Cherry shrimp laying eggs...

If i remember correctly if they lay thier eggs its because they are unfertilized. They do move them around from time to time. Im sure others will give you more info.

First lets try to figure out what you mean by laying eggs?

In the animal world there are generally two types of animals. Egg layers and live bearers. Shrimp ARE egg layers. They do not give birth to live shrimp.

The shrimp that most of us are familiar with lay eggs and deposit them under their tail. They keep them there until they hatch. This is done to protect, clean, and oxygenate the eggs.

Are you saying you see the mother fanning the eggs around under her tail or do you see the eggs dropping down to the substrate?

If the eggs are dropping to the substrate there is something wrong. Odds are the mother is stressed out by something. I don't believe dropped eggs are unfertilized because the eggs are not laid until the male mates with the female.

Dwarfpufferfish said:

First lets try to figure out what you mean by laying eggs?

In the animal world there are generally two types of animals. Egg layers and live bearers. Shrimp ARE egg layers. They do not give birth to live shrimp.

The shrimp that most of us are familiar with lay eggs and deposit them under their tail. They keep them there until they hatch. This is done to protect, clean, and oxygenate the eggs.

Are you saying you see the mother fanning the eggs around under her tail or do you see the eggs dropping down to the substrate?

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The latter, they're actually comming out from under her tail when she kicks her feet, sticking to her legs and whatever else she's sitting on at the time.

If the eggs are dropping to the substrate there is something wrong. Odds are the mother is stressed out by something. I don't believe dropped eggs are unfertilized because the eggs are not laid until the male mates with the female.

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Tank parameters are good, I feed them algae wafers and I just got some hikari crab cuisuine and the hikari alge wafer brand, so they get an upgrade on food. They eat and leave leftovers, so I know they aren't starving. I do notice new little ones in the tank, but from what I've been told I should have 100 shrimps 3-4 weeks later as oppposed to an extra 1/2 dozen 3 weeks leater. I started with about 15. The tank is basement room temperature (about 70 degrees) and I didn't plan on heating the tank (I'm out of plugs...). I have a large floating mass of anacharis like stuff and some java moss tied to slate.

So the eggs are just falling off and sticking to whatever the female is sitting on? Well I would guess that female is having some sort of problem? Does the water temperature drop bellow 70 at night? I wonder if you are having temperature swings???

Yes there is something wrong with that female for her to be removing the eggs from her underside.

The temperature could possibly drop, but I had seen this happen in my main tank with a stable temp as well. I'll see if I make room for one more heater. I have some of those Y splitters. Maybe I'll pump 'em up to 80 degrees slowely over a few days.

Is it just one female or is it all of them?

Just one I've noticed so far.

If it is just the one female there may be something wrong with her. I would personaly remove her from the aqurium to another tank for observation. It does sound like she is having some sort of a problem! Hard to say what the problem is!

Dwarfpufferfish said:

First lets try to figure out what you mean by laying eggs?

In the animal world there are generally two types of animals. Egg layers and live bearers. Shrimp ARE egg layers. They do not give birth to live shrimp.

The shrimp that most of us are familiar with lay eggs and deposit them under their tail. They keep them there until they hatch. This is done to protect, clean, and oxygenate the eggs.

Are you saying you see the mother fanning the eggs around under her tail or do you see the eggs dropping down to the substrate?

If the eggs are dropping to the substrate there is something wrong. Odds are the mother is stressed out by something. I don't believe dropped eggs are unfertilized because the eggs are not laid until the male mates with the female.

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So you basically saying that all eggs are fertilized?
I believe they do eat/remove unfertilized eggs or those that are developing some kind of fungus.(By no means I have done a study of this).

Crays also keep their young in their tails and they eat unfertilized eggs and/or those that develop fungus. It is easier to see in crayfish eggs since they are bigger. You can see some of the eggs develop a dark spot while they get clear in color in fertilize eggs. Other eggs either are cover in fungus or stay darker and never develop the crayfish. The crayfish mother eats these eggs.

edacsac said:

Just one I've noticed so far.

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you sure is the same one, every single time you have observed this?

