What is Wrong With My Cherry Shrimp?

I have a female Cherry Shrimp that I've had for 3 months. Before today she was acting like a normal shrimp. This morning I looked in tank and noticed that she wasn't as active as normal and her face (not a shrimp anatomy expert) looks odd. Monthly water changes of 30%, 8 other Cherry Shrimp in tank that at doing just fine, 3 Guppies, 6 Ember Tetras, and a Pleco as tank mates. Water parameters checked 2 days ago, all normal. Nitrates, nitrites, ammonia all zero. PH is 7.4. Do shrimp get fungal infections of some sort, is she just trying to molt? Help!

 

Hi aniemari14 that looks like a serious fungal problem, if she's due to molt then the chances are it will all come away with the molt if not then you can treat with API pimafix
If it dose come away with the molt be sure to take the molt out of the tank

 

Usually that much growth points to a water quality issue. Im a bit hesitant on the test results....I don't think 30% change every month is enough for this stocking.

 

Thanks for your answer! If it's a 20 gallon tank, how often should I be doing water changes and of what percentage?

Usually that much growth points to a water quality issue. Im a bit hesitant on the test results....I don't think 30% change every month is enough for this stocking.

Hi aniemari14 that looks like a serious fungal problem, if she's due to molt then the chances are it will all come away with the molt if not then you can treat with API pimafix
If it dose come away with the molt be sure to take the molt out of the tank

Thanks richiep, if it is a fungal problem why is she the only one effected? 3 of my shrimp are only a month old (hatched out of my tank), I would think that they would be more susceptible to a fungal outbreak?

Hi aniemari14 that looks like a serious fungal problem, if she's due to molt then the chances are it will all come away with the molt if not then you can treat with API pimafix
If it dose come away with the molt be sure to take the molt out of the tank

Thanks richiep, if it is a fungal problem why is she the only one effected? 3 of my shrimp are only a month old (hatched out of my tank), I would think that they would be more susceptible to a fungal outbreak?

 

Thanks for your answer! If it's a 20 gallon tank, how often should I be doing water changes and of what percentage?


Thanks richiep, if it is a fungal problem why is she the only one effected? 3 of my shrimp are only a month old (hatched out of my tank), I would think that they would be more susceptible to a fungal outbreak?

Thanks richiep, if it is a fungal problem why is she the only one effected? 3 of my shrimp are only a month old (hatched out of my tank), I would think that they would be more susceptible to a fungal outbreak?

How much do you feed? If feeding every day then probably 50% every week is good. For those stocking level I dont usually feed the tanks at all, but every tank is set up differently so hard to say...

 

I find 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 0 nitrate with a 30% water change each month to be most likely incorrect. In a cycled tank you should have at least some nitrate buildup - especially after a month with that stocking. I would recommend doing some more frequent water changes and seeing if it helps. You can start adding meds, but if you don't know what you're treating and your water isn't actually good quality it is not going to matter.

 

How much do you feed? If feeding every day then probably 50% every week is good. For those stocking level I dont usually feed the tanks at all, but every tank is set up differently so hard to say...

The fish get a very small pinch of their food in the morning and then the shrimp get 4 of the small shrimp pellets in the evenings, pleco gets a small algae pellet every other day.
Just discovered that I was not shaking my test liquid (API master test kit) long enough. So my nitrates are actually 10 ppm when I do the test properly

 

The fish get a very small pinch of their food in the morning and then the shrimp get 4 of the small shrimp pellets in the evenings, pleco gets a small algae pellet every other day.
Just discovered that I was not shaking my test liquid (API master test kit) long enough. So my nitrates are actually 10 ppm when I do the test properly

Yeah that's a lot of food. So more water changes or feed less, otherwise you will see more weird growth. Shrimp and pleco do not need to be fed if there are fish. Just feeding the fish is enough.