Did TDS kill my new yellow shrimp?

OK. So, I ordered yellow shrimp online, which were actually very expensive. All but 1 of the 10 survived. My water parameters are 500 ppm kh, 300 gh, 74 degrees, 7.4 ph, 0 ammonia, nitrite, and 20 ppm of nitrate. TDS is 995. Any ideas? Was it something I did?

 

What shape were your shrimp in before you added them to your tank? What condition we're they in?

 

I got them in the mail. Only one was dead in shipment, the other 9 were fairly active.They were shipped priority and took 2-3 business days.

Also, I remeasured the ph and I was off a bit. It is 7.8. I just lowered it to 7.4, but now my TDS is higher, its 1020 PPM.

Should I increase the temperature?

 

I wouldn't know for sure maybe texas can help TexasDomer or bizaliz3

 

I was reducing the ph of that tank and I am not use to mixing for only 10 gallons, so I added more KH than I would have liked! But, I am not sure if that is what killed my fish or not.

My tap water ph is 9.3-9.5

 

Oh it could've been a ph swing that killed them

 

How did you acclimate them?

 

I didn't because I had no way to really acclimate them, I have no other tank to put them in and I didn't want to float the bag because it said it was a breather bag and not that big.

 

pH swing and failure to acclimate them probably did it.

With shrimp you really need to drip acclimate them.
Here is how I do it, I have a styrofoam cup that a shipment of shrimp came in one time. I dump the new shrimp into the cup with the water they came in, then using airline hose start a siphon from the main tank that drips into the cup. You can tie the end of the hose to slow the slow to a drip. As the cup gets full, carefully pour off some of the water and allow it to drip again. I usually have my cup sat in a 5 gallon bucket in case I forget that I am acclimating the shrimp so overflow doesn't cause any harm.
Once I have acclimated them for at least 30minutes or more (depending on the type of shrimp) I net them and put them in the tank.

Edit: Also don't be afraid to float the breather bags, it makes absolutely no sense why they say not to float them. It is no different to floating a regular bag in a tank to match the temperature.
They say its because it stops the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange but that is irrelevant when floating the bag during acclimation.

 

Well, I do not know what ph the bag was, but when they went into it, it was 7.8. I have to manipulate my tank ph, because my tap is 9.3-9.5, however, they were never subjected to that. I have never done a drip method, it seems like a lot of work, but if you think it is necessary...

pH swing and failure to acclimate them probably did it.

With shrimp you really need to drip acclimate them.
Here is how I do it, I have a styrofoam cup that a shipment of shrimp came in one time. I dump the new shrimp into the cup with the water they came in, then using airline hose start a siphon from the main tank that drips into the cup. You can tie the end of the hose to slow the slow to a drip. As the cup gets full, carefully pour off some of the water and allow it to drip again. I usually have my cup sat in a 5 gallon bucket in case I forget that I am acclimating the shrimp so overflow doesn't cause any harm.
Once I have acclimated them for at least 30minutes or more (depending on the type of shrimp) I net them and put them in the tank.

Edit: Also don't be afraid to float the breather bags, it makes absolutely no sense why they say not to float them. It is no different to floating a regular bag in a tank to match the temperature.
They say its because it stops the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange but that is irrelevant when floating the bag during acclimation.

 

Well, I do not know what ph the bag was, but when they went into it, it was 7.8. I have to manipulate my tank ph, because my tap is 9.3-9.5, however, they were never subjected to that. I have never done a drip method, it seems like a lot of work, but if you think it is necessary...

It's really not a lot of effort, I'd say it's worth the $30+ on the shrimp and shipping cost.

I'd focus on getting your parameters under control though. Are you on well water? is that the cause of the high TDS and pH. If so you might consider an RO system or store bought RO water and then re-mineralize it with the essentials.

 

No, my tap TDS lately has been about 150 PPM, but, the ph is 9.5ish. In my large tank when I dump nearly all of the water at one time, and do the absolute minimum of acceptable Kh, then I am able to get the TDS as low as 300's (that is still very hard though, and right now it is at 500). However, with this tank I am not accustomed to mixing for such a small tank and I overdid it. I actually had 1500 but I did a huge water change before they went into it. I do not have money for 200ish gallons of aquarium fish for RO, or really any, as the time and space required is really even a bigger issue.

 

No, my tap TDS lately has been about 150 PPM, but, the ph is 9.5ish. In my large tank when I dump nearly all of the water at one time, and do the absolute minimum of acceptable Kh, then I am able to get the TDS as low as 300's (that is still very hard though, and right now it is at 500). However, with this tank I am not accustomed to mixing for such a small tank and I overdid it. I actually had 1500 but I did a huge water change before they went into it. I do not have money for 200ish gallons of aquarium fish for RO, or really any, as the time and space required is really even a bigger issue.

I'm with you there, I have a saltwater that I buy RO water for from the store, so it's a dollar per gallon of water. It's only a 10 gallon though but it loses about a gallon or more every 4 days through evaporation plus the water for the water changes. It would be much easier for me to get an RO system but it's that upfront cost.

 

Thank you! I will drip acclimate now!

 

Just wanted to mention, again, that knowing your TDS does not help as you don't know what's making it up. So there is no way to know if the TDS of your tank water killed them. pH, GH, and KH are more useful measurements. Next time check the KH, GH, and pH of the water they're being shipped in so you know how different it is compared to your tank water.

 

Just wanted to mention, again, that knowing your TDS does not help as you don't know what's making it up. So there is no way to know if the TDS of your tank water killed them. pH, GH, and KH are more useful measurements. Next time check the KH, GH, and pH of the water they're being shipped in so you know how different it is compared to your tank water.

This

Bigger the difference, longer that acclimation time