Symptoms to Look For
Check if your shrimp are showing any of these symptoms. Symptoms are grouped by severity to help you assess the situation.
Early Warning
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Female fanning eggs excessively
Visual: Constant tail movement, may indicate eggs are struggling
Moderate
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Partial egg loss - some eggs remaining, some dropped
Visual: Reduced egg mass on female
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Eggs changing color to white or fuzzy
Visual: Healthy eggs are yellow/green/brown; white eggs are unfertilized or dead
Severe
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Finding eggs scattered on substrate or surfaces
Visual: Small round eggs (yellow, green, or brown) on tank bottom
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Female no longer carrying eggs under tail
Visual: Previously berried female now has empty swimmerets
Does this match what you see? If your shrimp are showing multiple severe symptoms, act immediately. Early symptoms give you more time to correct the issue.
Possible Causes
Causes are listed by likelihood. Start with the most common causes and work your way down.
Water Change Stress
Water changes can trigger molting in berried females, causing them to lose eggs. The parameter shift, even if small, creates stress that can cause egg release.
Did you do a water change in the last 24-48 hours? Even 'safe' water changes can stress berried females.
First-Time Mother Inexperience
First-time mothers often drop some or all eggs. They haven't learned proper egg care and may not fan them correctly. This usually improves with subsequent batches.
Is this the female's first brood? Young females (first 1-2 batches) commonly drop eggs. They improve with experience.
Poor Fertilization or Unfertilized Eggs
Unfertilized eggs don't develop and females often abandon them. Eggs turn white when unfertilized or dead.
Are dropped eggs white or opaque? Healthy fertilized eggs are yellow, green, or brown. White eggs were likely unfertilized.
Stress from Tank Mates or Harassment
Aggressive fish, other shrimp, or constant harassment stresses females and can cause egg drops. Males chasing a berried female can cause her to abandon eggs.
Are there fish or aggressive shrimp harassing the female? Do males constantly pursue her? Observe tank dynamics.
Poor Water Quality
High ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate creates stress that can cause egg loss. Females prioritize survival over reproduction.
Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Any ammonia/nitrite is a problem. High nitrate (>20 ppm) may contribute.
Parameter Instability
Even without water changes, drifting parameters can stress berried females. Temperature swings are particularly problematic.
Track parameters over time. Has TDS, pH, or temperature been fluctuating?
Forced Molt
If a berried female is forced to molt early (from stress or parameter change), she loses all eggs. Molting releases the eggs from swimmerets.
Did you find a molt shell near the time eggs were dropped? Forced molt from stress is a common cause.
Bacterial or Fungal Infection on Eggs
Infected eggs become a liability. Females may drop infected eggs to protect themselves. Infected eggs often look fuzzy or discolored.
Were eggs fuzzy, white, or oddly colored before dropping? Fungal eggs appear cottony.
Solutions
Option 1: Attempting to Save Dropped Eggs
Only attempt with colored, developed eggs. White eggs cannot be saved.
- 1
Assess egg viability
Check the color of dropped eggs. Yellow, green, or brown eggs may be viable. White or fuzzy eggs are dead/unfertilized and cannot be saved.
- 2
Collect eggs gently
If eggs appear viable, carefully collect them with a pipette or turkey baster. Don't crush them.
- 3
Set up an egg tumbler
An egg tumbler keeps eggs gently moving (simulating mother's fanning) with oxygenated water. You can DIY with airline tubing in a small container or buy a commercial tumbler.
Eggs must stay moving - still eggs will fungus
- 4
Maintain tumbler water quality
Use tank water in the tumbler. Change 50% daily with fresh tank water. Keep in main tank to maintain temperature.
- 5
Wait for hatching
If eggs were developed (showing eye spots), they may hatch in days to a week. Shrimplets from tumblers are viable.
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Option 2: Preventing Future Egg Drops
- 1
Track berried females
Note which females are berried and approximately when they became berried. Eggs take about 28-35 days to develop.
- 2
Avoid water changes with late-stage berried females
In the last 7-10 days before expected hatching, skip water changes if possible. If necessary, do very small changes (5-10%).
Balance water quality needs with berried female stress - very dirty water is also stressful
- 3
Maintain exceptional parameter stability
Keep TDS, temperature, and pH as stable as possible. Consistency matters more than perfection.
