Cleaner shrimp BIRTH

[wocka]

i was checking out my cleaner shrimp that ive gotten on july 4th, there is no other cleaners in his tank and none in the tank when i bought him at the LFS. i think he has baby eggs. there about the size of pinheads and white colored. this is not a recent photo of the cleaner but ill draw a circle around where the babies are.

 

[nm reef]

I have a pair of them myself...and they hatch young 'uns quite often. I've never made any attempts to try to raise them...in my reef they become part of the systems food chain.

 

[wocka]

thats odd... how he could of gotten pregnant.

 

[sailfin]

Originally posted by wocka
thats odd... how he could of gotten pregnant.
First of all "he" couldn't have gotten pregnant.

 

[wocka]

ok.. how could she have gotten pregnant

 

[sailfin]

I do not know?? :notsure:

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by wocka
ok.. how could she have gotten pregnant
It's not. If the eggs were fertile they would be bright Green.
They can store sperm for up to several months though so hobbiests often have shrimp with viable eggs months after they purchase a single shrimp.

 

[wocka]

so i geuss it will be good eatin' for my precious maroon clown

 

[bang guy]

No, the eggs are dead, they will slowly rot & the Shrimp will probably eat them.
But if you get another one then it'll be a different story. Both will have bright green eggs that will hatch & feed your tank.

 

[wocka]

could i get another in my 20g? and how do i know i wont have 2 males

 

[viper_930]

They are hermaphridites. You do not need to worry about male/female.

 

[wocka]

but would that be too manys hrimo in a 20g

 

[viper_930]

No

 

[bang guy]

I recommend at least two. They seem to live longer that way.