Blood Shrimp Babies! Raising Lysmata debelius – 2/14/08
Hi crew,
<Happy Valentine’s, Lex!>
I was just feeding my starfish before I turned the lights off and "bam" my Blood Shrimp has just given birth to a 1000 babies (give or take).
<Neat thing to see, isn’t it!>
I managed to capture a dismal few before they were all consumed and have them floating in a cup at the top of the tank. Question is, how can I raise them? <See below.> I read on your site to give them some crushed flake food, but is that it?
<Nope, there’s much more to it.>
Do I have any chance of rearing them to maturity?
<It can be quite a challenge, but with proper food and care, yes!>
If so, how long for them to reach about an inch so they wont be eaten?
<I’m not sure, but I would imagine many months. It generally takes 6-8 weeks just to metamorphose out of the larval stage, at which point, they're still very small and vulnerable. I have some links for you to read that will explain the entire process much better than I can! Please note that some articles relate to other shrimp species within the same genus (Lysmata). Although they might be different species, the basic care/rearing should be very similar.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2004/breeder.htm
http://www.breedersregistry.org/database/LYSDEB01.htm
http://www.breedersregistry.org/lamboinensis.htm
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen10.html
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/nftt/index.php
I would also highly recommend WWM’s Cleaner Shrimp Reproduction FAQ’s (as well as the highlighted links at the top of the page):
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hipshrprepro.htm >
Cheers
Lex
<Best of luck to you and your little shrimp offspring! Take care, -Lynn>

Raising Lysmata debelius larvae - 12/18/07
Hello,
<Hi there!>
I have scanned the net as well as WWM archives for info on Lysmata debelius larvae. I have roughly fifty from what I can see to count. Eye stalks and pink coloration are present as are rapid flicking movements.
<Neat.>
Currently the larvae are hovering just above the sand bed. It would be difficult to remove them. I realize the survival rate is almost nil, but is there the possibility of assisted survival?
<Yes, there is, and I’ve got some links that will explain it much more thoroughly than I can! The first covers both L. amboinensis and L. debelius. The second relates solely to L. amboinensis, but will likely have some helpful information since the two species are so similar.
http://www.ifmn.net/nachzuchten/garnelen_l_amboinensis_debelius.html
http://www.breedersregistry.org/Reprints/FAMA/v17_aug94/scarlet.htm >
Thank you so much for your time!
<You’re very welcome and good luck with the kiddos! –Lynn>

Lone L. amboinensis With Eggs????? Yep.  – 06/07/07
Hello Crew,
<Hi Debbie, Mich here.>
I have had this one shrimp since around February... all by itself in my ten gallon. How can it be carrying eggs?
<Will produce eggs if conditions are favorable, but the eggs won't be fertile.>
That's my first question. Second question: Being a small tank my main concern is water quality once those eggs are released. There are no fish. Would sun corals sense the larval shrimp, open and feed?
<Likely so.>
It's a 10 gallon tank with Xenia and Briareum, attached is a 6 gallon refugium with Chaeto. (My sun corals are in another tank but could easily be moved in here if the larval shrimp would benefit them.)
<Yes, they would likely enjoy the treat.>
Thanks,
<Welcome! Mich>
(A confused...) Debbie

L. amboinensis with eggs... afterthought – 06/07/07
Hello,
<Hi Debbie, Mich here again.>
Sorry for the extra email.
<No worries.>
Are they difficult to raise?
<Mmm, not necessarily.>
I will do research on the internet on raising shrimp but can you recommend any books for reading on that subject?
<There is a book by April Kirkendoll titled "How To Raise & Train Your Peppermint Shrimp" which you may find helpful. Also see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clrshrpreprofaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/shrimp/cleaner.htm >
Thank you again,
<Welcome!>
Regards,
Debbie

