Help all my shrimp have died!

[chrisnoles]

I had 5 shrimp in a cycled tank (used bottled bacteria) and over the course of a week all of my shrimp died. Water is now cloudy, what should I do? I ordered shrimp about a week ago when I thought all was fine and the new shrimp will be here tomorrow what do i do?

 

[StarGirl]

What do you mean by cycled tank? Did you only add bacteria? How long has the tank been going?

 

[chrisnoles]

What do you mean by cycled tank? Did you only add bacteria? How long has the tank been going?

About a month, and I used bottled bacteria to cycle it in the beginning

 

[StarGirl]

Did you add ammonia or just add the fish? Bottle bacteria will not cycle your tank without some kind of ammonia source.

 

[chrisnoles]

Did you add ammonia or just add the fish? Bottle bacteria will not cycle your tank without some kind of ammonia source.

Didnt add either, every tank I’ve cycled (saltwater) did find without an ammonia source

 

[StarGirl]

Well I guess the only thing else to add is shrimp need a very established tank with loads of biofilm. Maybe your tank was just too new for them. What kind of numbers do you have? KH, GH, PH?

 

[chrisnoles]

Well I guess the only thing else to add is shrimp need a very established tank with loads of biofilm. Maybe your tank was just too new for them. What kind of numbers do you have? KH, GH, PH?

gh 60 ppm carbonate hardness 0 ph 6.5


I test PH with the api drop test kit and that read at 8.8 compared to the one on the strip…

 

[StarGirl]

Im thinking your water may be too soft for them is my guess? richiep May have more info on that for you.

How did you acclimate them?

 

[chrisnoles]

Im thinking your water may be too soft for them is my guess? richiep May have more info on that for you.

How did you acclimate them?

Floated them and then added water to the bag, my brother runs his aquarium no problem with the same exact tap water I am using, I am thinking of just doing a 50% water change on my tank (its only a 10 gallon). I tested my ammonia and it was 0. I stopped feeding for a couple of days but there was enough algae in the tank for them to graze on so I doubt it was the pellets.

 

[StarGirl]

I wouldnt do 50% for shrimp they are very sensitive to big water swings. Shrimp should be drip acclimated unless the water parameters they are in matches your tank. What kind of shrimp are they?

 

[JLAquatics]

I agree with Stargirl. Unless you have Cardinia shrimp your GH content in the water is much too soft for them. If the test kit is accurate and your KH is indeed zero, you will also have massive parameter shifts which as Stargirl pointed out can be outright deadly to shrimp. This is also assuming the tank was already cycled beforehand with zero ammonia and nitrites with some nitrate content in the water.

 

[GatlingGun]

Didnt add either, every tank I’ve cycled (saltwater) did find without an ammonia source

You need ammonia (whichever form it is) to cycle a tank, and that’s scientifically what the nitrogen cycle is. So, if you have a beneficial bacteria colony developed (your 1 month of waiting) you still haven’t cycled it yet because there has been no ammonia, but your bacteria will help cycle the aquarium and not just leave ammonia as ammonia; it will convert it and detoxify it!

So, your shrimp probably died because they were sensitive shrimp and the cycling process for any livestock is not very good for them, but if you use hardy livestock you can get through the “new tank syndrome” better. Good luck.

 

[chrisnoles]

I wouldnt do 50% for shrimp they are very sensitive to big water swings. Shrimp should be drip acclimated unless the water parameters they are in matches your tank. What kind of shrimp are they?

Don’t exactly which ones the ones that died were but the ones I just ordered are Neocaridina shrimp

I agree with Stargirl. Unless you have Cardinia shrimp your GH content in the water is much too soft for them. If the test kit is accurate and your KH is indeed zero, you will also have massive parameter shifts which as Stargirl pointed out can be outright deadly to shrimp. This is also assuming the tank was already cycled beforehand with zero ammonia and nitrites with some nitrate content in the water.

How would I harden the water?

 

[StarGirl]

If I was you I would scrap the Neos and get some Cardinia shrimp. Not many people have perfect water for them!

