Overfed Ghost Shrimp?

Hello! I have a 5 gallon tank with a small betta and 4 shrimp. I got the shrimp just last Sunday, and one of them has died. On Monday, I gave each of them one frozen bloodworm to eat, which they seemed to enjoy. Then on Tuesday, I tried to give the betta mysis shrimp, but he didn't notice when one drifted off. It landed on the ground, and a small shrimp ate the whole thing. The next day, one of the shrimp was dead. I don't know if it was that shrimp because I can't tell them apart, but I assumed it was because I've heard that overfeeding will quickly kill shrimp. I know it's not from being uncycled, as I have no ammonia or nitrite, (cycled tank) and less than 5 nitrate. The temperature is 79 degrees, and the pH is 7.0. I also have live plants which they spend a lot of time in. Did that one shrimp die because it ate two larger meals in two days? I have not fed my shrimp since, so how often should I feed them?

 

I doubt it died from eating, more like an ammonia spike from extra food/waste/bioload or new shrimp issues.

 

I thought shrimp had almost no effect on bioload? I am careful with feeding unless my betta doesn't notice when food drops down, which is rare. I last tested three days ago (day that shrimp died) and there was no ammonia and I have not had trouble since then. Could a spike have been that quick and then quickly been processed by the BB? If there is an ammonia spike, would it lead to more, possibly?

 

I don't know how solid your cycle is. A very solid cycle will dispose of ammonia super quick. However ghost shrimp are typically bread as feeders in low quality conditions. It could have been any number or combination of things. I wouldn't sweat it. Pull the dead shrimp out, perform weekly maintenance and test the water regularly. Try again later.
It's not the shrimp that causes the load, it is the food you feed them.

 

Ok. I am only planning on feeding shrimp pellets or frozen bloodworms twice a week. My cycle has supported a betta (and the occasional pellet he misses) for a month, and only recently I've gotten the shrimp. I tested again today, and I got no ammonia, so I hope if it was a spike it's over and gone.

 

A little off topic here but I wanted to warn you. You have Ghost Shrimp, correct? I'd be careful with having ghost shrimp in with your betta because from my experience they can be aggressive. I used to have about 5 or 6 ghost shrimp a few years ago with about the same amount of cherry shrimp and within a very short period of time all my cherry shrimp were dead. My large ghost shrimp ate them. I found out from my IG acct. that this has happened to another handful of other people where there ghost shrimp ate their cherry. I'd hate to either see your betta attack your ghost shrimp (not sure if they are big or small) or the ghost grab and hurt your betta.

When I had my ghost shrimp their tank temp. was 74. Maybe your temp is too warm for them. Does your tank have enough oxygen in it? An air bubble perhaps? You could possibly be not feeding them enough even. I know a well established tank will have biofilm and microorganisms for shrimp to feast on throughout their day.

 

I think my betta may have eaten them while I was asleep, since all of them went missing the day after a water change (I saw them after the change, so I didn't suck them up) and there were no bodies. I originally ruled that out since when they were first introduced he stopped investigating them because of their whiskers waving around, but I think I was just plain wrong about deciding that he wasn't aggressive at all. Sometimes my betta misses his food, and when they were in there I'd just let them eat it, and I had a big hair algae problem a little while ago that I was clearing up, and I saw them eating that. I also gave them a shrimp pellet on the first day, but they seemed to ignore it. I think they're pretty cool critters, so maybe I'd try again in the future with a shrimp tank instead of a fish tank.

 

I'm sorry for the losses of your ghost shrimp.