I'm Getting Desperate. Shrimp Keep Dying

Hey I'm sure u guys know me by now. Iva had my shrimp for a while now. I get a steady rate of deaths and I've tried everything but they don't seem to live. They also never come to the food dish when I put food in. They just sit on one spot in my tank and do nothing. I've tried H202. Nothing. I've tried buying bacter ae. Nothing. I've tried putting citric acid in their food. Nothing. Half of my shrimp walk crooked too. I'm desperate please help.

Water perams:
Temp 72 fareinheit
0 ppm ammonia nitrites and nitrates


These are all the foods I've tried. They won't touch any of them.

 

Try this twice a week. Bacter AE.



Oophs... looks like you already have. Sorry. But you won't see the Bacter AE in the tank being eaten, too small.

 

What are your kH, gH, TDS values?

 

What are your kH, gH, TDS values?

I don't have a gh kh kit but u do add crushed egg shell for calcium. Tds 210

 

I don't have a gh kh kit but u do add crushed egg shell for calcium. Tds 210

Okay good, I just had some in the past that I had issues with because my tap has 0 calcium and I was having problems dissolving enough. You may want to try adding extra eggshells for a little while.
Do the dead ones look any different? Do you see any signs of vorticella or scutarellia?

 

Okay good, I just had some in the past that I had issues with because my tap has 0 calcium and I was having problems dissolving enough. You may want to try adding extra eggshells for a little while.
Do the dead ones look any different? Do you see any signs of vorticella or scutarellia?

Well I'm pretty sure I don't have worms. What should I look for. I don't see anything on antenna or underbelly.

 

Well I'm pretty sure I don't have worms. What should I look for. I don't see anything on antenna or underbelly.

It sort of looks like fungus either on the shrimp's face, rostrum, head, back, or underbelly. They're see through and I totally thought it was just fungus at first. Very, very small, I had to use a Jeweler's loupe to see mine.

 

It sort of looks like fungus either on the shrimp's face, rostrum, head, back, or underbelly. They're see through and I totally thought it was just fungus at first. Very, very small, I had to use a Jeweler's loupe to see mine.

Well I already have some dewormer. Should I add it anyway?

 

Well I already have some dewormer. Should I add it anyway?

If you don't see anything, I wouldn't. It's just something that came to mind that I had dealt with before.
DI the dead ones have abnormally swollen or red heads by any chance?

 

If you don't see anything, I wouldn't. It's just something that came to mind that I had dealt with before.
DI the dead ones have abnormally swollen or red heads by any chance?

Well some of my shrimp have red spot and the insides have been turning black. I watched Marks Shrimp Tanks video on vibrio and tried what he did but it doesn't seem to be working.

 

Dang, I'm so sorry, I don't see anything amiss. And they're such pretty shrimp.
I know Mark mentioned a 100% water change as a last resort and to reacclimate them to the new water. You may be at that point, but I don't know.
My best advice would be to try and increase them calcium and maybe do Mark's method. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

Rtessy it right you first need to get KH/GH readings if the GH is below 5 you will have moult issues, the second point are the red spots but I need to see a shrimp with them on, if all the ones that have died got the spots first then id be looking at rust spot desiase which is highly contagious and can wipe out your colony

 

Dang, I'm so sorry, I don't see anything amiss. And they're such pretty shrimp.
I know Mark mentioned a 100% water change as a last resort and to reacclimate them to the new water. You may be at that point, but I don't know.
My best advice would be to try and increase them calcium and maybe do Mark's method. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Already did the 100% water thing. Didn't help

 

So I got an API gh/kh test kit. Are these OK or not?

Tank:
Kh: 6 drops so 50-100 ppm
Gh: 10 drops 140-200 ppm

Tap:
Kh: 6 drops 50-100 ppn
Gh: 9 drops 140-200 ppm

Again thanks everyone for your help.

I lost 13 today alone. Does this thing on this dead shrimp mean anything. It's prob too late but thanks everyone and especially richie.p

 

I don't know much about shrimp, I did have a small shrimp tank for a short while but I didn't get far into it. A few questions would be what specific type of shrimp were you trying to keep (they look like cherry shrimp but I don't know my shrimp well)? How long have you had the shrimp?

13 in one day is quite a few. Awhile we're at it, ammonia and nitrite are okay?? shrimp are extremely sensitive to those two. if you had them for awhile it couldve been something with calcium and molting but, considering you're losing a bunch in large spurts, I'd guess its something more with water chemistry than it is the shrimp themselves.

