Coral banded shrimp ?'s

[Dalbery]

I bought 2 coral branded shrimp from 2 different places last week and these 2 are inseparable. Is there any way to tell what sex they are? Is this normal? I'd swear they're gettin' it on
Thanks,
Darrell

 

[Krish]

I think one has a bluish purple underside and the other doesn't. Not sure which way though...

 

[dabears26]

Me Neither,Ive heard that the one who take's the bluish underbelly become's dominant male....Anthony calfo probably know's....

 

[Maxx]

Simply put, the larger is almost always the female. If they are getting along, you have a mated pair, as they are nasty and will kill each other if not.
If they're mating, you'll see the female carrying eggs, thats how you'll know for sure which is which.

Nick

 

[Dalbery]

Is it common to have a mated pair or did I get S@it house lucky? If the female does get eggs should I move her to the quarantine tank to let them hatch? These 2 are totally inseparable. I hardly ever see them. They have a house under a live rock shelf and never leave it. Maybe I need to raise their rent
Darrell

 

[Maxx]

They are very common on the west coast. Not so common here in the midwest. When I was a kid, I lived in Hawaii and would go catch them all the time. I have only seen one mated pair since moving out to StL, seven years ago. I could probably order a mated pair, but have no desire to.

There is no need to move them to a QT tank as the young wont survive anyway. Best to let them feed your tank. If you try to move the female, you will most likely break off one or both of her claws, and she will release the eggs early...and you'll end up feeding the tank.

Nick

 

[Paul B]

They almost always live in mated pairs, thats the way I always see them and they are very common in the Caribbean. I don't know about the female being larger though. One of my pairs spawned almost every month for eight years and the male was much larger with much heavier claws.
Paul

 

[dabears26]

How much did the pair run you$$