Hi all,
i have never used a kriesel, i like to use my special tank because i can keep all the broodstock right next to the larvae with dividers in between. I need to cover all grounds, including chemical signals from adults that may cue settlement in cleaners, i've even put corals in the larval tank inside a suction cup breeding box thinking that the corals must release a pheromone that perhaps lets the shrimp know that it is in a location (directly above a reef) where, if it decides to morph into its post larval state, will have plenty of food and fish to clean. i also sometimes experiment by siphoning larvae out and putting them into 10L clear container tubs that you can buy at any supermarket. and going about it in the regular way. i've sort of held back on the breeding of this shrimp as pistols are easier to me and they are fast developers and they fetch a pretty price. however nonetheless it is a personal project and i will do everything i can to make it work out with higher success rates, idc if im 50 and still doing this, it's what i love.
with the container breeding however there is a problem with overcrowding, the majority of the shrimp are in the special breeding tank....the VERY LONG SHALLOW LOL as i call it. it's about 4m long and 1m wide but the glass on the sides is only 20cm high so its a large tank but cannot hold much water. i get good success rates in large plastic containers with hob filter with a sponge and airstone. i still change the water regularly in the containers. i got about 7 shrimp that survived to settlement out of about only 50 larvae in the 10L tub. which is good, but like i said it is not as fruitful as the pistol harvests. hence i do not make much on them. infact i put them in breeder boxes to sell so they are often in my display and i have a dragon wrasse in there and on many occasions he had headbutted the box and the lid has floated off and he has had some very expensive meals in the past using this method lol.
actually....now that i think about it, he has killed a lot of livestock i was planning to sell, but i don't blame him, i blame the **** quality aqua one breeder boxes...WHY DO THEY COME WITH PLASTIC LIDS!!!! they just float off with the slightest movement of the box. seriously! why not make the lid a little heavier...what's the point of having the 0.5mm grates on the lid if it just floats off.....i don't understand.
the container is normally aged for a month before use. for eg. before i got a single pistol shrimp, i purchased a large container, went to the beach, picked up empty oyster shells and sand and got a 60 litre drum filled with real sea water that i used at the time for water changes on the container, the water had an aerator working which kept it fresh. it lasted about 6 weeks which was awesome. there were alot of natural rotifers and other critters in the water but i didn't bother with it. i figured they would starve by the time the first batch of eggs would spawn anyway so it's no threat to the larvae. now your beginning to understand how much i've experimented. i cant even write about it because as i'm typing one thing i've tried another pops up in my head.
put a good aerator in there with an air stone. add your baby brine shrimp enriched on something directly into the tank. experiment with food yourself. i've tried everything from standard brine to brine shrimp enriched on all sorts of stuff. i've even taken a frozen prawn and squeezed it in the water so its juices get released but no pieces actually go into the tank. fishes i've purchased in the past from the lfs grow very very quick when they are fed nothing other than fresh prawns and other crustaceans. when i first got my mantis shrimp he grew very slowly, and was small. when i first had him he was 3 cm long, now he is 9cm long in only 4 months on a diet of fresh prawns and crabs fed daily. he eats a small amount of food every days as opposed to the one meal every 3 days he was getting from his previous owner. this one time during a molt he accidently lost one of his smashers. i was so dissapointed but he grew almost the WHOLE ARM back in only 1 molt. it's something about fresh prawns that just brings out the best in marine life. i guess it's like their version of "maccas' lol, but a healthier version packed with protein and good fats and ALL NATURAL. so they are getting maccas everyday and im jealous
anyways... regarding breeding shrimp.
what you will need
- small filter (optional)
- Air pump and stone (essential)
- small glass tank about 5G-10G (essential)
- plastic fish tank or tub (essential & very handy)
- a good nano display tank which you want do water changes from into your - larval container. change the water in the tub every 3 days using the nano reef water. this also adds up to the water change you will have to do at the end of the week anyway
- heater or cooler - tank is constantly at 25 degrees celsius
in the summer it is awesome because the tank is always at 28 degrees without any need to check it. winter however is a nightmare however i figured that it is a must to continue breeding during these winter months as local supply may be depleted.
regarding feeding the larvae of shrimp
- peppermints settle after a month. cleaners after almost 2. a cleaner shrimp should never be in larval form for more than 2 months. if it is the case there is something wrong and if there is u have to asses the situation....how much were you feeding when they were young compared to now. their food requirements increase greatly at the 1 month mark. they need a lot of stored energy for their final molt, that is why you must only leave the light on for 3 hours max a day. any more and your boat is already sinking before it has sailed. they will only molt once they have enough stored energy AND when receiving a cue. i've had cleaners also settle when they sense fish nearby or perhaps due to the chemical signals released by fish wanting to be cleaned. it will happen when they have enough stored energy to begin the final molt and aims to settle down where there is a healthy supply of fish for it to clean. there are still other factors involved however and i am unable to pinpoint them but i will eventually. i'm on the brink. ill keep you guys posted. tag along