Shrimp breeding setup

[Brian W]

Nothing new really. The shrimp larve are larger, that's about it.

 

[Brian W]

A look at my shrimp table setup

left tank: 3 adult shrimp from my original group
middle tank: larve tank
beverage dispensers: copepod cultures
right tank: 2 pregnant female shrimp waiting to lay more larve

Today is day 23 of raising peppermint shrimp larve from eggs for the first time. I started out with approximately 150-200 larve on August 23rd and now I believe I'm down to around 20-25. From what I've read its normal to only raise 10-20% to full grown adult, so I'm on target to hit between 10-15%. One thing I have learned that I will do better my next go round is bottling up daily feedings of brine shrimp. I used to just harvest from the culture containers.

Now I've started to pre-make 7-10 water bottle containers weekly with brine shrimp in them. I add a little bit of phytoplankton so they can fatten up before I feed them to the peppermint shrimp larve. This not only makes it easier to feed regularly, but I do not have to mess with the cultures and restart them every few days. I can go 7-10 days without running a culture.

Next time I raise peppermint shrimp I'm going to do a few things differently and better per some recommendations in this thread and some from my own experience.

• Do more frequent water changes. I currently do them about twice a week.
• Do not let as many brine shrimp cysts in the tank. Its a pain to syphon out. I've been getting better with it, but I believe I need to just order better quality brine shrimp eggs.
• Feed daily, if not twice daily. Since I found a little hack in making pre portioned meals for them with water bottles, I can feed more often without worrying if the main cultures will be ready or have produced enough.
• Keep one source of light on top instead of the tank getting light from my coral grow out tank, phytoplankton culture, clownfish broodstock tank and dart frog vivarium's.
• Black out the sides. It was too late this time since the larve were already in the tank, but I'm going to paint all 4 sides black and the bottom white. This way there will one be one light source from the top, and the white bottom will make it easier to see the detritus and other waste buildup.

I've been reading How to Raise & Train Your Peppermint Shrimp by April Kirkendoll as I am raising these shrimp. I've definitely learned a lot of tricks and what to do and what not to do. If you want to try your hand at raising peppermint shrimp or other reef shrimp, you should pick up her book. Its an easy read, I read it in a few days.
Thank you for the recommendation @shootingstar_reef

 

[HomebroodExotics]

A look at my shrimp table setup

left tank: 3 adult shrimp from my original group
middle tank: larve tank
beverage dispensers: copepod cultures
right tank: 2 pregnant female shrimp waiting to lay more larve

Today is day 23 of raising peppermint shrimp larve from eggs for the first time. I started out with approximately 150-200 larve on August 23rd and now I believe I'm down to around 20-25. From what I've read its normal to only raise 10-20% to full grown adult, so I'm on target to hit between 10-15%. One thing I have learned that I will do better my next go round is bottling up daily feedings of brine shrimp. I used to just harvest from the culture containers.

Now I've started to pre-make 7-10 water bottle containers weekly with brine shrimp in them. I add a little bit of phytoplankton so they can fatten up before I feed them to the peppermint shrimp larve. This not only makes it easier to feed regularly, but I do not have to mess with the cultures and restart them every few days. I can go 7-10 days without running a culture.

Next time I raise peppermint shrimp I'm going to do a few things differently and better per some recommendations in this thread and some from my own experience.

• Do more frequent water changes. I currently do them about twice a week.
• Do not let as many brine shrimp cysts in the tank. Its a pain to syphon out. I've been getting better with it, but I believe I need to just order better quality brine shrimp eggs.
• Feed daily, if not twice daily. Since I found a little hack in making pre portioned meals for them with water bottles, I can feed more often without worrying if the main cultures will be ready or have produced enough.
• Keep one source of light on top instead of the tank getting light from my coral grow out tank, phytoplankton culture, clownfish broodstock tank and dart frog vivarium's.
• Black out the sides. It was too late this time since the larve were already in the tank, but I'm going to paint all 4 sides black and the bottom white. This way there will one be one light source from the top, and the white bottom will make it easier to see the detritus and other waste buildup.

I've been reading How to Raise & Train Your Peppermint Shrimp by April Kirkendoll as I am raising these shrimp. I've definitely learned a lot of tricks and what to do and what not to do. If you want to try your hand at raising peppermint shrimp or other reef shrimp, you should pick up her book. Its an easy read, I read it in a few days.
Thank you for the recommendation @shootingstar_reef

I'd reccomend decapsulating your brine shrimp eggs with bleach. That would probably help out a lot. Great job though. I'd like to try this myself eventually.

 

[Brian W]

I'd reccomend decapsulating your brine shrimp eggs with bleach. That would probably help out a lot. Great job though. I'd like to try this myself eventually.

I will look into this more. I never knew you could do this.

 

[ReefingFamily]

Brian,

Great job in not only documenting your experiences but in providing pictures and videos for us to learn from. I have always been curious about this process but haven't done much in the way of research. Looking forward to seeing these shrimp all the way through.

 

[shootingstar_reef]

So glad i could be of help! And thanks for sharing all the info it's always great to see people's setups

 

[ShroomVision]

Day 7. Some of them have gotten their 2 large legs (do not know the proper name). I believe I still have at least 75% of the clutch going strong and doing well.

did everything pull through?

 

[Brian W]

did everything pull through?

No. I am on my 4th attempt currently on day 35. I have 20 or so left. I'm tye farthest along ive been do far. I think I could have more if I used a larger tank, fed older brine shrimp and did more consistent water changes.

I post sporadic updates on my YouTube channel. Im due for one. I will make a video today when their lights come on to show that they look like now.

I plan to make a video from beginning to end once I successfully grow them out to adult as well as an article on here to detail the process for others who are interested.

 

[ShroomVision]

No. I am on my 4th attempt currently on day 35. I have 20 or so left. I'm tye farthest along ive been do far. I think I could have more if I used a larger tank, fed older brine shrimp and did more consistent water changes.

I post sporadic updates on my YouTube channel. Im due for one. I will make a video today when their lights come on to show that they look like now.

I plan to make a video from beginning to end once I successfully grow them out to adult as well as an article on here to detail the process for others who are interested.

good luck!! I want to take this project on sometime this summer.