[Moog808]

OK, so I had some blue shrimp. I moved them to a new tank.

There were a few small shrimplets in the old tank that I missed. I caught them over the next week or two. That was two weeks ago.

Today I saw one tiny shrimplet in the tank, very tiny. I am trying to figure out if this was a runt or something. As far as I know there hasn't been a blue shrimp in the tank for weeks.

Anyone ever experienced this or know what may have happened?

 

[Griznatch]

They are very good at hiding when they are small. Depending on how much they eat and how often they molt, they can stay small for a while. They get bigger after a molt.
edit: forgot to add temperature also makes a difference. Cooler temps, slower growth, warmer temps, faster. They don't live as long at the upper range of temps, but grow and seem to reproduce faster.

 

[Moog808]

They are very good at hiding when they are small. Depending on how much they eat and how often they molt, they can stay small for a while. They get bigger after a molt.
edit: forgot to add temperature also makes a difference. Cooler temps, slower growth, warmer temps, faster. They don't live as long at the upper range of temps, but grow and seem to reproduce faster.

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[AZGuppyGuy]

I got rid of my last two ghost shrimp a few months ago, and today I found a baby ghost shrimplet, even though some sources say that they can't survive in freshwater, and need brackish water to breed.

 

[Griznatch]

I got rid of my last two ghost shrimp a few months ago, and today I found a baby ghost shrimplet, even though some sources say that they can't survive in freshwater, and need brackish water to breed.

I had 5 ghost shrimp in a 10 gallon that exploded with baby guppies. Before I got another tank set up, there were 3 adult females one busy male, and like 50 or more guppy teenagers.. I finally got the other tank set up and moved all the adults including the ghost shrimp to the 20 gallon. Was tearing down the 10 and found a dozen or so 1/4 inch ghost shrimps hiding under a big plastic plant. The last of my ghost shrimp finally died out about a year later.

long story short, they do breed in freshwater and they are dang good at hiding.

 

[Bandit1200]

There are a lot of species sold as "ghost shrimp". Some do require salt/brackish water to breed, some don't. I've bred lots of the freshwater species in a well planted tank that had only sponge filtration.