- 4
Reduce stress sources
Provide hiding places, reduce aggressive tank mates, limit tank maintenance and disturbance.
- 5
Accept first-timer drops
Young females often drop their first batch. This is normal. They typically improve significantly with subsequent batches.
Prevention Tips
Follow these practices to help prevent this problem from occurring in the future.
- Avoid water changes during the last 7-10 days of egg development
- Maintain extremely stable parameters when females are berried
- Keep water changes small (10% or less) when berried females are present
- Provide plenty of hiding places for berried females to feel secure
- Remove aggressive tank mates that may harass berried females
- Accept that first-time mothers often drop eggs - they improve with experience
- Track your berried females and expected hatch dates
- Match new water parameters precisely during any necessary water changes
- Feed well to ensure females have resources for egg development
Related Parameters to Monitor
Track These Parameters with ShrimpKeeper
Get alerts when your parameters drift out of range, see historical trends, and catch problems before they become emergencies.
Download FreeFemale shrimp carry fertilized eggs attached to their swimmerets (small legs under the tail) for about 28-35 days until hatching. During this time, they constantly fan the eggs to provide oxygen and prevent fungal growth. This is called being 'berried' because the egg mass looks like a cluster of berries. Egg dropping is frustrating but usually has identifiable causes. The most common is water change stress - even a well-executed water change creates minor parameter shifts that can trigger a stress response. Berried females are physiologically vulnerable; their resources are devoted to egg development rather than stress adaptation. First-time mothers deserve special mention. Young females breeding for the first time frequently drop eggs. They haven't developed proper egg-care behaviors and may not fan correctly, leading to fungal eggs they then abandon. This is normal and most females improve dramatically by their second or third batch. If you find dropped eggs: - Yellow/green/brown eggs with visible eye spots (black dots): Potentially viable - White/opaque eggs: Unfertilized or dead, cannot be saved - Fuzzy eggs: Fungal infection, cannot be saved Viable eggs can sometimes be saved with an egg tumbler. This is a simple device that keeps eggs gently moving in oxygenated water, simulating the mother's fanning. DIY versions work well: put eggs in a small container with air line creating gentle bubbles. The movement prevents fungus and maintains oxygenation. Prevention focuses on reducing stress during the 28-35 day gestation period. Many experienced keepers skip water changes entirely when they have late-stage berried females, only doing emergency changes if water quality demands it. The key is recognizing that a berried female's needs take priority over routine maintenance schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, if they're developed and fertilized. Viable eggs are yellow, green, or brown and may show eye spots (tiny black dots). You can try an egg tumbler - a device that keeps eggs gently moving in oxygenated water. DIY: put eggs in a small container with gentle airline bubbles. White, opaque, or fuzzy eggs cannot be saved.
Water changes, even well-executed ones, create parameter shifts that can stress berried females. The TDS change, temperature difference, or minor pH shift can trigger a stress response leading to egg release or forced molt (which loses all eggs). Avoid water changes with late-stage berried females when possible.
Yes, very normal. First-time mothers often drop some or all eggs. They haven't learned proper egg care behaviors and may not fan eggs correctly, leading to fungal eggs they abandon. This usually improves dramatically by their second or third batch. Don't worry if young females drop their first brood.
Shrimp eggs take about 28-35 days from fertilization to hatching. The exact time depends on temperature (warmer = faster) and species. You can see eye spots (tiny black dots) in eggs during the final week, indicating they're developing normally.
Fertilized, developing eggs are yellow, green, or brown (color depends on species) and eventually show eye spots. Unfertilized eggs are white or opaque and will never develop. If dropped eggs are white, they were unfertilized and cannot be saved regardless of what you do.
Generally no - separating causes stress which can trigger egg drops. Berried females do fine in the main tank if there are no predators. If you want to protect shrimplets, wait until after hatching or use a breeder box that stays in the same tank water to avoid parameter shock.
DIY egg tumbler: Take a small container (bottle cap works for few eggs, small jar for more). Put eggs inside with tank water. Place airline tubing inside connected to air pump, creating gentle bubbles that keep eggs moving. Float the container in your tank to maintain temperature. Change water daily from tank.
Track Your Parameters with ShrimpKeeper
Most shrimp problems stem from parameter issues. Track your water quality, get alerts when things drift, and prevent problems before they happen.