FresH2O's Shrimp Tank

[Fresh2o]

Usually the copper is trace amounts. Most likely have some in your water, also. But you never know.

Hopefully it is in trace amounts. But I have started paying attention to ingredients on labels. I see it in a lot of fish food.

I checked under and around the tank cabinet; no Amano. Ugh.

 

[Fresh2o]

Found one more dead shrimp today. That makes 5 of 6 from the same batch I got a little over a week ago. The original 3 are doing fine. I'm wondering if there might be a problem with that shipment of shrimp.

Would using a feed dish be better than letting the pellets (Shrimp Cuisine) scatter wherever? I suppose it would allow me to see how much is getting eaten (and what to remove after X hours).

What are some other food choices? Algae wafers? Blanched zucchini? Frozen bloodworms? Chopped live earthworms?

 

[Autumnsky]

I feed Hikari Shrimp Cuisine, but they actually like the bottom feeder sinking wafers the best the one with the clown loach on it and the orange-ish label. The Amano and shrimp and snails love it. I would recommend a couple snails for clean up.

I also will add other little bits of food in the tank. recently started with tiny bits of steamed or microwaved foods, so far, not that big of a hit.

Sorry to hear about the shrimp deaths.

The flaked food can cause ammonia spike too btw.

 

[aluka]

I wouldn't use any flaked food. You can supplement them with high calcium veggies like blanched spinach or zucchini, to aid in molting.

You should check your water parameters. You need to know what the gh and kh is. If your gh and the pet store's gh is lower than 4, they are probably having molting problems, and thus dying. In a such a big tank with less than 10 shrimps, your nitrate seems a bit high (not that 5 ppm will affect them). I have 40+ crs and 40+ pfr in my 10 gallon, and i have less than 5 ppm nitrate.

Did these shrimp death happen after a water change?

 

[Fresh2o]

I wouldn't use any flaked food. You can supplement them with high calcium veggies like blanched spinach or zucchini, to aid in molting.

You should check your water parameters. You need to know what the gh and kh is. If your gh and the pet store's gh is lower than 4, they are probably having molting problems, and thus dying. In a such a big tank with less than 10 shrimps, your nitrate seems a bit high (not that 5 ppm will affect them). I have 40+ crs and 40+ pfr in my 10 gallon, and i have less than 5 ppm nitrate.

Did these shrimp death happen after a water change?

Thanks for bringing up gh/kh. I need to get a gh/kh test kit. Will check the big box stores and an LFS tomorrow.

Nitrate is usually 5 ppm out of the tap. In 2012 it was about 10 ppm and the ammonia was 1.0 ppm (is zero now). Inconsistently adding Seachem Flourish Comprehensive; this may have added to the nitrate (idk)

Deaths occurred before and after PWCs. Here is the timeline (or pretty close to it)...
5/10: 3 RCS added
5/24: 6 RCS added
5/26: 1 RCS dead
5/29: 2 RCS dead; PWC; params 0/0/5 (Amm/Trite/Trate)
5/30: 1 RCS dead
6/01: 1 RCS dead

 

[aluka]

then it looks like it wasn't a wc issue. A lot of time ppl change too much of the water and shocks the shrimps.

How did you acclimate the shrimps? Cherries are normally really hardy, but depending on the strain, some might be more sensitive than others. So while usually its fine to just dump the shrimps into the tank like a fish, its generally alot safer to use the drip acclimation method.

when you get new shrimps, put the shrimps into a clean bowl. Get an air line tube, put one end in the tank and start suction. Once the water starts to run, tie the end outside of the tank in a knot, until there is only a slow drip. Put the knotted end in the bowl. Let your tank water drip into the bowl with the shrimps for a few hours, until they have accilmated to your tank. Then scoop out the shrimps and put them directly into the tank.

This method decreases deaths from shock significantly.

 

[Fresh2o]

then it looks like it wasn't a wc issue. A lot of time ppl change too much of the water and shocks the shrimps.

How did you acclimate the shrimps? Cherries are normally really hardy, but depending on the strain, some might be more sensitive than others. So while usually its fine to just dump the shrimps into the tank like a fish, its generally alot safer to use the drip acclimation method.

when you get new shrimps, put the shrimps into a clean bowl. Get an air line tube, put one end in the tank and start suction. Once the water starts to run, tie the end outside of the tank in a knot, until there is only a slow drip. Put the knotted end in the bowl. Let your tank water drip into the bowl with the shrimps for a few hours, until they have accilmated to your tank. Then scoop out the shrimps and put them directly into the tank.

This method decreases deaths from shock significantly.

I picked up an API GH & KH test kit and the KH is 5 and GH is 9. Those are the number of drops it took, respectively, to change the colors. I am guessing those numbers are fine for RCS.

For the first batch, I placed them in a clean cup, added a small amount of tank water (couple tbsps?), waited about 5 minutes, repeated it and about 20 minutes later poured them through a net and added them to the tank.

For the second batch, I placed them in a hang on specimen container. I did not have air hose for a drip line so I punched a small hole in a clean plastic "red solo" cup. Added water to the cup and it rapidly dripped tank water (more than I would have liked). Repeated this a few times over a 15-20 minute period them added them to the tank.

