Breeding Japonica

No larvea appear to be alive. I have no clue what happened to them. Maybe the water was too old somehow?

The eggs have hatched. It seems like a small bunch (but we are used to hatching more than 1 shrimp per try).

This is earlier than expected. The saltwater tank is running. Initial salinity will be 25 30 ppt, temp 24 degrees. The tank will be covered this time around, it should keep the salinity more stable than before.

Our choice of food has become Liquizell.

After very carefull search and seizure we have caught exactly 1 pregnant shrimp. At least 5 other shrimp have been caught, 4 of them females, none of them pregnant. This is strange, there should be over 20 shrimp in the tank, and most of them should be pregant.  1 pregnant shrimp was found, in a very early stage however. It has been placed in a quarantine tank for now.

Perhaps Eg will be able to catch some other shrimp from his tank to spread our chances.

It has been quiet for some time, but tomorrow the old hatchtank will come out of the mothballs.

We have found some Liquizell which can finally be ordered in the Netherlands through aquaplantsonline. The shipment is expected tomorrow or the day after.

There is a constant supply of shrimp carrying eggs in the main tank.

While we’re preparing for a new batch, using another nutrient for the larves.. Eggs!
(I really should get out my camera stand for this sometime…)

Lots of eggs

2 pregnant shrimp in the main tank. All tanks have been cleaned, but if we have no clue to what goes wrong… there is no point in trying.

Thuesday we found no larvae alive in the 17ppt tank and only 4 in the 25 ppt tank. This is substantially less than would have survived at 35 ppt.

It’s back to the drawingboard.

Salinity measurements this morning proved 20 ppt in the 17 ppt tank and 28 in the 25 ppt tank.
The salinity has been lowered to 18 ppt and 26 ppt.

We have very unstable salinity, so either the water is evaporating at a frightning rate or the meeter is less brilliant than we thought.

After carefull inspection the shrimp in the 17 ppt salinity tank are not dead, indeed they are alive and kicking!

Measurements today did prove the salinity in both tanks is rising. The 17 ppt tank was at 22 ppt, the 25 ppt tank was at 29 ppt.
Both tanks have been covered a bit extra, but we really need a coverplate to keep salinity stable. From now on: measuring every day…..

A few larvae are alive in the 17 ppt tank. but not nearly as many as were transfered. I am unsure as to the cause of this.
Yesterday the larvae have been dumped into the salt water as always. The only difference is the heater. Since the hearter was not there the water in the 17ppt tank was colder than usual when the larvae went in.

There is no point in splitting the batch in the 25 ppt tank again untill the heater has been found or a new heater was bought.