cheers to SKF
By
revolutionhope, in Shrimp Health & Care
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By BID
Hi!
I found today the smallest of my 6 shrimp dead and can't figure out why and am hoping for help. They seemed generally less active in the last week or two, and I have noticed that they fan their belly flaps quite a lot (though none of my shrimp are berried, at least I am pretty sure, the eggs always seem pretty obvious on photos). Is it maybe too little oxygen?
The dead shrimp appears completely normal to me, and I found it lying on its side in the middle of the tank, still flapping it's belly fins. I put it in a glass with tank water where aber about 15minutes it stopped moving completely, even if prodded.
It shouldn't be a shedding issue, as I think this shrimp has shed about 4 days ago. It's the smallest of the 6 (almost half the size of my biggest) so I figured it must be juvenile and it shouldn't be age.
I do have some worms in there that I can't seem to get rid of, but I'm quite sure none of them are planaria. Seems to be some sort of white flat worm that usually sticks to the glass and very thin hair like ones that float around.
All my cherry shrimp are solid red, so I can't see if they have bacterial infection. There always seems to be one of two that are paler/mottled but as they shed I think it's that? I have a hard time keeping them apart tbh
I did a 50% water change and removed most of the floating plants in case there wasn't enough aeration.
My goal with making this post is to maybe find out what might have killed it/how to avoid further deaths. I'm happy for any advice!
Background/setup:
This is my first aquarium, just as a disclaimer, so I'm gonna list...everything, not that I oversaw sth stupid.
I got 6 cherry shrimp and 5 MTS(that have made about two dozen babies by now) approx. 5 weeks ago. The tank had been set up and running w/ plants and filter 4 weeks before that.
It's ~25L, running a sponge filter with air pump, have some java fern and moss, wood, flourite black sand, and dwarf grass(?) and a lot of tiny floating plants on top. The light sold with the aquarium (very bright) and a desk lamp (less bright) that I use sporadically.
They get fed JBL 'Nano Prawn' pellets (which they don't seem to be fond of) and sometimes blanched spinach/peas/lettuce (which they will fight eachother for). Would they starve themselves for not getting the beloved spinach&peas???
Measured half an hour ago upon finding the dead shrimp:
PH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~5 (now probably 2.5 as I just did a 50% water change)
Temp: 22-24C
I do use dechlorinator (tetra tap safe).
I currently don't have a gh/kh test but it's on the shopping list. They have a small piece (2x2cm) of cuttle bone permanently floating around the tank, as Glasgow water is supposedly soft and between snails and shrimp i figured they'd need it.
It has been stable like this for at least 3 weeks now, before that, week 1-2 of having the shrimp, the ph was a little lower and small amounts of ammonia/nitrite.
From what I read this should all be fine?
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By Myola
Hi all,
2 months ago I purchased 18 red cherries and put them into my well-cycled, 40 litre tank. Several of them were berried and have since given birth. Since then however, none of the other females have berried and I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong. My tank parameters are as follows: water temp - 22C, pH - 7.2, NO2 - 0, NO3 - 5, TDS - 195, KH - 1, GH - 3. My water is rainwater but I've been adding powdered egg shell in to boost the Calcium and I also have some mineral balls. I do weekly 10-15% water changes. Everyone seems happy and active but I have lost a few to failed moults (although there is evidence of plenty of successful moults too). There are plenty of places to hide and I have a piece of cholla wood that they love hiding in and eating from. I don't want to breed thousands of new shrimp, but it would be nice to see a few more little shrimplets scurrying around the tank. Most of the original babies have died with just a few juveniles left from the ones that came from the females that were berried when I bought them. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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By Chris0zx6r
Hi, I’ve got a 55 litre tank with some guppies, cardinal tetras, panda and peppered cories, amano shrimp and cherry shrimp (oh and a few unintentional snails). I’ve just discovered that there are maybe 10 tiny cherry shrimp (less than 2mm) underneath a piece of wood in the tank. Will they survive with the other species in the tank or should I put them in a breeding box at the top of the tank (I already have one) to stop them becoming fish food! Never had anything breed in the tank so far, so not sure what’s best.
Thanks, Chris
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By ErinF
Hi!
I know this has probably been asked a million times before but my shrimp keep dying and it's truely a mystery and being very new to shrimp keeping I'm hoping someone can help. Sorry this is long, tia!
I cycled my 21L tank for 2 months with plants (anubias on driftwood and hair grass with some floating rotala) I use Seachem Prime and Stability.
I tested everything and all was fine (we keep fish so I'm not new to water parameters just shrimp) I put in 3 large natives (pictured) and a pack of 10 glass shrimp I ordered from livefish.
All of the glass died within the week but the natives (transferred over from my housemates tank) are still thriving and have even shed the other week and grew a little. I feed algae wafers every 3 days and Hikari shrimp cuisine every second.
Did a small water change last week (10-15%) and on the weekend put in 2 cherries and 3 glass from an aquarium shop in. One of the cherries is dead and the others except 2 are hiding and I havnt seen them since the first day.
I've noticed a few detritus worms on my glass, could it be an oxygen issue? Temp is at 23°c same as housemates tank but the aquarium shop didn't seem to have a heater and livefish sent the glass in bags that arrived cold I floated the bags and let a little of my water in for about 40 mins before setting them free.
