Breeding Journal, Species: Hymenocera elegans (Harlequin shrimp)

General
Species:  Hymenocera elegans
Social Structure:  Pair
Size of Individuals:  ~2 inches
Age of Individuals:  Unknown
Date added to Tank:  1-25-2014

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  Breeder box (8 x 4 x 4 inches) in a 40 gallon breeder tank
Substrate Details:  Nothing other than a PVC pipe
Filtration Details:  Live rock, live sand, protein skimmer, bioballs
Water Changes:  Infrequent and random
Water Temperature:  ~80 F
Lighting:  Fluorescent strip light
Lighting Cycle:  6AM to 9PM
Other Tank Inhabitants:  None in the breeder box

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  Asterina starfish, chocolate chip starfish 
Feeding Schedule:  As needed

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  1-27-2014 (or possibly 1-26-2014)     
Spawn Time of Day:  Unknown, not witnessed, assumed after lights out     
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  2-14-2014 or 2-15-2014
Courtship Details:  None noted or witnessed
Egg Size:  Not measured, but estimate ~1mm
Egg Color:  Brown at first
Egg Count:  hundreds, but not counted

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  1-25-2014; 2-13-2014     
Hatch Time of Day:  After lights out
# Days after Spawn:  ~18 
Larvae Description:  Tan/brown, attracted to light, S-shaped


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  ~80F
Size of Larval Tank:  inverted 3L bottle currently
Substrate Details:  None
Other Tank Decor:  Rigid airline tubing
Filtration Details:  Nothing other than live phyto
Lighting:  Fluorescent strip light
Lighting Cycle:  6AM to 9PM
Water Changes:  Every other day

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  Rotifers, Apocyclops, nhbbs
Feeding Schedule:  constant

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: 
Substrate Details: 
Other Tank Decor: 
Filtration Details: 
Lighting: 
Lighting Cycle: 
Water Changes: 
Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: 
Feeding Schedule: 

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)  
Miscellaneous Information: 
This pair has been in captivity for about 6 months, IIRC. 

Some info I found:
Chen-Cheng Cheng, Meng-Hua Yen, Yan-Chin Chen and
To develop aquaculture techniques of Hymenocera picta, the effects of different types of diets, feeding concentrations, starvation, temperatures and salinities on the growth and survival were investigated. The result showed that 10 dph (days posthatch) larvae feeding with the nauplii of Artemia spp. at 2 and 4/ml of feeding had better survival rate and growth. About the delay of feeding, better survival rate and growth would be obtained under feeding within 2 dph. The survival rate was better in which salinity was at 24, 29, 34 and 39 psu. In addition, a better survival rate was obtained in which were raised during the water temperature of 24 ~ 30 ℃, but better growth was obtained at 30 ℃. Overall, the shrimp would have better survival rate and growth under conditions of 30 ℃, 24 ~ 34 psu, and feeding with the nauplii of Artemia spp. at 2 ~ 4/ml within 2 dph.
 
 
 
COMMERCIAL CULTURE OF THE HARLEQUIN SHRIMP Hymenocera picta AND OTHER ORNAMENTAL MARINE SHRIMPS 
  
Syd Kraul 
  
Harlequin shrimp are fairly rare in Hawaii and therefore fetch a good price ($7-10 each) to the diver or aquaculturist. After shipping, retail price can be as much as $50 or more per shrimp. Limits to commercial production are primarily market demand. With over 1,000 shrimp in stock, our distributor could only sell more than 100 shrimp per month, primarily in Asia. This market might be expanded to other areas, but it doesnt seem likely that this single species would support a business. There are also rumors that mass quantities of similar shrimp are available from Central America and Africa at greatly reduced prices. 
  
