[Vorteil]

How do you tell the sex of the shrimp? What distinguishes the difference between a male & female and how can I spot it?

[odin]

Now that's is the million dollar question The only tell tale way i have spotted is literally the saddle on the females (Its the dark saddle shaped spot in her back)



Maybe someone else has any other ways of differentiating ?

[Vorteil]

I saw on the Volcano Shrimp site stated this was one way to tell. So do all your berried females have this?

[odin]

The saddle which you can see in the image is the visible development of eggs in a females ovaries, it doesn't mean that she will become berried (Carrying eggs) but its a good indicator that she is mature enough to become berried. Here is another quick photo of one of mine that was berried and you will notice the saddle has gone and she is carrying the eggs that have moved down and out.

[Vorteil]

Thanks for the additional information. Great to know.

[odin]

No problem, its very difficult to tell with this type of shrimp unfortunately.

[Ann]

I found this in another forum.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/88-sh ... 660?page=1
Sorry if anyone has already posted it.
Ann

[odin]

Its still too hard to tell if you ask me lol


PS.. Have a Happy new year all!

[Naz]

What I have read on other forums is that females tend to have larger pinchers (not sure if this is what they are called) at the front. And what I noticed from my berried shrimp (that lost all her eggs) that compared to the rest of them she does have larger pinchers. I also have 2 other shrimps in the jar that have the saddle and their pincher is also larger not as large as the one that was berried.
(Pictures to show you what i am calling pinchers)

Came across this when I was looking up to see if opea ula are all born males and then turn into females as they mature?