Re: Sinularia hlth., repro., Lysmata repro.  4/14/07
Hello Bob,
Thank you for your timely response. I have been doing weekly water exchanges of 35 - 40 gallons until the new filter gets in (the tank is 90 gallons). The water parameters are great, and there is nothing irritating the coral that I know of. I have seen no predators in the aquarium, nor any signs of predators. The fish that are in the tank leave it alone, that's why I was leaning towards asexual reproduction. It seems that the tissue turns white around the area that will break off, then polyps disappear (in the white area) and the tip that is breaking away from the colony stays colored up and full of polyps. I have been measuring the area every day and will continue to keep an eye on it, I will also try to get a good photo, but its hard to where the coral is placed. I suppose just watching it to see what happens is about all there is to do in this situation?
<Mmm, that or moving it>
Also, do you know the time period that "Cleaner shrimp"  Lysmata sp? carry their young for, or how long the young take to become free swimming / roaming?
<Temperature dependent to a degree, but overall reproduction can be about weekly under "good" conditions...>
I believe that is the correct spelling, if not I apologize.
Thank you for your time and consideration as always, and take care my friend.
Brian Crenshaw
<Will do. BobF>

Breeding Lysmata [Cleaner Shrimp]
Dear Bob,
<<not Bob, but JasonC - Bob is away diving>>
I have several pairs of Lysmata debelius shrimps. I have been trying to get them to mate for a couple of months. they constantly molt and are old enough to mate (3.5-4cm length). conditions are constant.. temp at 27 degrees Celsius, salinity at 34-35ppt. they feed an grow and have shown no major signs of being stressed. however they have not been producing any eggs, which they would carry under their tail. I have added a filter of 1000 micron to the water flowing through my system to catch any larvae if they are produced and have not found anything. should I just be patient or is something not right? how influential is light to reproduction of these shrimps? at present they are under natural light, near a window.
<<I'm afraid I don't have any experience with these. My quick guess would be that many of the shrimps need a more salt-marsh/lagoon/tidal pond-type environment to successfully breed. I would likewise guess that the light does have influence... is that the only light on the tank? If I were you, I would pose this same question on the WWM forum which is patrolled by many knowledgeable, friendly folk - and someone just might have done this. http://talk.wetwebfotos.com/ >>
thanks, Avinash Singh
<<Best of luck in this endeavor. Cheers, J -- >>

Website address change (Note: chg on Shrimp, Lysmata pgs)
Hello,
Your link to my webpage, "How To Raise & Train Your Peppermint Shrimp" (listed under Business--Publications) has an old URL. The new address is www.lysmatapublishing.com. The old address redirects you to the new URL for now, but it will soon be a "broken link".
Thanks for your time, A. Kirkendoll
<Thank you for the update. Will change. Bob Fenner>

Breeding Shrimp
We have a pair of Lysmata amboinensis in our tank, the large of the 2 has been in there for about a year now - the 2nd one we added about 4 months ago, and is a little smaller than the other. A few days ago - the larger one appeared to have lots of little green "eggs"
(for lack of another term) in the swimmerets under the backside.
<No better term needed, in this case, that is what they are, fertilized eggs.>
It was interesting - we saw her (assuming) perched on a piece of live rock, "playing" with them, she had the swimmerets tilted out, and it was almost like she was moving the "eggs" around. Well, this morning - the other shrimp has em now. They both do!
<Yes, they are hermaphroditic, both able to function as both sexes simultaneously.>
The interesting thing is that this morning, we caught the larger one almost chasing the smaller one - going at the smaller one with her pinchers. In fact, she got the smaller one in the tail, and the smaller one jumped and some of the little things came out of the swimmeret's.
<Now that sounds kind of strange.>
Are they eggs, and if so - can we do anything with them? Bill Yazji
<I can give you a couple of leads if you wish to pursue raising the babies. The Summer 2002 issue of SeaScope, a free newsletter from Aquarium Systems that comes out quarterly, has a related article on breeding Lysmata rathbunae. Also, check out the Breeder's Registry, an online source for captive rearing information. -Steven Pro>

Breeding Shrimp II
I would be interested in attempting to raise them. Is it something very difficult?
<I would not describe the process as easy, but it could be worth the effort.>
I had attempted to view the Breeders Registry, but the link wasn't working for me.
<It did not work for me, either. Perhaps a problem with the server this evening. I did find a few online articles with a quick search.
http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/Reprints/FAMA/v17_aug94/scarlet.htm
http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/Reprints/SeaScope/v11_sumr/shrimp.htm
Thanks - as usual! ~Bill
<Good luck! -Steven Pro>

