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Shrimplet Care
Overview
It is becoming difficult to ignore the fact that shrimplet survival is often less discussed because more often than not the shrimplets do survive in a tank. However, i also believe that in the course of their growing up stage, the fragile little one will be expose to elements that could put them at risk. Hence, i would like to share some of the tips in this post.
Hiding space
Sufficient hiding space is a critical piece of the puzzle and this is to alleviate cannibalism during molting. Shrimplets are small and when they molt multiple time to grow big, every molt has risk associated to it. Hence it is becoming difficult to ignore the fact that hiding space helps increase shrimplet survival.
Personally i like using natural plants to act as a natural hiding space and mosses are great in that. There are a lot of nooks and crevices for the shrimp to hide. There are certainly other kinds of decorative hiding space and as long as there are water circulating passing through them, i think they are fine to use.
Many a times a natural hiding space is also a food source which means it could double up like a grazing material and hide out. However, i prefer to keep this separated for the purpose that every placement have a primary purpose. For example Soil primary purpose is to buffer the water, filtration to maintain high quality water and beneficial bacterial, etc.
Hiding space offer a safe haven for shrimplet to grow up to a certain size before the risk of cannibalism is greatly reduced.
Grazing material
Grazing material is a necessity and i learn that the hard way because shrimplets are not able to compete with adult shrimp on daily feed. Even if the shrimplet goes all out and compete they may get injure during the process causing adult shrimp to immediately turn their attention to the shrimplet.
Having sufficient biofilm in the tank will encourage shrimplets to graze 24/7 so they can reduce the dependency of competition of food. Grazing material comes in all form like leaves, cholla wood and of cause The Original Lubao.
Daily Feed
It is also important to have a daily feed that is able to break down over time to provide shrimplet a chance to consume the daily feed long after the adults had their fill. There are plenty of food out there and i have tried a lot of them and some are really good and if it works for you stick with it. For my personal success i stick with using Hwa version 1 feed as it has a good draw factor plus the side of the pad breaks down into smaller pieces but the core of it remains hard for adults to pick on.
Other important aspect
I have experience that when there are shrimplets in the tank, adding new active soil is a big no no for me, the sudden ammonia spike when the soil releases is detrimental to very small shrimplet that are within 7-14 days after they are born. This is relative as sometimes we are unsure of how old the shrimplets are but in general i would advise that we do not add new soil to a tank that is establish and have small shrimplets all around.
Lastly, i would encourage to remove all shrimplet to another tank which is a grow up tank. This will ensure the highest survival rate of shrimplet however the points listed above like hiding space, adding the lubao and having good filtration still applies.
Grow up Tank
Why do we need grow up tank? There are quite a lot of benefits of a grow up tank and if you are like me is passionate about selective breeding, than a grow up tank is encouraged.
I was struggling in the beginning when i had to give up tank space for a grow up tank. However, once i started the selective process and using the grow up tank it became clear to me that there are a lot of benefits to it.
Benefits of Grow Up tank
I think firstly the most importance aspect of having a grow up tank is the shrimplets certainly have a higher survival rate.
Having a higher survival rate is understood from the following:
- Reduce cannibalisms by adults during molting
- Lesser competition of daily feed and grazing material
It is also important to note that shrimplet as small as 0.8-1cm will start mating and if you are selective breeding, this is not ideal. If an un-desirable male mates with the stock females in the main tank, this will means that the selection process is halted.
That is also one key element that having a grow up tank is critical.
Grow up faster
I learnt and actually also see from my observation that shrimplet that have their own tank grow up much faster than those who are together with their parents. This could be contributed by many factors such as availability of space and food.
In addition, i learn that to trigger quicker molting, perform a much higher frequency of water change such as every 3-4 days instead of the weekly routine. This helps trigger the shrimplets to molt faster and grow.
The faster the shrimplet grows up the quicker you can start selecting and kickstart the next generation of shrimp breeding by crossing back.
Taken together
With these in mind, it is important that having a grow up tank is important. They will have their own space, food and grazing material. Hence, for my own breeding tanks and grow up tank, i do see a significant increase in shrimplet survivability and also faster growth rate.
