# Moving Pregnant Cherry Shrimp



## Cas Tiel (Apr 7, 2018)

Hi my name is Cas and I'm new here,
a couple of days ago I found out that one of my female berried cherry shrimp is pregnant. This is my first time experiencing this so I have a few questions.
1. I have a heavily planted tank (the one seen in my profile), with five guppies (who are very curious about the shrimp and usually scavenge for food down the bottom). This makes me believe I should move my girl, therefore lessing the stress on her and limiting the risk of her babies being eaten. Is it a good idea to move her while she is pregnant? Its her first time being pregnant and I don't want her to get stressed and drop her eggs.
2. along with this, I don't not have a readily available tank to put her in (and can't really afford to buy another tank to the collection). Would it be alright to use a cylindrical jar (perhaps around 2-3 litres) that isn't heated nor filtered, just for the time being. I will add plants both live (e.g. java moss) and silk. Then once she has given birth and the babies get older move them back into the tank.

Please, any help would be highly appreciated.
Thanks, 
Cas Tiel ( any supernatural fans out there  )


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## tamsin (Jan 12, 2011)

If it's heavily planted you are best leaving her where she is, it's likely some of the babies will survive. Where as an unfiltered jar won't have the established biofilm, may fluctuate in conditions and it will be difficult to feed without poluting the water.


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## Cas Tiel (Apr 7, 2018)

okay thank you so much!


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Howdy Cas,

I would not move her either. If she's a "new mom" and hasn't had shrimplets before, there's a good chance she'll drop them even if conditions remain perfectly constant. Also, shrimp don't do well in new setups. So without an aged tank ready to go, I'd leave her where she is. I would either remove the guppies or do nothing and let it roll. Maybe up the feeding on the guppies a little so they stay full. A few teeny tiny portions of food per day should keep them from hunting as vigorously. Densely planted tank with 5 guppies sounds like your shrimp population will surely rise even if a few shrimplets get taken out. Conditions are right currently for your shrimp to breed so now's not the time to switch things up IMO. Again I'd either remove the guppies, or consider them population control and let it ride. Your shrimpire should still expand


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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

Alternatively, you could look into a breeder net or breeder box filled with some substrate and plants. This way, she can remain "in" the tank and you can keep her a little safer. Now, depending on what you pick up, you may need to modify it so that the baby shrimplets don't manage to get back into the main area of the tank.


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## pearcej2024 (Feb 25, 2018)

I put my pregnant one into a breeder box along with some java moss. She successfully gave birth, but most of the babies were able to go through the tiny holes in the side and get into the main tank. I’ll so in there at night and shine a light and be able to see a few babies on the back wall of the main tank, and I have lots of fish, so it seems as they are hiding during the day and coming to feed at night.


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## Luciferene (Feb 7, 2018)

For breeder boxes with hole large enough for them to pass through, I just cut a piece of pantyhose and block out the holes. In my experience if a 0.5mm lead passes through, it's small enough to keep most of the shrimplets.

I have kept them in separate jar and doing water changes and they'll live, but grow at an extremely low rate. I wouldn't recommend it.


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