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Aquamaxx 17.1 Gallon Caridina Tank Build


Steensj2004

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Update: Still feeding the Oil Infused Bug Bites. A few shrimp( the two farthest along with the disease) still show signs, but look much better. No more deaths. Also, tons of babies showing up. I counted 15 earlier, most are black crystals...... probably should have left those out??, oh well!

Just did a 2 gallon water change, Added some Shrimp Fit, Baby Shrimp, BacterAE, and Marks Shrimp Tanks Montmorillonite Clay.

Water Parameters:

PH: 6.4

GH:5-6

KH:1-0

TDS 115

Temp:68f

Ammonia: 0ppm

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12 hours ago, Steensj2004 said:

 Added some Shrimp Fit, Baby Shrimp, BacterAE, and Marks Shrimp Tanks Montmorillonite Clay.

don't add too much stuff at once or you'll pollute the water

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2 hours ago, beanbag said:

don't add too much stuff at once or you'll pollute the water

I’ve only ever dosed about 1/4 the recommended dose for this tank, on any of this stuff. What I added, was maybe 1/5 of a spoon worth for everything.

 

Right now, Shrimp Fit and Shrimp Baby are added only during water changes, BacterAE is every other day. No ammonia spikes of water parameters/ammonia  changes from that dosing regimen.

Edited by Steensj2004
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I don’t know what the heck these shrimp have, but I cannot believe this disease is still hanging on. What. The. Eff......?!

 

Salt dips. Oregano Oil( internal and external). H2O2 treatments. Temp decrease to 68F.  The heck, man......

Edited by Steensj2004
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Separate the worst infected if you can. They might be re-infecting each other.

A hospital tank is looking like a much better idea. It can even be a 2Gallon bucket.

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Have you had any more deaths recently? Have you got Indian Almond leaves as they are supposed to have anti-bacterial qualities?

I hope the babies are doing well!

Simon

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On 2/16/2020 at 3:32 AM, sdlTBfanUK said:

Have you had any more deaths recently? Have you got Indian Almond leaves as they are supposed to have anti-bacterial qualities?

I hope the babies are doing well!

Simon

I’ve had Indian almond leaves in the tank since I started it. The only thing I have tried is the medicine listed in the disease thread, it’s a pig medicine I think. I have much better pics, but I can’t upload the dang things because of the file limit. I’m not sure how to get around it. 
 

I’m  still feeding oil infused bites, and have increased the strength of the oil water slightly. 

44058C5A-9913-40E7-A9F0-49C056A29F75.jpeg

Edited by Steensj2004
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5 hours ago, Steensj2004 said:

44058C5A-9913-40E7-A9F0-49C056A29F75.jpeg

She's looking good to me. But that might be the resolution.

File size limits are only imposed on free accounts, unfortunately. If you support the site as a $20 Platinum member, the file size limits should be lifted to something a LOT more reasonable.

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That picture is a bit small but it looks good to me! If you aren't losing shrimps (and hopefully that is the case) I would just carry on as you are with the treatment as it isn't causing any problems? I would expect you would have to treat for longer when doing a whole tank than a smaller hospital tank.

Did you do the pig treatment just the once or did you do the repeat 48hr?

Simon

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8 hours ago, jayc said:

She's looking good to me. But that might be the resolution.

File size limits are only imposed on free accounts, unfortunately. If you support the site as a $20 Platinum member, the file size limits should be lifted to something a LOT more reasonable.

Ohhhhhh, ok. Paying for a premium account ASAP.

3 hours ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

That picture is a bit small but it looks good to me! If you aren't losing shrimps (and hopefully that is the case) I would just carry on as you are with the treatment as it isn't causing any problems? I would expect you would have to treat for longer when doing a whole tank than a smaller hospital tank.

Did you do the pig treatment just the once or did you do the repeat 48hr?

Simon

I haven’t yet done the chemical(pig wormer) treatment as I’m scared of dosing anything into the tank but H202. No further loses, and everyone seems healthy. Two berried females( including the worst looking of the females, surprisingly), and lots of fresh moly’s going on. Babies are all still doing great too. I think I have around 15 currently. This is the first batch I’ve seen crystal blacks in. The ratio is definitely more heavily black crystals than I’d like..... oh well. 
 