When I know what kind of shrimp those are, I'll try and look up the recommended kg/gh/calcium/magnesium/carbonate levels for them. I have a feeling what you have may be too low (not enough calcium/magnesium) for them.but I could be wrong. Again, I don't know my shrimps all THAT well.

I also read a pretty in depth explaination about gh, kh, carbonate and calcium/magnesium in reference to shrimp on another site (that I can't post here but if you search google for those things you'll find it) that stated that API's GH/KH test kits are the most accurate for what they test.

 

richie.p they deleted the other thread so I couldn't see your responce..

 

richie.p they deleted the other thread so I couldn't see your responce..

Hi, there was no response as such, just a suggestion that the two threads be combined

 

Hi, there was no response as such, just a suggestion that the two threads be combined

I saw that I'm not mad. I just didn't get a chance to read his responce.

 

HI Anto26 I suggested your thread be moved over as you started it here and gets very confusing when there's two going on the same thing from one person, so not to worry were all in the right place now, I believe my response was about colours on your test results is that right

 

HI Anto26 I suggested your thread be moved over as you started it here and gets very confusing when there's two going on the same thing from one person, so not to worry were all in the right place now, I believe my response was about colours on your test results is that right

Idk. I never got to see it

 

Ok what stage are you at at the moment

 

Ok what stage are you at at the moment

What do you mean? Right now I have them in a fish bowl. Today I'm going to take a very thing from the tank and sanatize the whole thing.

 

Your last post was about losing another 13 shrimp there's was no response really. Now for a lot of questions this is now a case of elimination so please go through these slowly and answer the best you can
Looking at the photo anton it hard to identify anything I can't see anything I don't know if anyone else can, your water looks fine nothing out of place there, the shrimp that died what were they? How long as it been since you put them in? How did you acclimate them? Did they have the red spots? Can you take a photo of the spots, is there any chance you've got mosquito larvae in the tank? They will kill every shrimp, can you see any type of worm on the glass or anything out of the ordinary, this is the only way of going forward I can see unless someone else can suggest anything

 

I didn't see specified, what is your pH value? Could you water be too acidic for neos?

 

I didn't see specified, what is your pH value? Could you water be too acidic for neos?

No all my water is fine. Ph 7.8 to 8

Your last post was about losing another 13 shrimp there's was no response really. Now for a lot of questions this is now a case of elimination so please go through these slowly and answer the best you can
Looking at the photo anton it hard to identify anything I can't see anything I don't know if anyone else can, your water looks fine nothing out of place there, the shrimp that died what were they? How long as it been since you put them in? How did you acclimate them? Did they have the red spots? Can you take a photo of the spots, is there any chance you've got mosquito larvae in the tank? They will kill every shrimp, can you see any type of worm on the glass or anything out of the ordinary, this is the only way of going forward I can see unless someone else can suggest anything

I just put them in last night. The ones left (3) are really active and don't show red Spots. I just dropped them in the new bowl. I know that not recommended but I had to get them out. The only unusual thing is the copepods.

 

If you didn't acclimatise them properly they can go straight into shock and die, shrimp can't put up with big water changes and not being acclimatised, if you do go for a complete clean the chances are you'll lose any you put back into a new clean tank they won't be able to take it,

 

Are you by any chance dosing CO2 and forgot it on overnight?

 

If you didn't acclimatise them properly they can go straight into shock and die, shrimp can't put up with big water changes and not being acclimatised, if you do go for a complete clean the chances are you'll lose any you put back into a new clean tank they won't be able to take it,

I'm going to drip acclimate them when I get the 10 gal back up and running. I just had to get them out of the 10 gal.

Are you by any chance dosing CO2 and forgot it on overnight?

No I don't use co2. And yea I know about fish tank guys. This is the first time I've tried shrimp but I've kept other fish. I know about these things.

 

I understand your in a catch 22 if things don't work out for those other shrimp don't give up well get it right this time, not sure where you are but if your in the UK I'll gladly send you shrimp to get you started

 

I understand your in a catch 22 if things don't work out for those other shrimp don't give up well get it right this time, not sure where you are but if your in the UK I'll gladly send you shrimp to get you started

I'm in the US.

 

I have a few questions.
*How long has the tank been running?
*Have you checked for opportunistic insect larvae?
*Where did you get the shrimp?

 

I have a few questions.
*How long has the tank been running?
*Have you checked for opportunistic insect larvae?
*Where did you get the shrimp?

