Buying Berried Shrimp

Bit of a rant and PSA/buying guide.

I periodically get requests to buy berried shrimp. This is usually someone new to shrimp keeping and trying to save a buck.

So I’ll lay it out for ya. Go read up on posts of first timers and see how often people who have just received new shrimp get within the first few days a molt. This will usually be due to the differences in water tds/kh/gh/ph from my tank to yours.

Berried shrimp + molting = discarded eggs.

Also, adults die from changes much easier than juveniles.

So you're willing to pay more for a berried shrimp? Know the risk.

• Adults die in shipping and after introduction to new tanks at a higher rate than juveniles.
• Stressed females will drop their eggs.
• Molt will be induced upon intro to new tank parameters. So dropping eggs.

Don’t ask for berried shrimp when mail ordering. I’d even lean towards that advice when buying locally.

I know you see videos of like Flip aquatics getting in import orders where berried females come through and immediately hatch babies on arrival, but also they order shrimp by the thousands so even a small percentage of successes look like a lot on video. When you've got thousands of shrimp, chances are some of them are right at the end of their berried phase where the eggs are due to hatch hence escaping the inevitable molt.

 

Absolutely on the same page as you. I have had berried shrimp mailed to me not by request but by accident and have had the bag full of shrimplets .

 

The shrimp I just got in one of them not only dropped fleas in the bag but one was berried. The fleas and less colorful (low grade) shrimp got dumped into one tank after I picked out the most colorful ones (there was even a bloody mary female which was really weird).

 

Agree. My Flip Aquatics order did come with a berried female that successfully hatched her eggs after a few days, but a few others molted as well.

 

Well, I'm MORE than pleased with what you sent to me. Between ordering a large amount and providing good coverage through plants and decor, they're multiplying like rabbits. Which is good because the zebra danios in the same tank are always on the hunt!