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Mikey B
01-25-2005, 12:58 AM
Hi Everyone. Need your opinions.....
I have two cleaner shrimp in my tank.
Up until a few days ago, they both had a "transparent" lower belly/tail.
Recently, one has developed something very dark in its lower abdoman.
I thought it could be eggs, but I'm too new at this to really know.

Any ideas what the dark stuff is?

Thank you.

Mike

G1GY
01-25-2005, 01:02 AM
Your gonna be a dad!

It's eggs.

Good food for the rest of the tank every few weeks or so. :smile:

Delphinus
01-25-2005, 04:41 AM
:confused: Eggs? They should be yellow/green IIRC... not black ...

Got any pictures?

G1GY
01-25-2005, 04:43 AM
:confused: Eggs? They should be yellow/green IIRC... not black ...

Got any pictures?

Green is what my cleaners have all the time.

But sometimes fairly dark green.

Delphinus
01-25-2005, 04:59 AM
I think food can sometimes be seen, and that's definitely dark.

If it is eggs, they are between the swimmorets, and under close scrutiny should be obvious as a mass of little itty-bitty spheres.

I don't know, I guess I just don't have the power of imagination going here, or maybe the opposite, too much, but it just seems to me it could be more than one thing based on the description so far.

A picture would totally help clear things up! Hint, hint. :biggrin:

andestang
01-25-2005, 05:02 AM
:confused: Eggs? They should be yellow/green IIRC... not black ...
I'd say your right Tony. I had a female up to just awhile ago and her eggs were greenish in color when she was carring.

Quinn
01-25-2005, 06:21 AM
Always green for me as well...

Majestic_Aquariums
01-25-2005, 09:52 AM
I found that the eggs change color, kinda from light green to greyish? Two large adults, and constant eggs. Even tried growing the little buggers, was working too...for about three weeks! God only knows what happened, I progressed them to as much as a 1/2", and starting into their third stage, they died off, one by one. (there must have been a thousand) I guess maybe there are things in the ocean they need? I don't know, but it was kinda cool to try. It made me feel better knowing that raising them is basically impossible, I think Teevee quoted that only one place in the world has ever done it successfully

Mikey B
01-26-2005, 04:13 AM
Thanks for the comments on this one.

I'm sure it was a load of eggs. They looked black (dark) due to the light, but now they are no longer visible and I suspect they have been deposited in a safe place somewhere in my tank by "mom".

Everyday is a new adventure....what a great hobby.

Mike
(see you Saturday).

Quinn
01-26-2005, 06:20 AM
The eggs develop completely and hatch while they are attached to the parent animal. Therefore your corals and fish have just enjoyed a bit of gourmet.

Delphinus
01-26-2005, 03:43 PM
It is really neat to see a release. In my experience it always happens shortly after lights-out, or just shortly before. You can hardly see them but you can tell something's up because the fish will be going nuts chasing food. They're instantly recognizable as little shrimp, unfortunately (at least in my experience), if you have any aspirations to try raising the fry you have to be quick to siphon them out because they will be eaten up in a matter of minutes.

Mikey B
01-28-2005, 04:22 AM
Now the second shrip is loaded with eggs....must be something in the water :cool:

I saw a few eggs still stuck to the first "mom" when she did a little swim around the tank tonight....they are light green.

Too cool

Mike

G1GY
01-28-2005, 04:28 AM
You must have more than just the two of them in there then?

Mikey B
01-28-2005, 04:34 AM
Just the two of them in the tank. Both with eggs.

They have been in the tank about a month.

Mike

Quinn
01-28-2005, 04:42 AM
They are hermaphrodidic. :cool:

Delphinus
01-28-2005, 05:25 AM
You must have more than just the two of them in there then?

Nope they are simultaneous hermaphrodites. In short they are both boys AND girls. You only need two. Any two. :lol:

It is interesting to watch how they do "it." It seems that there is only a short window of opportunity following a molt. When I had a group of 4, it would be like an orgy. One would molt, and then suddenly the others would literally descend on it, then frantic circling and darting around .... then next day the molted shrimp would be egg laden.

EmilyB
01-28-2005, 05:48 AM
I am pretty sure now that larger groups of shrimp act differently. :confused: I've had four cleaners for a long time, and three hang out in the cleaning station. One is off on it's own. Whether it is the same one.....I don't know. I do know I might see a dark shrimp for a bit but they send it packing soon......... :lol:

G1GY
01-28-2005, 07:03 AM
Nope they are simultaneous hermaphrodites. In short they are both boys AND girls. You only need two. Any two.


This I didn't know! :eek: (I knew that they where hermaphrodites, but thought that they stayed in the same role until they needed to change because of a lack of breeding partners.)

In my tank it's always the same shrimp that's carrying eggs. (I know this because all my critters wear name tags!)

I learn something new everyday. :smile:

SeaHorse_Fanatic
01-28-2005, 07:54 AM
Gigy,

Are the name tags stickys or pin ons? :lol:

Anthony

G1GY
01-28-2005, 08:17 AM
Gigy,

Are the name tags stickys or pin ons? :lol:

Anthony

I staple them on very quickly to avoid stressing them! :lol:

Delphinus
01-28-2005, 04:00 PM
I am pretty sure now that larger groups of shrimp act differently.

I have noticed this as well. A group behaves very differently from a pair. And a single shrimp acts like a very lonely shrimp. I think I've said it before, but basically I'm amazed at how dynamic the social structure is for them, being that they're basically "bugs" I think we tend to give them less credit than they deserve.

Having now seen the dynamics of group behaviours of them, I'd never again try shrimp unless I got *at least* 4 of them. It's really neat stuff.