# RCS breeding time



## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Everyone says that RCS "breed fast." What does that mean exactly? I started a shrimp tank 3 weeks ago with 4 RCS. Assuming I didn't get unlucky and get all of one gender, about how soon should I expect to see shrimplets?


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

you should see the 'saddle' first on the females... then maybe 1-2 weeks after that you should see eggs...


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## SHWAGert (Nov 10, 2011)

That would be dependent on several factors. Any other animals in the tank can keep the shrimp from settling in as fast. RCS breeding fast refers to how they are so prolific. They breed like rabbits so to speak. I have seen with my RCS, the females will sometimes get saddled before all the berried eggs on them have hatched. As Big_Fish said, you will see the saddle develop first (meaning that they have eggs ready to be fertilized. Once fertilization occurs, then within a few weeks (about 2ish) you should see the females carrying the eggs on their swimmerets.


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. There's nothing but plants/moss in the tank with them so they should feel pretty settled. When I first added the three to the one I had before, one of the newcomers hopped on top of the back of the older one. Is that an attempt at mating? I read elsewhere that they rub belly to belly (facing each other?); in my tank it was belly to back.

Patience, patience, patience...


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## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

OneDaySale said:


> Thanks for the replies. There's nothing but plants/moss in the tank with them so they should feel pretty settled. When I first added the three to the one I had before, one of the newcomers hopped on top of the back of the older one. Is that an attempt at mating? I read elsewhere that they rub belly to belly (facing each other?); in my tank it was belly to back.
> 
> Patience, patience, patience...


I'm not positive as I've never caught mine in the act. I have seen them randomly bouncing around on each other though.

As the others said though you should start seeing them get saddled soon, it is very easy to tell. After that they will release the eggs and I think in about 3 weeks of carrying the eggs shrimplets start swimming away.

Do you see any saddled yet? Look up pics if your not sure what to look for. One day all the sudden you'll probably notice one carrying eggs. If they don't start "saddling" or carrying eggs soon you may want to check all of your parameters, but these shrimp are pretty hardy and can take varying conditions. It will happen soon enough most likely.


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## koldsoup (Oct 10, 2011)

How much are you feeding them? Shrimp don't eat a lot but I think they might not be too inclined to breed if they're forced to scavenge for food.


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## SHWAGert (Nov 10, 2011)

Shrimp are scavengers by nature, and with moss in the tank they should not have to look far. If in another few few weeks you do not see any shrimp saddled, you may also want to get another few shrimp to increase your likelihood of having both sexes.


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## wonderboy2402 (Oct 17, 2011)

I have had my cherry shrimp for more then two months now. Total of eleven at last count. 

I saw saddles and I know for sure at least one is a male. However, I have yet to see any eggs develop or be carried around by the females. 

My only guess is that keeping my tank at 72 degrees and it is closer to 8.0 PH maybe the problem.

I do a weekly 20% water change but still nothing. =\

Meanwhile, the guppies that share the tank are doing very well.


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## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

wonderboy2402 said:


> I have had my cherry shrimp for more then two months now. Total of eleven at last count.
> 
> I saw saddles and I know for sure at least one is a male. However, I have yet to see any eggs develop or be carried around by the females.
> 
> ...


That sounds fine to me, these shrimp don't like to hot of water or too low of a ph. They can vary. My tank is 75 degrees and 7.8 ph.


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Update: Moss is overgrowing the tank so they should have plenty to eat. I drop in a small piece of mosura food every few days too. I've seen saddles on at least two of the shrimp, so hopefully one of the hour is male... I've also seen these white specks that are about the size of the period at the end of the sentence. These specks seem to cling to the glass and take short swims from resting spot to resting spot. Are these some mites? Shrimplets (I thought they'd be bigger)? Do I have to worry about them hurting the shrimp? They're too small to get a good picture or video. Anyone know what these are? Thanks!


