Breeding Journal, Species: Lysmata ambienensis

General
Species:  Lysmata ambienensis
Social Structure:  sequential hermaphrodites.  Two shrimp will take on the appropriate role.  At molting, a shrimp is female and the other shrimp will fertilize the molting shrimp's eggs. When the other shrimp molts, the roles reverse. 
Size of Individuals:  about 2 inches.
Age of Individuals:  unknown as these were wild caught
Date added to Tank: March 2004

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  55 gallon 
Substrate Details:  bare bottom, about 75 pounds live rock
Filtration Details:  HOB protein skimmer, had a power filter on the tank for a short while
Water Changes:  5 gallons every week
Water Temperature:  80-82
Lighting:  110 watts power compact fluorescent
Lighting Cycle:  12 hours day, 12 hours night
Other Tank Inhabitants:  pair A. ocellaris clownfish , pair Nemateleotris magnifica
, argi angelfish, brittle star, various snails, crabs, soft corals.

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Ocean Nutrition Formula One frozen, very sparing for the first few years, and more generously, as I tried to get the clownfish spawning.
Feeding Schedule:  Once a day.

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  April 16, 2004 
Spawn Time of Day:  unknown
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  Each of the two shrimps would be found carrying new eggs every two weeks. They spawned with each other at each molt.
Courtship Details:  The shrimps rarely socialized, but must have gotten together for the spawning events.
Egg Size:  very tiny, perhaps 1mm
Egg Color:  green, then later, eyes showed.
Egg Count: uncountable.

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  not witnessed.
Hatch Time of Day: 
# Days after Spawn: 
Larvae Description: 


Larval Tank Details
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Other Tank Decor: 
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Larval Feeding Details
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Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start: 
Days after Hatch: 
Date of Settlement End: 
Description of Fry: 

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 
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Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
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Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 



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Soon after I started my first display tank, I acquired a pair of Lysmata ambionensis, and they started spawning with each other. Throughout their time in my tank, both shrimp would be carrying eggs.  This continued until my clownfish started spawning, about 2 years later.  First one was found dead, then the second was found, seemingly pulled apart, one half on one side of the clownfish nest, and one half on the other side .  I did not witness it, but I can imagine the clownfish pair got tired of that shrimp coming around their nest of eggs, so they just pulled him/her apart. Needless to say, I did not replace these shrimp.

Here's one with the green eggs: