At last, eggs!

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:05 am

Just as I was beginning to wonder whether the N. zhangjiajiensis were EVER going to carry eggs, I spotted a female with quite a load at feeding time. The eggs are dark green, and were impossible to see at first, since she was on top of a new mat of willow moss. Her abdomen looked unusually large though, and I was finally able to get a good profile view as she moved around. She's a young one, about the same size as a large cherry shrimp, and nearly as red. It appears she is carrying about twice the number of eggs as a cherry shrimp female though. Looking at the largest specimen in the tank, nearly twice her size, I have to wonder how many eggs a fully grown female would produce (?).

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:44 am

Congratulations

,

That is a large shrimp no wonder they have more eggs. Hope they all make it and you have a full tank in one hatching

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:53 am

Your cherries are in a different tank?

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:36 am

Yes. the cherries are in a 10, the zhangjiajiensis are in the 30 with the crayfish.

Post by **Mustafa** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 9:02 pm

Did you get a dwarf strain of red cherries?

My red cherries are at least as big or even bigger than my N. cf. zhangjiajiensis.

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:02 pm

Considering that I've only had the cherry shrimp less than a year, it's possible I haven't seen their full potential for growth.

The largest I've seen so far are about 1", possibly a wee bit more.
There is only one of the zhangjiajiensis that is really large, it doesn't have much color either. There are one or two smaller ones that are more brown, while several of the others are red. The red is a different shade than the cherry shrimp, and not as "deep" as the color of the mature females. If I can find a decent camera to borrow, I'll take a few pics.

Post by **Mustafa** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:09 pm

You didn't get these N. cf. zhangjiajiensis from me, did you? I'm asking because I have never seen "red" or even "reddish" animals in my tanks before. I have seen hybridized (with red cherry shrimp) populations of various Neocaridina spp. before and there are animals in such populations that fit your description of the reddish shrimp. If these shrimp are not from me, then it's highly likly that you might have gotten a hybridized population. The previous owner either did not know that these two species can interbreed or did not notice that a pale, male red cherry got into the N. cf. zhangjiajiensis tank. Stuff like that happens more frequently than one thinks.

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:13 pm

They were sent along as extra's with a shipment of C patzcuarensis from Germany. What color "should" they be? I just presumed they were a variable-colored species, and was rather surprised that some looked similar to the cherry shrimp. (Oh no, more red shrimp...

)

Post by **Mustafa** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:18 pm

Ahh...that's what I thought.

Here is the link to the shrimp varieties page description of the species:

http://www.petshrimp.com/snowballshrimpwild.html

They can be described generally as "grayish." They can be as gray as the animal in the picture or more transparently gray depending on mood, background and individual. The wild form is definitely not red. Red Neocaridina spp. are always a warning sign for me. As widespread as red cherries are, those red animals are much more likely to be results of hybridization with red cherries than independant mutations.

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:03 pm

One of the females is still carrying eggs, but the other's have hatched. The baby shrimp are tiny, about the size of gnats, and hard to see. I got a profile look at one perched on an artificial plant. The body is brown, while the tail is transparent. Looks like I'll have to wait for them to grow to find out what color they'll be.

RCSGuy · Post by **RCSGuy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:06 pm

Congrats on the pregnant shrimp and your little shrimplets!!

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:01 pm

Yes, congratulations

!

ToddnBecka · Post by **ToddnBecka** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:08 am

One female has unloaded her eggs as hatchlings, another is still in the process, and a third is now carrying a fresh load. Here's a pic of the berried female:

I'll post a pic of the larger brown male when I get a chance. He wasn't visible when I spotted the female on the divider.

RCSGuy · Post by **RCSGuy** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:29 am

Congrats Todd! And thanks for the cool picture

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:13 am

I'll post a pic of the larger brown male

Do you intend to mix the reds & browns? You lose the red color if you do, but you get some interesting other varieties.