Raising Cleaner Shrimp Babies
Dear crew:
I have just collected the larvae of my cleaner shrimp on a net. I don't know what to do with them. It is a pity to watch them get "filtered out from my overflow. Right now, I have them in my net in the main aquarium, with no fish, since the tank is fallowing. Is there anyway to successfully culture little cleaner shrimp? What do I need to feed them? And do they need a separate tank to raise them? Were there any successful breeding trials? Please tell me what to do!
<It must be that time of year or something. We have received a question about spawning cleaner shrimp everyday for the past several days. Please take a look here http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/Reprints/FAMA/v17_aug94/scarlet.htm?
Sincerely, Eric
<Have a nice day! -Steven Pro>

Shrimp Follow Up and Pods
Hello again! Thank you! My fish and crabs will probably eat whatever eggs these shrimp deposit, eh? Caviar to the salties!
<Them and your corals, too. Excellent food for all!>
Another quick question, do 'pods come in all colors, or just gray?
<I have seen mostly tan to gray.>
I have some REALLY big black ones, twice the size of the gray.
<Interesting, could you send us a picture?>
They love the filter pads and my refugium. I'm not sure what eats them (in my tank), but I have tons. Here's the fish list, one of each: bi-color blenny, Foxface, engineer goby, blue/yellow tail damsel, maroon gold bar clown, Firefish, and the junior angel (Pomacanthus). None are mentioned to eat these "bugs" in my books.
<Actually, they will all eat some.>
Should I get a mandarin to eat them, or just leave the 'pods?
<I would leave them. They and their spawn are excellent food for fish and corals as well as having the added benefit of consuming a fair amount of algae, detritus, uneaten food, etc.>
Thanks once again, your patience is outstanding! -Cathy in Texas <><
<Have a lovely day! -Steven Pro>

Cleaner Shrimp
Howdy!
<Hi Cathy! How's it going down there?>
Just yesterday (I think) there was a question regarding Cleaner Shrimp on the Daily FAQ page - now I can't find it. The reason I am looking for articles - I have two Lysmata amboinensis (cleaner shrimp with white markings on the tail) - and both are carrying green matter in the lower part of the tail and that look like the tiniest of green dots.
<These are eggs.>
Does this mean I have two females?
<It means you have two males and two females, but only two shrimp total. Confusing? You should try being the shrimp. They are hermaphroditic.>
They have been carrying these "dots" for about two weeks - maybe it is something else?
<No, it is a textbook description of eggs. They should change color to an orange/red in a few days.>
I've tried using the google search for WWM, but nothing about this shows up. At first, I thought this was because I had a green algae bloom in my tank, and they ate the algae. But the bloom is gone, and the green remains. Any ideas, help would be appreciated! If a picture is needed, I can get one :-)
Cathy in Texas <><
<The article I referenced on the Daily page is here http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/Reprints/FAMA/v17_aug94/scarlet.htm
Chat with you later! -Steven Pro>