 

[Fresh2o]

... but they actually like the bottom feeder sinking wafers the best the one with the clown loach on it and the orange-ish label. The Amano and shrimp and snails love it. I would recommend a couple snails for clean up.
.

Thanks...I found it just as you described...orange rim label with a Clown loach, a Cory, and some type of botia on the front. HIKARI Sinking Wafers. Tried it out and 3 of the 4 RCS stopped to graze on it. I have MTS in my other tank. I might move a few to this tank for a cleanup crew.

 

[Imsyu]

i feed my shrimps stinging nettle leaves i got from someone from TPT forums, they devour it and its really nutritious for them!

 

[Darkseid76]

Here's my RCS enjoying a wafer. I don't know what can be causing your shrimp deaths though outside of water quality. My RCS are healthy, breed well, and are very active.

I also dose with EXCEL and never had a problem with it. My nitrates also average between 10-20 ppm and that hasn't caused any problems either.

 

[aluka]

don't ever look up borneo wild or mosura shrimp food. They are addicting to collect.. i think i am close to having everyone of them.

 

[Fresh2o]

i feed my shrimps stinging nettle leaves i got from someone from TPT forums, they devour it and its really nutritious for them!

I had to look that one up...who knew?

 

[Fresh2o]

Here's my RCS enjoying a wafer. I don't know what can be causing your shrimp deaths though outside of water quality. My RCS are healthy, breed well, and are very active.

I also dose with EXCEL and never had a problem with it. My nitrates also average between 10-20 ppm and that hasn't caused any problems either.

They certainly look happy.

And then there were three...

The last of the second batch purchased on 5/24 was found dead today. Interestingly, an exoskeleton was found nearby. The original three I purchased on 5/10 are doing fine. I am thinking there is a link between molting and the deaths. But only for the second group? Is it possible that it was a bad batch? These were purchased at an LFS so they weren't cheap. However, they lacked the deep coloration of the original shrimp. Idk.

Here are a few updated pics of them:

 

[MMantelli]

That sucks about your deaths I have lost 3 of 4 of my tangerine cardinia it sucks doesn't it.

 

[Fresh2o]

Shrimp molts, shrimp dies

A sad conclusion. I got home today and saw a ghostly white exoskeleton (molt). Good, I thought...growth is good. Two shrimps were swimming about as usual. Could not find the third. I lifted up a piece of DW and saw a shrimp corpse. Looked intact, antennae, legs, swimmerets present, eyes black, and a slight separation between the thorax and abdomen. Molting related death? I perused Google and found several related posts on TPT's forum and the consensus was low calcium. The remedy was the addition of small chunks of cuttlefish bone.
I think I will try that in an effort to save the last two. This is frustrating because I don't buy live stock very often and don't experience die offs either.

 

[jcolon]

Shrimp molts, shrimp dies

Molting related death? I perused Google and found several related posts on TPT's forum and the consensus was low calcium. The remedy was the addition of small chunks of cuttlefish bone.

Yep ... sounds like low calcium ... I'd guess from relatively soft water.
There was another member who had a similar issue with newly purchased shrimp. They were fine for the first couple of weeks to a month, then dead.
Cuttlefish bone and or crushed corals in the filter should help to increase
the hardness providing some calcium.

You can try feeding Hikari Crab Cuisine which has calcium. My shrimp absolutely swarm all over it.

I suppose you can also try Hikari Shrimp Cuisine which on their website says "The highly natural ingredient mix offers the necessary mineral profile for proper ecdysis (shedding)." I'm considering trying that next.

 

[Fresh2o]

I am feeding Hikari Shrimp Cuisine and Hikari Sinking Wafers. I rechecked the KH and GH...5 and 9 drops respectively (~90 and 161 ppm). Not sure if this is too low or okay.

I will get cuttlefish bone or crushed coral tomorrow and continue to monitor the hardness.

 

[Darkseid76]

I am feeding Hikari Shrimp Cuisine and Hikari Sinking Wafers. I rechecked the KH and GH...5 and 9 drops respectively (~90 and 161 ppm). Not sure if this is too low or okay.

I will get cuttlefish bone or crushed coral tomorrow and continue to monitor the hardness.

Oddly enough my KH and GH readings are lower than yours. 3 and 5 respectively my last testing. Will be testing Saturday after PWC.

 

[Fresh2o]

Got some cuttlebone and broke off two nickel / quarter size chunks. Put one in the filter and one next to some DW. The remaining shrimp are swimming around the tank.
Contacted a forum member from the uk that was having a similar problem and she said that the addition of mineral stone helped (and boosting / monitoring Calcium levels).

 

[simplicitysarah]

Got some cuttlebone and broke off two nickel / quarter size chunks. Put one in the filter and one next to some DW. The remaining shrimp are swimming around the tank.
Contacted a forum member from the uk that was having a similar problem and she said that the addition of mineral stone helped (and boosting / monitoring Calcium levels).

hope it helps! I was told to use cuttlebone to improve my Nerite snails shell