Help! RCS dying :(

[fishfool58]

Recently bought about 30 RCS for my 10 gal planted tank with only 6 Endlers Livebearers. well within the past few days.. I've had 4-5 die (that I see) & I only see about 4-7 at once.. I received them Wednesday let them acclimate, that day they went crazy, the next day when I got home, couldn't find any! My pH is 6.6, ammonia 0-.25ppm. nitrItes 0ppm, nitrates about 10-15ppm.. I have no heater,
My tank stays at 76 degrees, my filter is a tetra 5-10. I only have ceramic rings in it right now, but have a carbon filter. I do weekly water
Changes, 50% every Wednesday. & after I refil tank, I dose API Leaf Zone. Here's a picture of my tank, & Leaf Zone. Thanks for the help.. I'm confused on what I am doing wrong!

 

[cyris69]

I assume shipping/transport stress could have caused some deaths later on. I bought 50 Rcs and have had about 5 deaths. Water all checked out fine for me as well. I do dry ferts one to two times a week.

I'd just watch them, mine have started breeding, did have a girl drop her clutch though. If they molt fine and are active then I'd just relax and watch the parameters. I also just use a hydro 2 sponge filter which those are a good idea for shrimp tanks.

Best of luck

 

[fishfool58]

They don't really seem active, the only ones I see sitting there & I have fish, I need to get something to put over the intake on the filter so I don't suck up any.. Tomorrow will be a week since they arrived.. Hopefully that's it..

 

[creic38]

Have any of them colored up yet? Mine colored up and a few molted within a day or two. You should be ok as they are probably getting used to the new environment. If they keep dying over the next few days, then I might be worried.

 

[jcolon]

Recently bought about 30 RCS for my 10 gal planted tank with only 6 Endlers Livebearers. well within the past few days.. I've had 4-5 die (that I see) & I only see about 4-7 at once.. I received them Wednesday let them acclimate, that day they went crazy, the next day when I got home, couldn't find any! My pH is 6.6, ammonia 0-.25ppm. nitrItes 0ppm, nitrates about 10-15ppm.. I have no heater,
My tank stays at 76 degrees, my filter is a tetra 5-10. I only have ceramic rings in it right now, but have a carbon filter. I do weekly water
Changes, 50% every Wednesday. & after I refil tank, I dose API Leaf Zone. Here's a picture of my tank, & Leaf Zone. Thanks for the help.. I'm confused on what I am doing wrong!

In all honesty .. this sounds like what you can expect with RCS when you first get them in a planted tank with fish. I bought 20 and added them a little over a week ago ... that night I saw several scurrying around ... then next day a few and NONE the next 3 nights ... none at all. The last 3 nights I only see 4-5 at a time.

I'm certain the rest are hiding in within your decor ... aside from the couple you saw dead ... which is to be expected.

 

[fishfool58]

Yes they all colored up by the night I acclimated them.. & 1 shrimp was clear, & in half so I knew that one was dead.. 2 I saw at least shells.. But they were bright red, & were upside down, so I assumed they were dead, cause I saw 2 more laying upside down, with their legs moving.. Unless that's how they molt? But if that's the case, how do I not see them all around my tank.. I only see 4-7 at a time.. & I only have a small rock covered in moss, everything else is ferns or big leaf plants..

 

[fishfool58]

As far as having fish with them, the Endlers really haven't seemed interested in them at all.. Should I move my Endlers to a different tank?

 

[jcolon]

I'm assuming you have 1/2 inch juvenile RCS's? The tank I see in the opening post is about a 10gal ... but I see plenty of little hiding places between the plants and DW ... so it is still possible many are still hiding. Only time will really tell you.

I'm in the same boat ... I'm hoping day by day I see one more RCS per night. I have barbs that have tried to eat them so any I see in the next few weeks are the one's that found a way to survive. I don't see the Endlers actively hunting them, but I do see them eating dead RCS.

 

[hpiguy]

4-5 out of 30 isn't too bad percentage wise so far.

Is your water really soft with that low of a Ph? Does the fertilizer have any copper in it?

The endlers shouldn't present any issues with the live shrimp unless they snatch a small baby shrimp or two here and there.

