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Usually eggs are about 30 days from start to hatching! Unless there are predators in the tank (fish etc) then the shrimp can be left in the tank they are in and the shrimplets should be fine. I would think they are not far off hatching, so within about a week. If you still want to seperate the berried female so the shrimplets are born in a different tanks just make sure you use the water from the original tank but moving her/them will actualy cause them some stress so unless there is a specific reason I would just leave them where they are!

Primarily to increase fry survival rates. You can wait till the eggs are viable ie. have tails. And by this stage, its very normal for the female to chase the male away from the developing fry. I find females often move the eggs from driftwood to driftwood or to cave as they are a bit uneasy with the male being in the same tank. Then, it would be time to remove the male to lessen chances of the female eating the eggs/fry. It can also be behaviour dependent as you pointed out - some males are fry hunters without you knowing it. My preference is always to isolate the female as she learns to look after the fry especially if its her first brood. And when you notice her chasing them away - by 2-3 weeks, its time for her to be netted out as the fry are less reliant on her to search for food in the tank. Also, when you notice the fry are free swimming, get a brine shrimp hatchery ready as they need bbs to get them growing.

My tap water comes out at 27 TDS, so most of my tanks sit around 100 anyway. Interestingly, on another forum, someone said they bred bits in 7.5pH, 3KH, so I guess there’s potentially a range to it. I’d still aim for what you recommended because that’s pretty easy for me to replicate I reckon. That’s some awesome advice, thanks a load. If I end up going ahead with this sometime in the next few months, I’ll start a new thread and tag you. Cheers!

I found 2 gravid females in my freshwater caridina tanks. I am planning to transfer them to another tank before it hatch to avoid any stress. The eggs are kinda dark or black now. How long it will take to hatch? Please give your valuable suggestions on when I should transfer them to another tank?

Just read this again - are you saying I should net the male after fertilisation? Would this just be behaviour dependent, or your usual recommendation? I’ve had countless apisto Nijsseni spawns and never pulled the male or the fry (it was in a community tank), the male just took care of the fry by chasing away other fish. Is pulling the male a species thing, or individual thing, or just general/personal choice?

In addition, 2 foot tanks are great as it makes the job of netting the males after they have fertilised the eggs EASY. If you want the Bitaeniata to breed you may need to add 70-80% RO water and hopefully achieve a TDS value of about 100-120. Bits are easier to breed compared to Baenschi for example. Its all a matter of trial and error till you get reddish eggs which most likely mean they are viable. Driftwood may not be enough to breed the Bits as softer water will aid in spawning the fish - which is why a Shield Aquarium RO system from eBay works wonders, it really is a game changer for Apistogramma keepers.

A pair would probably work for Bitaeniata because they are not very choosy when it comes to pairing up. I use driftwood (3 pieces as a minimum - I use Malaysian) BUT I let them choose where they want to lay their eggs by also placing the smallest terracotta pot sawn in half(soak the pots overnight in some water) that you get at nurseries in the tank. 60 litre tank / 2 footer would be more than enough for a pair to spawn in and raise the babies.