# Red Cherries just won't breed



## Olvar (Nov 21, 2006)

Well about 2-3 months ago I got some Red Cherries from John T. BTW, thanks again for them, I love watching them. Of the 15 I got, I lost 5 in the first 2-3 weeks, not really sure why, except I had a green algae attack about a week after I added them.

The ones that are left seem to be happily cleaning their way thru the algae in the tank, I use a sink betta food that doesn't have copper listed as an ingredient. I dose my new water with a declor and heavy metal remover. The tank is an NPT. The only problem is that by now I'd have though they would be breeding from what people on here have said. Originally I thought it was too cool at 72 so about a month and a half ago I upped it to 76-78, but still nothing.

Any ideas folks?


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

Mine seem to breed more with more frequent water changes. Even if the nitrates are really low they like water changes. I'm sure that isn't the sole reason or "the" reason, but that's what worked for me.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Just to check the obvious--are you sure you have both males and females?

Natalie


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Natalie brought up a good point. I bet John T. sent you females and male. just in case, maybe one sex coincidently died off. i use to have just females only too. after a added ONE male, 2 female shrimps berried the next day. the temperature should be great for breeding shrimp.


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## Olvar (Nov 21, 2006)

Well i have 2 that are almost completely clear, 1 that is mostly clear. The rest are extremely red. From what I understand about red cherries, i'm assuming that I have both sexes.


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## YzMxer99 (Jul 17, 2006)

What ph are you at? I couldn't get mine to bread for the life of me until I dropped my ph a bit with via aquasoil and Co2. Now they breed non stop, pulled 30 babies out of my mini-s there was a heard running over the HC!


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## Wood (Jul 27, 2006)

You mentioned that you do not have any plants in the tank. Do you at least have some moss? Please tell us the specs of the tank, i.e. ph, substrate, etc.

-Ryan


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## Olvar (Nov 21, 2006)

Ok there's the test info.

Nitrate at 5ppm
Nitrite 0
GH 100
Chlorine 0 
Ammonnia 0
KH 200 ppm
PH 8.2 - which is higher than it has been, and I may want to look into that.

Wood, the tank is an NPT, Natural Planted Tank. Half the tank is literally filled is a mass of hornwort. Probably a quarter of the tank is covered with a dense mat to baby's tears, a couple of bronze crypts and 4 money worts along the back. I've also got some of what looks like hair algae growing into balls, in the empty section.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I'm having the same problem.. 
When I got them, some were berried already and had babies... But after that, nothing.

you have good odds of male/female in a population of 10.. I wouldn't worry about that.
I have them in a npt nano tank too. And my PH is around 7.8. I wonder if it is the PH too.

My shrimps molt all the time and I would hope they're saddle but still nothing.. I wonder if it is the PH.. I guess I'll try by putting in some peat moss.


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## panaque (Jan 21, 2004)

i seem to have a similar problem. bought 2 male and femaleRCS, females both with eggs. had baby shrimp and about 10 have lived to adult size. havent seen any more babies though. i have java and christmasa moss as well as riccia and duckweed. i feed hikari crab pellets which seems to be the best food available. any ideas? my ph usually is around 6.6


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## Color Me Blue (Feb 26, 2006)

What are you using for a dechlor/heavy metal remover?


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## panaque (Jan 21, 2004)

I was using prime, now i use PAT. Pro Aqua Treatment. Its a brand I usually use. So are shrimp effected more by heavy metals than fish? I know that copper isnt good for marine inverts. Guess it might be the same.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You know what, I did more frequent water changes and the females are finally saddling.
Maybe something in that.


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## Olvar (Nov 21, 2006)

Well I've been busy both at work and out of work. Even with weekly water additions, and using Tetrasafe dechlore and metal remover (can't remember the right name of it). I've still not had any of them breed. Two of them will berry up now and then, but nothing more than that. I'm at a total loss here now.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Are there fish in the same tank as your shrimp? Fish could be eating the babies.

-John N.


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## fattyratrat (Jun 19, 2007)

oh yea fish would love the babies... and pretty much any kind of filter with a powerhead would love to eat the babies also.


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## Olvar (Nov 21, 2006)

No more fish in that tank. Originally I'd had some guppies in there, but I moved them to a new tank, as I use them to test tanks. I'd hoped that would help but it's still been a good 4 months since I did that.

I've got an over the tank that I'm using mostly for water movement. I've got a screen on the intake to collect particles, but no charcoal or anything in any of it. Right now I'm not even seeing any of them berry.

It seems that the smaller clear ones (males?) stay on the right side in the baby's tears that I have growing as a groundcover. The larger red ones (females?) pretty much go where they please.


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