If you do not have the space to have a grow up tank, my recommendation is that we can re-think the number of types you would like to keep and breed. This will then allow you more time and space to focus on the ones you really like to breed.
Hope you learn something from this post!
The 4 Guiding Principles
Why the need for Guiding Principles?
We can understand from the guiding principle as the pillar of support that rest above the building blocks of basic fundamentals. The basic fundamentals such as the water parameters, filtration, plants, etc are the building blocks that allows the shrimp to be able to survive, breed, select and split.
In this post we talk about the guiding principle to share the importance of not rushing for results as any of the blocks can come crushing down the entire support structure which will put you further away from getting the results.
Alive, Breed, Select, Split
Alive:
This is the first step and the most important of all. Without mastering this step there is actually not much of a progress and while most shrimp breeders are able to keep their shrimps alive but when task with a very high grade shrimp that has been inbred for excellence/pedigree, they also stumble. Reason is simple, in-bred for pedigree show grade shrimps are often so in-bred where the genetic similarities are very close.
Keep the shrimp alive is actually the result of good water parameters (soft and hard values). A breeder keeps the water in tip top condition and the water will keep the shrimps alive.
Breed:
When we are able to keep the shrimp alive, then we will be able to start discussing about breeding. While breeding is fairly straight forward once you are able to get good water parameters, this part of it requires food/biofilm to be present to encourage breeding. Breeding shrimps is very fun and to see the next generation is very rewarding.
When in general you are getting the hang of breeding shrimps and they are growing and breeding again and again, we can move on to the next step which is select.
Select:
Selective breeding process is slightly different than just breeding the shrimps. Here there are a lot more technical details and book keeping to ensure the selection process are well documented.
To be able to discern between male and female is the fundamental for this step to begin because it involves removing males from the colony, using good males for breeding with females. In addition, multiple tanks are required for this step and a really good line can take more than 3 tanks to ensure genetic difference. Here, it is also important to know selection process while is the Be all End All does not mean it will guarantee there are results you expect. It may not work out and often adjustments are made and this can only be seen and know much further down the line when the shrimplets are big and when the colors/patterns are fix.
Split:
This is where you have improved the shrimp and colony to a large enough size to split into 2 tanks where you can then continue to selective breed them by crossing cousins. This helps dilute the genetic similarities comparing to inbreeding (Father x Daughter or Father x Grand Daughter). While cousins are still classified as inbreeding but they’re classified as distance so it will still help with the genetic stability.
Summary:
While the individual elements of the guiding principle in itself is a whole chapter by itself, the above shares the high level of what the guiding principles to get to results.
Taken Together
While we chase for results, we must also keep in mind that to allow ourselves to have time in the process to also enjoy it. Do not be frustrated or disappointed if you don’t get there the first time, so long as one is open minded and willing to keep trying and improve, eventually you will get there.
Not all projects will succeed and this is a given, so there is no need to feel bad about it. I have fail project time and time again just to try to get something out but after 1 year, nothing happens.
Hence, i have tried to categorize the journey i went through and share this with you so as to get more clarity on the topic of shrimp keeping.
Thanks for reading and below you can watch the video too!
Why do we need to differentiate
Selective breeding
One of the most critical aspect in learning how to differentiate male and female shrimp is one of the key to successful selective breeding. This post is really for the avid breeders who want to ensure and breed a line of beautiful shrimps.
When we are able to select male and female at a very young age, we will be able to control the selective breeding process which is important. Reason for that is because if a sneaker male who isn’t very nice breeds with all the female, the next generation of shrimplet will not be your ideal direction. Test your breeder the next time you get shrimps from them.
I get this question quite a bit and i would like to take this opportunity to share with you what i was taught in Taiwan on how to differentiate male and female shrimps.
The Taiwan way
There are basically a few ways to tell between a male and female shrimp when they are of certain size, however at 0.8cm onwards we know some of the male start to fly and mate. Hence it is important to either remove the shrimplet to their grow up tank or get the males out. However, to avoid any possibilities of shrimplet mating with the parents unintentionally, we will remove the shrimplet to another tank.