Breeding Peppermint Shrimp
Greetings and salutations everyone:
Around 11:00 last night I was giving my reef tank one last check and noticed one of the Peppermint Shrimp was acting rather erratic.  So I turned on my blue actinic light to make a closer observation, just in time to see one of them giving birth to hundreds of tiny Peppermints.  What a beautiful sight.  
<wow... how wonderful!>
Is there any way to ensure any survivals?  
<absolutely. It is somewhat tedious to rear the larva but very possible and done by many aquarists. Some articles have been written on the subject like here:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/nftt/
Thee is also a new book written on the subject for interested aquarists just like you:
http://www.lysmatapublishing.com/shrimp.html >
I think my LPS corals had a feast last night because I do not see any left this morning.    
>indeed...very good food. Many aquarists keep breeding peppermint shrimp in fishless refugiums for this purpose>
I also have noticed quite a few of white semi-transparent larva's around 1/8" long with a large mouth and a dual tail on the other end sliding around on the glass.  Does this sound like some kind of Nudibranch?  They seem to be multiplying rather rapidly, should this be a concern?  
<hard to say without an ID or image>
I've also noticed several small brittle stars (around 1/2 inch in length) hanging around in the live rock.  Do they pose any threat?
<nope... very beneficial filter feeders and detritivores>
Besides the obvious physical beauty of our underwater ecosystems, don't you find it truly inspiring that life always just seems to "find a way"?  What a tribute to our creator!
<remarkable by any definition :) >
My Tube Anemone is growing a little too fast and its tentacles  were getting too close to my candy coral.  
<wow... I'm not thrilled about such an aggressive anemone in a tank with coral or other anemones... I'd remove it to a species tank for proper feeding any way (without polluting coral tank or starving anemone in the long run>
The Candy Coral has not been a happy camper lately (nitrates got a little high the other day, .40 PPM, so I quickly made several water changes and things are already looking a lot better).  I relocated the Candy Coral on the sand.  Is this an acceptable location?  
<perhaps not... they cannot purge sand easily and may suffer if sprinkled or buried. Its an unnatural place for this coral>
I wasn't sure it would be happy there as I am rapidly running out of space since all of this is going on in a 5 gallon nano reef.
<oh, my heavens! Brother, please remove that tube anemone from this tank ASAP or pull all else to a reef. There are serious issues here with chemical warfare on your coral beyond issues of actual contact>
I've read your information regarding the feeding of corals and it was very informative.  I purchased some DT's Phytoplankton to supplement the Corals (one Euphyllia, one Candy, one Hammer, one leather tree coral and assorted button polyps).  
<hmmm.... only the leather tree coral eats (perhaps) a little phytoplankton. None of the other corals here feed much if at all on phyto. They are zooplankton feeders. I suspect that the only thing your phyto is feeding is nitrate levels>
If I feed according to directions, that would be 1/3 tsp in 5 gallons every other day.  Will this amount increase my nitrates or should I just be concerned with the freshness of the phytoplankton?  
<a fine food but inappropriate for these corals>
More along the line of twice a week sounds more reasonable given the size of my tank.  Can you recommend a product for zooplankton that is equally fresh, besides using a refugium?  
<indeed the refugium is best, frozen Cyclop-eeze would be a fine runner up (hard to find though... an Argent product), fresh hatched baby brine is good after that (less than 9 hours old). After that, minced meaty foods (Gammarus PE Mysis shrimp, Pacifica plankton)>
I have been also feeding a frozen food rich in Kill and Sponge but, again, am concerned with nitrates (is twice a week on this one also acceptable?).  
<way too little food for the LPS corals and definitely not enough for the tube anemone>
Please don't suggest an upgrade in equipment, we are in the process of adopting two otherwise homeless children and at this time any upgrades just is not in the budget.
<no worries bud... but I must say that you need to remove the anemone or the corals for both to have a chance at surviving long term>
Nitrates are my big concern,
<in such a small tank, a weekly water change of 2-3 gallons should make it all go away nicely>
but I still want to give the corals everything they need and still keep nitrates as low as possible, considering the size of my system.  I try to keep Nitrates around .10 PPM, which is quite a challenge and still feed everything.
You guys perform a great service and I can't thank you enough for your assistance.  I called the LPS where I bought the coral frags and all I got was "I am too busy".  How sad for them.  I think they're missing out in the real meaning in all of this.
<agreed. You'll do fine here my friend if you are simply realistic about the limitations of the tank and what is humanely possible. With kind regards, Anthony>

Pregnant cleaner shrimp 3/14/03
Good morning, well I realized that I have a pregnant Cleaner Shrimp, I would like to some how isolate her to keep some of the babies.
<Interesting tidbit about cleaner shrimp... your "she" is actually is an "it". While most shrimp have separate sexes... cleaners are hermaphrodites... thus any two can breed successfully together>
Is it possible??
<challenging but possible... the move to an isolation tank was helpful>
what should I buy? I saw a breeding unit online- Let me know Thanks, Athena
<successful rearing really cannot be summed up in an e-mail. Let me suggest you buy and read a book on a similar species: "How To Raise & Train Your Peppermint Shrimp -- April Kirkendoll. Its available from Amazon.com and many other places. The rearing tips will be quite similar. Also, do a keyword search on this topic on a search engine for find specific articles perhaps on this species... alas, we do not have one on WWM. General info on the group can be found here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/shrimp/cleaner.htm
Best regards, Anthony>

