what is the survival rate of the young?

To raise them I'm sure you would need a system completely dedicated to it. I have never tried. Its sad but they are not a total waste. My coral and fish eat them, I'm guessing my skimmer gets the rest. Shrimp have both sexes but they cant fertilize their own eggs.

 

[kenny80]

Yeah I would need a seperate tank,I just want to save enough for my mandarin.

 

[kenny80]

They're hermaphrodites but they need each other to trigger sexual reproduction.

 

[Maritimer]

I believe that a few folks have raised cleaner shrimp in aquaria - but it does require a pretty specialized setup and some very tiny food.

I've seen one of my own shrimp climb the back wall in the evening and really buzz her swimmerets, blasting a cloud of larvae up into the water column, but they're generally gone by morning. Corals, fishes, filter socks, skimmers - all take a toll overnight. Congratulations on the shrimp telling you they're pretty well pleased with life on your reef, and on getting to witness something pretty cool that most folks will never, ever see!

~Bruce