 

[JLAquatics]

Don’t exactly which ones the ones that died were but the ones I just ordered are Neocaridina shrimp

Yup, Neocardinia shrimp like their GH above 6 dGH or 107.6 ppm. If it is below this value, the shrimp will not adequately have enough Calcium and Magnesium to build their shells properly. In this case, the shrimp probably died while molting and have what is called the white ring of death and it is more likely as the shrimp died over a week period rather than almost immediately. If they died of ammonia poisioning or acclimation they would all have died at a much faster rate than a week. Do you remember seeing a white band around the shrimp when you removed their bodies?

I would recommend adding some calcium content in the water along with a little KH to keep the parameters from changing too rapidly if you plan on keeping more Neocardinia shrimp. Wonder Shells and Cuttlebone may work well for this purpose.

 

[StarGirl]

Yup, Neocardinia shrimp like their GH above 6 dGH or 107.6 ppm. If it is below this value, the shrimp will not adequately have enough Calcium and Magnesium to build their shells properly. In this case, the shrimp probably died while molting and have what is called the white ring of death and it is more likely as the shrimp died over a week period rather than almost immediately. Do you remember seeing a white band around the shrimp when you removed their bodies?

I would recommend adding some calcium content in the water along with a little KH to keep the parameters from changing too rapidly if you plan on keeping more Neocardinia shrimp. Wonder Shells and Cuttlebone may work well for this purpose.

I think mattgirl uses Equilibrium for her soft water and shrimp.

 

[JLAquatics]

I think mattgirl uses Equilibrium for her soft water and shrimp.

Equilibrium is precisly what I use too for my shrimp. However, Equilibrium only raises the GH content of the water. I feel that the OP may need some KH content in their water as well as 0 kh is very risky with Neo shrimp. Seachem Equilibrium along with a little crushed coral in the filter would be perfect.

 

[chrisnoles]

I dont think I saw the white ring of death (that I know of) I have a saltwater tank so I do have alk and calcium supplements. I ordered the shrimp off ebay so I am kinda stuck with them (should have researched beforehand, that is my fault) But I have a sponge filter with an airstone in it already so idk if I can fit some crushed coral in it.

What should be my course of action?

 

[StarGirl]

You can just sprinke it on the substrate too. It will melt slowly.

 

[chrisnoles]

You can just sprinke it on the substrate too. It will melt slowly.

So some equilibrium and what KH supplement?

 

[StarGirl]

So some equilibrium and what KH supplement?

Crushed Coral.

 

[chrisnoles]

Crushed Coral.

Any suggestions on what to get for crushed coral? I have some left over sand from saltwater tank that might be crushed coral, but it is live sand, idk if that will work

 

[StarGirl]

Any suggestions on what to get for crushed coral? I have some left over sand from saltwater tank that might be crushed coral, but it is live sand, idk if that will work

I dont think thats the same thing. I have super high everything so I really dont know what brand or whatever. Never used it myself. JLAquatics

 

[JLAquatics]

I dont think thats the same thing. I have super high everything so I really dont know what brand or whatever. Never used it myself. JLAquatics

Same here. I also don't personally use Crushed Coral (but hear it recommended often for other folks here on Fishlore for low kh waters) so I recommend making a new thread devoted to this question as Stargirl and I already use high kh Michigan water. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of this subject can get back with you about this.

 

[Dunk2]

Any suggestions on what to get for crushed coral? I have some left over sand from saltwater tank that might be crushed coral, but it is live sand, idk if that will work

Here’s the brand I use. . .
CARIBSEA CoraLine Florida Crushed Coral Marine Gravel, 15-lb bag - Chewy.com

 

[chrisnoles]

Here’s the brand I use. . .
CARIBSEA CoraLine Florida Crushed Coral Marine Gravel, 15-lb bag - Chewy.com

Would wonder shell work? Because I can get crushed coral but I need something ASAP

 

[richiep]

Only just waking up and have read the post, StarGirl and JLAquatics are doing a good job here helping you so listen to their advise,
It's a pity you've got these shrimp coming but I fear if you add them to your tank they will be dead within a week or so, your tank is just not ready for shrimp,it needs to be at least 3months old to have the stability that shrimp need.

