# How do you know if shrimp eggs are fertilized?



## greenscape (Oct 8, 2016)

I have a red cherry shrimp with bunch of yellow eggs below her belly. Are those eggs already fertilized or how would I know? I need to know when is a good time to separate them from my 7 tetras. I have 4 other cherry shrimps as well. 

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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Yup, they are fertilized. The non fertilized eggs start on their back which causes some discoloration. We call that the saddle, but on some higher grade shrimp, that can be harder to see.

Once the eggs are there, the next time the female molts, some sort of pheromone is released, and the males will start swimming around looking for her. The first one to mount her wins...

As the eggs pass from the saddle to the belly, it goes through a tube where the sperm that was just received fertilizes the eggs. So once you see them in the belly, they are definitely fertilized.

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## greenscape (Oct 8, 2016)

natemcnutty said:


> Yup, they are fertilized. The non fertilized eggs start on their back which causes some discoloration. We call that the saddle, but on some higher grade shrimp, that can be harder to see.
> 
> Once the eggs are there, the next time the female molts, some sort of pheromone is released, and the males will start swimming around looking for her. The first one to mount her wins...
> 
> ...


Awesome. I was doing searches and wasn't too sure. The other questions I have are:

How would I know if the eggs are about to hatch or when will be the best time to move her? 

Will the eggs be able to go through the cycle to hatch on its own if something happens to the mom, like abandons it? 

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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

greenscape said:


> Awesome. I was doing searches and wasn't too sure. The other questions I have are:
> 
> How would I know if the eggs are about to hatch or when will be the best time to move her?
> 
> ...


I would read this, especially the pregnancy part toward the end: http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_reproduction.html

The gestation length depends on a few things such as temperature of the water (cooler temp takes longer), oxygenation, and food source. For RCS, you are looking at a 20-25 day gestation period.

Yes, you can hatch eggs if the mom doesn't make it or something, but I've never done it. Here's an article to follow for that: http://www.planetinverts.com/Artifically Hatching Eggs.html


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## greenscape (Oct 8, 2016)

natemcnutty said:


> I would read this, especially the pregnancy part toward the end: http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_reproduction.html
> 
> The gestation length depends on a few things such as temperature of the water (cooler temp takes longer), oxygenation, and food source. For RCS, you are looking at a 20-25 day gestation period.
> 
> Yes, you can hatch eggs if the mom doesn't make it or something, but I've never done it. Here's an article to follow for that: http://www.planetinverts.com/Artifically Hatching Eggs.html


This is exactly what I was trying to look for, thanks!   

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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

If you want to breed shrimp, then you should either have a shrimp only tank or a heavily planted community tank. Moving females can cause stress which could result in them dropping their eggs.... not recommended to move them when berried.

There are ways to try and reduce stress however... such as, if you catch them in a net, before removing the net from the aquarium, put a cup underneath the net so the shrimp never leaves water.

However, if the tank you are moving the shrimp to has different parameters to what she came out of, you will need to acclimate her to the new tank parameters.


If she drops her eggs or she dies, you can salvage them and use either a manufactured or DIY egg tumbler.


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## Missi (Jun 3, 2021)

greenscape said:


> I have a red cherry shrimp with bunch of yellow eggs below her belly. Are those eggs already fertilized or how would I know? I need to know when is a good time to separate them from my 7 tetras. I have 4 other cherry shrimps as well.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk


I have 1 ghost shrimp in a tank and her eggs are under her stomach. How can they be fertilized? If she is alone?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Missi said:


> I have 1 ghost shrimp in a tank and her eggs are under her stomach.. how can they be fertilized? If she is alone?


In the future, instead of reviving a thread that's from five years ago, just start your own thread so you get better responses.

Do you have a photo of the shrimp in question? Ghost Shrimp can be several different species, as the label is a bit of a generic term at this point.

When did you get the shrimp? How long ago was it added to the tank? If it was recently, the shrimp could have been fertilized prior to you getting it.


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