Cursed Tank?

[blasesaewoo]

I have four shrimp tanks, but for the life of me cannot figure out what's wrong with one particular tank. All my tanks are high-tech planted tanks with a mixture of ADA V1 and Stratum, and my water is extremely soft (comes out of tap around 2gh and 1-2kh add GH+ to get to between 5-6). All of them are caridina tanks (blue bolt, black galaxy pinto, CRS, and shadow black mosuras). I keep CRS in the tank I've been having issues with. This one was set up around a year ago with 10 CRS. They never really bred, but figured it was due to the way I laid out my scape since I knew there was very poor water circulation. I had to neglect the tank because a trip overseas got extended a couple months and when it came back there was a bunch of hair algae (co2 was out, but my monte carlo carpet was still green and not brown). I cleaned it out did a water change, slowly ramped up CO2 again after doing a soft rescape, I saw 2 pregnant shrimp, and decided I would help them out a bit by getting an additional 15.

They were fine at first, but after a water change 2 weeks later, despite dripping water back in I noticeably saw a huge drop in population by the third day after. Around 10 were left at the end of that debacle, but my test kit showed all the proper water parameters. I didn't even spot a single dead one even though I have an Iwagumi setup. The rest would just slowly die 1 by 1 in a span of a couple weeks until 2 left. Figured it was just due to age because these guys were abnormally big. I started having trouble with algae again, and to help added 5 amano shrimp. Drip acclimated them across 8 hours. Every week I've lost 1 shrimp including 2 of the 5 amanos I got. Usually I can spot them out because they'll look like they'll look sluggish while barely moving, but I'll see them eating and get a bit hopeful since they start swimming around. 

All my other shrimps are thriving and breeding in my other tanks. Is there some slow moving bacterial infection in that one tank? 

Edited May 16, 2023 by blasesaewoo

[jayc]

On 5/17/2023 at 5:46 AM, blasesaewoo said:

Is there some slow moving bacterial infection in that one tank?

It's possible, but I never jump to bacteria as a cause in the first instance. It's usually water parameters as a main culprit. And maybe missing nutrients in their food as the second.

1) You have given us 2 water parameters GH and KH, but neglect to list the other parameters. Can we have pH, TDS, nitrate and Temperature of this tank?

2) What are you feeding the CRS?

3) Since this tank is an Iwagumi tank, I assume you will have some form of rock in it, like a Seiryu stone. I would highly recommend removing all rocks from the tank to see if it makes any significantly noticeable difference to the shrimps health. Yes, I know it will ruin the Iwagumi style, but we want to find the best for the shrimp's health first.

4) related to question3 above - how quickly does GH and KH rise after a water change? The Seiryu rock, if you are indeed using seiryu, reacts in low pH water. 

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by jayc

[sdlTBfanUK]

Sorry to hear you are having this problem.

Generally CRS are usually 'easier' to keep than the taiwan bee types so it is a little odd! Are you using C02 in the other tanks as that can cause issues with keeping shrimp? Can you test nitrite/nitrate as well as ammonia, algae returning can indicate an imbalance causing a new cycle (maybe due to the dead shrimps) is happening?

Was everything (inc shrimp) bought from a reliable source. I assume this tank was set up separately from the others and at a later date? Could the plants have come from somewhere that uses pesticides? Are you using fertilizers? Is there anything else you are using that is different in/with this problem tank over the other tanks (CO2/ferts/other)? I assume you use the same water source and prep with all the tanks so that should be ok. As JayC, can you test the PH and TDS, rock can alter these drastically.

Can you attach any photos?

[blasesaewoo]

2 hours ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

Sorry to hear you are having this problem.

Generally CRS are usually 'easier' to keep than the taiwan bee types so it is a little odd! Are you using C02 in the other tanks as that can cause issues with keeping shrimp? Can you test nitrite/nitrate as well as ammonia, algae returning can indicate an imbalance causing a new cycle (maybe due to the dead shrimps) is happening?

Was everything (inc shrimp) bought from a reliable source. I assume this tank was set up separately from the others and at a later date? Could the plants have come from somewhere that uses pesticides? Are you using fertilizers? Is there anything else you are using that is different in/with this problem tank over the other tanks (CO2/ferts/other)? I assume you use the same water source and prep with all the tanks so that should be ok. As JayC, can you test the PH and TDS, rock can alter these drastically.

Can you attach any photos?

I use CO2 in all my tanks to get it to around 35ppm. Plants in that tank are all grown by me from invitro. Fert I'm using is the nilocg shrimp specific one. 

 

7 hours ago, jayc said:

It's possible, but I never jump to bacteria as a cause in the first instance. It's usually water parameters as a main culprit. And maybe missing nutrients in their food as the second.

1) You have given us 2 water parameters GH and KH, but neglect to list the other parameters. Can we have pH, TDS, nitrate and Temperature of this tank?

2) What are you feeding the CRS?

3) Since this tank is an Iwagumi tank, I assume you will have some form or rock in it, like a Seiryu stone. I would highly recommend removing all rocks from the tank to see if it makes any significantly noticeable difference to the shrimps health. Yes, I know it will ruin the Iwagumi style, but we want to find the best for the shrimp's health first.

4) related to question3 above - how quickly does GH and KH rise after a water change? The Seiryu rock, if you are indeed using seiryu, reacts in low pH water. 

 

1. All the tanks are the same. pH is around 6.0 could be lower due to ADA soil. TDS 130, nitrate 0, nitrite 0, ammonia is the typical not really 0 but not anywhere near dark enough to be 0.25ppm. All tanks are unheated since they're all shrimp only tanks, and I live in California. 

2. They get the Dennerle shrimp food and BactarAE. 

3. I don't use Seiryu for that reason. I only use dragon stone in all my tanks. 

[jayc]

I don't see anything of concern with the water parameters. As long as it remains stable, there isn't much we can do there. Don't do anything to the water until you see Nitrates at 5 or TDS at 160 (whichever comes first). That means no water changes.

The only other advice I can give is to maybe increase protein in the food. 

Try frozen blood worms every other feed along with the regular Dennerle and BacterAE. Should be fairly simple to include in the feeding regime. This form of protein is severely lacking in shrimp food. Meaty protein is not the same as soy protein which is used a lot in shrimp food. 

If they go nuts for frozen bloodworms, you know that is something they are lacking in the diet.

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by jayc