Hello again (shrimp culture)
I just posted this on your chat forum but thought that you may have further insight :)
<Perhaps. Let's see>
Hi All fist post here I have been Harassing Bob and JasonC for a while now so I thought that maybe my fellow hobbyists could take a stab at this one.
Here are the usual specs. My Reef tank is 30 gallons, with a new 130gallon tank being delivered tomorrow. The inhabitants are, A Ocellaris, A Frenatus, Banggai Cardinal, Pajama Cardinal and a Scooter Blenny. All are well. There are the usual assortment of hermit crabs, snails and I seem to have colonies of feather dusters cropping up on the rocks all over the place. I also have a Pulsing Xenia and 2 Peppermint Shrimp and 1 CBS.
I do daily calcium additions and weeks Iodine drops. The shrimp molt every month and are growing quite large. Hence the new tank as you say larger is better.
Tonight at feeding time the larger of the two Peppermint Shrimp came out and her swimmerets are encrusted with eggs. So now the quandary I am setting up the new tank tomorrow and within the next few days planning on moving all of the live rock, sand and inhabitants to their new environs. Do you think I should leave the Mother Peppermint in there and allow her eggs to hatch. What do you think would be the success rate if there were a moved to the larger tank or left where they are?
<The "success" rate in terms of hatching, grow out? Not much in either. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimp.htm
the shrimp articles, FAQs files beyond. Much more to the effective culture of these animals. Bob Fenner>
The Emperor bio wheel is staying, but the protein skimmer and powerheads
are going. Need advice :) Cheers, Julian Hunt

Lysmata debelius -fire shrimp larvae
Hi Everyone.
Well thanks to your advice I have finally got pairs of fire shrimp to breed and produce few larvae. however so far I have got so few larvae- less than 10 .. not good.
<Actually, not bad... took the folks at TMC a good many tries, dollars/Pounds to get this far>
I have had a look at a latest molt and have seen that there are hundreds of unhatched eggs present on them. the eggs are at their last development stage.. the eyes being clearly visible. I don't really know what went wrong... the larvae that are there are healthy but too few to work with....
<Could be infertile eggs, not enough viable sperm/atophore, some aspect of water chemistry...>
(Fire shrimp adults naturally release the larvae into the water and then go on to molt)-- something went wrong here. I'm not certain if physical factor or may be nutrition maybe the key.. but how did the other larvae survive?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 
Thanks, Avinash Singh
USP
Fiji islands.
<Bob Fenner>

Pregnant Cleaner Shrimp
Mr. Fenner
We just noticed hundreds of eggs on the legs of one of our cleaner shrimps last night. Can we purchase something from our LPS to try to save these eggs from being eaten by our other stock and if so what are the chances of actually getting some that live through the whole process. 
Much to relate... I would read over the Breeder's Registry here, and Tropic Marine Centre's accounts of their successful culture of Lysmata amboinensis (and even L. debelius)... their URL's on the WetWebMedia Links pages>
Does this mean that the pregnant one is female and the other male, or can both sexes have babies? Do you have info on your website about this? We really want to try to breed them if we can, but we have no idea how far she is and when they will hatch as we just observed her "fanning" these eggs all night last night. It was the oddest thing to see and we were both very excited. Also, my ammonia is 0 but my fish still keep waking up with ich and then it disappears within the first 10 minutes of feeding and does not show back up until either 8:30pm or when they wake up in the morning, any ideas (our ammonia was at .50 a few days ago, but have done many water changes to get it down to zero, we were over feeding.
<Study my friend. Bob Fenner>

Re: Pregnant Cleaner Shrimp
Mr. Fenner
My LPS has a little net type thing to put the shrimp in, is this cruel to lock her in a net (I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know what it looks like.
<Not just cruel, but won't work...>
Also (I haven't looked at your link yet but I intend to), do I put both male and female shrimp in net as the male has been heavily guarding her and chasing away anyone that comes near. And do I remove them once the eggs hatch? Are there books we can buy on this? Or will our attempts be futile due to the other tank inhabitants(6 fish, crabs, peppermint shrimps and snails)
<All this answered where you were sent... Bob Fenner>