I think it is possible for the eggs to be unfertilized, but if the eggs are on the underside, the female has mated. Also, I have noticed that if you do a large water change, sometimes the shrimp will shed and leave the eggs behind.

If there are eggs then they are fertilized. The eggs are fertilized as they pass down into the "carriage". Male sperm was previously deposited during mating. The shrimp do not pass their eggs down until there is sperm deposited.

i have posted pictures of the Snowball Shrimp, where you can clearly see the eggs forming in the ovaries. I do not believe that the eggs can fully develop unless there is indeed sperm deposited.

There have been posts where people have had all female shrimp without any males. The females always had saddles for a long period of time but eggs never appear. Once a male was introduced the eggs appeared.

-Ryan

I noticed this on a single occassion in each of my tanks. I layed on my cold basement floor last night night and watched my shrimp tank for about and hour or so (tank is on the lower rack of a standard metal stand). All the females with eggs I observed where doing the faning thing, but not losing eggs. I can also verify that there are baby shrimp, as I noticed some of the tiniest I've ever seen.

Maybe this was an islolated incident, like what was mentioned with fungus or something.

wood said:

If there are eggs then they are fertilized. The eggs are fertilized as they pass down into the "carriage". Male sperm was previously deposited during mating. The shrimp do not pass their eggs down until there is sperm deposited.

i have posted pictures of the Snowball Shrimp, where you can clearly see the eggs forming in the ovaries. I do not believe that the eggs can fully develop unless there is indeed sperm deposited.

There have been posts where people have had all female shrimp without any males. The females always had saddles for a long period of time but eggs never appear. Once a male was introduced the eggs appeared.

-Ryan

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Have a study been done on this? I do not think all eggs carried under neath will develop in a shrimp. You have posted pictures of a shrimp that indeed has all fertilized eggs.

I use to go to a japanese site and they had pictures of some shrimp carrying eggs and you could clearly see eggs that were developing the shrimp and others than not. I will try to get the link.

Also, a tank with no females carrying eggs does not mean that there are no males. it can be a lot of other factors like water parameters, temp, young males, etc.

But like I said, my experience looking at eggs has been with my crayfish.

I was just going to ask something similar. The previous time I noticed this, It looked like the female was ejecting all of her eggs. But when I witnessed the night before I made this post, there where only a few eggs left she was pulling out. Maybe she already birthed shrimp and those eggs where nondeveloped.

I'm learning here...

When a female becomes berried (eggs under her tail) she has mated. I am sure that not all eggs get fertilized all the time. But if she is dropping all her eggs, that is not a fertilization problem, that is something else.

I am sure that eggs pass threw the canal and do not get fertilized, it certainly is possible. And those eggs are probably dealt with by dropping them or disposing of them one way or another. My wife and I (both of us have marine biology degrees) have watched the process closely, but have never done a scientific study.

If you have an aquarium with all female shrimp, the odds are you will not see a berried female. I have never witnessed it happen!

Dwarfpufferfish said:

When a female becomes berried (eggs under her tail) she has mated. I am sure that not all eggs get fertilized all the time. But if she is dropping all her eggs, that is not a fertilization problem, that is something else.

I am sure that eggs pass threw the canal and do not get fertilized, it certainly is possible. And those eggs are probably dealt with by dropping them or disposing of them one way or another. My wife and I (both of us have marine biology degrees) have watched the process closely, but have never done a scientific study.

If you have an aquarium with all female shrimp, the odds are you will not see a berried female. I have never witnessed it happen!

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agreed. eggs=mated. dropped eggs=problem.

milalic said:

Have a study been done on this? I do not think all eggs carried under neath will develop in a shrimp. You have posted pictures of a shrimp that indeed has all fertilized eggs.

I use to go to a japanese site and they had pictures of some shrimp carrying eggs and you could clearly see eggs that were developing the shrimp and others than not. I will try to get the link.

Also, a tank with no females carrying eggs does not mean that there are no males. it can be a lot of other factors like water parameters, temp, young males, etc.

But like I said, my experience looking at eggs has been with my crayfish.

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It is much different with other types of invertebrates including crayfish.