My first baby bandensis, one of many I hope.

[corpusse]

Customs again delayed clearing the shore shrimp.

I'll go get them at the airport shortly. Now I just have to go downstairs and make sure all 3 are still alive they were in the morning so I think they're fine.

Since I only have 3 left I'm content to feed them live food until they are full grown. It's expensive as hell but all the time and money and emotion for that matter i've invested in these guys I'll do whatever I can to see these 3 make it through their very short lifespans.

I just hope I get 2 females and one male or 2 males and one female.

 

[corpusse]

So i got the shrimp finally they are huge! most are actually bigger then my cuttlefish. I put 3 in and all 3 cuttles promptly went and attacked them. All 3 are currently chowing down on their latest prize. I think shore shrimp will certainly keep these guys alive long term.

Shrimp arrived in great shape and I'm going to look at culturing some since I have over 200 and only 3 cuttles.

One per day right now seems right? They are after all roughly the size of the cuttlefish.

 

[DWhatley]

Let us know if you are successful culturing the shore shrimp. I often have eggs (they are both male and female but need another shrimp for fertilization) but never see hatchlings.

 

[cuttlegirl]

I would offer more than once a day right now... Mine sometimes ate three times a day... I'm glad they like their new food.

 

[corpusse]

I would offer more than once a day right now... Mine sometimes ate three times a day... I'm glad they like their new food.

Okay I'll try again first thing tomorrow morning (i wake up pretty early).

Here are some video clips of the shrimp in HD.

I'll get a clip of the cuttles hunting soon. For now i was more concerned with actually seeing them eat.

 

[DWhatley]

They look like they are eating whatever you are feeding them. Watch the tank carefully the first week as I often get losses after shipment for a week to two before they settle in. The suspect ones will turn opaque before dying and if you catch them soon enough you can freeze them for emergency food.

 

[lance]

great video's the shrimp look great for dinner lol

lance

 

[corpusse]

They look like they are eating whatever you are feeding them. Watch the tank carefully the first week as I often get losses after shipment for a week to two before they settle in. The suspect ones will turn opaque before dying and if you catch them soon enough you can freeze them for emergency food.

I'll keep this in mind. Impossible to tell if any died overnight since they would have likely eaten the bodies.

2/3 cuttles already did eat their second one so it looks like I will be trying to feed them 3 per day. At this rate their growth should pick up substantially.

 

[RalfP]

Let us know if you are successful culturing the shore shrimp. I often have eggs (they are both male and female but need another shrimp for fertilization) but never see hatchlings.

Hi,
I am trying a culture method, a guy in Germany uses with success.
(given that "shore shrimp" is a Palaemonetes varians)
He is keeping 30 adults in an unheated 130gal container with aeration, outdoor in summer.
15-28 degree centigrade at a salinity of only 20.
Adults feed on flake- and frozen food.
Larvae (hatching after 14-28 days, depending on temp.) feed (active hunting) on Brachionus plicatilis and newly hatched Artemia.
Adults and larvae are kept together.

Hopefully I will be able to reproduce his success.

Ralf

 

[corpusse]

Hi,
I am trying a culture method, a guy in Germany uses with success.
(given that "shore shrimp" is a Palaemonetes varians)
He is keeping 30 adults in an unheated 130gal container with aeration, outdoor in summer.
15-28 degree centigrade at a salinity of only 20.
Adults feed on flake- and frozen food.
Larvae (hatching after 14-28 days, depending on temp.) feed (active hunting) on Brachionus plicatilis and newly hatched Artemia.
Adults and larvae are kept together.

Hopefully I will be able to reproduce his success.

Ralf

Wow 130 gallons for 30?

If I see any with eggs I'll just separate them. For now i'm not too worried since i'm really stocked up.

So my cuttlefish have each ate 2 of the shore shrimp. When i put more in today they hunted them for a bit but then gave up. Not sure if this was because they weren't that hungry or if now that the shrimp are fully acclimated they are too quick. If they don't eat any of the ones in with them by tomorrow I will kill one and put it in and see if they go for that instead.

These shrimp are really tough I actually tried to kill one by giving it a freshwater dip which is usually a quick death for most sw inverts but the thing survived!

 

[DWhatley]

If they are like the ones here, they are brackish water creatures used to living in areas where the salinity changes quickly. I suspect they are the same and would be why the recommendation for breeding them in a salinity of 20 (1.015 SG vs 1.026 SG for the ocean). I will agree with tough critter anyway though. I injected them live with medication and even aiming the needle between the eyes, I had a hard time killing them humanely.

 

[RalfP]

Wow 130 gallons for 30?

A 130gal (500 liters) plastic container from the hardwarestore for 30 adults plus hundrets/thousands of larvae .

Maybe it is possible to cool the shrimps in a fridge to slow them down?

Keeping fingers crossed,
Ralf

 

[corpusse]

So now i'm down to 2 that 90 gallon is going to be pretty empty and for the first time I'm really regretting investing a couple thousand dollars in these guys.

It looks like 1 or 2 shore shrimp were eaten today. I put 2 more in and I broke their tails first so they arent quite as fast. The 2 remaining cuttlefish snapped at them once or twice then gave up.

When they half ass hunt is this a sign they aren't hungry or aren't well?

 

[corpusse]

I just cant get these guys to eat much. I put more shrimp in they snap once or twice then give up. They almost act afraid of them. Yet the first time i put them in all 3 ate within 10 seconds.

I've tried alive ones, dead ones, pe mysis, mini mysids, live mysids. they're just not overly interested. I have been leaving food in with them at all times, do you think I should remove it for several hours then place it in trying to get a response?

I dunno what else I can do. If only these little guys would eat...

 

[cuttlegirl]

I would remove the food for a couple of hours (maybe even 6-8 hours), then put a slightly injured shrimp into the tank with them. Are your guys free in the tank? Could they be eating things off of the live rock?