# Never seen a berried shrimp



## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I've had red cherry shrimp in my 20 gallon tank for over a month now and I've never seen one berried. I've seen saddles come and go, but no eggs being carried under the swimmerets. 

The tank has several fish in it, but all are too small to eat the shrimp and I've yet to see one lost that way. Is it possible that they aren't breeding at all? Or more likely that they get scared and drop their eggs? The shrimp have gotten bolder and are seen more and more out in the open these days. Occasionally a fish will chase them thinking they're a bit of food, but the chase ends quickly after the fish decides it's not worth it or the shrimp hides in the mass of moss in the tank.

They molt often and I've never seen a dead cherry in my tank yet, though I've lost a few ghost shrimp who were sold as feeders. Is it common not to see berried shrimp in a tank with fish despite having plenty of shelter or is there something I can improve on here?

Thanks


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

My experience is that females that are young will often drop some or all of their first clutch due to inexperience. I would say give it a bit more time, and you should see some berry up. The fact that they are molting and becoming more bold is a good sign


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## biffmalawi (Aug 2, 2012)

*berried cherries*

I have found that making sure there is enough food in the tank for them. I tend to overfeed my shrimp tanks and this seems to make them breed like crazy. Some animals won't breed if the conditions aren't favourable. Maybe small shrimp species are not sophisticated enough but it seems to work for me.

I only suggest it if you can keep up an aggressive water change schedule so your water quality doesn't suffer. I do 50% per week.


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks for the replies guys 

I'll try to be a bit more patient, but I wasn't sure if I was doing anything wrong because I'm sure the shrimp had bred before I got them (shrimplets were included).

Maybe I'll try feeding them a bit more. Usually they just get the leftovers of whatever the fish are fed, but lately they've been grazing off the algae/diatoms that's been growing on the walls and there's TONS of it.

I'll be doing a water change tonight and I'll aim for around 50% then. If they become berried in the near future you guys'll definitely hear about it  thanks for the help.


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