Shrimp Not Reproductive, What Causes?

There can be many reasons why shrimp are not spawning in your tank. For example, wrong or unstable water parameters, stress factors, inappropriate diet, illness, age, sex ratio, wrong species, etc. In most cases, it's a combination of several of these factors.

This article NuoiTep.Com will dive into what affects shrimp reproduction and what we can do about it. So, let's look at the most common reasons for this problem in detail.

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10 Reasons Why Shrimps Don't Reproduce

1. Wrong water parameter
2. The tank is not stable
3. Unstable water parameters
4. Too much water change
5. Stress factor
6. Improper diet
7. Diseases and parasites
8. Age
9. Sex ratio
10. Wrong species

1. Wrong water parameter

It is extremely important to do your own research about the specific species of shrimp you have. Ideally, you need to know everything about its environment options:

• Learn the ranges pH ,  FIRE ,  GH , TDS and temperature correct for the water in your shrimp tank.
• If you buy these shrimp, ask the seller a few questions about the history of the shrimp. Are they kept in captivity and if so, how long have they been kept? Are they first, second, etc.? At what parameters are they kept, etc. All these questions will give you an idea of the optimal parameters for your shrimp as your shrimp are most likely used to less 'ideal' water parameters. .

The new tank cycle entails a series of actions related to making the shrimp tank ecosystem safe and non-toxic by establishing a good biofilter to break down and convert harmful nitrogen compounds ( ammonia and nitrite ) to a less toxic form ( nitrate ).

Chu nitrogen process is the most important process in the tank.

2. The tank is not stable

Many articles and tutorials mention that after the cycle, you can freely release the shrimp right away.

Don't do that.

This is one of the common mistakes that inexperienced shrimp farmers make. DO NOT rush to put the shrimp in the tank. Many species are too sensitive to that, and as a result it affects their reproduction.

So what should we do?

Let the tank stabilize for a while. A stable tank is a tank that works smoothly, with stable water parameters and without any problems with it. 

How long does it take for the tank to stabilize?

I would say it will need at least 4-5 weeks. During this period, it will develop a stable ecosystem with biological layer and algae feed your shrimp.

3. Unstable water parameters

One thing you have to remember is that stability is key in the spawning process of shrimp. 

ARE NOT blindly follow the numbers recommended in all the articles. Pay attention to your tank!

Shrimp doesn't like change.

Refer: How to Add Minerals and Calcium to Shrimps

The chances of your shrimp not spawning in an unstable water environment are very high.

Sometimes having stable (albeit suboptimal) water parameters is even better than having ideal water parameters that fluctuate all the time.

4. Too much water change

Do not change the water too much for the shrimp tank. Water change can directly affect the reproduction of shrimp.

The main problem with large water changes (assuming that the new water doesn't contain any harmful chemicals) is that large water changes still affect the water parameters in the tank.

And what's worse, it happened very suddenly for the shrimp. The downside is quite significant:

• Stress for shrimp,
• Moulting problems (Trips with open necks),
• Causing the shrimp to molt early can lead to ovulation or even death in severe cases. (after water change you often see peeled shrimp and this is not good for them)

Heavy water changes can reduce or even prevent shrimp from spawning.

5. Stress factor

Shrimp are quite sensitive animals and easily stressed. For example,  incompatible tank mates, adapted Improper feeding, poor water quality and even overfeeding can cause stress to the shrimp.

Although shrimp can tolerate a single stressor for a short time, multiple stressors over the long term inevitably lead to pain, reduced growth, problems with molting and also reproductive problems.

Thus, reducing stress for shrimp not only results in a better quality of life, but also improves their reproduction rate.

Note : Remember that small shrimp tend to stay where they have hatched for several days (hidden most of the time). So maybe your shrimp is spawning but you haven't noticed.

6. Inappropriate Diet (Underfeeding and Overfeeding)

Improper diet is another reason why shrimps do not reproduce.

It is a well-known fact that shrimp are omnivores. They are an excellent cleaner and feed on a variety of organic matter that falls on the bottom of the tank. But why is it important to know about their diet?

• Underfeeding

Because being scavengers also means that their diet doesn't include the same foods every day. A shrimp diet that includes a variety of ingredients is equally important for ensuring adequate nutrition, a long and healthy life. Therefore, it also has a direct effect on their reproduction rate.

To improve their reproduction rate, we need to provide them with a nutritious diet. By doing so, the shrimp will receive all the trace elements, vitamins and minerals needed by the body (including egg production).

So if your tank isn't stable and doesn't have enough algae and biological layer To maintain their growth, you need  commercial feed supplements for them.

• Feeding too much

See more: The Problem of Raising Shrimps With Fish

Another problem is overfeeding. In fact, it is worse than underfeeding because at least the shrimp can easily survive without food for a few days before it starts to affect their health and general condition. While overfeeding is one of the most common causes of shrimp mortality.

Overfeeding shrimps degrades water quality, causes infections, disease and in general, puts them at risk for serious health conditions. All of these factors will have a negative impact on shrimp fertility and fertilization success.

7. Diseases and parasites

It is important to know that shrimp can also get sick or be attacked by parasites. Some species of parasites, bacterial and fungal infections are extremely dangerous for shrimp.

Generally speaking, Diseased shrimp do not reproduce , their immune systems are fighting for survival and they can't devote any of their internal resources to anything else (including reproduction).

In some cases, it even becomes physically unable to mate, such as  Cladogonium ogishimae or Ellobiopsidae penetrate the muscle in the abdomen of the shrimp and prevent the shrimp from mating.

8 years old

Depending on the temperature, most shrimp species reach maturity at 75-80 days of age. Then, under optimal conditions, well-fed shrimp will be ready to mate and spawn within 1-3 days.

So if your shrimp are not spawning, chances are they are too young.

9. Sex Ratio

As your shrimp colony grows, sometimes the Gender imbalance can cause fertility problems .

Experimental results demonstrate that repeated mating greatly affects the health of the offspring, their mortality rate increases by 37%. This is due to two main reasons:

1. There is a huge balance between the number of eggs produced and the amount of energy (both physical resources and the care of the offspring) devoted to their care.
2. Children need replace the casing Before mating, it makes their bodies soft and flexible so that fertilization can occur. At the same time, leaving them vulnerable and completely unprotected. If there are too many males, they can overwhelm the females. Weak legs and soft hands also cause a lot of stress for women.

Conversely, if the number of males is not enough, it will reduce the rate of successful mating and reduce the reproductive rate. The females will throw away the unfertilized eggs and you will lose a potential litter of young eggs.

 10. Wrong species

The ornamental shrimp includes many genera such as Neocaridina, Caridina, Halocaridina, Atyopsis, Macrobrachium, Palaemonetes, etc.

Cloves of different breeds that cannot be crossed . All species of shrimp in different genera are very distantly related.

Even Shrimps of different species in the same genus are not usually hybridized . For example:

• Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) ,
• Malawa shrimp (Caridina pareparensis, Caridina parvidentata) ,
• Red-nosed shrimp (Caridina gracilirostris) ,

and some other species will not hybridize with other species of the genus Caridinna.

Ending

If your shrimp are not spawning or stop spawning, don't despair. Our preferences are not always sunny and rainbows and we all make mistakes.

It is important to double check and double check everything in your shrimp tank. I recommend starting with your water and feeding parameters. In my experience, these are the main causes of shrimp not spawning in the tank.

Read more: 10 Reasons For You To Start Breeding Shrimps Right Now