How often should I see berried shrimp in my 5 gal. tank?

[BostonJill]

Three months after setup I saw my first berried shrimp but was wondering how often on average in a five gallon tank of 65-70 shrimp should I see a berried shrimp?
The first berried shrimp was discovered in early February but there hasn't been any more since. Her eggs hatched just fine.

[Rob in Puyallup]

Hi Jill,

How are the larvae doing?

I haven't had any more berried opae in my original tank since the three gave "birth" at the end of January.

Thinking it's gonna be one of those "wait and see" things.

[KenCotigirl]

Good question Rob. How are yours and Jill larvae doing?
Ken

[BostonJill]

Hi Rob and Ken, I think you're right it's just a wait and see. I was just hoping people have been set up for much longer then me could tell me an average. Maybe every tank is different.
My little larvae are doing well just about two in a half weeks old and looking like really tiny shrimp.

[KenCotigirl]

Jill here is an answer to a similar question I had from a grad student of Scott Santos: Are your H. rubra reproducing reliably?
-Most of the tanks we have in culture have been reproducing for the last several years now, but it depends on what you consider "reliably". Some tanks seem to consistently have larvae while in other tanks they seem to reproduce sporadically. We also have times where all the tanks have larvae at the same time, but other times only 1 or 2 tanks have larvae if any. So while all tanks have been reproducing we have not been able to find much of a pattern in regards to when they reproduce or why some tanks are more reproductive then others.

My 'good' tank reproduced sporadically but now is reproducing consistently. Another tank is sporadic. A third nothing. The tanks are 5, 2.5 and 2 years old respectively.

Ken

[BostonJill]

Jill here is an answer to a similar question I had from a grad student of Scott Santos: Are your H. rubra reproducing reliably?
-Most of the tanks we have in culture have been reproducing for the last several years now, but it depends on what you consider "reliably". Some tanks seem to consistently have larvae while in other tanks they seem to reproduce sporadically. We also have times where all the tanks have larvae at the same time, but other times only 1 or 2 tanks have larvae if any. So while all tanks have been reproducing we have not been able to find much of a pattern in regards to when they reproduce or why some tanks are more reproductive then others.

My 'good' tank reproduced sporadically but now is reproducing consistently. Another tank is sporadic. A third nothing. The tanks are 5, 2.5 and 2 years old respectively.

Ken

Thanks Ken, for that great answer. If all the tanks are the same but showing different rates of reproducing I'm wondering if the age of the shrimp have something to do with it. Just a thought.

[KenCotigirl]

Good question but I have no answer. My guess is no. They only take a few months to reach adult size so I figure they are also sexually mature. They just seem to have a mind of their own.
Ken

[Mustafa]

Alright I'll chime in since I have the most experience with breeding these guys. Once a tank has been established and *not* messed around with too much, you can see females with eggs pretty much all the time. There is no season for reproduction as was assumed before by some people. I have noticed that the snails may actually be key to the success of a tank. The details of that require more explanation (which I will go into in a separate article or book). Too much feeding decreases larval survival...you may get females with eggs but the hatched larvae die within a few hours to days. Too little feeding (i.e. you see absolutely NO algae growth in a long established tank) can be a problem, too, as you won't get any ovigerous females. And when I say "too little" I mean "almost no" feeding. Finding the right balance is key here...and that may take a long time during a first attempt. I remember that I did not have any larvae in my very first tank for over 9 months...probably morel like a year. I had no idea what I was doing....