Shrimp not breeding

[Ejc-56]

I have a tank that has been established for more than a year. Up to the end of last year all was fine and breeding was ongoing.  Since then nothing. Here are my parameters:

55 gallons

> 30 population 

74 degrees

< 5 nitrates

0 ammonia and nitrites

6.8 ph

2 kh

10 gh
 

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions?

 

thanks!

 

ed

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Ejc-56
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[sdlTBfanUK]

If they are Caridina shrimp it could be their winter break from breeding. Neocaridina don't have the same winter break from breeding.

The only other thing I notice is that the GH and KH are a bit off whack, whichever type of shrimp you ae keeping. Are the shrimps doing ok otherwise, no deaths, active etc? Do you have a TDS meter/reading as I would expect GH10 to mean the tds is very high also.

[Ejc-56]

They are neos

[jayc]

GH10 ?!

That's way too high. 

When General Hardness (GH) gets too high, it causes the shrimp's carapace and outer layer of their eggs to harden. Thus causing moulting issues and issues with fertilising of the egg.

What do you have in your tank that is causing GH to raise that high?

Do you add fertilisers for plants maybe? Or do you have rocks/stones/gravel in your tank? Rocks are the most common culprit. When pH is below 7, the acidity starts eating into the the rock, dissolving it to raise GH.

Definitely fix GH first.

In addition, have you ever done a 100% water change in this tank?

A year old tank warrants a complete water change to reset parameters. Cool 21degC fresh water can trigger the shrimp to breed, as it simulates new rainfall. 

 

[Ejc-56]

I do have gravel in the tank…nothing special just run of the mill stuff. 
 

I do have plants but do not fertilize 

 

there is one rock about 5x5 inches

large driftwood   
 

Will do significant water change tomorrow 

 

thanks!!!

 

 

[jayc]

6 hours ago, Ejc-56 said:

there is one rock about 5x5 inches

Try removing this rock. The gravel should be okay.

Retest every week to see if the GH keeps rising.

 

6 hours ago, Ejc-56 said:

Will do significant water change tomorrow 

Don't forget to readjust the water parameters to suit Neos. And drip it back into the tank to ensure the shrimp acclimate to the new parameters.

[Ejc-56]

Just tested tds which came out at 227…..

 

 

[jayc]

2 hours ago, Ejc-56 said:

Just tested tds which came out at 227

Not surprising, since your GH is high. That tank is due for a water change. Should improve with subsequent regular water changes (assuming the new water's parameters is lower in TDS). Make sure you test the TDS of the water you add in.

Edited April 18, 2023 by jayc

[Crabby]

Get some of that gravel and pop it in a bucket or container. Put some conditioned tap water in and measure the initial parameters (GH, KH, pH, TDS). Give it a week or two and then measure again. 
Do the same with the rock.

Easiest surefire way to see what the problem is. If it’s neither, then you’ve got some sleuthing to do.

[jayc]

@Crabby, good to see you still poppin' your head in here occasionally.

Give us an update on what's new with your tanks (maybe in a separate post).

[Crabby]

17 hours ago, jayc said:

@Crabby, good to see you still poppin' your head in here occasionally.

Give us an update on what's new with your tanks (maybe in a separate post).

Hey jayc! Just been lurking for a while, haven’t had anything to say - you and Simon cover pretty much everything. Might do a little update on the tanks later today.