Side note, your tank is very attractive. Nice job. One of the nicer 10s I've seen.

 

[fishfool58]

I'm assuming you have 1/2 inch juvenile RCS's? The tank I see in the opening post is about a 10gal ... but I see plenty of little hiding places between the plants and DW ... so it is still possible many are still hiding. Only time will really tell you.

I'm in the same boat ... I'm hoping day by day I see one more RCS per night. I have barbs that have tried to eat them so any I see in the next few weeks are the one's that found a way to survive. I don't see the Endlers actively hunting them, but I do see them eating dead RCS.

Yes, I have mixed shrimp, some are bigger than my Endlers, some are half the size of them.. & all the hiding places I can see through.. I can look through the sides of the tank.. & so the Endlers should be fine in there?

 

[fishfool58]

4-5 out of 30 isn't too bad percentage wise so far.

Is your water really soft with that low of a Ph? Does the fertilizer have any copper in it?

The endlers shouldn't present any issues with the live shrimp unless they snatch a small baby shrimp or two here and there.

Side note, your tank is very attractive. Nice job. One of the nicer 10s I've seen.

Yeah, but I don't know if more have died or not.. & how do I test the softness of the water? I have the API master test kit.. & My fert does not have copper..

& thanks I have an OP of the tank when I was getting advice to put it all together, it has done incredibly well with the plants & new lights... Thanks you on the comment!!

 

[hpiguy]

Yes, I have mixed shrimp, some are bigger than my Endlers, some are half the size of them.. & all the hiding places I can see through.. I can look through the sides of the tank.. & so the Endlers should be fine in there?

You'd be surprised where they can hide. I have some Amanos which are bigger and even they disappear to spots I never though they would be in. Like they vanish in plain sight almost. It's how they survive. Instinct tells them how to hide and where to hide.

 

[fishfool58]

Okay, maybe Im just over paranoid that Im losing them.. How do they appear when they molt, I got a crayfish, who molts & eats it.. But his shell is normally standing in the normal position.. Not upside down or on his side..maybe they just molted & hid.

 

[jcolon]

Okay, maybe Im just over paranoid that Im losing them.. How do they appear when they molt, I got a crayfish, who molts & eats it.. But his shell is normally standing in the normal position.. Not upside down or on his side..maybe they just molted & hid.

If they molt on the substrate it'll be more upright ... But I've seen video of shrimp molting while hanging onto plant, DW etc and those molted shells will drop down, possibly upside down. It is true that shrimp are masters at hiding in plain sight. My adult sized Amano are sometimes right under my nose and I miss them. Give them another week ... If you can continue to see 4-5 a night, then you'll eventually see a few more.

 

[jetajockey]

I have endlers and rcs together. How did you acclimate the shrimp?

 

[fishfool58]

Okay,
Then I'll just hope that they were molted shells, hopefully I'll see more tonight.. Another question, how do I see how soft the water is? & how would I fix my intake? Just putting a mesh over the intake? What it i cut a piece of foam to fit inside the intake?

 

[fishfool58]

I have endlers and rcs together. How did you acclimate the shrimp?

I let the bag sit for about 20 mins for temp, then I drip acclimated them for about an hour or more.. Then I grabbed the shrimp out of the bucket with a brine net.. & put them in the tank, & let them climb out the net theirselves.. The Endlers looked interested as the first few jumped out, but they left them alone after that..

 

[jetajockey]

Just slip a sponge over the intake strainer, I use aquaclear filter inserts cut to fit. If there wasn't one on there then many may have gotten sucked up, they don't really make much effort to avoid it.

 

[fishfool58]

Just slip a sponge over the intake strainer, I use aquaclear filter inserts cut to fit. If there wasn't one on there then many may have gotten sucked up, they don't really make much effort to avoid it.

I checked my filter, I didn't see any.. & most the time I saw then on the outside strainer.. I don't think any of them are small enough to get sucked in..

 

[jcolon]

I checked my filter, I didn't see any.. & most the time I saw then on the outside strainer.. I don't think any of them are small enough to get sucked in..

Same here, I opened my canister a few days back to check if any got sucked in, thankfully no.