Peppermint Shrimp Spawn (Lysmata boggessi)

Quick update....still no larvae! Both PS are STILL holding and the eggs on both are now a distinct silver and plenty of eye spots are visible to the naked eye...perhaps I'll have a nursery full of larvae tonight.

Now a note about the snails that I've added to the nursery, I added them too soon! On several occassions I've caught the adult PS killing them for a little escargot even though they are very well fed....so not a good idea to add the snails until after the larvae have arrived and the adults have been moved back to the broodstock tank. With this new diet that the adults are on I've observed significant growth and of course this prolonged period of carrying the eggs. We are now at day 22, I was of the understanding that it only takes 10-14 days for the larvae to hatch as was my experience with the first batch. Now, I'm starting to think that this prolonged period is far better and should produce higher quality larvae (time will tell) and that the previous 14 day cycle may well be a premature cycle as a result of poor nutrition (this is only an idea based on what I'm currently observing).

Now as far as the system goes, I am running a set of NO flourescents across the broodstock and the nursery; however, because the nursery has very little flow through I am starting to see the development of cyano, so the plan is to move the lights to a position several feet above to create more of an ambient lighting effect. If this doesn't help with the cyano then I'll switch to a light source for the broodstock only tank and leave the nursery with no direct lights. (The photoperiod is important to get the PS to keep spawning).

....my next entry should be the announcment of the larvae (I hope).

 

LOL

Hope you get them all sorted out. My skunks did this once it was great but the buffet was open instantly and my fish got fed for once without me doing it. Im sure it was like going to the golden coral lol.

Good luck hope you figure it all out sounds like some fun. Love to see people breeding in this hobby it makes me think one day it will sustain itself

 

Thanks.

Day 23............both still holding..............

 

Here is another very interesting occurrence.....today, while feeding the adult broodstock I noticed an empty carapace, the adults have undergone a full molt while holding the eggs at day 23 and it has not effected the eggs at all. I didn't know that this was possible.

So while we are waiting on this ever so slow larvae to make their grand appearance, let me mention something about feeding time. At feeding time I simply slice off a sliver of my frozen seafood goo and stick it to the end of my finger, each PS comes up to the surface in turn hangs on to my finger then takes off to the bottom of the tank again with a nice little clump of food. It has gotten to the point that they only have to see me coming and up they come!

 

Wow cool. Cant wait to see how the second set of larva does.

 

Here is a pic of the left over carapace from the molt that occurred on day 23 while the PS was still holding eggs at day 23. Please note the reflectivity of the eggs which is caused by the formation of the eyes on the larvae, also note the new batch of eggs forming behind the head.

 

Last night the larvae arrived! Approximate count 20 at day 24-25! There names are Sally, Susan, Robin, Brett, Marcus Apollius Mentis.......LOL! Just kidding! A small batch but the PS are still quite young.



These are doing the same as the first batch, they are attaching themselves to the sides of the nursery, for those that have attached themselves to the sides their positions are all the same, heads down and abdomens gently moving in the water column. Now it is time to feed the rascals.

 

Day 2 the larvae seem to be doing very well, this morning I noticed that they have developed stalked eyes so now we are at zoeae 2. At day two this batch seems alot larger than the first, best guess is that they are approx. 2 maybe 3 mm long. Here's another observation, when I shine a flashlight into the nursery at night I've noticed hundreds of little copepods in the range of 100-200 microns feeding off the microalgae, these weren't there for the previous batch or at least they went unnoticed. I can't tell if they are feeding on them or not but for now I'm going to assume that the presence of the copepods is a good thing.



Another note the shrimp that just spawned is holding eggs again, and its mate is still holding....I've lost track of how long the mate has been holding so I'll just keep an eye on the egg development for now.