Jump to content

Dead shrimp again


Twellsy

Recommended Posts

Hi All ,

Ready to give this hobby away , a few months ago lost about 30 crystals ( still got 4 babies ) changed to RO water thinking this would solve the problem as everything else was ok ( cherries ok and still breeding )

Got some f9 mischlings from blue bolts about 5 weeks ago , over the last two days I have lost half my stock ( I have tested GH , KH , tds , ammonia , nitrates , nitrites , ph , temp and everything is normal ) I was about to buy some pandas to add to the tank.

They are in a 60litre tank , filter does 5 changes and hour. Running two air pump bio sponges and have Benibachi bee balls and sum moss ( substrate is Benibachi ) I have added some purigen to the filter about 3 weeks ago just as a backup.

I have no idea what else I can do ? Help ?

Cheers Twellsy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what kind tds pen youre using? feed how many times a day and what kind of food? any rocks on the tank? full tank capture also might help

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man, sorry to hear how this is going for you!! It has to settle soon!

How many Bee balls do you have in the 60l tank? Silly question, but what minerals are you adding to the RO?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn, thats terrible news..... Pics of tank, and the exact WP would help...realise it's a painful exercise, BUT you seem to have done everything right. Once we eliminate the WP, then we can ascertain external factors.... Are the dead shrimp soft to touch (recent moult - moulting issues (GH)) ? Weekly WC ? What minerals/additives do you use ? how frequent.....

Once you get the issues sorted, I'll restock you, as you've bought many a shrimp, and have been a great friend to the forum :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have same problem before with crs and red cherry keep dying within 2 days lost 12 shrimp

all wp is perfect order.

thing need to check

1. your tds pen probably EC (european standard) which is 30-40ppm different (i compared mine with marcus tds)

2. Rock is suspicious can change your wp. i did take out all my rock on the tank

3. with using ro water you need add mineral (benibachi) or any other brand

4. also add benibachi fulvic to maintain ph and gh on the tank

hope it help. but picture and wp is important as everyone say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also feeding regime, leaves added?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bummer dude! :dejection: I can't add anything to what everyone else has asked so will wait for the WP & feeding regime to throw in my 2cents. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to add more questions. In January you started a thread about having carbon in your filters, did you remove these yet?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know where you are coming from Craig many a time I have felt disheartened and thought why am I doing this? especially when you are doing everything you can for them...but the thought passes quickly especially when you see little shrimplets after persevering. Stick with it mate you"ll get there...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

love skf everyone is love to share, can tell by the post is overload with care and love :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

what kind tds pen youre using? feed how many times a day and what kind of food? any rocks on the tank? full tank capture also might help
Not sure the brand ' date=' I bought it from le aquatic gives the same reading as a friends one. Feed twice a week (combination of hiraki shrimp cuisine , biomax and Benibachi kale tablets ) no rocks
Man, sorry to hear how this is going for you!! It has to settle soon! How many Bee balls do you have in the 60l tank? Silly question, but what minerals are you adding to the RO?
4 bee balls for 60 Litres ( as per deans recommendations ) Salty shrimp gh+
Are the Cherries in the same tank?
I have removed the cherries now , but they shared the same tank and where breeding often with no deaths
Damn, thats terrible news..... Pics of tank, and the exact WP would help...realise it's a painful exercise, BUT you seem to have done everything right. Once we eliminate the WP, then we can ascertain external factors.... Are the dead shrimp soft to touch (recent moult - moulting issues (GH)) ? Weekly WC ? What minerals/additives do you use ? how frequent.....Once you get the issues sorted, I'll restock you, as you've bought many a shrimp, and have been a great friend to the forum :-)
I didn't touch them so not sure if soft or hard , I have seen many Exoskeletons in the tank I do fortnightly water changes about 20% and water top ups on the in between weeks I use the salty shrimp GH+ minerals for RO water temp 23gh 4kh 1tds 140 - water change water 70ph 5.9ammonia 0nitrites 0nitrates 5I will have to get pics of the tank when I'm home tomorrow ( working night shifts )Cheers Twellsy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to add more questions. In January you started a thread about having carbon in your filters' date=' did you remove these yet?[/quote'] I removed the activated carbon when I switched to RO water No leaves and feeding twice a week
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HOF Member

