Cleaner shrimp

[slinkyslink]

I have two cleaner shrimp in my tank and on numerous occasions have noticed that on there under bellies were they have (for want of a better word) paddles what looks like green eggs, never seen any tiny shrimp in my aquarium so are they eggs or sometging else?
Thanks Rich

[MR Teee]

Yep eggs!. If you are lucky, just before lights out, you can catch them releasing the eggs. Watch the fish go mad for them and have a nice feast. Some usually survive and hatch, but the chances of catching the babies are very slim.

[slinkyslink]

I have two cleaner shrimp and both have had these eggs, so are they male, female or A-sexual. do they eat there own offspring?

[MR Teee]

Heres some more info for you mate. I don't think they eat their own offspring.

Reproduction

The reproductive strategy of L. amboinensis seems to have been an enigma to aquarist until recently. Aquarist have kept these shrimp on the assumption that they were gonochoristic, in other words having separate sexes, a real shock when one morning you find both individuals of a so called pair baring a full clutch of viable bright green eggs. The answer is naturally that L. amboinensis is hermaphroditic, meaning that each individual is capable of producing both ova and spermatozoa. Each individual therefore acts as the opposing sex, with one using sperm to fertilize the others eggs and visa versa. The question now arises why not simply self-fertilize. If individuals are separated after copulation two/three clutches of eggs can still be fertilized by means of sperm stored. After this period however no eggs are produced suggesting the stored spermatozoa either die or are released. This lack of egg production also indicates that L, amboinensis is unable to self-fertilize, an adaptation that is in following with many hermaphroditic spawns.

[slinkyslink]

Does that aply to other members of the shrimp family (blood shrimp, peppermints). Today for the first time in a year I saw one of my cleaner shrimp set up a station and was visited by both my tang and flame for a groom, great to watch.