Shrimp holding on to larvae?

[shrimpy4]

Maybe I’ve never seen this part of the cycle, but it looks like the berried shrimp that I had (now one more after a long drought, excellent) seems to have had all of her eggs hatch but it looks like the larvae are all still clutched underneath her.

Is this normal? In the past I’ve only ever noticed berries to free-floating larvae. Will they eventually release?

Best picture I could get, they look like they’re fanning off her underbelly

[minishrimps]

This is normal. The female holds onto them until they wiggle themselves free. It usually happens pretty quickly so that may be why you didn't see it before.

[Varanus]

Yeah, I've seen this a number of times. The newly hatched larvae seem to get stuck for a while in whatever sticky stuff holds the eggs on the female but they eventually struggle free. The female may even help them by standing still and raising her tail into the open water.

[shrimpy4]

Right on, sure enough I’m seeing free floating larvae now.

Go figure, when I was eyeballing her as she hid under that rock, I noticed another one with larvae sticking to it hiding nearby. I confused them for a single one earlier. What’s more, looks like at least one but maybe two more are berried now.

After more than a year of no breeding in my 5-gallon tank, they’re finally breeding like crazy.

[minishrimps]

[Mustafa]

After more than a year of no breeding in my 5-gallon tank, they’re finally breeding like crazy.

Congrats! Once they get going, they really get going.