Cleaner shrimp
I have a 40 gal. tank and 2 weeks ago I noticed a lot of white stuff in my tank. I finally figured out that they were baby cleaner shrimp... of course they got eaten. I have purchased a small tank within a tank that has a small net around it so the shrimp can't get through. How often do shrimp have babies (fry) and how could I try to keep them alive if I'm around when they hatch?
<Mmm, please read over all the shrimp materials posted on WetWebMedia.com's marine index... and follow the links to the Breeder's Registry on the Net... and possibly read over the success of Tropic Marine Centre in rearing a few species of Lysmata spp.>
someone told me to have" marine snow plankton diet" to feed them.
<No. This product is worse than worthless>
Can they stay in the same tank as my other fish in that small net tank? 
<No>
I have a 5 gal. tank I could set-up with a sponge filter, which I would just use water from my main tank, since it would be cycled...I could add some sand and or live rock. Is it possible to keep them alive?
<Yes... have been cultured... do need separate tank... As I say, read through what there is known... on the net. Will give you a firm understanding of what's involved. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for the info... and " Merry Christmas !" Cheryl

Questions (impulsive cleaner shrimp culturist?)
Will other fish eat Cleaner Shrimp eggs?
<Of a certainty yes; many if not most fishes will>
If so, how should I go about keeping that from happening?
<Mmm, if you're involved in culturing shrimp, keep them in a separate system>
How many cleaner shrimp should I put in a 55 gallon tank? Assuming that I have some hermits and a coral banded shrimp in there?
<... could or should? Coral Banded Shrimp, Stenopus hispidus are cleaners... Please read the Marine Shrimp sections here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shrimp.htm
and the linked articles and FAQs files. Bob Fenner>

Re: questions (impulsive cleaner shrimp culturist?)
Do you have any suggestions on what types of coral I should combine in a tank? Like so many hard to so many soft?
For the aquarium floor, what type of types of live sand should I use? As well
as for live rock....how much live rock and live sand would you recommend for a 55 gallon tank? What types of fish should I NOT have in my tank if I have Cleaner Shrimp?
<You would do well to invest your money and time into one or more general marine aquarium books. Much cheaper, less destructive to your spare time, budget and the environment, then this approach. Please peruse, read over the site: WetWebMedia.com
Bob Fenner>

Inter-breeding of cleaner shrimp
Bob,
I was wondering if species of Lysmata shrimp can/have breed among their different species. 
<Not as far as I'm aware. But do check with the Breeder's Registry site... link on WetWebMedia.com if you can't find it>
I have two cleaner shrimp that were both sold as common skunk cleaners. One appears to be ever so slightly darker in color and has a solid white line on the edges of it's tail and the other has two white dots on each edge of it's tail. I therefore assume I have a Lysmata Grabhami (the solid white lines on the edge) and a L. Amboinensis (the dots). Other than the tail markings and the slight shade of color difference they are the same.
<These do get sold as one, the other quite commonly>
Both have been in my tank now for many months. They eat well, regularly clean the yellow tang and even my hands when I reach in the tank.
Within the last month I noticed that both have many eggs stored underneath their tails. The L. Grabhami's eggs are a lime green color, and the other shrimps eggs are a clear color and look like salt and pepper under the shrimp. As far as I can tell they have been there for 4-5 weeks. (or they have bred multiple times)
<Ah...>
Is it possible they are both the same species with different markings, or is it not uncommon for these two different shrimp to breed with each other?
<Mmm, these are likely two females... do spawn w/o males present... can/do store sperm packets... or the eggs may be infertile>
Also, do you know if the different colors of the eggs means anything? I don't know how long it takes for them to hatch, but I'm assuming they will just be consumed by the fish as a treat or caught up in the filters/powerheads.
Thank you for your help and your great site! Kris, PA
<Mmm, do read through the Net here re Lysmata... and BR. Much there re these species. Bob Fenner>