There when the shrimplet grows up, it will then be again split between male and female.
Differentiating Male and Female:
- Antennae
- Saddle
- Rounded bottom (female)
Antennae
This is the most accurate at 0.8cm onwards to identify between a male and female. I rank this as the top most reliable source to differentiate between male and female. However, this requires a steep learning curve as it is not as straight forward. I learn that in Taiwan apprenticeship to learning shrimp is to get the gender right. They do this day in and out to learn and differentiate and over years of learning they become master of it. I am very impress so far by how the Taiwanese have identify the male and female shrimp even at 0.8cm.
It is very difficult for this to be shown on a picture but the long and short of this “With the same body length, the male have longer antenna while female shorter”
This is by far the most use in Taiwan breeders to differentiate shrimplet between male and female. There are however still risk of Miss ID.
- Males go into fight and the antennae breaks off making them look like female
- Stunted growth making the shrimp look smaller than actual
Saddle and Curve Belly
This usually happens when the female shrimp is already of a certain breeding size where the saddle can be seen and Curve belly.
Trying to see saddle in Caridina can be quite challenging however given time you will be able to peek into the gap between the body and head.
The curve belly as one can see is a tell tale sign that it is a female, however if we reach this size to ID male and female, it is way too late from a selection process perspective, it has to be done way before that. This small yet crucial step can make or break the next generation of shrimplet.
This is also one of the reasons why all the shrimplets are house in a grow up tank to avoid unintentional breeding happening.
Other factors:
Such as curve 2nd carapace cannot be use as an ID of male and female because some males of high quality do have similar size carapace as female.
size is also not use when ID-ing the gender.
Pictures are not good at determining size of shrimp and hence do not send pictures of shrimplets and asking if they are male or female. Keep in mind that the antennae is in relation to body size. Hence, it is important that instead of providing the fish to you, teaching you how to fish is important.
So now what after sexing them?
Identification of male and female is the fundamental basis for shrimp breeding and it can be daunting at first, however over time and lots of shrimp practice you will soon graduate from the school of shrimp academy.
With the ability to differentiate male and female you will now be able to start splitting the males out from the grow out tank as we would usually only use a few males of good quality during selective breeding.
While sexing male and female is important, it is part of the entire process of breeding good shrimps including cycling of tanks and setting them up for success.
I’m sure you have benefitted from this post and a special shoutout to those who have requested for this article.
Cheers! and Peace out.
Molting
Why of Molting
Molting as you already know is a process where the shrimp grows out of their old shell and then grow bigger. It is how it is like with snakes and spider as a means to grow.
Without molting, shrimps are unable to grow bigger and it is during this very fragile week or so which the shrimp become more vulnerable. During this time it is important that measures are taken to ensure water parameters, male to female ratio and hiding space are well established.
Molting is also a sign of new life where females molt so they can berry and have their next generation all in this entire lifecycle.
What Happens During the Molting Cycle
The long and short of the molting cycle begins when the shrimp reduce feeding to eventually stop feeding a day to hours before molting begin. During the process a new shell is being developed under the old shell which takes time to fully develop.
During the molt, the outer shell breaks usually along the top area where the head and back meets.
After molting, the shell are left in the tank for the shrimp to consume as a source of food. Now that the shrimp has fully molted out of the shell, the new shell is very soft and it requires 24-48 hours before it gets hard again. The faster the shrimp is able to harden the shell the better chances of it surviving.
During this period they are also very vulnerable.
Molting issues explained
Molt fail:
During the entire cycle, the shrimp wasn’t able to molt cleanly as sometimes when we see a break between the head and back but the molt fail to come out despite several attempts to get it out.
The new shell hardens before the old shell is able to come out fully, and this is generally caused by a few factors.
- Water Parameters
- Source
Water Parameters:
When we discuss about water parameters against fail molt, it is important to discern between an occasional molt fail vs a consistent molt fail. When you have been keeping the shrimps for 3-4 months and there are generally no issue and out of the blue 1 shrimp had a molt fail, this can be classified as part and parcel of the normal lifecycle. If your shrimps are constantly weekly having molting issues it is generally due to water parameters.