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By NoGi
The Importance of Owning a Quarantine Tank
A quarantine or hospital tank is an important part of owning an aquarium. Quarantine tanks should be used by anyone introducing new inhabitants (fish, shrimp, etc…) to a tank, but unfortunately, not all owners are able to use these specialized tanks. When a new inhabitant is introduced into an aquarium, there is the potential for it to bring diseases or parasites and vice versa. For example, new fish tend to be stressed from the transportation process. Because of this, new fish are more vulnerable to any disease or parasites already present in the existing aquarium environment. In other words, disease and parasites can work both ways, harming both the new fish and harming fish already present in the environment. A quarantine tank helps to protect your aquarium and allows new fish to regain their strength following their journey. It’s important to make an investment in one of these tanks if you’re serious about fish or any aquatic animal ownership.
In most cases, people don’t purchase a quarantine tank because they either don’t understand its importance or they don’t have the additional money/space for another tank. A quarantine tank also requires additional maintenance. However, you don’t have to invest in a particularly large or expensive tank. You may end up saving money in the long run by preventing your fish and shrimp from getting sick or ill. Most people who invest in a quarantine tank end up realizing there are significant benefits.
These tanks not only prevent the spread of disease and parasites, but also help your new inhabitants to adjust to the new water and food they’ll be exposed to. When you’re not quarantining before introduction into the larger tank, you can also use it as a treatment tank. For example, if you have sick or infected shrimp, you can separate them from the larger population and place them inside the quarantine tank. This allows you to carefully attend to your sick shrimp without worry than your healthy shrimp will also become ill. Under some circumstances, you can also use the quarantine tank as a breeding tank, a tank to raise newly hatched fry and shrimplets, and as a place to seclude any of your inhabitants who are being harassed.
There are additional benefits to using a quarantine tank. First, it’s easier and cheaper to medicate sick inhabitants when you use a quarantine tank. By preventing a larger outbreak, you can minimize the medical costs by limiting your treatment to one or two sick inhabitants. It’s also far easier to maintain the water quality for newly introduced fish or shrimp. In heavily populated tanks, it’s difficult to keep the water quality at optimal levels. In a more limited quarantine tank, you can more effectively maintain the optimum water conditions. If your inhabitants are exhibiting any signs of trouble adjusting to its environment, you can perform even more frequent water changes to guarantee the water quality is optimum. However, in general, a quarantine tank is a good investment because it allows you to keep any eye on specific tank inhabitants more easily. When a fish or shrimp is isolated from larger groups, it’s easier find and inspect. They will also be less likely to hide in a smaller tank. For all these reasons, quarantine tanks are the perfect solution for aquatic owners needing to keep inhabitants isolated.
Typically speaking, you’ll want to buy a 30-40L (approx. 9 gallon) tank for use as a quarantine tank. This size is perfect for both freshwater and saltwater environments. Afterward, you’ll want to set up the tank to operate properly. Use a fluorescent light to illuminate the area, keep a heater to warm the water, and use rocks that can be easily scrubbed of any waste. PVC and plastic tubes can be used to provide additional cover. To keep the tank appropriately filtered, use a sponge filter. These filters require you to remove, disinfect, and rinse them in-between uses. Also, since quarantine tanks are temporary holding areas, they typically don’t have a substrate. This will let you clean and disinfect them more easily.
The disinfection process itself is not too complicated. You can remove the equipment inside when the tank is not in use. Using a mild unscented bleach solution, you can scrub both the equipment and the internal walls of the tank. However, make sure to remove all traces of bleach before refilling the tank and placing any fish in there. Drying out the tank is another way to kill many of the waterborne pathogens that commonly infest a tank. Use a separate siphon for your quarantine tank than you use for your normal tank, and disinfect it when you disinfect the rest of the tank’s equipment.
With fish, the actual length of time you keep them quarantined can vary, but typically it takes between two to four weeks to either introduce a new fish or rehab a sick one. Within that time frame, a copper sulfate treatment can be used to treat parasites. This process can last anywhere from two to three weeks. Keep an eye on your fish. If they have red spots or ragged fins, there’s a chance there’s a bacterial infection going on, which will require additional treatments. Also replace between 10 and 15% of the water every other day to guarantee the quality of your water is at its best. That said, if you also keep shrimp, either setup a second hospital tank for them or ensure you do a proper clean after use. To shrimp, the majority of copper based solutions can be fatal.
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Posts
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By jayc · Posted
Not the best photo of the fish. Have you checked your water parameters? -
By jayc · Posted
Yeah, there was an issue with SKFA forums or the servers its on for many hours. That would have been why no one was around to respond. That rock was buffering the pH. Now that it's gone, the water is returning to it's normal pH range. Well normal but for the substrate buffering it lower. You can try adding a small piece of the rock back in - that's one quick option. -
By Crabclaw · Posted
Hey guys, I noticed a couple of days ago that one of my female rocket killies has some sort of disease or injury on her side, and I have no experience with fish diseases at all, so can I get some help with working out what it is and what to do about it? One of my female endlers also has a little white line on the end of her tail, and I just noticed this as well. Please help me with identifying the problems and fixing them. Photos are here: https://postimg.cc/gallery/odz029e0/ Cheers, Crabclaw -
By Steensj2004 · Posted
Turned into a ghost town in here, lol. PH is down to 5.9-6.0 for some reason. All I’ve changed is the Rock was removed and a few small almond leaves added. I know those can bring the PH down a hair. Any idea what might be causing the issue? I was planning on keeping Some Jade Neos, I don’t know that they would like 5.9-6.0 very well. Thoughts? I’m struggling here and I don’t know wtf to do. I’d love is someone could help me out here. -
By Steensj2004 · Posted
Update for anyone interested.Rock was removed, Ph and TDS is down, over the last few days it’s crept down to around 190TDs after small water changes. Something that want happening with even larger changes before. PH seems to be down around 6.5. I hope it stays at that level, all inhabitants look to be doing well.
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