I asked about the cherries because if they were in the same tank and not dying my line of thought would be wrong. Sometimes it can be as simple as something external that is near the tank. Air freshener, someone spraying fly spray or other aerosol or strong perfume / aftershave on hands, just some things to think about if all WP'S are OK. also contaminated food or a vegie that had insecticide on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hope we can help you get to a solution mate!! I have been through really similar over the last few months, and usually just when things seem sweet.

The only wp I would look to is Gh, would usually look to have this at 5, but will leave for Marcus and other more experienced keepers to comment first.

But a question for the more experienced guys/girls - You have two sponge filters running, so good surface agitation. Would there be a need for Oxydator in this situation, I use them in all mine and believe it helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I asked about the cherries because if they were in the same tank and not dying my line of thought would be wrong. Sometimes it can be as simple as something external that is near the tank. Air freshener' date=' someone spraying fly spray or other aerosol or strong perfume / aftershave on hands, just some things to think about if all WP'S are OK. also contaminated food or a vegie that had insecticide on it.[/quote']

I am always aware when putting my hands into any tank ( I normally rinse hands and arms with water several times before ) everyone in the house is to scared to spray anywhere in the house the come and ask me first. The cherries where getting out of control the where breeding so much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you seen the michlings eating well in this time? How many shrimp do you think you would have had in there (max.)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you seen the michlings eating well in this time? How many shrimp do you think you would have had in there (max.)?

Every time I drop food in at the front of the tank they all seem to come and eat ( they normally hang around until it's all gone ) then they go about there normal business

I think I had 13 to start with , Sunday night one died , couple more Monday , Tuesday a few more and now I have like 5 left. ( they seem normal then I find them lying dead on there side )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the next death, touch the body to determine whether it has recently moulted. If it soft/flesh to touch, then it's a moulting issue. If you can still feel its shell, check on any markings or discourage around its Nepal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i had similar issues before and I had 8 benibachiballs, took them all out and tank was fine after...

things i'd do

-check for dragonfly nymphs, hydra, etc

-don't let any dead be eaten

-remove all moss in tank

-remove all driftwood in tank

-feed more calcium food

-pray to shrimp Gods

All the best!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the next death' date=' touch the body to determine whether it has recently moulted. If it soft/flesh to touch, then it's a moulting issue. If you can still feel its shell, check on any markings or discourage around its Nepal.[/quote']Hopefully there is no more , if I have any more I will checkDefintly nothing eating them I will remove the balls when I get home @ 6:30amNo driftwood in the tank I will take all the moss plates out and put them in with the fishI will have to start praying to the shrimp gods What calcium food can I feed them ?Cheers Craig
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Organic kale or organic spinach, boiled 5-10min

genchem white pellet

benibachi kale

benibachi ambitious

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do feed them some of the Benibachi kale tablets ( thought that would be safer than buying kale or spinach from the shops ) never no what they have been sprayed with

I will check out the others on the list

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When was your last water change?

Do another 20%.

How long has this tank been running?

70 TDS at water change is not enough to replenish Ca and Mg.

Salty shrimp doesn't have enough Ca & Mg anyway, you should be adding more every water change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a link to a list of Calcium rich fresh foods:

http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/4402-Calcium-rich-food-for-your-shrimp?highlight=calcium

And a link to BB's thread on preparation of Kale (I followed this and never an issue) :

http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/5250-Frozen-Dinner?highlight=kale

I would also consider getting some Indian Almond Leaves in there too. These attract good bacteria and are an addition foods source in between meals.

Have you ever used or added the Micronecton Powder? This can help keep things in balance and assist with moulting.

Also might be worth looking at the Super bacterium Bee Max also. Just to get and maintain as much good bacteria as possible.

