Shrimp tale – Episode Six -SHRIMP KEEPING HACKS & TIPS TO INCREASE SURVIVAL RATE
I hope some of you have actually started keeping shrimps and naturally there would be some questions regarding “How do I get my shrimps to breed ?” or “How can I improve shrimp baby survival rate ?
“So today’s topic of discussion is exactly that !!
#Episode_Six #Shrimp_tale
Topic:SHRIMP KEEPING HACKS & TIPS TO INCREASE SURVIVAL RATE
Once you have established a small shrimp colony and the water parameters are stable the first question that comes to your mind is how long would these guys be here in my tank and how do I get them to breed so that I always have shrimps in my tank ?
Very honestly you dont really need to do much for them to breed. You should be just concerned about keeping the parameters stable, doing bi-weekly water changes and feeding them from time to time. That’s pretty much the basic criteria to breed shrimp. If they are happy they will breed !! But what if even after doing all that you dont see them breed ??
1. With Shrimps you have to be patient. If you are lucky they will get berried within a month but doesnt mean they will always be that prompt. They often take more time to get comfortable about their environment to start mating. Naturally…hahaha !! So be patient.
2. When you are trying to breed make sure there is a constant source of food in the tank. But that doesnt mean you will keep feeding them through out the day. You will have ammonia spike !! The alternative to this is to drop a dry leaf from time to time which provides enough biofilm n food for your shrimp adults and babies alike. And yes definitely have moss for them to graze on.
3. Secure the filters !! This is a common mistake with most of us. We dont realise how tiny the shrimp babies are and we leave the filter inlets unprotected. So babies get sucked in almost everyday. If you are lucky you will find many babies in your HOB, Sponge and Canisters. So make sure you put sponge at the openings always. Clean them from time to time or else your flow will decrease drastically. Treat it as a physical filter only.
4. White Buckets and Mugs: Lol this is perhaps one of the biggest secret of Shrimp Keeping. White buckets and mugs will be your best friends during shrimp keeping. Why ? Because when you do a water change you are unknowingly siphoning out babies too !! And you can only be sure if you use a white bucket for that. You will spot couple of babies in that bucket if you observe closely. Net them back to the tank. I had once rescued 40 shrimp babies from my HOB !! But I am sure many must have died too which I am not aware off. So better to be safe than sorry. You should check the water after cleaning sponges too !!
5. Bio film and powder food for babies are absolutely necessary to see a population boom. Babies are too tiny they mostly keep hiding.. only to come out when you put some food. But they r too tiny to compete with adults..mostly getting kicked around by them. So your dry leaf should help because there is enough for everyone. But if you wish your babies to get supplements make sure while feeding you crush some and put in the tank water as well. This will feed babies but it comes with a drawback. It will feed seed shrimps too. So be careful with powder feeding. Dry leaves are the best !!
6. Suppose you have got your shrimps to breed remember its an amazing experience but that doesnt mean you have to overdo stuff. Let them be. Just make your filters baby proof and be careful with waterchanges. Remember the white bucket 
I additionally use a seive (ছাকনি) to be extra sure and it really helps a lot.
7. Keep fishes away from your shrimp tank if you are planning to breed shrimps. Baby shrimps I get to hear are the tastiest snack in the fish world.
8. Leave the shrimp molts in the tank. Yes you donot need to remove those white shrimp molts. They are not dead shrimps !! Those are the exoskeleton of shrimps which also provide a lot of nutrition to them. They will feed on it ! No it’s not gross 
9. Provide hiding spaces in your tank like a bunch of plant or moss or rock cave where your shrimps can hide and feel save about breeding.
10. Lastly, new shrimp mothers often drop their egg clutch once or twice before they actually breed. So dont be disappointed. It just means she has a better chance next time. It is not your fault that she dropped those eggs .. so you donot need to do anything extra. Be patient..and maintain a regular photoperiod and dark phase (night) both phases are important for shrimps and plants.
As you go along the hobby you will find a lot of hacks yourself afterall we are known to be “Jugadus” ..you need not need to always buy something even DIYs suffice well. Have a good ratio of male and female in your colony and learn to identify the two sexes. It will take a while and some practice but it’s easy. Share with us your findings too !!Happy Shrimp Keeping