destah
Junior Member
Posts: 31
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Post by destah on Jun 16, 2012 16:46:27 GMT -5
I've been trying for months to succeed at keeping shrimp alive. Just plain old red cherry's. Having a very hard time, and I've posted before about it. I now have them in their own tank, a fluval edge 6 gal, with a nerite and a few mts, anubias, java fern, crypts, najas grass and java moss. I have one day every few days, and they are always dead in the morning. Before bed, they are all fine; there is no "dying dance" or sickly looking ones, but one will be dead in the am.
Have a HOB filter with sponge intake, and estes sand substrate. Filter has foam pad, carbon and ammo chips. Tank if fully cycled, and I do use prime/stability as needed, but no ferts/excel because I don't want to harm the shrimp.
pH 7.8
GH 8
KH 4
ammonia/nitrite 0
nitrate 15 (little high, so I did dose w/ prime, and will do tiny water changes til it's lower)
copper 0
tds 198
temp is at 72, but it has gone higher a few days in the last week, when it got hot out and I wasn't around to turn on the air conditioner, but never above 80...and a slow rise shouldn't be enough to kill them...should it?
they do have a mineral rock in the tank, and I just started to do water changes with distilled water, because I can't think of any other reason they are dying. My tap water is fine for the other 6 tanks, and it has been tested by kinetico and results were "perfect" (and also come out fine on all my home aquatic tests).
I have unplugged the plug in air fresheners, just in case it's the cause...and am feeding them very small amounts every other day or so of hikari shrimp cuisine. Oh, I did have a few baby shrimp born last week, and they seem to be fine (when I can find them, lol). The fact that they are dying at nite has me wondering...the tank is not heavily planted, but could the plants be tanking to much oxygen at night? I think it's kinda of a stretch, but I'm really at a loss. I am assuming it has something to do with nighttime, as that is when they die 100% of the time..but I just don't know. Wish I knew a shrimp expert around this area, they could come check it out, lol. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Oh, I am doing small (1/2 gal or less) water changes 1-2 times a week, will do them a bit more to get nitrates down.
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Post by parker002 on Jun 18, 2012 8:28:41 GMT -5
I've had mixed luck with shrimp. At one time, we had 20+ ghost shrimp and they thrived for a few months. Then suddenly all of them died off at once.
We've also kept bamboo shrimp but they ultimately died as well.
Right now we're doing cherry shrimp and, knock on wood, have not lost a shrimp yet. Since the tank they are in is HEAVILY planted, I'm not sure you have an oxygen depletion problem.
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Post by Carl on Jun 18, 2012 14:04:30 GMT -5
Sorry for the problems!  I definitely would NOT use distilled water unless properly remineralized with electrolytes such as SeaChem Replenish. See use of RO Water in AquariumDo you use Carbon? If not I would add some carbon and also consider SeaChem Purigen too for added toxic element removal. Also Algone may help with nitrates, but I do not believe nitrates are your issue Carl |
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destah
Junior Member
Posts: 31
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Post by destah on Jun 19, 2012 12:56:32 GMT -5
The main reason I was going to use distilled was to see if there was some unknown something in my tap water that was killing them. I do have replenish, so I will put that in the distilled before I put it in the tank. Or maybe, since I have purigen, but not in that tank, I will add that now and go back to using my tap water....maybe run the tap water thru the purigen first, then add it? Ridiculous, I would swear these are the hard to keep crystal shrimp or something. I really wish I could figure out what I am doing wrong! All was good since I posted...no dead ones. Til this morning, woke up and there were 3 dead. Changed about 1/4 gallon water yesterday, and that was all. Only different thing was the air conditioner was on, lol. The AC is about 6 feet from the tank, but the water temp never changed. My husband thinks I have a psychotic shrimp that goes on killing sprees, and that is the problem, lol. WIsh he was right, at least I'd know what to do!!!  |
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Post by Carl on Jun 19, 2012 19:59:57 GMT -5
Distilled water is fine as long as Replenish or similar is added.
In fact DI or RO water when properly utilized is THE BEST, for one of the reason you noted.