Hope some of this can help you back on track. :encouragement:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Join Our Community!

    Register today, ask questions and share your shrimp and fish tank experiences with us!

  • Must Read SKF Articles

  • Posts

    • beanbag
      Update to say that after a few gravel vacs, front wall scrub, moss / floating plant trim, that the condition seems to have improved.  My current theory is that it is due to waste / debris management, where "stuff" like that brown mulm accumulates in the substrate and behind the HMF filters.  Maybe some tanks can somehow deal with it, but mine can't.  Also another experienced shrimper suggested that maybe those "shell bugs" don't just live on the shrimps but also in this debris.  Maybe this is the reason some tanks fail due to "old tank syndrome" where all they need is a good gravel vac? Also, I am guessing that plant trim helps too because now more of the nutrients and light go into growing algae instead of more plants? Well anyway for this tank I will try weekly water change and monthly gravel vac / plant trim.  For my next tank, I'm thinking of something like an under-gravel system where this mulm can fall down and I vac it out.
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Good to have an update and good to hear you are getting shrimplets, so hopefully your colony will continue and you may not get to the point where you have to cull some to stop over population. These type of shrimp only live 12 - 18 months so the adult deaths may be natural? If you have the time I would do weekly 25% water changes, adding the new water via a drip system and do some vacuuming clean of the substrate each week, even if only a different bit each week! See if that helps in a few months and if it does then stick with that regime? It should help reduce any build-ups that may be occuring!
    • beanbag
      Hello again, much belated update: The tank still has "cycles" of 1-2 month "good streaks" where everybody seems to be doing well, and then a bad streak where the short antenna problem shows up again, and a shrimp dies once every few days.  I am not sure what causes things to go bad, but usually over the course of a few days I will start to see more shrimp quietly standing on the HMF filter, and so I know something is wrong.  Since I am not "doing anything" besides the regular 1-2 week water changes, I just assume that something bad is building up.  Here's a list of things that I've tried that are supposed to be "can't hurt" but didn't prevent the problem either: Dose every other day with Shrimp Fit (very small dose, and the shrimp seem to like it) Sotching Oxydator Seachem Purigen to keep the nitrates lower Keeping the pH below 5.5 with peat Things that I don't do often, so could possibly "reset" the tank back to a good streak, are gravel vac and plant trim, so maybe time to try those again. One other problem I used to have was that sometimes a shrimp would suddenly stop eating with a full or partially full digestive tract that doesn't clear out, and then the shrimp will die within a few days.  I suspected it was one of the foods in my rotation - Shrimp Nature Infection, which contains a bunch of herbal plant things.  I've had this in my food rotation for a few years now and generally didn't seem to cause problems, but I removed it from the rotation anyway.  I don't have a lot of adult Golden Bees at this point so I can't really tell if it worked or not. Overall the tank is not too bad - during the good streaks occasionally a shrimp will get berried and hatch babies with a 33-50% survival rate.  So while there are fewer adults now, there are also a bunch of babies roaming around.  I guess this tank will stagger on, but I really do need to take the time to start up a new tank.  (or figure out the problem)
    • jayc
      If that is the offspring, then the parents are unlikely to be PRL. I tend to agree with you. There are very few PRLs in Australia. And any that claim to be needs to show proof. PRL genes have to start as PRL. CRS that breed true after x generations doesn't turn it into a PRL. Neither can a Taiwan bee shrimp turn into a PRL despite how ever many generations. I've never seen a PRL with that sort of red colour. I have on Red Wines and Red Shadows - Taiwan bee shrimps. So somewhere down the line one of your shrimp might have been mixed with Taiwan bees and is no longer PRL. It just tanks one shrimp to mess up the genes of a whole colony. 
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Sorry, missed this one somehow! The PRL look fantastic and the odd ones look part PRL and part Red wine/Red shadow in the colour. They are still very beautiful but ideally should be seperated to help keep the PRL clean if you can do that.  Nice clear photos!
×
×
  • Create New...