What is wrong with my peppermint breeding attempts?

[jjencek]

I was told that breeding peppermint shrimp wax easier that breeding fish. I bred 19 generations of black clowns - total of over 1000 adults in the last 9 months. I tried to breed bangaii cardinals and did just fine.

I figured I try breeding peppermint shrimp. How hard could it be? I cannot keep the babies alive over 5 days if my life depended on it. This is what I have done:

1. I read the "How to Raise and Train Your Peppermint Shrimp" cover to cover.
2. I got a pair of shrimp from Florida waters.
3. They grew up and started to have babies every couple of weeks.
4. I setup a separate 20 L tank for the adults.
5. The babies were born in the tank with the adults.
6. I fed them newly hatched BS three times a day.
7. I did water changes using water from my DT every day.
8. 5 days later they are gone.
9. I repeated steps 5.-8. several times - same result.

What am I missing? The only thing I am wondering is if the parents can catch them and eat them. Yes, I left the parents there.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Well I think that's your problem. Kirkendoll removed the larvae from the adult tank, not only because the adults will prey on them (I believe she mentioned this in the book?), but also because they need a different flow style in the tank.

Try setting up a separate tank for the larvae instead.

 

[ThRoewer]

For shrimp larvae you will be served best with a plankton kreisel tank. You basically need to prevent them from ever touching the ground or walls.

 

[jjencek]

W

For shrimp larvae you will be served best with a plankton kreisel tank. You basically need to prevent them from ever touching the ground or walls.

When breeding clown fry, I use green water and black walls to avoid that. Can the same setup help?

 

[ThRoewer]

W

When breeding clown fry, I use green water and black walls to avoid that. Can the same setup help?

No.

 

[jjencek]

No.

Pretty clear answer. Thank you.

 

[ThRoewer]

Pretty clear answer. Thank you.

You can transform a standard tank into a kreisel tank - not ideal but cheap. All you need is sealing a rolled up sheet of polycarbonate into a tank to form the kreisel volume. That would be all if you just run it with air. For using a pump you would also need some fine enough screen for the outflow.

 

[sabeypets]

I have raised several challenging marine species but still struggle with "easier" shrimp. To much air flow or air bubbles to big and they die. To much food or not enough food and they die. I use newly mixed saltwater that has set 24 hours and drip in slowly for water changes. Yes the parents will catch and eat them like candy.

I was told that breeding peppermint shrimp wax easier that breeding fish. I bred 19 generations of black clowns - total of over 1000 adults in the last 9 months. I tried to breed bangaii cardinals and did just fine.

I figured I try breeding peppermint shrimp. How hard could it be? I cannot keep the babies alive over 5 days if my life depended on it. This is what I have done:

1. I read the "How to Raise and Train Your Peppermint Shrimp" cover to cover.
2. I got a pair of shrimp from Florida waters.
3. They grew up and started to have babies every couple of weeks.
4. I setup a separate 20 L tank for the adults.
5. The babies were born in the tank with the adults.
6. I fed them newly hatched crap three times a day.
7. I did water changes using water from my DT every day.
8. 5 days later they are gone.
9. I repeated steps 5.-8. several times - same result.

What am I missing? The only thing I am wondering is if the parents can catch them and eat them. Yes, I left the parents there.

 

[jjencek]

You can transform a standard tank into a kreisel tank - not ideal but cheap. All you need is sealing a rolled up sheet of polycarbonate into a tank to form the kreisel volume. That would be all if you just run it with air. For using a pump you would also need some fine enough screen for the outflow.

Friend of mine gave me an old jellyfish tank. I think that might work, right?

 

[ThRoewer]

Friend of mine gave me an old jellyfish tank. I think that might work, right?

Yes, but it may require a few modifications.

 

[jjencek]

Yes, but it may require a few modifications.

The few modification I have done or plan to do are:

1. Install a heater into the filtration
2. Remove the lighting
3. Cover the windows with black something
4. Load up the outside ring with filtration media
5. Cycle it
6. Play with the speed of circulation - the pump is adjustable
7. Consider plugging it into a larger external system via the external plugs

Anything else you would suggest?

 

[jjencek]

Yes, but it may require a few modifications.

Just a quick update and a thank you for your help. Following your advice I have been able to keep a fry for 19 days now and counting. I made two changes:

1. I used the jellyfish tank.
2. I kept the water parameters crystal clean (more than I do when breeding clowns).

 

[Stigigemla]

I have raised a few peppermint shrimps. I used a standard 8 gallon tank with black sides and bottom in a dark room.
The light was a standard 25w incandescent light with a dimmer 8 inch over the surface.
The water was continuously changed about a water volume per day from a reef system. Cleaned by a 5 w UVC. 3 times per day I added green water to about 3 inch sight and rotifers. It is necessary to adjust the light to the correct intensity. To much light and the larvae will only swim against the bottom. To little light and they will concentrate near the light and many will be eaten by their brothers and sisters. On the overflow at the rear end of the tank I had a net of about 1 mm division. I dont know if thats necessary because no larvae will go so deep in the darkness. No filter just an airstone with little air in the dark end of the tank.
The things that limited my success I believe was the quality of my rotifers with no selcon or similar.