While I am not a shrimp expert, I have on many occasions seen fish and invertebrates get "stressed" and even die as result form aquariums placed in areas of high vibration, so maybe the air conditioner is adding vibration??
Good Luck!
Carl
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Post by parker002 on Jun 20, 2012 10:00:29 GMT -5
In times of stress, I *HAVE* seen shrimp act as cannibals. They're especially vulnerable when they molt and I have noted that my shrimp most often molt when the lights are off - I'm assuming this is a defense mechanism because they would be harder to see with the lights off.
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Post by babygeige on Jun 26, 2012 20:25:15 GMT -5
Wow, sorry to read of your continued troubles with shrimp! I cannot think of anything else that could be going wrong. It seems like they should be doing fine. Something almost has to be going on at night, but I have no idea what it could be. I don't blame you for being frustrated! I'm sorry, I wish I could help! |
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Post by Suzie Q (Lori) on Jul 5, 2012 9:22:47 GMT -5
I have gone over this post several times. I the only thing I would change is don't feed them so often. I have had my new ones in the tank since May 1st. I haven't fed them yet. I've had at least 3 broods hatch (newest babies were seen Tuesday night?). Now mine is fairly heavy planted. The shrimp like it better. I have Taiwan Moss, Wisteria and I think a green/red Wendtii. The Wisteria is taking over, so I pulled a lot of the other plants out. (I do not recommend Wisteria for anything smaller then a 20 or 30 gallon tank...this plant gets huge and has LOTS of babies). My shrimp pick at the plants.
Any new updates?
Lori
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Post by parker002 on Jul 5, 2012 10:02:26 GMT -5
Not to get too far off track, but I've pulled my Wisteria and thrown it away. It grows ridiculously large and fast but my angels and large mollies were making a mess of it, eating all of the larger leaves.
What I was left with looked similar to a cactus or thistle - not pleasing to the eye.
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Post by Suzie Q (Lori) on Jul 7, 2012 14:58:19 GMT -5
Not to get too far off track, but I've pulled my Wisteria and thrown it away. It grows ridiculously large and fast but my angels and large mollies were making a mess of it, eating all of the larger leaves. What I was left with looked similar to a cactus or thistle - not pleasing to the eye. Yes it grows crazy fast. I am probably going to pull it and move it to the big tanks. Way too big for a 10g that I have it in. Back on Shrimps now  |
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Post by missdiane on Mar 25, 2013 22:36:06 GMT -5
Wow!!! I'm also having shrimp problems. I really want cherry & blueberry shrimp but decided to try ghost shrimp first as they are much cheaper. I first tried 6 in my little 5 gallon with my not so friendly Betta - they were quickly devoured. This time I found 2 very large ghost shrimp & put them in a different tank (20 gl). They only fish bigger than them are 2 white skirt tetras & a male Betta (who is very peaceful). Other occupants: guppies, danios, dojo, cory cats. Plenty of plants & hiding spots with entrance holes too small for the big fish. For 2 days the shrimp were very active, didn't appear stressed or frightened. The third day i say the shell of one on the substrate so I figured he had moulted. Well, I've never seen them since. Can't figure what I'm doing wrong or if this situation simply won't work.
I'd really like to try again. I want them on my cleaning crew with the nerites & otos!
Any advice will help!
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Post by Carl on Mar 26, 2013 10:03:59 GMT -5
This would definitely indicate to me that your shrimp moulted, which also would normally indicate a healthy shrimp.
He/she may still be in there, but on another less optimistic note, I have seen Ghost Shrimp literally shoot out of the smallest opening only to then die on the floor if not found quickly.
Also after they moult, they will be more "soft" until their new carapace hardens, this in turn can make them more vulnerable to other aquarium inhabitants and more prone to flee quickly, hence my concern that it "shot" out of the tank.
I also say this because I have witnessed this on a few occasions with ghost Shrimp.
Sorry for the less then optimistic explanation
Carl
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Post by missdiane on Mar 27, 2013 21:20:03 GMT -5
oooh poor guys! do you think cherry shrimp would be better?