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

I'm thinking Daphnia or Cyclops... 
http://www.petfish.net/articles/Aquarium_Basics/bug-worm.php
if they are shrimplets, they'll LOOK like tiny shrimp... eyes, little fan tails and all.
(my RCS starting dropping shrimplets yesterday... I'll try a snap a photo to give you a better idea of just how tiny they are, MAYBE an eighth of an inch long.) 
BTW, the daphnia / cyclops are very likely NOT anything to be concerned with.


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

here's a shot of a baby RCS, born yesterday. 
the parents arrived as 1/4-1/2 inch juvies on November 9th 2011.
(sorry, the tank is due for a cleaning and water change  )
to better give you an idea of the size, they're in a 4 gallon Finnex tank, 
the baby is sitting on the spraybar, which is about 5/8th inch diameter...
the holes in the spraybar are roughly 1/8 inch ID, and this little guy could almost fit through the hole lengthwise... but you can see that it's a fully formed shrimp.


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Big_Fish said:


> I'm thinking Daphnia or Cyclops...
> http://www.petfish.net/articles/Aquarium_Basics/bug-worm.php
> if they are shrimplets, they'll LOOK like tiny shrimp... eyes, little fan tails and all.
> (my RCS starting dropping shrimplets yesterday... I'll try a snap a photo to give you a better idea of just how tiny they are, MAYBE an eighth of an inch long.)
> BTW, the daphnia / cyclops are very likely NOT anything to be concerned with.


Thanks for the link (added it to our collection of bookmarks), the picture, and the confirmation that shrimplets look like tiny shrimp. Can't wait til I actually have some!

Based on the link, it's probably cyclops that are in there. Is it an indication of overfeeding? Lack of predators? Or is the biodiversity good?


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

yes, yes and YES  (Judging only from what I've seen in my tanks)
the only times I've seen them in my tanks is after having overfed... (although I know they don't just appear out of nowhere.) I think when there is an abundance of food for em, they multiply like RCS  
No Predators = nothing to wipe em out.



OneDaySale said:


> Based on the link, it's probably cyclops that are in there. Is it an indication of overfeeding? Lack of predators? Or is the biodiversity good?


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Big_Fish said:


> yes, yes and YES  (Judging only from what I've seen in my tanks)
> the only times I've seen them in my tanks is after having overfed... (although I know they don't just appear out of nowhere.) I think when there is an abundance of food for em, they multiply like RCS
> No Predators = nothing to wipe em out.


Ha! So that explains why this is the second time I've seen them - had a huge outbreak of them (along with green water algae) in a quarantine tank that I didn't break down after using it for a 3-4 week quarantine period. I'd thought I was going to need it again, but had the green water followed by the cyclops. Thanks again!


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## mjbn (Jan 1, 2012)

Any progress on the shrimp?


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

mjbn said:


> Any progress on the shrimp?


At least two were saddled over a week ago. I can't see any eggs (possibly because there's SO much moss in there that I can't get good views of the shrimp right now). Just kind of hoping to see shrimplets soon  If I don't see any in a month, I'll try to source some males.


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## mjbn (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm in the same situation. I have a couple saddles, but no eggs yet!


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## ElodeaC (Jan 7, 2012)

Dumb question: Does a female shrimps create eggs constantly or frequently, like chickens? Or do the female has to be fertilized to see eggs in her belly?

I ask because I have 1 right now that has eggs but I am quite sure I don't own any males since all of my 11 shrimps have saddles on their backs. 

Thank you if you guys answer!


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## mjbn (Jan 1, 2012)

When did you get the shrimp? I've read that shrimp can hold the sperm for awhile before actually using it to fertilize the eggs.? But that's weird, are you sure you don't have any males?


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## ElodeaC (Jan 7, 2012)

I got them couple months ago. I looked at all the shrimps and they all seem to have a saddle, even if some are a LOT redder then others... 

