Why did this shrimp die? Detailed photo

[Kazin]

A berried RCS died in my tank today. This is a picture of it when it was still barely alive.

The water parameters in my tank are:
0 NH3, 0 NO2, 0 NO3, pH 8.2, TDS 460

I see most of my RCS with the "white line of death" starting to form. I have feeling that I am going to have a massive die off if they continue down this path. I have long ago placed a small chunk of cuttlebone in the tank and it is now very soft. Perhaps I should have removed it?

I have a feeling this is a molting issue and may be related to high TDS or too much calcium in the tank. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Ever since I moved to Eastern San Diego county, I've been having a very tough time with my RCS.

 

[ImACoolguy]

When was the last water change?


Caleb

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[Kazin]

Last water change was 14 days ago. I usually do 10% water change every Saturday, but I recently added some RCS and wanted to let it be stable for one more week so I skipped last Saturday's change.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Check and see if there is any copper in the water. Normally it doesn't bother fish unless in high levels but many invertebrates including shrimp are very sensitive to it. Since you recently moved and it started, I would say it's something to do with the water chemistry.


Caleb

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[Kazin]

Copper... How does one check for that?

 

[ImACoolguy]

Call the water company first.


Caleb

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[Kazin]

You know, the shrimp are fine until they molt. It's the molting that is the issue. They split with the white line and cannot continue to molt. I don't think it's copper. Copper should kill them quickly.

 

[Kazin]

Really hate to lose the berried female. I am slowly losing my entire shrimp setup here in Santee...

 

[TMRC Exotics]

It almost appears misshapen

 

[Angela1108]

Do you know your gh and kh? Also 8.2 seems a bit high of a ph for them
What is the temperature at?

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[Kazin]

Don't know the GH / KH, may get some strips to find out. Temp is consistent 75F.

 

[IllusionX]

Get the API hardness test instead of test strips.

 

[cass95]

I normally do a 50% water change weekly, maybe a big water change will help if you have too much calcium.

 

[Kazin]

Ordered the gh/kh api test kit.

I saw another molt today and it was opaque/white rather than clear. This implies to me that the shrimp have too much calcium in their water. I might remove that cuttlebone piece.

 

[Kazin]

I'll wait for the results to determine if a 50% water change is necessary. From my experience, my shrimp never did seem to like larger water changes.

 

[IllusionX]

I try to keep my GH at 6-8 and water change 10-20% a week only.

 

[Kazin]

TDS out of the tap is 450. I suspect that GH and KH will be high when I am able to measure, so I may need some advice on lowering those. Is there a cheap way to get some distilled water? 2.5 gallons goes for $2.50 here. CA is an expensive place to live... I've looked at those water purifiers that connect under the sink, but they look a bit difficult to install.

 

[ImACoolguy]

An RO/DI unit would save you money in the long run. It's an investment though.


Caleb

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[IllusionX]

RO water sells for 3.75$/5gallon here. But LFS do it for 2$. In the long run, it's better to invest on your own RO system.

They may look hard to install, but it's not that bed if you are handy around the house..

 

[ImACoolguy]

RO water sells for 3.75$/5gallon here. But LFS do it for 2$. In the long run, it's better to invest on your own RO system.

They may look hard to install, but it's not that bed if you are handy around the house..

And an instruction manual and always YouTube videos.


Caleb

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