Ecosphere Empathy

[AnotherKevin]

I've noticed the same thing; our shrimp are very active when the weather is hot, and almost completely dormant when it's cold.

We have two lava rocks which fit together almost as if they were one rock with a crack down the middle, and when it's cold they all hide in there.

[Mustafa]

Keep the updates coming!

[Sasquatch]

Population increases by one!

Not long after occasionally bragging about my shrimp I was given an ecosphere originally containing five shrimp but now down to one within 6 months of delivery. Previous owner thought the shrimp was better off with me so today I added him to my tank bringing the grand total of shrimp to 11!

Below is an interesting comparison of the size of the recently rescued shrimp with shrimp living in a tank built using guideline from this site.

Whoa! What a shrimpy shrimp

[jcfrank922]

WOW! I have read that the shrimp do shrink over time in ecospheres. Every time they molt, they get smaller due to lack of food. He's probebly very hungry and happy to be back amoung the living!

[Sasquatch]

New setup

Forgot to mention I added all the substrate, shells, water, and coral from the new ecosphere and this is what my 1 gallon tank looks like now!

I also did a 50% water change today because my OCD had me worried that the new additions to the tank could potentially mess with my water parameters. Anyway there are still 11 shrimp I just counted!

[Sasquatch]

Is he ok?

I noticed one of the shrimp laying upsidedown on the bottom of the tank this morning. After watching him for a couple hours I have seen him moving some of his front legs and he has even popped once. I have not seen this behavior before. All the other shrimp are acting normal. Is he in trouble? Can anything be done to help him?

[Varanus]

Hate to say it but the water change may have messed with the parameters more than the few shrimp you added. Keep in mind these tiny shrimp have a very low bioload, and one of the basic rules is to not mess with the water at all unless you have to.

I've seen crayfish and freshwater shrimp exhibit signs like what that one on its back seems to, and I don't think there is much of anything that can be done. They seem to inevitably die after a while. May be best to test the water and keep an eye on the other shrimp.

[Sasquatch]

Well Varanus it seems you were right

Nooooooooo!

I came home today to find the poor guy looking like this... I feel terrible. I am also wondering about the haunting pose he has assumed in death its like he is saying he's going to haunt me for the rest of my days...

[Sasquatch]

After the loss of one shrimp a couple months ago, the remaining 10 shrimp seem to be doing fine. There is more visible algae in the tank, and the eggs of one female appear to be getting larger and/or more numerous. She is not berried yet, but I hope she is close. She is the largest shrimp in the tank, and she can be seen front and center in the picture below -

The Matriarch

[Mustafa]

Thanks for the update! As long as you don't mess with things everything should continue working out just fine.

[Sasquatch]

Well it’s been over a year and I do not have any berried females On the plus side I still have 10 shrimp! Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?

This week I will start cycling a new tank which I will be moving all my shrimp to once there is visible algae. It will increase their tank size from 1 gallon to 2.5 gallons. I am hoping this will help. Here is what I will add to the new tank:

Macro algae and snails from this site
Sand
Aragonite
Coral sea fans
Lava rocks
Brackish water

Thanks to everyone who posts on these forums! My shrimp appreciate it!

[Super Jess]

Don't despair! I've had my shrimp for two years now and just found my first berried shrimp this week. For reference, I have 18 shrimp + snails + macroalgae in about a gallon of water. A bunch are now saddled, too, so I think they just sit tight and get fat until conditions are perfect for berries

[Mustafa]

Can you post a current picture of your tank? 1 gallon should be just fine for breeding purposes if the conditions are right. How often do you feed? How much?

[Sasquatch]

I only feed one small shrimp food pellet once a month.

This picture represents the evolution of my shrimp tanks, and my understanding of how to care for these guys:

From rags to riches

I started with the ecosphere, but after finding this site I felt horrible and quickly moved the shrimp to the 1 gallon tank with sand and a lava rock. After more research, I am currently cycling a 2.5 gallon tank with the help of snails and macroalgae (thanks Mustafa!)

Macro algae and snails

Also in the new tank are lava rocks, aragonite, sand, and a sea fan. When I see visible algae I will move all the shrimp to their new home. Not only is it bigger, but this is my way to get rid of the hair algae that came with the ecosphere.

Once the new tank is cycled I will order more shrimp. Hopefully the combination of a larger tank, no hair algae, and new tank mates (shrimp and snails) will get me to my ultimate goal of a berried female!

[Mustafa]

Yes, the larger the tank the higher the probability of reproduction and the frequency of it due to the higher surface area for grazing and the fact that it's easier to keep the water parameters constant in larger tanks. Having said that, the fact that you did a water change a few months back after which one of the shrimp died probably set you back by months. So just hang in there and have patience. I have a half gallon mason jar here that has reproduction so it is definitely possible in a one gallon too, but other factors obviously also play a role.