I read that only the females has saddles and the males are lighter and smaller. None of them are that much smaller then the others.

So, they aren't suppose to create sterile eggs then? Could it mean that I have a male? Thank you for answering me, by the way


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## mjbn (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm not sure then:O What kind of shrimp are they and are they kept with any other kinds of shrimp? Only other option is possible cross-breeding, I think. &NP


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## ElodeaC (Jan 7, 2012)

there is only one that the color is not exactly like the other. She is red like a cooked lobster and so opaque that you cannot see her inside. But she is my only anomaly in my group.

Oh well! I have a transvestite male shrimp hiding somewhere


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## mjbn (Jan 1, 2012)

Sounds like a PFR. Keep trying to get them all that color! They look better and they are valued more as well


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## Big_Fish (Mar 10, 2010)

the fact that all your shrimp are saddled does NOT mean they will soon be berried, unfortunately. Think Saddle = Ovary, Swimmerettes = Womb (obviously a simplified explanation  ) ... the saddle is where the eggs are created, but they are not fertilized until they appear in the swimmerettes.
A Saddle is confirmation that the shrimp is female, but NOT necessarily a FERTILIZED female.
Eggs in the swimmerettes are confirmation that it's a female, AND it's eggs have been fertilized.
once you see 'berries' in / amongst the swimmerettes, THEN you can expect to see shrimplets soon. 
http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_reproduction.html


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## ElodeaC (Jan 7, 2012)

I knew that the saddle was their eggs but I didn't know about the fact that the eggs had to be fertilized to be in the swimmerettes. Which confirms my theory about having a hidden male...

the strange thing is, I had 3 females that were berried and they all lost their eggs. They begin so full of them and little by little they drop them around the tank. Could it be, when i clean my tank, that I stress them enough to make them loose their eggs? I do not know their exact age since I bought them from a pet shop but they all are about the same size, about an inch.

Oh well, I wouldn't know what to do with the babies. I was happy when I saw that they sold me only females.

Thank you for that beautiful website, it is very complete!


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Still no shrimplets here - I've been on the lookout for males in the stores...


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

Pretty crazy... I hadn't gotten around to getting any more RCS yet... today, I'm on hold with the cable company and I'm sitting and staring at the shrimp tank...

I saw a baby shrimplet! It was very clear in color and was tiny! Just the one, but hopefully a sign of more to come.


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## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

Any berried shrimp yet?

How big is your tank? Filtration? Other Tank mates?

Usually if you get just a half dozen shrimp, you'll get a male or two at least from my experience.


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## OneDaySale (Feb 9, 2008)

aquaman555 said:


> Any berried shrimp yet?
> 
> How big is your tank? Filtration? Other Tank mates?
> 
> Usually if you get just a half dozen shrimp, you'll get a male or two at least from my experience.


I posted a few weeks ago that I had a baby shrimp (I saw about 8 more over the next day or two). Since then, they've grown and started to change color - they now have a hint of pinkish orange. I've also seen more berried shrimp - I think I started with one male and three females.

To answer your questions: The tank is a cylindrical vase that holds about 2.5 gallons. There is no filtration, just a ton of moss, moss balls, and plantlets. The only other tank mate is a lone oto. I thought about putting a minijet in there for water movement but decided against it. Should I?


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## aquaman555 (Mar 22, 2011)

OneDaySale said:


> I posted a few weeks ago that I had a baby shrimp (I saw about 8 more over the next day or two). Since then, they've grown and started to change color - they now have a hint of pinkish orange. I've also seen more berried shrimp - I think I started with one male and three females.
> 
> To answer your questions: The tank is a cylindrical vase that holds about 2.5 gallons. There is no filtration, just a ton of moss, moss balls, and plantlets. The only other tank mate is a lone oto. I thought about putting a minijet in there for water movement but decided against it. Should I?


Good to hear that you finally have babies coming out.

If all is well in your tank, I would leave it the way it is now.


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