My guess is that there are babies in there that you can't see. If she was berries when you got her and held the eggs for two weeks then they probably hatched. They usually hatch right from the belly.

 

That's what I'm hoping for! I hear that baby shrimps are super hard to see for a while, so with any luck I'll see some tiny fry floating about in a few days. Thanks for the input and positive outlook!

 

They hatch from the belly, when the babies hatch they are reaaaaaally tiny, may take a while for them to get big enough for you to see or notice. The babies will hide out until they get older feeding off biofilm and algae, they like to stay in one spot, and don't move around much. Once they hatch they pretty much take care of themselves, mother has done her duty once they've hatched.

EDIT: The mother puts her energy into "fanning" the eggs, she does this for about 3-4 weeks depending on your tanks temperatures (lower temps take longer, but will prolong the life of your shrimp, whereas higher temps they may hatch quicker but the shrimp will have much shorter lives). I believe if there's something wrong with the babies (like a birth defect or something) the mother will know and naturally cull them before they are born to put her energy into raising the more healthy ones, though if all the eggs dissappeared en masse it's more likely they did hatch. When they are born they're more clear in color (which is the reason aside from being tiny that they may be impossible to see), as they develop they'll gain their color and become more noticible. Just make sure your water parameters are right for the shrimp (I think a GH of about 7-8 is usually best for neos and lower temps like 70-75 are generally recommended), that the shrimp have enough to eat (but not too much), if you don't have much biofilm there's tons of food options, my shrimp Adore kale and spinach (make sure it's organic and boil for about 30-60 seconds before putting in tank, pesticide ridden spinach and kale may not be healthy for shrimp). Hope this helps, happy shrimping!

 

All good advice, and thank you for the information share! I had raised my temp to 80 because I heard it's better for the egg stage, but I've lowered it back down to roughly 75-76. Hopefully those babies start showing up soon!

 

68-74 would be better. Although warmer temps do mean faster growth, it can also cause failed molts and have a higher chance of bacterial infections.

 

Update on this, in case anyone comes across this thread in the future.

My Red Cherry Shrimp (RCS) DID give birth to those eggs, and only tonight, roughly 10 days later, did I see my first baby RCS. I for sure thought she dropped the eggs, but no, she birthed them and those babies were both too small and too well hidden in my plants to see. I caught a couple baby RCS wandering around my tank tonight, which made me very happy.

As for water temp and quality, they were born at about 79-80 degrees, which I now know is too high (although I guess it worked!). I lowered it to 75 for a week, and then again a couple days ago to 72. I've noticed that ALL my shrimp (RCS, Red Rili, Yellow, Amano, and plain ol' cheap Grass shrimp) are out and about more than they were when the temp was near 80. So lesson learned - keep the temp at 75 or below.

Also, I have very soft water here in Seattle, and even with a pound of crushed coral in my canister filter (reminder: I have a 22gal long tank) the pH was sitting at 6.4-6.5. I added some Seachem powder to raise the pH to roughly 7.1-7.2. Did it help or hurt? I don't know. On one hand, the shrimp lived in soft water fine, but now that I've raised the pH and lowered the temp they're exploring more. Yes, I have pulled out a few shrimp skins. Maybe they're dead-loss, or maybe they're just molted bodies, I don't know. But with 40 shrimp in my tank, the five shrimp skins I've pulled, even if a few are shrimp that didn't make it, is no big deal. I now have more babies than bodies, so I'm ahead.

Side note: I bought 20 Grass shrimp from Greg Sage in Colorado (he actually ended up shipping me 28 of them - he always sends more just in case, and a few were berried). He keeps his water at a pH of 8. They're all doing just fine at my lower pH. Another testament to the heartiness of these shrimp. (Also, Greg is an awesome dude and I wholeheartedly recommend buying from him.)

Bottom line is that I'm not going to worry TOO much about my water parameters, as these shrimp seem to be pretty hearty - even the amanos. You can worry obsessively over water quality, or you can let nature happen and sit back and enjoy your tank. The fun is in the experience, not the worrying. I now find myself watching less TV and staring at my tank a lot more. That's a win in my book.

Good luck!

 

Yep I find that chasing water parameters too much does more harm then good. Obviously a bit is good as you've noticed in your experience, but observation of livestock is the best way to know if something is wrong with your parameters and adjusting is necessary. I had a similar story very recently with not being able to see my neocaridina davidi shrimplets in my 10 gallon. Glad your babies survived and doing well too.