to catch a cleaner shrimp

[emmanuel]

I have 2 cleaner shrimp full of eggs but they are very shy compared to when they don't have eggs . I am trying to catch them cause the babies wont last a minute in my reef . T he 2 liter bottle doesn't seem to be working for me I first had mysis in it but they would float out and get eaten by the shrimp who were desperately waiting by the bottle . I now have a silverside rubberbanded to a small piece of live rock , the shrimp go by the bottle but not in I have the bottle laying down on its side . Any ideas to catch the shrimp ??? I used to just place my hand in the tank and they would come to me but since I noticed the eggs they just hide.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Are you planning to raise the babies?

 

[emmanuel]

yes thats why I want to catchthem I'll give it a shot

 

[nanoreefer22]

Cool and good luck.

Try at night maybe you could catch them with a net while they sleep?

 

[nick96ss]

manny try putting a thin slice of shrimp in the bottle

 

[emmanuel]

I got a silver side in there I did catch a gobie after a few hours

 

[h20 freak]

Pshht mine attacks my hand when I go in for maintenance, I could catch it bare handed.Your's is more timid isn't it? Really he won't clean your hand, I haven't had a healthy one that wouldn't.

 

[emmanuel]

mine always did that also but it seems like they are very defensive now with the eggs

 

[Tonyscoots84]

godspeed :biglaugh:

 

[Deanos]

yes thats why I want to catchthem I'll give it a shot

What are you going to feed the offspring? How do you have the "nursery" tank set up?


You'd be better off leaving the shrimp alone. The reports of successfully raising cleaner shrimp babies are far and few in between. The stress of trying to catch them may not be worth it.

 

[emmanuel]

I have a 12 gallon eclipse cycled and ready , not realy sure about food but I do have some frozen rotifiers

 

[Deanos]

not realy sure about food but I do have some frozen rotifiers

Food is probably the most important requirement any baby is going to have. Knowing what they are going to feed on is paramount. Also once they hatch, how will you prevent the free-floating larvae from being sucked into an overflow or powerhead?

Cleaner Shrimp Reproduction FAQ

Culturing shrimp - It's from 1999, but seems extremely relevant

 

[emmanuel]

thanks for the links in my short time here I relised you are the link master
I will read on but I have also read that they will eat cyclopeze
I finaly caught one of the egg bearing shrimp with one of those little "breader hang in tank " containers I'm going to probably leave the other egg bearing shrimp in my 125 reef maybe my 2 mandarins will get a much needed feast

 

[BrooklynsReefMan1]

i would get a few food types and put them in a fish net ball so it wont get out the bottle and when the sent gets out there at nght night* they might go in it

 

[emmanuel]

I caught one of the shrimp I'll let the other one stay in the main tank and give my fish a feast sounds horrible don't it ?
The intake on the eclipse is covered with a media bag to stop the baby shrimp from getting sucked in I will be feeding frozen rotifiers , phytoplankton and cyclopeze

 

[bigbris1]

I hope you do it Manny.

 

[h20 freak]

My shrimp have released eggs twice and both time I didn't see any, nothing would eat them but the pumps so GOODLUCK

 

[DontXtripNfall]

Good luck and keep us posted on the babies. :party:

 

[emmanuel]

I'm still giving it a shot but now I have doubts about the food (frozen rotifiers )