Skunk Cleaner Shrimp Dead

[Sapfire]

I bought a skunk cleaner shrimp on Saturday and it died during the night last night and I want to know why.
I tested my chemicals last evening and here are the results: PH 8.1, ammonia 0-0.25, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0. The water temperature is 76-78. I don't have any heaters running and the water is always that warm.
It was moving around and looked fine... This is the first time I've had something die in the tank so of course I want to know why so I don't kill anything again.
I have 2 clownfish and 1 gobie and lots of live rock.

 

[carey]

You should have absolutely 0 ammonia. Did you cylce your tank before adding fish cause you also are showing no nitrates which is good but not very usual.

How did you acclimate him, shrimp need a super long time to acclimate as they are very sensitive to ph and salinity and everything else.

 

[Sapfire]

Yes my tank has been cycled. I've had it for a little bit now. Well my ammonia level wasn't exactly 0 but it also wasn't on the high side of 0.25... It was on the low side.
Having no nitrates and nitrites is very common for my tank. I've never experienced any chemical spikes beyond the fish one needed before I was able to put fish in.
I put the bag in the tank for 45-60 minutes then I put him into a separate tank and continue adding water from the tank every 30-45 minutes for 4 hours. Then I put him in the tank. It's the same process I do with the fish.

 

[carey]

Wow, you did a good acclimation job, no doubt. i always go for a longer than normal time too.

I would say another fish or invert got it but you have nothing in the tank that I think would go for a cleaner shrimp. I had 5!! yes 5, die on me, but I think it's something in my tank getting them.

Maybe someone will jump in, I'm at a loss. I mean sometimes you get a bad fish or invert and no matter what you do they are destined for dying. Kinda sucks but it happens.
:-(

 

[Sapfire]

Well it's my first dead fish in my tank so I want to get to the bottom of it... Was it something I did or didn't do? I always research the fish I want/need for my tank prior to buying.
The clownfish and goby were leaving it alone. If anything the clownfish was curious as to what it was.
There didn't appear to be any marks on him when I removed him from the tank this morning.
It bugs me more that he was alive at 11pm last night and eating off the live rock and at 6am he was laying on the bottom of the tank dead.

 

[Ricksreef]

Well it's my first dead fish in my tank so I want to get to the bottom of it... Was it something I did or didn't do? I always research the fish I want/need for my tank prior to buying.
The clownfish and goby were leaving it alone. If anything the clownfish was curious as to what it was.
There didn't appear to be any marks on him when I removed him from the tank this morning.
It bugs me more that he was alive at 11pm last night and eating off the live rock and at 6am he was laying on the bottom of the tank dead.

Are you positive you removed a dead shrimp or just it's outer shell from where it molted?
It is not unusual for one to molt right away when put in new tank.

 

[Unicorn]

Are you positive you removed a dead shrimp or just it's outer shell from where it molted?
It is not unusual for one to molt right away when put in new tank.

HAHAHA every time my crab and shrimp molt I'm like cursing in my head for 2 sec until I realize they r still alive

How long is "a little while" when u said how long u had the tank?

If it's not the levels than maybe it was just a "bad" one :-/ ever got fish from the place u got him from before?

 

[Sapfire]

I've had the tank 5 months now. I get all my fish from one place.
I looked at the shrimp again to see if he had molted... I don't think so unless his black eyes molt as well. See attached photo... Let me know if you think he molted. I don't see him at all in the tank either...

 

[Ricksreef]

I've had the tank 5 months now. I get all my fish from one place.
I looked at the shrimp again to see if he had molted... I don't think so unless his black eyes molt as well. See attached photo... Let me know if you think he molted. I don't see him at all in the tank either...

No,I'm afraid he is a gonna.At 5 months you should not be seeing any ammonia .How much live rock do you have,you must not have enough bio filtration for the amount of livestock.

 

[Sapfire]

Well I just checked the levels again and I had no ammonia. There's no copper. PH is 8.1. No nitrate or nitrite. No phosphate. Alkalinity is 143.2 And calcium is 460.

 

[Ricksreef]

Well I just checked the levels again and I had no ammonia. There's no copper. PH is 8.1. No nitrate or nitrite. No phosphate. Alkalinity is 143.2 And calcium is 460.

Alkalinity is what? what is your SG?

 

[Sapfire]

There's 65 lbs of live rock.
The test says my alkalinity is in the normal range.
What is SG?

 

[Ricksreef]

There's 65 lbs of live rock.
The test says my alkalinity is in the normal range.
What is SG?

Specific gravity,what your water salt mix is at from your hydrometer.What kit shows Alk at 143. What is it reading in Meg/L?

 

[Sapfire]

Salinity is 1.026

 

[Sapfire]

And I read my kit a little closer... It's not alkalinity its KH

 

[Tomchong22]

I put one in my tank for a few weeks. Everything was fine... Untilll he stopped showing up. Turns out my yellow tang ate him...

 

[Sapfire]

That does kinda suck...

 

[paulace2372]

You say your SG / salinity is at 1.026, how are you reading this? Are you using a glass hydrometer, floating arm hydrometer or a refractometer? The reason I raise this is that shrimps are very sensitive to salt levels and when you just start out it is confusing as to which methods of testing SG you should use. I would always recommend using a refractometer but that in itself can be utterly useless unless it is calibrated properly as it will give you a false reading. I wont go on and on about this but I will await your answer on the SG testing method.

 

[Sapfire]

I use a floating arm hydrometer. I purchased 2 of them and I swear one is broken...

 

[paulace2372]

Honestly the best thing you can do is invest in a refractometer and calibrate it with RO /DI water every time you use it! The floating arm hydrometers always get salty deposits and calcium deposits in and around the moving parts which will prevent it from working properly. I find them so useless that I don't have one in my tank I jet regularly check with my refractometer. They are not expensive and deffinately an investment in the long run! I would bet your SG is different from 1.026 with a refractometer reading, hopefully this will prevent any further loss - sorry about the shrimp!:-/