The tank has been up since the end of Dec. I have copepods but that's all. How would I look for larve? I haven't noticed any worms. I got my shirmp from Terry's Tanks. Terrystanks.com

 

just do a google search of the bugs still active in your area and look at pics of their larvae most should be visible to the eye. The tank is a bit fresher than I've had luck with but its probably mature enough. No experience with Terry's tanks are they reliable? Have you contacted them?

 

just do a google search of the bugs still active in your area and look at pics of their larvae most should be visible to the eye. The tank is a bit fresher than I've had luck with but its probably mature enough. No experience with Terry's tanks are they reliable? Have you contacted them?

Yea. They are really nice. He also tried to help me with the tank. If you need really good food for a really good price go to him.

 

Looking back at in the thread I notice you had a berried shrimp be careful if you drain you don't kill any young, to be honest anton if there's no mosquito larvae which you should easily see and not rust spot disease I'd hold off on a complete restart as I think you may have killed them by not acclimatiseing them right and your tank should stabilise now put the others back in and see how it goes as they are fine. It up to you

 

Looking back at in the thread I notice you had a berried shrimp be careful if you drain you don't kill any young, to be honest anton if there's no mosquito larvae which you should easily see and not rust spot disease I'd hold off on a complete restart as I think you may have killed them by not acclimatiseing them right and your tank should stabilise now put the others back in and see how it goes as they are fine. It up to you

I've tried that. Putting them all. In a bucket and doing a 90% water change and that didn't work.

 

Just checked and they all are still alive and well. How long would it take them to die if they were going to?

 

Have you tested your water for copper? Sometimes there’s copper in the tap, and that will kill invertabrates like shrimp.

 

Have you tested your water for copper? Sometimes there’s copper in the tap, and that will kill invertabrates like shrimp.

Well like I said the tank was perfectly fine for a month. My water perams are fine. I have a bacterial disease or something.

 

You're doing daily water changes? Small ones, like 25% for now? Sometimes tap parameters change at certain times of the year. Sensitive creatures will feel it, especially with a large WC. I usually do large 50-75% WCs in my tanks, but they need it and I test my tap params pretty much every time.

 

If you did a 90%water change did you acclimatise them to the new water if not this again will kill them, I know you thinking about bacterial disease but Rtessy and myself can't identify anything and the shrimp, what you can try is floating a container in the tank with half the shrimp and reintroduce the others to the tank and see what happens over night

 

You're doing daily water changes? Small ones, like 25% for now? Sometimes tap parameters change at certain times of the year. Sensitive creatures will feel it, especially with a large WC. I usually do large 50-75% WCs in my tanks, but they need it and I test my tap params pretty much every time.

Idk where you get that. I don't do water changes every day. I do 10% once a week.

 

If you did a 90%water change did you acclimatise them to the new water if not this again will kill them, I know you thinking about bacterial disease but Rtessy and myself can't identify anything and the shrimp, what you can try is floating a container in the tank with half the shrimp and reintroduce the others to the tank and see what happens over night

So put 1 shrimp in the tank and the other 2 in a container floating? And what about the red spots?

 

Also how long will it take shirmp to die if you haven't acclimated them?

 

Idk where you get that. I don't do water changes every day. I do 10% once a week.

I was just thinking a bit of replenished water might help if it was bacterial. And a heads up about the tap water params. What if something changed in the past month?

I was saying I do large WCs because I have large fish, but if tank params are that different from tap params, obviously I won't change out that much at a time. It was just to say for anyone else reading this thinking it's ok to do large WCs no matter what. A 100% WC and sensitive shrimp would have to be re-acclimated, but didn't have to mention that again.

 

Can you post a picture of the red spots let's rule them out, diying in uncliamitised tank some can die within minutes some shrimp will die within 24hrs others won't die until the first moult after putting them in the tank so that could be up to three weeks

 

What kinds of shrimp are those?..

 

Can you post a picture of the red spots let's rule them out, diying in uncliamitised tank some can die within minutes some shrimp will die within 24hrs others won't die until the first moult after putting them in the tank so that could be up to three weeks

Red Spots. They are orange rili

 

That's rust spot disease everything that's bee in contact must be regarded as contaminated, Levamisole is the cure it will kill everything if un treated I find a link on it

 

That's rust spot disease everything that's bee in contact must be regarded as contaminated, Levamisole is the cure it will kill everything if un treated I find a link on it

I had some levamisole but I returned it