Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

I know that newly hatched shrimplets should be molting very regularly upon hatching, but am wondering how many molts a new shrimplet is likely to undergo in the first week or so?

I'm asking because I recently set up a second shrimp tank. I transferred about 10 cherry shrimp to a bare bottom tank full of java moss. Two of these were berried females. It took about a week between the time I noticed the eggs were gone and the time I saw the first shrimplet. I never seem to see shrimplets smaller than about 4mm, but I know they hatch smaller than that.

Last night I was able to spot 3 individual shrimplets, so I am sure there are a LOT more hiding in the java moss that I won't see until they start to grow and come out for food.

I have seem shrimplets molt a day after hatching, strugling to get the shell off . Molting will depend on how much food they will eat because the more they eat the quicker they will grow and molt. Water quality is also important as they need clean water to grow and stay healthy. I just feed the entire tank pellets and wafers sparingly and they search for algae and other food on their own .

How long does it take your shrmplets to get to be 4mm? If it is a week then they have enough to eat and conditions are just fine .

Thanks Neonshrimp.

Yes, they are at 4mm or so at approximately 1 week.I think it just takes a week for them to get big enough and have just a little bit of color for me to be able to see them, especially with a tank FULL of Java Moss. I had been concerned that the berried females had dropped their eggs after being moved to a different tank.

I haven't been feeding this aquarium any prepared foods because I have been tranferring decorations and java fern covered rocks into the tank so that the ramshorn snails and shrimp can remove all the unsightly algae. I've been very impressed with their attention to detail!

Water quality is very good. zero measurable nitrates, weekly 50% water change, and I can see copepods and other micro-organisms darting around in the water when I look closely.
I'm ever so slightly concerned with the thin layer of snail poop that was generated after their latest algae feast, but I see the baby shrimplets in there eating so it is probably fine for now.