How to take care of momma ghost shrimp?

[Kaitlin]

I have a ghost shrimp that is due to have her eggs hatch any day now. Sadly, I don't have a second tank to put her in - only a fish cup I got when I bought a betta (holds ~2 cups of water).

I have guppies and several male shrimp that will eat the babies, and a filter I don't want to turn off due to a small algae bloom.

Should I put mom in a cup for a few days? I have bigger containers, but not ones that have lids with breathing holes. The cups fit nicely on top of my aquarium lid near a light, so the babies would have some light and be warm. I'd do small water changes daily, and I have a moss ball and some small plants I'd keep in the cup for food and shelter.

Momma shrimp is still pretty young (first batch of eggs), so she's small enough that I would think she'd be ok in a smaller enclosure for just a couple days...?

[Soothing Shrimp]

Depends what kind of ghost shrimp you have.

Ghost Shrimp is a pet store catch all term for any clear shrimp unfortunately. Most require brackish water for the larvae to live. Larvae of any sort- including freshwater- can be hard to keep alive because of food requirements, etc.

I wish you the best of luck.

[ValMM]

A large tupperware container filled with greenwater or tankwater with a source of biofilm for the babies will do the trick. Make sure to rinse it out with hot water so there is no soap residue.

When my ghosts had shrimplets, I found that the babies would hunt copepods until they could walk. Once they walked, they started eating the algae wafers and shrimp pellets I put in for the adults.

Monitor mom, when the majority of the eggs hatch she may try to eat them. I recommend taking her out if there are only one or two eggs left on her.

Do small water changes daily.

[Soothing Shrimp]

Good info ValMM!

[ValMM]

Thank you, it took about 8 clutches of eggs to get them to survive to juvenile size.

[Soothing Shrimp]

You did an excellent job. Most people don't get that far.