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Post by Carl on Mar 28, 2013 9:16:22 GMT -5
oooh poor guys! do you think cherry shrimp would be better? This I cannot say  Maybe Suzie Q might have a thought here. Carl |
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Post by parker002 on Apr 1, 2013 11:17:10 GMT -5
Me personally, I have completely given up on shrimp. Their existence seems to be completely binary - they're either alive or dead - as opposed to fish which occasionally actually get SICK.
We have successfully kept shrimp for months and then one day you wake up and every last one of them is dead for no apparent reason and without any warning signs whatsoever.
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Post by Carl on Apr 1, 2013 12:02:40 GMT -5
We have successfully kept shrimp for months and then one day you wake up and every last one of them is dead for no apparent reason and without any warning signs whatsoever. I have to agree. I know this might seem unscientific, and admittedly I have done no controlled experiments, I can say by observation that what Parker noted seems to often be the case. Good water parameters, caution not to use Copper or many other treatments, is the best "cure" for unwanted shrimp deaths, or more correctly stated "prevention". Shrimp also seem to react much worse than fish to sudden changes in pH or even ionization of the water From the Wonder Shell page"The sudden introduction of Wonder Shells in a low positive mineral ion aquarium is comparable to changing water in a tank with high nitrates or especially too low pH; the fish/invertebrates will need to be adjusted to the improved water quality or pH shock would follow from the water change!!"Carl |
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Post by babygeige on Apr 11, 2013 20:39:36 GMT -5
I had ghost shrimp a few years back. I had them for a while and then they mysteriously disappeared. I found one of them in my filter a week or so later, still alive. He was just hanging out in there. I got him out, put him back in the tank and then he disappeared again and I never saw him.
I've had much better luck with Red Cherry Shrimp in my 10 gallon. I don't recommend keeping them with a betta though. I did that once and lost all my shrimp. This time around I just had the shrimp with a few white clouds and a harlequin rasbora. I started out with 9 shrimp and now I've probably got about 30...
Make sure your tank is stable, acclimate them well before putting them in the tank. You do have to be careful about water quality. They are low maintenance, but you do have to keep up with the water changes.
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Post by angelminx on Jun 15, 2014 1:59:57 GMT -5
Hi! I just recently joined the forum; I only discovered the AAP site earlier this year when I was looking on the web for info on Kanamycin, and eventually looked this site up. I live in a small town and the nearest dedicated fish store is over 50 mile away from where I live, so I'm stuck with Petsmart and Petco, therefore the only shrimp I have access to are Ghost Shrimp, and occassionally Bamboo Shrimp. I'd like to get some Amano Shrimp, or even some Cherry or Crystal Shrimp, but I've heard that they're kind of small, so if I did, I'd have to keep them in my quarantine tank, because my main tank has angels in it. When I get Ghost Shrimp I always request the largest ones they have, so that after quarantine they can go in with the angels--I don't worry if I get one that's small once in a while, because that's the only live food I can get around here (unless I can catch it myself like I did for my Oscar back when I had her).
I have heard that sometimes when Ghost Shrimp are collected, the collectors actually catch the saltwater (brackish?) species, and they never tell the wholesalers and/or the retailers, so these will be less likely to survive. I usually don't have too much of a problem (unless, of course I get a bad "batch"--they are sold individually around here, though about 11 years ago there was a petstore in the nearest mall that used to sell them as feeders, before they closed), probably because I have plenty of plants/hiding places and algae, as well as whatever (if any) food the angels don't get. I do have occassional die-offs, but they are usually sporatic. I try to count how many I have nearly every day when I feed my fish, however they don't always show themselves all at the same time. Right now I know I have 4 in the 55 gallon tank, but a while ago I had counted 6. From time to time I throw a couple more in.
