Has anyone successfully bred vampire shrimp?

pacalan · Post by **pacalan** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 7:07 am

Not that Mustafa's post was necessarily meant for me, but I thought I would share a couple of pictures of the female. It's really difficult to get a good look at the eggs. It wasn't until she propped herself against the front glass that I was able to get a look at her underside and see the eggs. They are definitely in there though, and you can see the dark coloration to her adbomen where they are. She had molted the previous day from the first picture, and had started darkening up by the next picture which was taken a few days later.

pixl8r · Post by **pixl8r** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 8:56 am

Pacalan,

Hmm... broken links! Now I'm beginning to question that you are who you say you are!

EDIT: Well now... after I posted this, the pictures showed up. Magic, I say magic!

Even if you're not successful (this time), it would be extremely helpful if you fully document what you do that works, and doesn't work.

pacalan · Post by **pacalan** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 12:43 pm

I found another picture where she must have been adjusting her swimmerettes. It shows the egg mass a little better, although I'm starting to wish I had a better camera.

I plan on documenting everything during the process. If nothing else, it would give me a better idea of what to do or not do the next time she starts carrying eggs. I like these shrimp too much to not do what I can for them.

The only problem is that I have to be out of town for business for the next week. I'm hoping that she doesn't release the eggs before I get back.

TKD · Post by **TKD** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 1:02 pm

Man, alteast yours are out in the open.
Mine hid all the time, the woods are always out and about though.

Good luck with the project.

TKD

AnneRiceBowl · Post by **AnneRiceBowl** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:02 pm

I am interested to see how things turn out. When I FINALLY get my hands on some vampires, I'd like to try to breed. For now, I am trying to get my Atyopsis moluccensis to breed. I've just had problems with the food culture--life's been getting in the way of my hobby.

I've heard tales of some kook breeding A. moluccensis in freshwater with added iodine.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 3:13 pm

AnneRiceBowl wrote: I've heard tales of some kook breeding A. moluccensis in freshwater with added iodine.

Yea, total bunk.

pacalan · Post by **pacalan** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:21 am

TKD wrote:Man, alteast yours are out in the open.
Mine hid all the time, the woods are always out and about though.

Mine seem to go through phases of hiding and being out in the open or at least visible. There are times where the two of them are crammed together in a cave barely big enough for one of them, without either of them venturing out for days on end. The next thing you know, both of them abandon the caves all together and are roaming about the tank. I haven't been able to figure out the source for this behavior so far, but it doesn't seem to correspond to their molting. This was also before they were sexually mature, so it may not have to do with mating either.

The male has always been more reclusive then the female.

Terran · Post by **Terran** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:53 am

pacalan wrote: Mine seem to go through phases of hiding and being out in the open or at least visible. There are times where the two of them are crammed together in a cave barely big enough for one of them, without either of them venturing out for days on end. The next thing you know, both of them abandon the caves all together and are roaming about the tank. I haven't been able to figure out the source for this behavior so far, but it doesn't seem to correspond to their molting. This was also before they were sexually mature, so it may not have to do with mating either.

The male has always been more reclusive then the female.

Whats the current flow like in the tank?....
Im purely speculating here but maybe it has to do with certain places in the tank having stronger currents....
So maybe they both hung out in one location because the feeding was good....when the food levels dwindled a bit then they went looking for another spot to filter at.....leaving the more desireable protective caves for other locations...

Or a variation of the same idea....when food levels are really high the cave is more ideal because they are more comfortable there with the protection....but when food is low they have to go looking for other areas in the tank where the current is stronger but less desirable because of the lack of protection.....

pacalan · Post by **pacalan** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:44 am

There's a fairly strong current in the tank. It's a 55 gallon with an undergravel filter and powerheads on the tubes at opposite ends of the tank and a hang on back filter as well. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the flow rating is on the powerheads, but there definitely is a stronger current on one side of the tank than the other.

When they are out of the caves, it looks more like roaming, rather than scavenging for food. I wouldn't say that they weren't actively feeding though. After a little while, they go back into the cave. It may sound weird, but due to the frequency and duration at which it happens, I've looked at it as them wanting a change of scenery, so they wander about.

The female tends to stick to the one double mouthed cave in the picture, and only wanders on that side of the tank. The male is the one who moves about the entire length of tank from time to time. The serious hiding phenomenon is the one that puzzles me because the female goes to the cave on the opposite side of the tank, and won't come out for anything. Sometimes it can last for almost a week, and I have to resort to shining a light in the cave to make sure she's still alive in there. I'm not really sure it has to do with protection and comfort. She always seems to be content in sticking partially out of her cave, fanning the water.