There has been a lot of debate between what kind of water parameters will help reduce molt fail, but there isn’t one way of resolving it. Adding calcium will not encourage success molt because it is not the lack of calcium that prevent the old shell from coming out.
but is calcium important? Yes. Actually Calcium and Magnesium is required for a good successful molt but where do we get calcium and magnesium from? A good reminerizer have sufficient proportion of this and a constant daily feed with natural food like biofilm will ensure that the shrimp get all the necessary foundation for a good clean molt.
GH:
Over the last few months i have been talking to European breeders on how their levels of GH is which hovers around 5-6 GH whereas in Asia we normally do 3-4 GH. Is there any risk of concerns with the differing GH because Calcium and Magnesium are present in reminerizer? i believe that shrimps are hardy and being at the range of 3-6 GH is absolutely fine.
Types of Salt:
There are many brands of reminerizer and also the concentration of them are fairly different. For example while we tried different brands of salt some takes up to 120 TDS to arrive at GH of 3 whereas the ones we use from Hwa is GH 3 at TDS 90. This means the concentration level differs. If you have experience molting issues you might want to test you GH against your TDS level to test the salt.
Does Fixing GH fix everything?
It doesn’t, still you will experience fail molt because shrimp keeping isn’t 1+1. It does not have an absolute cause and effect. So there are other factors that need to be address fundamentally.
Fundamental: Water parameters
Over here it is important to discuss this as it is not a natural occurrence molt fail happen frequently. Usually it starts with the very beginning when the tank is setup and it is far more difficult to adjust the water parameters after it has been setup and running. I have discussed this in depth on water parameters here. Setting it up right the first time is much a better approach than to use band aid and further adjust later on because adding/removing later on is going to be a tricky affair.
I’m currently guiding a few local breeders and i can be very strict when coming to cycling of the tank to ensure strong healthy shrimp later on. i always believe in doing it first time right. anyway it’s easy to reset a tank so might as well do it right.
When they see my tanks they know the shrimps are really happy in there because the females breeds right after they release their clutch. The level of comfort for the shrimp is ideal and i’m referring to more difficult to breed shrimps.
Source:
Shrimp source is also critical in this as having a good shrimp source will also determine if the livestock are healthy, poor looking shrimp and unhealthy husbandry is a sure fire way of experiencing more of these issues. Choose your source wisely and ensure they have a good process and able to explain everything in much detail why they do what they do.
Other factors causing shrimp to die after/before molting
Male to Female Ratio:
There are simply too many males in the tank causing a higher probability of females being harass and eventually succumbing to death. This is because too many males will try to mount onto the female shrimp which during the process might injure it as the shell is very soft after molting. It does not really happen to males because when male shrimp molt they do not emit the pheromones like female do. So chances are the male will be left alone for the shell to harden after molting.
Hiding Space:
A dense coverage of natural vegetation will be the best cover for females and shrimplet to molt in peace because the natural cover act like a barrier against other shrimp. While we add coverage please note that females release pheromones so it doesn’t matter where, the males will keep flying around until they find the female. However, what it means is the female has the ability to play ‘tag’ so she can go round in some maze and lose the male. Do not provide coverage that has one entrance. Keeping things simple, using moss and plants are the best natural coverage you can offer.
As you can see a nice boa right after molting was hiding away from the rest, a good natural coverage.
Food:
I generally stick to the food with strong draw factor like Hwa v1 food. From this i know the shrimps are consuming the food which have high nutrients for them to grow and breeding profusely.
In addition, it is also important to provide biofilm which not only is the natural food for shrimps to get their nutrients, it helps water parameters as well. Kallax ball/lubao encourage the multiplication of microorgansim which indirectly helps a tank water reach a better level.
Closing
I hope this post shed some light on what it meant to get to a point where molting shouldn’t be an issue. The entire eco-system is fairly fragile and hence important to ensure at every check point it is well setup.
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Cheers!