Sexing peppermint shrimp
Dear Bob;
recently one of two peppermint shrimp in my reef tank died in a tragic powerhead accident. This pair of shrimp have reproduced in my tank and I would like to replace the dead shrimp but I don't know what sex it was. I saved the carcass. Is it possible to easily identify the sex of a peppermint shrimp? I was unaware of any pairing when I bought the two. Thanks, Doug
<Can be sexed like the ever tasty local Panulirus... modified uropods and fifth pair of legs on the males as you know...>
P.S. Great book. Your text along with Ron and the boys at Octopus Gardens got me hooked on reef aquariums. I've learned a ton over the last two years. I graduated from SDSU in 1972 with a BS in Zoology so we probably had some classes together. Glad to see that someone retained all of that info. I've read about MASLAC and it sounds like a very informed, active group. Is there anything similar around San Diego? Thanks again for your help.
<Yes, and have sent this msg. to our fearless leader (he works for the local futility, SDG&E...) Maurice, so, am sure he'll be contacting you as well. See you here and there, your fellow alma mater, Bob Fenner>

Lysmata wurdemanni 
Hi there 
We here in SA are trying to get e few of these specimens into our Country, 
All other types of Shrimp gets imported but for some reason not this one ..  if it does it disappears so fast it's mind boggling. 
<Eaten by other livestock?>
Now 3 of us are keen on trying to breed this shrimp but we need the shrimp  to begin with, so I was hopping that you may be of help to us. 
If you can could you please contact me ASAP.  Thanks in advance, Jaco 
<Believe I can be of service here. Please contact, have your suppliers contact Tropic-Marine Centre in the UK re this species (they breed it and L. debelius, and have had great success with other shrimp, invertebrates... fishes...), and read over the husbandry, production notes posted on the "Breeders Registry" (the link posted on the www.WetWebMedia.com links pages) for a few people's telling of how they've kept, bred this species. Bob Fenner>

Lysmata debelius
Hi. I am writing from the University of the South Pacific (USP), located in the Fiji Islands. I am about to begin my Masters Program on Shrimp aquaculture and was hoping to work on Lysmata debelius. Part of my funding is being provided by Walt Smith International, an Aquarium Goods exporter and they are also very keen at aiding work on this species.
<I know Walt... we are old friends, well, middle-aged friends>
At USP we do not have very sophisticated equipment to carryout many large projects. however we are developing our lab systems and we have great access to the natural coral reefs and relatively untouched ecosystems to study. we have access to seawater of good quality, are developing new equipment and hence can carry out some good experiments.
<Hmm, you may want to contact friends at TMC who have bred, reared Helmut's shrimp through all cycles... their address, a review of their business can be found on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com>
I have obtained some information on this species. However more information is required by myself before I can begin. I was hoping that you could provide me with more information regarding the reproductive biology and feeding behaviour of these shrimps - or of any contacts of people who could provide me with this information. Thanking you in advance, Avinash Singh.
<Have Walt contact me, or you can contact Derek Thompson et crew through me... at TMC. Bob Fenner>

Cleaner Shrimp with Eggs
I have a question about my cleaner shrimp. I have had this cleaner shrimp from the first moment I set up my 125 reef about a year ago. I have noticed 
that it has some white/green dots on the under side of its tail that has  never been there before. To tell the truth they looks like eggs but here is  the situation. I have no other cleaner shrimps in my tank. The only other  shrimp is a fire shrimp which I have had for about 6 months. My questions  are: 1) Could the cleaner shrimp and fire shrimp mated?
2) If not, could the dots be eggs? 3) If not, what are they? Thanks, Kris
<<Well, I'd bet the dots you're seeing under the Cleaner Shrimp are eggs, but even if the Cleaner is a Lysmata genus member and ditto for the Fire (Lysmata debelius), there probably is not a cross-species mating going on... Lone Shrimp females can/do lay eggs on their own, and they're sterile. If you're interested, you might want to try introducing a male of the species; otherwise the solo one will be fine. Bob Fenner>>