Adult Harlequin Shrimp are long lived and docile, and spawn every 3 weeks at 25 degrees Celsius. Females produce 200-5,000 eggs per spawn, attaching them to their pleopods (abdominal plates) for incubation. The eggs, about 0.8 by 0.6mm, are red when first deposited. A few days before the female molts, the previous batch of eggs hatches out to begin the planktonic larval phase. Newly hatched larvae are 0.64mm wide and O.43mm high at the cephalothorax (head and chest), and 1.4mm long, in their naturally flexed posture (2.3mm stretched out straight). The first few days, these zoeae have close-set eyes, and do not require food. After the first larval molt, their eyes protrude on stalks, and they begin feeding on plankton. We provide them with rotifers, copepods, brine shrimp, and phytoplankton throughout their larval life. Rearing success is greatly improved when copepods are included in the larval diet, as is the case for all marine larvae we have raised. These larvae have relatively stringent water quality requirements, and are more difficult to raise than small damselfishes. 
  
After 4-8 weeks, larvae are about 3mm long and 2mm wide, and have branched pleopods, indicating that they have reached their final (mysid) larval stage. They are now ready to settle out of the plankton, and metamorphose into benthic shrimp. The benthic transition appears to be an important determinant of final survival. Healthy batches of larvae will all survive and grow to adults. Unhealthy batches may metamorphose and begin feeding, but suffer heavy losses within a week or two. Although artificial feeds might improve the marketability of Harlequin shrimp, the only feed that has worked for us is live sea stars, preferably Linckia spp. Harlequin shrimp were once proposed as “saviors of the reef” because they are able to eat the reef destroying Crown of Thorns starfish. In Kona, Crown-of-Thorns are the most readily available stars, so they are our primary feed. 
http://www.mbisite.org/forums/tm.aspx?m=62290&mpage=1&print=true


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I bought this pair at a local frag swap, and the female had eggs at purchase.  She released the larvae that first night

Crazy eyes!  Good luck!

Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]

Got a pic of the pair, the female is on the right:

 
And a pic of the spawn/eggs from yesterday.  It is possible these were spawned the day after the hatch, but I was gone nearly all day and didn't look very closely.

 
The larvae look the same as they did on day 1, just a bit more tan/brown in color.

100% water change last night, and they have stalked eyes so they are at least Z2.  I didn't get a good look at the tails, so it's possible they are Z3.




I might try to get some tail shots tonight.  

Day 9 (yesterday) and they look to be Z3.  They are getting mainly nhbbs, sometimes enriched bbs, and occasionally copepods (Euterpina or Apocyclops) as I have them available.


 

Day 13 today for these guys.  I took some pics last night (day 12) but they turned out so bad that I'm not even going to bother posting them.  I think they are Z4, though.  I will try to take new pics over the weekend, but they are so...round (can't find a better way to describe them) that getting them in focus is difficult.  Also, they are quite active, so that makes it hard as well.
 

Again, I am in stupified amazement at the quality of your pictures.  Great job.  I recall a very good article by Joyce Wilkerson on Harlequins about 15-20 years ago in one of the national fish magazines.  This was probably in the days before internet so I'm not sure how easy it will be to find.  One thing I remember from the article is that the pheremones released in the water by the spawning pair made all the other harlequins start to breed.  When they took water from the broodstock tank and put it into another tank with harlequins, it caused the new tankmates to start breeding also.  
 
I know that's fairly useless information if you have a single pair, but I thought it was interesting.  I don't remember what she used for food but back then it would have been just rotifers and bbs.   Hope that helps.

Thanks, Dave
Right now I am giving them nhbbs, enriched bbs, and occasionally copepods.  I have about 60 left today, day 15.
Here are some day 14 and 15 pics:









 
They are much larger than when they first hatched, but still seem pretty small.  They are very easy to spot in the water because of their brown color and look very different than any other shrimp larvae. I found one in with some stenopus...it must have been flung out of the water on an air bubble or something lol

Day 19 (yesterday) pics:



There was a large die off earlier in the week, so I only have 10 or so left.  Not sure what happened.
 
Also had a hatch last night Set them up with enriched bbs, rotifers, and tetraselmis.

Day 22 yesterday:


 
Only a few left of this older batch. I also had a hatch over the weekend, I think it was either the night of the 13th or the 14th...I will need to check.

Shannon, are you going for title of "Shannon the Shrimp Goddess"?  I am amazed at all the breeding and spawning and projects you have going...bravo!

How did you know I was going for that title?? I really don't know how all these shrimp projects happened...I'm actually ALLERGIC to shrimp, which makes it even more weird and amusing. But I've been working with seven different shrimp species anyway