Have some ghost shrimp in your aquarium and want to know if you can breed them? The answer is yes! It’s a little more complicated than raising regular (Neo)caridina dwarf shrimp, but breeding ghost shrimp is still pretty easy and can be fun for even new aquarium owners.
Find out everything you need to know about breeding ghost shrimp and how to raise the fry to be adults below.
Before we start, we’d like to make one important point: ghost shrimp don’t need brackish (half fresh, half marine) water to become babies. There’s a shrimp species that looks a lot like ghost shrimp and its babies do need brackish water to live, so it’s easy to see where the “brackish myth” came from.
The shrimp in question is the Amano shrimp, and it’s hard to breed them because the larvae need salt. That’s not true for ghosts, though! It’s easier to breed them because they can stay in fresh water the whole time.
Ghost shrimp are interesting little creatures that can be a fun addition to your aquarium One of the coolest parts of keeping ghost shrimp is getting to witness their reproduction process and see their eggs hatch into tiny baby shrimp! But how can you tell if those eggs are actually fertilized and will hatch? We’ve got you covered.
An Overview of Ghost Shrimp Reproduction
Before we dive into the signs of fertilized eggs, let’s do a quick overview of how ghost shrimp reproduce:
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Females develop a green saddle of unfertilized eggs under their belly every 30-40 days These eggs are not viable on their own
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When a female molts, she releases pheromones into the water that attract males.
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If a male fertilizes some of her eggs, they turn a darker green or orange color. The female then attaches the fertilized eggs to her swimerettes under her belly.
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The female fans and grooms the eggs for about 2 weeks as they develop. Dark eyespots become visible on the embryos.
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After 14 days, the larvae hatch out as tiny planktonic shrimp. They will molt and grow over several weeks before taking on the appearance of miniature ghost shrimp.
So fertilization is the key step to getting viable eggs and babies!
How to Identify Fertilized Ghost Shrimp Eggs
Luckily. it’s quite easy to recognize fertilized ghost shrimp eggs
Location: Fertilized eggs will be attached to the female’s swimerettes or pleopods underneath her body. Unfertilized eggs remain up near the saddle.
Color: The eggs will often change to a darker green, olive green, or orange shade once fertilized. But they can still be pale greenish too.
Eyespots: As the eggs develop, tiny black eyespots will be visible, indicating growing shrimp embryos.
Mother’s Behavior: She frequently fans her pleopods to aerate the eggs and may flick her tail to help babies hatch.
Hatching: Of course, if the eggs successfully hatch into swimming larvae, you know they were fertilized!
When Fertilized Eggs Turn Black
On very rare occasions, even fertilized ghost shrimp eggs can turn black. This usually means the embryos are no longer viable and will not hatch.
It’s not your fault as a fishkeeper – it can happen if incorrect water parameters cause the mother stress during incubation. Just siphon out the black eggs and keep monitoring water quality.
Setting Up a Ghost Shrimp Breeding Tank
To increase the hatching success of fertilized ghost shrimp eggs, set up a separate 10 gallon spawning tank. Here are some tips:
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Fine gravel or sandy substrate for the larvae
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Mature sponge filter for water flow without too much current
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Plants like Java moss for infusoria growth
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Dim lighting and papered sides to avoid shrimp injuries
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Air stone for oxygenation
Once the female is berried with fertilized eggs, move her in. Then after the babies hatch, take her back out so she doesn’t eat them! Leave the larvae safely growing in the spawning tank.
Caring for Newly Hatched Ghost Shrimp
The tiny shrimp larvae need some special care for their first few weeks:
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Crushed flakes or commercial fry food for their small mouths
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Daily partial water changes to keep ammonia low
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Plenty of infusoria and microorganisms growing in the tank
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5-6 weeks before moving them into the main aquarium
It’s exciting seeing the little larval shrimp develop legs and take on their recognizable ghost shrimp form after several molts. They grow quickly if cared for properly.
Troubleshooting Missing Ghost Shrimp Eggs
Sometimes fertilized eggs seem to disappear from the female before hatching. Common causes include:
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The mother dropping them prematurely due to stress
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Other fish or inverts eating the eggs
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Larvae getting eaten immediately after hatching
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Being sucked into filters or getting trapped elsewhere
Unfortunately ghost shrimp larvae have low survival rates. But you can always try again next time your female is berried!
Identifying fertilized ghost shrimp eggs is crucial to getting viable hatchlings. Look for eggs under mom’s body, darker colors, eyespots, and maternal care to confirm fertilization.
How do ghost shrimp breed?
Most shrimp breed in a similar manner, and ghosts are no exception. Once the female is ready to mate, shell molt and release pheromones that attract the males. The whole tank usually goes a little crazy, and the shrimp swim all over the place, so you know this is happening.
Once they are paired up, the female moves the fertilized eggs from her “saddle,” which is the colored spot behind her head, to her pleopods, which are her back legs. She is now “berried”. Shell keep the eggs in her pleopods for up to two weeks, waving them gently to get air and cleaning her brood often.
If you did what we said and set up a separate rearing tank, you can move the female around one week in. Don’t do it after the eggs have hatched, because it’s hard to catch the larvae. Move her back once shes dropped the eggs.
The eggs will be carried in the females pleopods until they hatch. Theyre small, oval, and greenish to yellowish in color. When theyre almost ready to hatch, youll actually be able to see the tiny eyes of the larvae.
How do you tell the difference between male and female ghost shrimp?
In addition to the equipment, youll need a few ghost shrimp to start your colony. If you get 6-10, you can be pretty sure there are both males and females in the batch. At first, it might be hard to tell them apart, especially if the females aren’t carrying eggs yet, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Female ghost shrimp are larger than males. There will be a colored spot behind their head called a saddle. This is where eggs are growing in their ovaries. Alternatively, they might carry fertilized eggs in their swimmerets.