 

[chrisnoles]

Only just waking up and have read the post, StarGirl and JLAquatics are doing a good job here helping you so listen to their advise,
It's a pity you've got these shrimp coming but I fear if you add them to your tank they will be dead within a week or so, your tank is just not ready for shrimp,it needs to be at least 3months old to have the stability that shrimp need.

Yeah….should’ve done my research I thought this was going to be easy, I ordered some kh/gh supplements for the tank, so hopefully I can keep them alive.

 

[mattgirl]

Didnt add either, every tank I’ve cycled (saltwater) did find without an ammonia source

I don't know about saltwater but if you didn't have an ammonia source in this tank then the tank didn't cycle. Cycling a tank simply means growing bacteria that eats ammonia and then another bacteria that eats the nitrites the ammonia eating bacteria produces. Granted shrimp have a very low bio-load so you may not have gotten an ammonia reading in this tank after adding them but I can assure you the tank you put them in was not fully cycled.

Not only was it not cycled but it also wasn't as established as a tank needs to be for shrimp. As others have mentioned I do use Equilibrium and have chunks of crushed coral in my shrimp bowl. I have very soft water almost devoid of minerals. It is fine for most fish but not for shrimp or plants. I don't actually measure my gh/kh. I use a TDS meter. My tap water has a TDS reading of 21. I raise it up to 150 with Equilibrium. I have had my shrimp for well over a year and so far so good. I started with 10 and now have way more than I can count.

 

[chrisnoles]

I don't know about saltwater but if you didn't have an ammonia source in this tank then the tank didn't cycle. Cycling a tank simply means growing bacteria that eats ammonia and then another bacteria that eats the nitrites the ammonia eating bacteria produces. Granted shrimp have a very low bio-load so you may not have gotten an ammonia reading in this tank after adding them but I can assure you the tank you put them in was not fully cycled.

Not only was it not cycled but it also wasn't as established as a tank needs to be for shrimp. As others have mentioned I do use Equilibrium and have chunks of crushed coral in my shrimp bowl. I have very soft water almost devoid of minerals. It is fine for most fish but not for shrimp or plants. I don't actually measure my gh/kh. I use a TDS meter. My tap water has a TDS reading of 21. I raise it up to 150 with Equilibrium. I have had my shrimp for well over a year and so far so good. I started with 10 and now have way more than I can count.

Yeah I think I screwed up but I’m not going to give up I bought some “shrimp minerals” on amazon that raise kh/gh so hopefully that’ll work

 

[mattgirl]

Yeah I think I screwed up but I’m not going to give up I bought some “shrimp minerals” on amazon that raise kh/gh so hopefully that’ll work

Don't beat yourself up to badly. We all mess up from time to time. We learn from it and move on. Hopefully the product you bought will help. Only time though will get this tank established enough to provide a safe home for shrimp.

I actually ran my shrimp bowl for over a year before I put shrimp in it. It doesn't take that long but since I'd never had shrimp I was afraid I would get them and they would all die off. I finally got brave enough to put shrimp in there. Thankfully they all survived and here over a year later they are all thriving and multiplying quickly.

 

[JLAquatics]

I find that tanks with a lot of live plants get established much quicker for shrimp. It offers additional surface area for biofilm to grow (A prime food source for shrimp) as well as help you keep your parameters stable. Here is my recommended course of action if I were in your shoes.

1. Don't beat yourself up. mattgirl explains this in her reply much better than I possibly could, but I just want to tell you that fishkeeping is all about trial and error. The veteran fishkeepers here on Fishlore became veterans by making mistakes and learning and overcoming obstacles. Fishkeeping is all about that learning curve, if you make no mistakes how can you possibly learn? However, you are a member on Fishlore now so we can all learn together now.

2. Cycle that tank of yours. Feel free to check out resources on the nitrogen cycle and the process of fishless cycling. If this is still too confusing to understand which can be for a beginner, the amazing mattgirl is here to help guide you through this process.

3. Consider adding easy fast growing live plants if you haven't done so already and let them establish in the tank (2-3 months) before getting the shrimp. This will allow the shrimp to have more areas to graze on and allow your tank to harbor more biofilm, a prime food source for your shrimp. Shrimp will also breed more readily in planted tanks which is the most entertaining part about owning Neocardinia shrimp. Using an planted tank LED light and an all in one fertilizer such as Easy Green, Thrive, or APT will provide the best growth for your live plants without breaking the bank. We also have a ton of resources here on the best live plants for a low tech setup, so feel free to look around.

