# Berried females but no babies.Why?



## mjhanna21 (Feb 12, 2012)

I have had a shrimp tank set up for several months now. I have tiger shrimp and blue velvet shrimp. I have had several berried females now but none of the eggs have hatched. My filters are covered with sponges so i know there not getting sucked up. What else could it be?


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## Dany08fa (Jul 3, 2012)

mjhanna21 said:


> I have had several berried females now but none of the eggs have hatched.


the way you have this worded.... how can you expect to see babies when none of the eggs have hatched?:icon_eek:


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## ngrubich (Nov 29, 2011)

Dany08fa said:


> the way you have this worded.... how can you expect to see babies when none of the eggs have hatched?:icon_eek:


+1, unless the OP is saying that the female has the berried eggs multiple times in the several months that they've had the shrimp, but none of the eggs have ever hatched???


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## mjhanna21 (Feb 12, 2012)

All i know for sure is when the eggs are gone there is no shrimplets. Of course i dont expect to see baby shrimp while the female is still carrying the eggs. I just was hoping somone would know what might cause shrimp eggs not to hatch or why the females may be dropping them premature.


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## mjhanna21 (Feb 12, 2012)

Sorry if the statement about the covered filter was confusing. I was just saying my filters are covered,so it isnt possible they are hatching at night or when im not watching and they are getting sucked up before i notice them. Does that make sense?


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## inthepacific (Oct 21, 2012)

the baby shrimps are probably hiding they're so hard to find sometimes. once i had two that straggled in the bag and i thought they had died because i hadn't seen them for weeks. i didnt see them again until i broke down the tank to change the substrate. so they could be there you just cant see them.


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## mjhanna21 (Feb 12, 2012)

Thats what i thought at first. But enough time has gone by where i should have seen some by now. My first berried female was two months ago.


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## Newman (Jul 3, 2010)

if your dGH is3 then raise it to at least 5-6dGH. otherwise idk why they are not hatching. give them more time i guess? eventually a female will carry eggs to completion.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Your shrimp are probably hatching but they don't make it past a few days. One of the most crucial times for shrimp is the first few days after hatching. If you are not getting any survivors then something might be wrong with your parameters. 

Are you supplementing any baby foods? These aren't foods per se, they are more of a food for microscopic bacteria that the baby shrimp eat. If you do not have enough bio film then it will be tough for your young ones to make it past the first few days.

I use these three for the purpose described above:
Shirakura Chi Ebi
Ebiken EI
BorneoWild Bebi

All 3 are sold by forum sponsors here. Shoot me a PM and I'll let you know who carries what...

Here is a description from Shirakura as an example.

Shirakura Chi Ebi - rearing feed is a mixed feed, especially designed for baby shrimps with lots of important ingredients, which baby shrimps need particularly within their first few weeks to ensure a healthy growth.

Apart from that, is also supports the genesis of microorganisms and the mostly invisible microbes which dispose of food residues and excrements and are an important part of the shrimps' as well as of the baby shrimps' diet.

How popular and important this is for the shrimps can be witnessed if you carefully dig up the substrate with your hand. It often only takes a few seconds until the shrimps will gather in exactly this spot to cover their need for animal proteins by eating the now available microorganisms and microbes. In order to ensure this food basis permanently and in sufficient amounts, it is recommended to regularly feed Chi Ebi (Please also see feeding recommendations).

Study of the University for Fisheries Science
Studies by students of the University for Fisheries Science in Hokkaido/Japan have shown that in those aquariums where Shirakura's Chi Ebi - rearing feed was used, significantly more baby shrimps survived and also developed better than in aquariums without the additional feeding of Chi Ebi. In their microscopical research they discovered that the population of the microorganisms which are particularly important for baby shrimps was more than ten times higher when feeding Chi Ebi than in a comparable aquarium without Chi Ebi. Further observations and positive side effects were the enhanced colour of the shrimps as well as crystal clear water.


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