Strange cleaner shrimp phenomenon
Hi Bob,
I purchased 2 cleaner shrimp from ffexpress about 5 months ago. Now  about 3 weeks ago, I noticed that one of them had a bunch of egg-like shapes  forming in it's belly. I was surprised but heard that these shrimp did in  fact breed in captivity. The 2 shrimp had never hung out together and always  stayed on opposite ends of my 75 gallon reef setup. Now they were together  and seemed more like a couple. Now here's the clincher. About 5 days ago, I 
noticed that now BOTH shrimp had this "belly full of eggs". I haven't heard  that these shrimp were hermaphroditic. Is this possible? Have you ever  heard anything remotely like this? What should I do to try to save the  babies, or is this impossible? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks a lot, -Jay
PS - I'm a big fan of your daily Q&A...keep up the great work!
<<Hmm, do take a look at this URL:
http://www.breeders-registry.gen.ca.us/Reprints/FAMA/v17_aug94/scarlet.htm
An article by friend/author Joyce Wilkerson on Lysmata...
Yes they are hermaphroditic cross spawners... much can/needs to be done... particularly provision of a grow out facility and food production... read the article and if you have further questions... ring me. Bob Fenner>>

Eggs
I have a cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) that is holding eggs. This is the only shrimp in the tank. I read that they are hermaphrodites.  Is it possible that the eggs are fertile. Could you please give me any information that would be helpful in rearing the young. Thank you, Connie Wehler
<<Hmm, interesting topic... Well... Lysmata spp. shrimps are hermaphroditic (both functional sexes in one individual), but they are "synchronous" versus simultaneous hermaphrodites... that is sequentially males turning into females. And don't think they can/do self-fertilize... but, this is where the whole situation may make sense yet, these animals can store a "sperm packet" from mating some months back... Otherwise, these eggs may prove to be infertile...
You might want to consider adding a small(er) individual or even more... if your system size will accommodate them... Bob Fenner>>

Cleaner shrimp question
I have three cleaner shrimp. Two of them spend all of their time together.
Recently, I noticed on the underside of the tail, there appears to be many egg looking "things". These "things" are a light yellow in color, and cover the entire underside of the tail. Lately, this particular shrimp seems to always hide in the rocks except when it's feeding time. I am not at all worried about this but, I was wondering if you could explain what's going on or if there is anything that I should be doing. Thank you for your time.
<<Does sound like your Cleaner Shrimp is "berried", that is, carrying eggs... You might want to start at the www.breedersregistry.com reading about the genus Lysmata... if you'd like to know more. Bob Fenner>>

Pacific Cleaner Shrimp eggs
Bob,
I think my two Pacific Cleaner Shrimp are carrying eggs in their swimmers (swimmerets?). Clusters of tiny round eggs. Is this really what's going  on? Can I expect any new shrimp out of this?
<<Very likely are eggs, maybe some young you can save... food culture, system preparation is necessary... take a look at the articles stored on the genus Lysmata through www.breedersregistry.com Bob Fenner>>

Cleaner Shrimp Mating (4/29/04) 
I have 2 cleaner shrimp in my tank and have just noticed that one has a large sac on it's side, it actually looks like it is filled with something...could it be eggs??? <Eggzactly. Lysmata amboinensis are hermaphrodites and two of them will usually mate. The other one will eventually have eggs too. These eggs & the resultant larvae make great live food, so don't expect any baby shrimp. Steve Allen.> Kelly Aiello

Baby shrimp and their little umbrellas (04/06/03)
hello,
<Hello! Ananda here tonight...>
My first question is- I am wondering if the cleaner shrimp carry eggs at a certain time of the season or if this happens all year round?
<All year round...>
I am going on my 4th pregnancy between 3 shrimp. It seems so bizarre, but maybe this is normal- I'm not sure.
<It's completely normal in a healthy tank. Cleaner shrimp are hermaphroditic, so anytime you get two or more, you get baby shrimp -- which make excellent food for the other stuff in your tank.>
second question- there are tiny white little particles along the bottom of the glass inside the tank and also on the furniture-it looks like lil' umbrellas??
<Those would be a type of feather duster. Very common in newish tanks, and completely harmless. --Ananda>