How likely will these babies survive?

Raazka

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Hi all,

I’ve had my two skunk cleaner shrimps together for a month now and woke up today to see my bigger one with eggs near their abdomen! As far as I’m aware this is their first time being a parent so I’m not expecting too much out of it but if the eggs do happen to hatch, how likely will they survive if I try to help them out?

Tank is a fish-less 30 gallon, HOB filtration with two powerheads, multiple soft corals and macro-algae. Only inhabitants are about 6-8 hermits, 2 turbo snails, 2 skunk cleaners and 1 blood red fire cleaner. Smallest foods I have available right now for them is Hikari First Bites, Baby Brine shrimps, Oyster eggs, Zooplankton and Vita-Chem Marine Vitamins supplements.

TYID!
 

ISpeakForTheSeas

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if the eggs do happen to hatch, how likely will they survive if I try to help them out?
You may need a separate little tank to rear them in so they don't get eaten by the shrimp/hermits or killed by equipment (filter, powerheads, etc.).

For rearing them (the simple ways in the quotes; the in-depth stuff in the link):
If the larvae are in a normal reef tank, they'll die. Survivors in cases like this do happen occasionally, but the odds are ridiculously low - given that skunk cleaner larvae remain pelagic for 3-5 months, their odds are essentially nonexistent.

To rear these guys, you'll need a larval rearing tank and some live foods: Artemia (brine shrimp), rotifers, and phytoplankton together will give the best survival results, but only the Artemia (and phyto to culture them with) are necessary.

For a really simple larval rearing setup, see the thread below:
For the complicated methods that might yield slightly better results (chapters 5 and 6 are the important ones for larval rearing purposes):
I’ve done skunk shrimp.
Any 2 will make eggs, as each is both male and female.
They will carry the eggs underneath, and will be unable to close legs when hatch is close.
Will toss the eggs with a tail shake at night, fry run to light so this way you can collect them.
Rotifers for a week, then transition to pulverized flake.
Is slow to mature, about 180 days to get 3/4” or sellable.
Is fun though.
 
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Raazka

Raazka

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You may need a separate little tank to rear them in so they don't get eaten by the shrimp/hermits or killed by equipment (filter, powerheads, etc.).

For rearing them (the simple ways in the quotes; the in-depth stuff in the link):


Thank you!

I unfortunately won’t be able to separate the little guys if they do hatch, I’ll have to leave them be and hope that maybe one day I’ll see a few survivors
 

PharmrJohn

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I was JUST answering a similar question my wife posed regarding clown fish reproducing in a tank and the chances of fishy babies (as she called them) surviving. The answer was no. They just become food or get caught up in equipment.
 

Uncle99

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In the tank survival rate, a fast zero.
Outside in a rearing tank….if you have enriched rotifers, very good.

IMG_0632.jpeg
 

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