H. rubra

[Daudin]

Hi,

I have 58 specimens of this species two months. I never saw any exuvia. Is it normal? How often your animal shed? Thanks.

[Mustafa]

You might just not be noticing it as they eat their molts. They also won't molt for a long time if they are not getting enough food. Make sure that there are enough algae growing in the tank.

[badflash]

Mine get plenty of food, but I've never see molts.

[Daudin]

Thank you for your contributions. Today I found one molt of H. rubra after long conscionable seach. It is good sign to breed them!

[DanHagan]

I hardly ever see molts in my tanks either. The molted exoskeleton of shrimp is very high in calcium and the shrimp naturally crave that, so the eat the molt!

Another reason it is hard to see molts is that they tend to do it while hiding. After molting shrimp are soft and easy to kill, so they tend to hide in a cave, under plants, where ever they can. And by the time the come back out, their molt has been eaten.

One sure way to tell if your shrimp a molting is if the females are getting becoming berried (having eggs under their tails). Most shrimp eggs are fertilized directly after the female molts and are then dropped under the tail in the pleopods!

[Daudin]

Hi all,

today morning I discovered my first female with eggs. I´m totally in euphoria.

Keeping conditions:

temperature 21 - 25 °C, salinity 2,0 - 2,2 %, D:L is 13:11 hours, 4 x 30 W fluorescent tubes. I frequently feed them by fish food, chicken meal, frozen tubifex worms and frozen spinach in very small amounts. 2/3 of the bottom is covered by 3 - 5 cm layer of coral chips (1 - 2 in diameter), 1/3 of bottom is covered by lava stones. I did not change water yet (10 months). Total tank volume is 60 L (60 lenght x 50 width x 20 height cm). I use electrical power head with 2 L filter foam and very very low outflow. Trumpet snails are in the tank.

[Neonshrimp]

Very nice, congratulations!

So you have not changed the water in 8 months Is this because of someone else's advice or another reason?

Hope you have young shrimp swimming around soon and post the pictures when it happens

Thanks.

[ToddnBecka]

Very nice pics, and congrats on the berried female.
I only count 6 eggs in the pic. Are there a few more that aren't visible, or is that all she's produced?

[Daudin]

Thank you for congrats,

there isn´t reason to clean and change water. Water quality is perfect - nitrogen and phosphorus is near zero level. Besides water change is laborious and expensive. I´m worry about undesirable huge blue-green algae growth after water change. I only fill up evaporated water. These advices I read on this forum.

I´m sorry, I didn´t count eggs.

I hope another females will have eggs. I know this success is only beginning of the long way to youngs.

Photo of my current tank appearance:

[ToddnBecka]

With nitrogen and phosphates near 0 I doubt you have to worry too much about an algae outbreak. Besides, the shrimp would probably eat the stuff if it did grow...

[Daudin]

Algae outbreak can happen after water change. You introduce nutrients together with new water (if you do not use distilling or RO water).

I have about 58 adults. Shrimp capability to eat blue-green algae is very very small and blue-green algae grow very very fast even under undetectable concentration of the main nutrients. Shrimps are without any chance to eliminate algae.

[Neonshrimp]

That looks like a complex setup. What is all the writing on the glass? could you please take a front photo of the tank it must look nice .

[Daudin]

Neonshrimp,

it is front photo of the tank . I don´t clean it. Outer sides are covered by self-adhesiv black wallpaper.

[Neonshrimp]

I still like the tank I am currious what is the writing on the tank?

[Daudin]

Gauge for water evaporation observation and corresponding salinity changes, date of tank establishment, date of shrimp insertion, tank number, dates of internal changes in organisation as salinity, coral chips insertion, light intensity, filter cleaning, temperature, insertion date of C. japonica larvae.