Search the Community

Hey guys im new to this forum looking for some advice from seasoned shrimp breeders! About a month ago I bought 7 black carbon shrimp ( if my sexing is right 2 females 5 males) for my newly rescaped 5 gallon tank, that houses my Male betta Mushu, 2 cherries, and a nerite snail. Mushu would nip at the cherries but only when they were swimming about. I'm not sure if its because he can't see them or because he isnt threatened by the carbons because they dont mimick the bright betta colors the cherries do, but he has zero interest in my carbons so all 7 have thrived wonderfully since adding them in. So well in fact that I noticed 3 days ago one of my females is berried with what looks like a great lot of eggs! So exciting as I was really hoping to start a colony. I have zero experience with breeding shrimp and babies so I have some questions. I have a prefilter sponge coming today to cover my filter intake and had a bag of moss growing on my window sill which I tossed in the tank for extra coverage for momma, but I'm not sure if it would work to stick a breeder net with really fine mesh in there that I have for a few days and let some biofilm develop. Then carefully try to get the berried female in there with a moss ball and a clump of Christmas moss so she when she drops the eggs the babies can develop big enough to survive my betta. I'm sure he would pick off any floating juvinelles unless they were bigger. Does anyone know if floating a breeder net would work for them and if netting the momma to get her in there would be too risky? If I do this should I feed the babies (I have powdered fry food I use to supplement my bamboo shrimp every once and awhile) or can they survive off of the biofilm on the moss? My tank is well established and the moss came from a very well established tank as well. Unfortunately I estimate I have 1-2 weeks before she drops the eggs which isnt enough time to cycle a shrimp only tank...so any suggestions are welcome! Also how do you gravel vac with baby shrimp? And what should I do about water changrs while the shrimp is berried? I dont qant to trigger a molt which would result in losing the eggs. Did a tiny water change yesterday so I was thinking more frequent 10% changes? Thank you! **I should also note this tank is heavily planted with lots of moss balls, anubias, swords, and a big piece of driftwood with nooks and crannies with a big clump of Christmas moss behind it, the picture was before I added the extra handful of moss