Help with cherry shrimp.

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Snmurray

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
56
Location
Fife, Scotland
I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank with 7 neon tetra & 6 guppies. I had 5 cherry shrimp but 2 have died.
The tank has plastic plants. All water parameters are correct with no amonea.
Fish are fed twice a day on flakes & pellet food.
Lighting is on for 11 hours.

What am I doing wrong?
 
Just to confirm, are the bodies of dead shrimp, which tend to turn white or pink, or do the bodies look like empty shells? When shrimp molt, often their empty shells can resemble a dead carcass. Molting Shrimp will then hide so their new exoskeleton hardens.

If it's indeed 2 dead shrimp, your parameters are good and the other RCS are active and about... Then you probably did nothing wrong. Losing new shrimp
Is fairly common.
 
Found one this morning. Think it could be a shell but not entirely sure. Others are all active. Do I need to feed more a concerned neons could be attacking them altho I haven't witnessed this.
Many thanks for advice

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Can't really tell by the pic on my iPhone... But neons don't bother adult RCS.. Too big... Baby RCS are fair game however. If it is a dead RCS, the other RCS and fish will nibble at it. RCS are scavengers as well as algae eaters.
However, it better to remove it to keep it from fowling the water with excess ammonia. If it's an empty shell, leave it, RCS will eat it to regain lost nutrients.
 
Removed it this morning. The shell/body was pretty much transparent & at front of tank. Nothing appeared to be interested in it.
Shrimps are about 3/4 size of neons. Guppies about same size.
 
That sounds like a molt to me.. Empty shell. Keep an eye out, you'll probably see the shrimp it came from in a day or two. Especially with fish in the tank.. Even small ones... Shrimp will hide.
 
If you bought the shrimp as adults it could simply be that they are old and died. But as someone mentioned if you see just the front and back of their exoskeleton then that just means they are molting.

With out any live plants in the tank it's very possible they aren't getting enough to eat. I put alder cones and/or Indian almond leaves in the tank and the shrimp will eat the biofilm that develop when the leaves break down. It also gives the shrimplets a place to hide. The cones and leaves give off enzymes that are also very good for the fish and shrimp.
 
Snmurray said:
Thanks for reply, have been adviced to get moss balls which do they same.

I wouldn't get moss balls never know what's in them, I'd get java moss and put in on wood, at least you can rinse java moss.
 
Ahh. Interesting as guy that sold me prawns advised moss ball. Where can I get java moss from?
Am in scotland by the way.
 
Snmurray said:
Ahh. Interesting as guy that sold me prawns advised moss ball. Where can I get java moss from?
Am in scotland by the way.

It's a pretty common aquarium plant, I would check local stores or try to see if there's any aquarium societies around with members that have it. The other option would be to buy Indian Almond leaves on Aquabid, allot of sellers do international shipping.
 
Ahh. Interesting as guy that sold me prawns advised moss ball. Where can I get java moss from?
Am in scotland by the way.

Marimo moss balls is basically a big algae ball. It's great for RCS, but it can have other little critters attached. Unlike pants which you can dip in an H. Peroxide, or even a diluted bleach dip, doing that with moss balls may kill it.
Generally you want to QT moss balls first if it's not from a trusted source.

As was mentioned java moss is a great option for RCS. Leaves like almond, maple or oak are often used as leaf litter. Lots of good biofilm stuff grows on it which RCS love! Make sure their dead brown leaves and soaked in tank water for a week so stuff grows on it.

Replacing the fake plants will go a long way, Anubias and java moss are other RCS options.
 
Yes good call they need to be dead leaves! Theres no need to pre soak just break them up and plop them in. Also adding cuddle bone to the tank helps with them growing healthier exoskeletons.
 
Many thanks for the advice folks. Just disappointing re rcs loss as fish are happy critters with no issues.
 
Just a quick update. Have ordered java moss & all five shrimp appeared today so must have been one of them shed their shells.
Thankyou all for ur help
 
Fish can scare the shrimp and sometimes shrimp will hide more than if in with Shrimp only tank. Since fish can be predators! As previously mentioned your fish are ok for adult shrimp.
 
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