I have BABIES - First time parent. What to do?

[Atom]

I have only had my first shrimp for 5 days and now my berried female seems to have hatched her babies.

I just saw a tiny shrimp appear on the glass! Yay! But the tank also has CPDs and they appear to be extra alert now. I think they know there are shrimp babies in the tank! They are normally very secretive, but now out and about.

I never really had a plan for the shrimp babies. I have not had time to pantyhose the filter yet either.

Should I let nature take it's course? Though it is kind of exciting having baby shrimp. What to do? Relocate the CPDs?

Do I need to feed these babies? Add something to the water?

I feel like a frantic first time parent.

Thanks.

[Tn23]

Congrats, I think if the CPDs get hungry they'll eat the babies if they can snatch them otherwise they could be fine....

You can feed the babies crushed up food or purchase some specialty foods that are targeted for baby shrimps.

May I ask what kind of shrimps you are referring to?

[Atom]

I just have Cherries at the moment

Crushed up flake should be okay I suppose? Hopefully they will find something to eat.

[target]

When my cherries bred I just let them scavenge in the tank. Didn't crush the food any smaller or do anything special and the population exploded. You shouldn't have any problem with cherries finding food.

[tang daddy]

CPD will definitely eat the baby shrimp, even with hiding spots the babies are bound to venture out for food....I keep envisioning a fox in a chicken pen with baby chicks running around helplessly.

If you plan to keep the babies alive I would relocate the fish and get a fine mesh or sock over the filter, or alternatively like you said let nature take it's course....

Cherry shrimp will breed again and again so there is no urgency to relocate, I found cherry shrimp in my hob filter before, in my canister there were over 20 when I thought I had got rid of all of them!

[Petah]

I use shirakura shrimplet food i got from April.
Apparently it increase survival rate 90%! But maybe i'm a sucker for retail.
Seems to be working ok. I do notice more biofilm since i have been using it.
As for the filter, i bought a piece of sponge and i wedge it into the filter right at the intake... there's a slot there. Seems to be working fine so far.

As for the fish, i would probably relocate, since they will eat the shrimplets. But then again, once they start breeding... it doesn't stop until it's dead lol. My yellows are pregnant one week after the shrimplets hatched.

[Homahfan]

In my experience there is little that you need to do for shrimplets.. especially in a nice planted tanklike yours. I do use some of the shrimplet poweder... (either Shakura from April or Pat, or the Shrimplab stuff (plug!)). but I think they have enough food just grazing the foliage.

Like Petah I also have a fairly fine sponge on the inside of the intake slots for the filter.

[Atom]

I ended up putting pantyhose over the entire filter just so they have a fitting chance. As for the CPDs I don't really have another tank large enough for all of them. I might just take my chances. Hopefully some of them will survive. It will be a miracle if any do. We shall see.

How fast do they usually grow?

I think all the shrimp left in my tank are females so I don't know what the chances are I will get another batch of shrimplets.

[tang daddy]

I find baby shrimp can grow to breeding size within a few months like 2-3 depending on how much they have to eat.... Another suggestion you could set up a breeder box on the side of your tank and catch all the babies out, grow them out then release them back into your tank. The chances of survival will be alot better then!

The breeder boxes I am talking about are those sleek acrylic ones that are driven by air. Jiang604 sells them and I picked up another 2 yesterday, it's like having another tank without the fuss of a new light, heater, filter etc.

[Atom]

I find baby shrimp can grow to breeding size within a few months like 2-3 depending on how much they have to eat.... Another suggestion you could set up a breeder box on the side of your tank and catch all the babies out, grow them out then release them back into your tank. The chances of survival will be alot better then!

The breeder boxes I am talking about are those sleek acrylic ones that are driven by air. Jiang604 sells them and I picked up another 2 yesterday, it's like having another tank without the fuss of a new light, heater, filter etc.

Hmm...that is an idea. Not sure what you mean by driven by air, but I wonder if those net divider boxes might work. Tracking all of the tiny babies is going to be hard. Could I lure them out some how without attracting the attention of the fish?