Baby peppermint shrimp

[tat2z_21]

So this afternoon after all of the lights go out in my display. My sump lights illuminate the world below. I have found many things through my nightly look in my sump. I have witnessed hermit crabs indecisevly swapping homes for a new and sometimes improved home. I have found what I believe are new organisms that have come to life through natural selection in my own little eco system. Tonight though is the top of the list. While I was anxiously waiting for the daylight to hit the lost world of my sump I noticed little things moving at the waters surface. I thought maybe it was my damsels in my display tank again. Every now and then they release a batch of frye into the water column and they make their way to the sump. Well this time as the lights came on it was not the ordinary tadpole looking damsel frye. They had tails like lobsters and shrimp like claws. So I sat there in amazement and counted. Of course I could not count all of them but I believe there to be well over 50 of them. My question is how can I make sure they survive. The blue damsel frye that I so often see come and go never make it through the night. How can I give these guys a better chance of survival. Any information out there would be great.

 

[sgwill122]

I have never raised them myself but here is a link to someones thread that did.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f186/raising-peppermint-shrimp-success-116779.html

 

[rayjay]

You are almost certainly seeing MYSID shrimp which are in most reef tanks. They can be seen especially near the bottom between rocks.
Occasionally I see them riding on pieces of flake spirulina that I feed the tank and get into a "swirl" between rocks.
You will see them more at night after lights out.
When I do water changes I get some sucked up in the siphon tube so I pour the water through a net and feed them to my seahorses.
Google "Mysid shrimp picture" and you will get some pictures of various kinds you could have. There are more than the pics show so they may not appear exactly like you see in these pics.

 

[FreakinReefin]

+1 Mysid shrimp

 

[tat2z_21]

I know what Mysid shrimp look like and can almost be positive that these are not mysid.

 

[FreakinReefin]

I know what Mysid shrimp look like and can almost be positive that these are not mysid.

Often times the baby mysid have similar coloring(though faint) to peppermint shrimp. Even to the point that they have red-ish colored bands. But hey, hopefully they are just as you hope!

 

[ico2004]

Just tagging along... Keep us posted on their survival!!

 

[jake65]

Do you have any pics?