No more new infections to shrimp who didn’t already have the disease. Several have reverted 100% back to normal coloration, while other are improving, but as they were so far along it may just be taking longer to recover completely. 
 

I’m considering making some of this Rephasy with added oregano oil. Adding oil in the same ratio as the diluted oregano oil, water mixture. Thoughts? Just another way to get them to eat the oil. They seem to be after added food more readily now.

Edited by Steensj2004
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It sounds to all be going in the right direction, thankfully! You can address the colour bias at a later date, you may be able to sell some on when everything settles down? Some of us would be happy to get any babies of any colour, I hate this having to wait out winter, but at least we are nearing spring? I am having to resist the urge to get some dwarf rasboras to go in that tank???

If you haven't tried the pig treatment I would definitely only do that is a separate hospital tank trying 1 shrimp only to start. I would just carry on with the oregano oil for a while and see how that goes as it appears to be going well at the moment? I would even carry on with the oil treatment for a few weeks after the shrimps look recovered just to be a bit surer it doesn't return.

Simon

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1 hour ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

It sounds to all be going in the right direction, thankfully! You can address the colour bias at a later date, you may be able to sell some on when everything settles down? Some of us would be happy to get any babies of any colour, I hate this having to wait out winter, but at least we are nearing spring? I am having to resist the urge to get some dwarf rasboras to go in that tank???

If you haven't tried the pig treatment I would definitely only do that is a separate hospital tank trying 1 shrimp only to start. I would just carry on with the oregano oil for a while and see how that goes as it appears to be going well at the moment? I would even carry on with the oil treatment for a few weeks after the shrimps look recovered just to be a bit surer it doesn't return.

Simon

Oh, I do have some people/ friends wanting to buy, but I can’t with a clear conscience sell/trade until I’m sure they are 100% healthy. Also, I need to rebuild the population first. I don’t mind any color babies. I know I’ll get a broad mix, but I don’t care. I’m not looking for a pure line, anyway. 
 

I have no plans to change the treatment regimen at this point, aka add any new treatments.  
 

As far as the Galaxy Rasboras, it won’t HURT to get some. Yours might act differently than mine. And if the population is growing and you have good hiding places, you should be ok. It doesn’t take long for the babies to be too big for them to consume. 

Edited by Steensj2004
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Question from a fellow aquarium friend, that I couldn’t answer:

 

Is Chitinolytic disease treatable with Fishmox( amoxicillin)? He asked me today why I hadn’t tried it, and I said I hadn’t considered it.

Edited by Steensj2004
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9 hours ago, Steensj2004 said:

Is Chitinolytic disease treatable with Fishmox( amoxicillin)?

It might work. Amoxicillin kills a wide range of bacteria (also beneficial bacteria), so it might work. 

Only way is to try it. Can you get Fishmox easily, I know it's not easy for me to get any here.

It will treat issues externally. The problem with it though, is that Chitinlytic disease is as much internal as it is external. So you got to get the shrimp to eat some of that amoxicillin.

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16 minutes ago, jayc said:

It might work. Amoxicillin kills a wide range of bacteria (also beneficial bacteria), so it might work. 

Only way is to try it. Can you get Fishmox easily, I know it's not easy for me to get any here.

It will treat issues externally. The problem with it though, is that Chitinlytic disease is as much internal as it is external. So you got to get the shrimp to eat some of that amoxicillin.

I’m holding some right now, the friend had some. I told him I would consult my resident shrimp experts first. I don’t know that I want to try it. Shrimp are doing great, and I have been feeding oregano infused foods, every other day, for weeks now. All shrimp are getting some. I’m not sure I want to add more treatment to the mix, just because. Also, I don’t want to kill my filter bacteria too, that would be a whole new set of problems.... I think I’ll pass, it just isn’t worth murdering my biofilter, and adding more to the tank.

Edited by Steensj2004
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4 hours ago, Steensj2004 said:

I think I’ll pass, it just isn’t worth murdering my biofilter, and adding more to the tank.

Yeah,

it's definitely a quarantine tank usage ONLY. Don't use it in the main tank.

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Love when someone posts on a topic as I’m reading it ?

Yeah I wouldn’t risk it, as long as the shrimp are slowly recovering. Keep it in mind as a last resort, maybe, if they get worse again. 

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  • 1 month later...