4. Weekly tank maintenance once the tank is cycled. Create a routine once the tank is cycled and stick with it. It may seem like overkill, but clean water is the best thing you can provide for your shrimp. Water Changes IMO are neccessary for a healthy aquarium. If you just plan to have shrimp in this setup, doing a bit less than 50 percent water changes weekly such as 35-40 percent may be optimal for the shrimp. Don't forget to add that Equilibrium after the water change too along with that dechlorinater.

 

[chrisnoles]

I find that tanks with a lot of live plants get established much quicker for shrimp. It offers additional surface area for biofilm to grow (A prime food source for shrimp) as well as help you keep your parameters stable. Here is my recommended course of action if I were in your shoes.

1. Don't beat yourself up. mattgirl explains this in her reply much better than I possibly could, but I just want to tell you that fishkeeping is all about trial and error. The veteran fishkeepers here on Fishlore became veterans by making mistakes and learning and overcoming obstacles. Fishkeeping is all about that learning curve, if you make no mistakes how can you possibly learn? However, you are a member on Fishlore now so we can all learn together now.

2. Cycle that tank of yours. Feel free to check out resources on the nitrogen cycle and the process of fishless cycling. If this is still too confusing to understand which can be for a beginner, the amazing mattgirl is here to help guide you through this process.

3. Consider adding easy fast growing live plants if you haven't done so already and let them establish in the tank (2-3 months) before getting the shrimp. This will allow the shrimp to have more areas to graze on and allow your tank to harbor more biofilm, a prime food source for your shrimp. Shrimp will also breed more readily in planted tanks which is the most entertaining part about owning Neocardinia shrimp. Using an planted tank LED light and an all in one fertilizer such as Easy Green, Thrive, or APT will provide the best growth for your live plants without breaking the bank. We also have a ton of resources here on the best live plants for a low tech setup, so feel free to look around.

4. Weekly tank maintenance once the tank is cycled. Create a routine once the tank is cycled and stick with it. It may seem like overkill, but clean water is the best thing you can provide for your shrimp. Water Changes IMO are neccessary for a healthy aquarium. If you just plan to have shrimp in this setup, doing a bit less than 50 percent water changes weekly such as 35-40 percent may be optimal for the shrimp. Don't forget to add that Equilibrium after the water change too along with that dechlorinater.

Anything I can do to try and keep the ones I ordered alive instead of cross my fingers. I bought some dwarf grass grass also which hopefully grows quick. I also have a decent light on the tank so everything should go decent and not upwards, would adding nitrates speed the growth up?

 

[mattgirl]

Anything I can do to try and keep the ones I ordered alive instead of cross my fingers. I bought some dwarf grass grass also which hopefully grows quick. I also have a decent light on the tank so everything should go decent and not upwards, would adding nitrates speed the growth up?

Before you get them get the parameters in the tank where you plan on keeping them. Shrimp don't handle changes well. We want to acclimate them to the parameters they are going to be living in.

When you get them acclimate them very very slowly to the parameters of your water. I recommend drip acclimating. To do so I use a length of airline tubing with a control valve on the end going to the container the shrimp are in. I turn the control valve down to where there is about one drop per second. It could conceivably take 2 hours or so before I would consider them acclimated.

When doing water changes try to keep the fresh water as close to the same parameters as what's in the tank and even then refill by dripping the water back in instead of pouring it in. It usually takes an hour or more to drip one gallon of water back in my shrimp bowl. You can pull it out quickly but replace it very slowly. Cherry shrimp are normally tougher than some of the other species of shrimp but still need to be handled with care.

I will also recommend you get some Bacter AE. It will add food for the shrimp. It will help since this tank hasn't had time to grow much in the way of bio-film.

Shrimp don't handle high nitrates well so adding extra may not be the best thing to do. I add Thrive C to my shrimp tank but only 1/3rd of the recommended amount. I mention thrive because it does increase the nitrates.