Something I found strange/interesting (and this only happened one time) was last year (I think it was in the spring, but I don't remember for sure) I had purchased 10 new shrimp (I had a Betta in the quarantine tank at the time, to keep the biological filter going, and was going to leave a few in there when I moved the others to the 55 gallon). I woke up around 3 AM to go to the bathroom, and I saw a light in the 55 (both tanks are in my bedroom) and thought it was maybe a reflection from the window, though I'd never noticed it before. Then I saw it seem to move, so I went up to the tank to look closer. When I determined its position, I turned the room lights on, and it was one of my Ghost Shrimp. I turned the lights back off and it was still glowing. Then I also noticed one in the 10 gallon tank glowing as well. The next day, there was a dead shrimp in each tank, but I don't know if the fluorescence had any connection. Has anybody else seen this? I thought you all might be interested.
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Post by angelminx on Jun 15, 2014 2:01:04 GMT -5
Hi! I just recently joined the forum; I only discovered the AAP site earlier this year when I was looking on the web for info on Kanamycin, and eventually looked this site up. I live in a small town and the nearest dedicated fish store is over 50 mile away from where I live, so I'm stuck with Petsmart and Petco, therefore the only shrimp I have access to are Ghost Shrimp, and occassionally Bamboo Shrimp. I'd like to get some Amano Shrimp, or even some Cherry or Crystal Shrimp, but I've heard that they're kind of small, so if I did, I'd have to keep them in my quarantine tank, because my main tank has angels in it. When I get Ghost Shrimp I always request the largest ones they have, so that after quarantine they can go in with the angels--I don't worry if I get one that's small once in a while, because that's the only live food I can get around here (unless I can catch it myself like I did for my Oscar back when I had her).
I have heard that sometimes when Ghost Shrimp are collected, the collectors actually catch the saltwater (brackish?) species, and they never tell the wholesalers and/or the retailers, so these will be less likely to survive. I usually don't have too much of a problem (unless, of course I get a bad "batch"--they are sold individually around here, though about 11 years ago there was a petstore in the nearest mall that used to sell them as feeders, before they closed), probably because I have plenty of plants/hiding places and algae, as well as whatever (if any) food the angels don't get. I do have occassional die-offs, but they are usually sporatic. I try to count how many I have nearly every day when I feed my fish, however they don't always show themselves all at the same time. Right now I know I have 4 in the 55 gallon tank, but a while ago I had counted 6. From time to time I throw a couple more in.
Something I found strange/interesting (and this only happened one time) was last year (I think it was in the spring, but I don't remember for sure) I had purchased 10 new shrimp (I had a Betta in the quarantine tank at the time, to keep the biological filter going, and was going to leave a few in there when I moved the others to the 55 gallon). I woke up around 3 AM to go to the bathroom, and I saw a light in the 55 (both tanks are in my bedroom) and thought it was maybe a reflection from the window, though I'd never noticed it before. Then I saw it seem to move, so I went up to the tank to look closer. When I determined its position, I turned the room lights on, and it was one of my Ghost Shrimp. I turned the lights back off and it was still glowing. Then I also noticed one in the 10 gallon tank glowing as well. The next day, there was a dead shrimp in each tank, but I don't know if the fluorescence had any connection. Has anybody else seen this? I thought you all might be interested.
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Post by Carl on Jun 15, 2014 11:26:32 GMT -5
Interesting insight!
This may well explain part of the issue many have with Ghost Shrimp.
I know that a lot of less than honest sellers exist in this aquarium trade. I know of Betta breeders that sell off older stock to wholesalers and then to retailers (of the Walmarts and PetCos)
I also know of many retailers that sell products with incomplete parts to keep the price down (Amazon is one) or sell products such as UV Sterilizer or their replacement lamps with medium pressure UV bulbs with only 7% UVC output (often used for nail curing) instead of true level one capable low pressure UV bulbs (which cost more). Again this is common with many discounters such as Amazon where price is the determining factor.
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I have not witnessed this, but then with most of the aquariums I have maintained over the years I have only viewed in daylight.
Maybe a change in body chemistry with a shrimp that is dying allows for this phenomenon. For one if the body fluids and osmotic processes cease to move, this could change body chemistry drastically. This would mean what you are observing is simply a symptom of a dying shrimp.
Carl
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