I suppose I should update. Things have been going well. Or so I thought. Population growing, lots of babies, but two shrimp were showing signs of the disease again. Turning pink on the white areas. Same shrimp seem to be getting it. Two are so bad I euthanized them..... they were clearly dying. I’m so frustrated with this tank I don’t know what to do. My parameters are great, or at least I think:

PH:6.4

GH: 6

KH:0-1

TDS: 116

Temp: 68

 

I’m also back to fighting black beard after eradicating it, or so I thought. I mean, can I catch a friggin break?! I feed so carefully, I have no idea why I’d have algae....

I think it goes without saying I’m frustrated. One female just dropped babies a week ago and is already berries again. The black crystals don’t seem to get whatever this is.

Edited by Steensj2004
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Some pics

97A3B10D-F4E8-4D90-9177-B16512715512.jpeg

20782495-E6ED-47F3-800A-F3BF5B55ADEB.jpeg

0EA27783-2700-481D-A36A-A997B9E2C034.jpeg

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Great photos and the tank seems to be growing in nicely! The parameters look good, although the TDS is a bit low and I would slowly increase that to 140-150?

I hear and feel your frustration, believe me............... I have given up on the taiwan bee tank at the moment as like yours it all looks good parameter wise and I was feeding/bacter ae as before, but I haven't seen a shrimp for a few days so they must have died off. Luckily I got my fish just before the lockdown so I  have 1 (got 2 but one wasn't right from day 1, spent all day in the corner going up and down) and 11 mosquito rasbora so it has turned into a fish tank - for now anyway. We can't get shrimp here at the moment anyway but I haven't decided whether I will re-try shrimp in that tank or not. I may think of adding Tangerine Tiger in ? months as they are cheap but I don't need to even consider that at this point. Once lockdown is over I will get another 25 Bloody mary shrimps for the oldest tank as the others look good and I have now fished out/disposed of 100-200 wild type!

My screen is a bit small, is the black beard algae mixed in with the moss (as before), the rest of the tank looks nice and clear, or is that because you have cleared the black beard off. If it is only in the moss I would just remove that moss permanently and have a rethink of some alternative? I have some black algae (don't know if it is black beard?) in my oldest tank and that has been there for years but only grows small clumps on the black plastic of the filters, which are black as well so I only notice it when I am doing maintenance? I would probably remove that driftwood with the moss and put it in the newly set up tank which is cycling and see what happens in a few weeks, it will probably help the new tank as well - worth a try - the different parameters/light etc etc may get rid of it! Make sure you are very careful though when/if removing it as there may be shrimplets hiding in the moss..........

As for the discoloured shrimp, you are doing well with the oregano oil soaked food and H2O2 treatment so just carry on with that as your population is growing nicely. Any trial of new treatments I would do in a seperate tank (or even just a bucket/container) as you don't want a repeat of your first try with the oregano oil? 

Simon

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53 minutes ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

Great photos and the tank seems to be growing in nicely! The parameters look good, although the TDS is a bit low and I would slowly increase that to 140-150?

I hear and feel your frustration, believe me............... I have given up on the taiwan bee tank at the moment as like yours it all looks good parameter wise and I was feeding/bacter ae as before, but I haven't seen a shrimp for a few days so they must have died off. Luckily I got my fish just before the lockdown so I  have 1 (got 2 but one wasn't right from day 1, spent all day in the corner going up and down) and 11 mosquito rasbora so it has turned into a fish tank - for now anyway. We can't get shrimp here at the moment anyway but I haven't decided whether I will re-try shrimp in that tank or not. I may think of adding Tangerine Tiger in ? months as they are cheap but I don't need to even consider that at this point. Once lockdown is over I will get another 25 Bloody mary shrimps for the oldest tank as the others look good and I have now fished out/disposed of 100-200 wild type!

My screen is a bit small, is the black beard algae mixed in with the moss (as before), the rest of the tank looks nice and clear, or is that because you have cleared the black beard off. If it is only in the moss I would just remove that moss permanently and have a rethink of some alternative? I have some black algae (don't know if it is black beard?) in my oldest tank and that has been there for years but only grows small clumps on the black plastic of the filters, which are black as well so I only notice it when I am doing maintenance? I would probably remove that driftwood with the moss and put it in the newly set up tank which is cycling and see what happens in a few weeks, it will probably help the new tank as well - worth a try - the different parameters/light etc etc may get rid of it! Make sure you are very careful though when/if removing it as there may be shrimplets hiding in the moss..........

