Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping => Invertebrates - Shrimps and Snails => Topic started by: Fiona on March 25, 2016, 07:46:36 PM

Title: A female Shrimp has aborted their eggs again. Why? SOLVED.
Post by: Fiona on March 25, 2016, 07:46:36 PM
Found a clump of eggs dumped by a female shrimp. I could understand the first time it happened, it was after I'd moved them to the quarantine tank. This time I have no idea why.

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrates 40-60 (tap is 40)

The nitrates are the lowest in any tank we have. I was quite surprised.

Would they dump them if they were infertile?
Title: Re: A female has aborted their eggs again. Why?
Post by: Sue on March 25, 2016, 09:02:12 PM
I don't really know why. I have occasionally found a shed skin with a few white eggs still attached which I've always assumed were infertile. I know that females usually moult as soon as the eggs hatch.

But yours sounds different. I have not come across eggs being dumped like that, though if there have been any the fish in the tank would probably have eaten them before I'd have chance to see them.

I've just looked at a couple of things on google and it would seem that first time mothers can drop all their eggs, and that young females tend to have more eggs than they can carry so they drop a few.
Title: Re: A female has aborted their eggs again. Why?
Post by: Fiona on March 26, 2016, 11:46:24 AM
first time mothers can drop all their eggs, and that young females tend to have more eggs than they can carry so they drop a few.

Ah that might well be it then, the berried female was very young. Funnily enough when I spotted the eggs there was a shrimp which appeared to be cleaning them, it was a young female, not berried or saddled but big enough to be sexed by its abdomen shape. I wonder if they were it eggs.
Title: Re: A female Shrimp has aborted their eggs again. Why? SOLVED.
Post by: Fiona on May 26, 2016, 12:58:13 PM
Very disappointed to discover another little clump of dumped eggs. The mother became berried on Sunday, she's the first one to do so since I moved them into the shrimpery. I have to say I'm not surprised as she didnt look happy with all those eggs, some were hanging out and she was struggling to swim with them and looked a bit distressed. I just hope she didnt shed them all.