 

[chrisnoles]

Before you get them get the parameters in the tank where you plan on keeping them. Shrimp don't handle changes well. We want to acclimate them to the parameters they are going to be living in.

When you get them acclimate them very very slowly to the parameters of your water. I recommend drip acclimating. To do so I use a length of airline tubing with a control valve on the end going to the container the shrimp are in. I turn the control valve down to where there is about one drop per second. It could conceivably take 2 hours or so before I would consider them acclimated.

When doing water changes try to keep the fresh water as close to the same parameters as what's in the tank and even then refill by dripping the water back in instead of pouring it in. It usually takes an hour or more to drip one gallon of water back in my shrimp bowl. You can pull it out quickly but replace it very slowly. Cherry shrimp are normally tougher than some of the other species of shrimp but still need to be handled with care.

I will also recommend you get some Bacter AE. It will add food for the shrimp. It will help since this tank hasn't had time to grow much in the way of bio-film.

Shrimp don't handle high nitrates well so adding extra may not be the best thing to do. I add Thrive C to my shrimp tank but only 1/3rd of the recommended amount. I mention thrive because it does increase the nitrates.

My brother has about a 2 year old freshwater tank, anything I could put into mine to get it to establish quicker?

 

[StarGirl]

Does he have a sponge filter he will part with?

 

[mattgirl]

My brother has about a 2 year old freshwater tank, anything I could put into mine to get it to establish quicker?

Anything you can get from that tank will help. Filter media will help the most though. The more the better. The amount of bacteria on it is going to depend on the bio-load though. If it is just a betta tank there won't be a lot. If it is a well stocked community tank there would be much more.

 

[richiep]

Depending on what fish your brother has in the tank it could be worth putting the shrimp in there until yours is sorted

 

[chrisnoles]

Anything you can get from that tank will help. Filter media will help the most though. The more the better. The amount of bacteria on it is going to depend on the bio-load though. If it is just a betta tank there won't be a lot. If it is a well stocked community tank there would be much more.

Yup it’s a well stocked community tank, anything specific that I should get from it? I was thinking of getting some substrate and just biofilm and putting it in a hob and let it filter that way. Also there are some random floater plants should I put those in my tank also?

Depending on what fish your brother has in the tank it could be worth putting the shrimp in there until yours is sorted

3 tetra’s but he probably has the exact same soft water parameters in his

 

[richiep]

It's worth checking his water out

 

[chrisnoles]

It's worth checking his water out

Looks like 0 carbonate hardness

 

[mattgirl]

Yup it’s a well stocked community tank, anything specific that I should get from it? I was thinking of getting some substrate and just biofilm and putting it in a hob and let it filter that way. Also there are some random floater plants should I put those in my tank also?

3 tetra’s but he probably has the exact same soft water parameters in his

Substrate and floaters should help. Filter media would help more though. Three tetras isn't what I would call well stocked but there should be enough bacteria to help seed this tank. richiep 's thought of housing the shrimp in the established tank may be the better option if you are getting the shrimp in just a few day. They will still need the long acclimation process either way. The parameters of that tank needs to be shrimp friendly though and i don't know if the tetras will see the shrimp as a nice snack.

 

[chrisnoles]

Substrate and floaters should help. Filter media would help more though. Three tetras isn't what I would call well stocked but there should be enough bacteria to help seed this tank. richiep 's thought of housing the shrimp in the established tank may be the better option if you are getting the shrimp in just a few day. They will still need the long acclimation process either way. The parameters of that tank needs to be shrimp friendly though and i don't know if the tetras will see the shrimp as a nice snack.

He currently has some black crystal shrimp in his tank so I think I might have better luck if I put them in there now for the time being

He currently has some black crystal shrimp in his tank so I think I might have better luck if I put them in there now for the time being

Would the tetra be fine in my tank if we “swapped” out stock because there is no ammonia in my tank currently but no carbonate hardness in his tank
Alright they are going in my brothers already established tank, tried to get the tetra's out to go into mine but they are way too quick. I think this would be the smartest idea to keep them alive. They just came in the mail a couple of minutes ago.

Thanks everyone!

Does he have a sponge filter he will part with?

He does not he only has one filter in there