As for the discoloured shrimp, you are doing well with the oregano oil soaked food and H2O2 treatment so just carry on with that as your population is growing nicely. Any trial of new treatments I would do in a seperate tank (or even just a bucket/container) as you don't want a repeat of your first try with the oregano oil? 

Simon

140-150 TDS? You guys had me bring it down to about 120 as it’s 1-GH per every 20-ish TDS? I was up to around 170 previously and we thought that it needed to come down.

The algae was eradicated, but I see a few new tuffs of It l(2-3). They are tiny, however, so I’m working to keep them from growing. As for whatever disease this is? It seems to affect only the CRS, which is odd. Even more odd. It seems to only affect the older shrimp? Young CRS and ALL BCS seem unaffected.... weird. I absolutely hate to  cull any shrimp that shows signs of the disease, but I may have to start doing that regularly. I don’t know.....

Edited by Steensj2004
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I noticed on your earlier post 29/1 that you had about GH 5-6 and TDS 145 - Perfect? Not sure how that has now gone to TDS 116 and GH 7, that seems a bit odd? I would try/aim and get the TDS to the 140(ish) it was before, but don't rush anything as I doubt that is what is causing the longstanding problem, but there may not be enough of something they need at 116, and the 170 you mention is at the top end? Probably the safest way to get back to those older figures is to do larger water changes (x2) when you do the normal maintenance (temporarily until they are back in line) as that will be gradual (slightly reduce GH and slightly increase TDS) and the new water will have the right GH/TDS balance, something has caused yours to go adrift???? I can't see why though unless it is the treatment but I don't think that would do it in all honesty!

Clutching at straws a bit, but if it is only the older red shrimps (how many are left?) then once they die (only live1-2 years) it may all sort itself out, so if you get a lot of babies it may be worth just removing the older ones when they get sick! I would carry on with the oregano and H2O2 whilst the old ones are still around as that seems to keep on top of it and fingers crossed it will die out when that original batch die out and you just have the offspring left?

Simon

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2 hours ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

I noticed on your earlier post 29/1 that you had about GH 5-6 and TDS 145 - Perfect? Not sure how that has now gone to TDS 116 and GH 7, that seems a bit odd? I would try/aim and get the TDS to the 140(ish) it was before, but don't rush anything as I doubt that is what is causing the longstanding problem, but there may not be enough of something they need at 116, and the 170 you mention is at the top end? Probably the safest way to get back to those older figures is to do larger water changes (x2) when you do the normal maintenance (temporarily until they are back in line) as that will be gradual (slightly reduce GH and slightly increase TDS) and the new water will have the right GH/TDS balance, something has caused yours to go adrift???? I can't see why though unless it is the treatment but I don't think that would do it in all honesty!

Clutching at straws a bit, but if it is only the older red shrimps (how many are left?) then once they die (only live1-2 years) it may all sort itself out, so if you get a lot of babies it may be worth just removing the older ones when they get sick! I would carry on with the oregano and H2O2 whilst the old ones are still around as that seems to keep on top of it and fingers crossed it will die out when that original batch die out and you just have the offspring left?

Simon

Ok. I will re-calibrate  my TDS pen when I get home, to see if I had a bunk reading. I’m having to recalibrate it regularly, it may be time for a new TDS pen.

There are probably 10 older shrimp left. Several are still my most prolific breeders tho, carding eggs regularly. Hard for me to remove them. I have so many shrimp that are too young to breed, so I hate to stall the breeding. Saw two more berries females this AM, one was a smaller, younger one tho. Maybe a new generation is reaching breeding age?

 

More shrimpy  pics, because I can!

B6A05400-1D08-45C0-958A-D9C545E2A678.jpeg

B6A72FBB-75D9-4B55-89D1-1A93F3D05B95.jpeg

E0FBFF21-9D04-434B-9951-F2901F456CCC.jpeg

241629A6-D629-4D90-B260-B26BD9066C8E.jpeg

DDAB7B1B-364F-44CF-B4B7-20BA0DAD03C2.jpeg

F4D48A5A-3355-4E07-BD69-7C6BCEF2160F.jpeg

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