New Skunk Cleanr Shrimp

[blazeyreef]

Well I finally caved and bought myself the skunk cleaner shrimp that I have always wanted I was actually considering a $40 coral (actually mushroom) and decided I was not going to pay that for a coral (would rather get a frag and let it grow) and so I told Michele (employee) to bag that skunk cleaner up before I changed my mind and I am glad I did I acclimated him for a good hour before letting him in the tank, I just grabbed him with my hands and released him. He is hiding behind some rock-work right now so I will get a picture later. I also got a 10% discount (I get a 10% discount on everything LOL, and I don't work there...yet LOL) and so I paid $29.47 for it (with tax) but I think it was worth it

 

[melosu58]

Congrats on new pick up. A pic would be appreciated.

 

[tecwzrd]

Not to alarm you but if your lfs sg was 1.018 like many and your sg is 1.024 or greater then one hour wasn't long enough of a drip acclimation IMO (osmotic shock). Hopefully it will be fine but for future reference drip acclimating all inverts for 2+ hours is highly recommended for optimal survival and even longer if you keep a higher (i.e. =>1.023) sg.

 

[blazeyreef]

oh gosh I hope he is ok. I only did an hour like I do my fish and I diddnt even think about him being differnt, I just spaced
thanks for the tip tecwizrd

 

[blazeyreef]

well he didnt make it
thank you tecwrd next time I try my hand at one I will acclimate appropriately...

 

[Devilishturtles]

Aww that sucks. Can you get a refund at all?

 

[blazeyreef]

Aww that sucks. Can you get a refund at all?

They say "no refunds" but I am going to call today and ask anyways, just because it didnt last 24 hours I think I should at least get 1/2 the money or something

 

[tecwzrd]

Sorry to hear that

Fish can adjust much more easily to ph/sg changes but all mobile inverts (hermits, snails, sea stars, crabs, ect..) need extra time to adjust. With my sg at 1.025 I give them 3+ hours to adjust from the 1.018 my lfs keeps them at.

At least you know now and can do it longer next time, just don't get discouraged it's happened to the most experienced of us at one point or another.

 

[blazeyreef]

ok thank you soo much for saving me grief (and $) for next time! I called and talked to the manager and he said to bring in water samples even though I told him my water readings, he claimed it was my PH... then he claimed it that the invert was molting...I told him no way that I could see the meat (the hermits had gotten to it before I did ) He said that they will get new skunk cleaners in on Tuesday. Should I go ASAP and get a new one, like as soon as they come in, or wait several weeks then get one?
thanks again

 

[tecwzrd]

Could have been a higher PH if yours was 8.3 for example and the lfs was 7.8 with only an hour to adjust. That's why they need the longer drip acclimation for both PH and SG adjustment to keep from going into osmotic shock and dieing.

As long as your nh3/no2 is 0 ppm and no3 below 20 ppm there is no harm in getting another right away. Just make sure you drip for 2-3 hours and it should be fine. Also IME it's best not to expose them to air and I transfer with a plastic cup.

Keep in mind that about 80% of the time shrimp will molt within the first 3-5 days when introduced to a tank with lr because often they are in the open at the lfs and do not like to do it unless they have to.

Shrimp are slightly more vulnerable with a soft shell after molting so as long as you don't have any aggressive fish that could take advantage of it till it's shell hardens (3-5 days) then it should do just fine.

 

[blazeyreef]

thanks for the info tecwzrd.
So what about if they get a shipment in on Tuesday, could I go tuesday or wednesday per say, or should I wait a week? I mean to keep from the first shock of the LFS or what?

 

[ezy33]

IMO as soon as possible to reduce time in stress.

 

[tecwzrd]

IMO the stress of shipping and then acclimating to the lfs tank and then your own tank again within a short period can really be hit or miss and is not worth the risk.

I personally always buy my stock and have the lfs hold for a week to make sure it's healthy and eating, if it doesn't live at the lfs then they have no alternative but to refund your money and/or replace.

 

[blazeyreef]

alright thanks a ton! I will wait a week or two before gettting a new one

 

[tecwzrd]

No problem

Also checkout Selecting Healthy & Appropriate Marine Fishes which is an excellent article. It doesn't cover inverts but still is good info to know about selecting healthy fish.

 

[blazeyreef]

oh thanks for the article, I saved it in my favorites.