It’s all fun and games until someone loses a shrimp, then it’s all tears and sorrow. But what if you’re the one doing the losing? What if, for example, you’re a crystal red shrimp farmer who lost half your brood to cannibalism – is this even possible, or should you be on the lookout for other causes?
Crystal red shrimp don’t usually eat their babies, but it is a possibility shrimp farmers should be vigilant about. Like with most small breeds of animals, if you’re worried about cannibalism, it’s best to separate the parents from the juveniles until they’re big enough to hold their own.
Let’s look at why these shrimp might want to eat their babies and how we can stop them from doing so.
Why Might Crystal Red Shrimp Eat Their Babies?
As established above, it’s not certain that your crystal red shrimp will eat their babies – in fact, it is pretty unlikely this will happen. The cousin of the crystal red shrimp, the ghost shrimp, are known for eating their babies. However, crystal shrimp aren’t.
That said, like most wildlife, crystal red shrimp are unpredictable in this sense, and it would be irresponsible to claim that cannibalism is impossible. That’s what makes answering this question so complicated.
We know that humans won’t eat their babies and can be pretty confident that dogs and cats won’t. At the same time, we’ve heard a story or two about some guy who knew a guy that had a dog that ate its puppy–so it’s a slippery slope to saying something is impossible.
If a mother crystal red shrimp is eating her babies, she may be doing so because she is stressed about resources. When shrimp are under stress, they can react by attacking other shrimp or eating their young–which is rare, given how peaceful the breed is.
Another potential cause for the cannibalism of baby crystal red shrimps is hunger. If a female crystal red shrimp has just mated and laid eggs, she may be too busy caring for her offspring to eat. However, if she doesn’t have enough food in her system, she may need to feed on her babies to survive. For most small animals, it’s survival first.
Finally, some experts theorize that mothers who eat their young are doing so to protect them from predators like fish or giant turtles. These predators might eat the babies if there is no place for them to hide in the tank, or they must leave the safety of the plants they hide behind. This will only be likely if you have other fish in your aquarium and your tank isn’t planted.
Crystal Shrimp May Eat Their Own Kind if Put in a Bad Situation
Of course, crystal red shrimp babies are nutritious. They’re small, easy to catch, taste good (like the shrimp you eat), and are rich in protein and vitamins. But babies aren’t the only thing crystal red shrimp eat if things get bad. Crystal shrimps are opportunists, above anything.
Babies aren’t more attractive to crystal red shrimp for eating just because they’re babies, but also because they’re easier to attack and prey on. If your crystal red shrimp aren’t given the proper amount of food in their environment, they can be expected to turn on anything, whether it’s a baby or not.
Again: crystal red shrimp are not normally cannibalistic. They won’t ever eat a live shrimp unless the ecosystem makes it a necessity. In that situation, it is the shrimp farmers’ sole responsibility.
In an ideal situation where there’s plenty of food around, and everyone is healthy, baby shrimplets don’t have too much to worry about when it comes to being eaten alive by mommy dearest!
If you’re keeping a breeding tank full of crystal red shrimp, chances are good that your colony will thrive—or at least survive long enough for you to enjoy watching them grow into adults who will hopefully follow suit with their parents in terms of survival rates!
Shrimp Farmers Should Proceed With Caution
Shrimp farming is not just about the shrimp themselves. When breeding shrimp, it is essential to take care of the entire ecosystem—including their babies. If a mother shrimp eats her eggs or fry, it will jeopardize your entire shrimp population. Luckily, this is something you can totally prevent.
When mother fry is having babies, be cautious! If you’re super worried or have a mama shrimp who does keep coming after her babies, there’s no harm in separating them for the time being. Baby shrimp don’t need their mothers after hatching, so you won’t be negatively impacting their development.
Conclusion
It’s a complicated subject, and there are many opinions on the best way to farm shrimp once the babies have hatched. Depending on how cautious you want to be, you can remove the mama and papa shrimp immediately or keep them under a watchful eye.
Just ensure you’re adding more and more resources to the tank as soon as you have hatched eggs! Otherwise, the baby shrimp may begin to look pretty appetizing.