# RCS Losses after Filter Change!



## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

Just lost a load of RCS after changing my filter. Switched from an internal to an external so I could use some lilly pipes I bought. Not sure what's went wrong. I did a 50% slow water change with water that was brought up to the same temp and the sponge that was in the internal I put in the new canister with new sintered glass and floss to seed it. Got in to work today to find about six stuck to the inlet dead with a couple motionless. Rest are huddled in a corner.

What you think more small water changes over the next few days? Don't think it's the bleach I cleaned the pipes with I rinsed them really well.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

Not my finest hour! Lots of deaths, not sure whether they died then got sucked towards the filter or the filter actually sucked them in too powerful that they couldn't escape. I've put a carbon filter sponge over the inlet for now. Hopefully that will suck out some toxins if there are any and stop sucking the babies into the external canister until my mesh guard comes from aquarium plant food. Just going to keep doing some small water changes over the next few days. Epic fail, ever had one of them days!


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## Martin cape (22 Mar 2013)

RIP Shrimp 

Maybe heard some were heading my way and decided on a mass suicide


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

Oh mate I wish I had dropped them off yesterday. What a nightmare, I got into work today to find my carpet soaked and death of biblical proportion. I've had the lily pipes since before Christmas and the filter lying around for years. Had a quiet day at work so thought I'd sort it out, been waiting for the chance for ages. 
The intake of the filter was covered in dead shrimp and all the others were all piled on top of each other in one corner. Not sure if it was the shrimp died then got sucked to it or died by getting stuck to the filter. Either way things went wrong quick. Managed to rescue some babies from the canister. Still can't get the canister to seal though, keeps weeping where the tubing joins the taps. I've had to leave it in a bucket. Had four paracetamol and my head still pounding. I'll have a run down tomorrow and see how they're getting on. Up to press looks like I lost about 20 adults not sure about babies. On the bright side they were starting to move about again when I left.


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## Martin cape (22 Mar 2013)

Poor things. 

These things happen though. That was one of my concerns when I first set my external up, leaking. Basically your syphoning your tank and pumping it back in. 

So you've lost nearly half pal? That's terrible. Least they were moving about when ya left. Ya checking on them tomorra?


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## Matt Warner (22 Mar 2013)

Sorry to hear your bad news! I know how you feel though. I started with 6 yellow shrimp about 6 months ago and I gradually got the population up to around 25-30 and now I only have about 6 again. I still don't know to this day why they died. I thought it was because I used a bit of hot water from the hot water tap, but surely the prime will take care of any copper in the water. I have 3 females with saddles at the moment but only one male in the tank so hopefully they will all be berried soon!


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

Yeah ill pop in and do another water change I think. Problem with it being only 5 gallon is it can go sour in no time. I didn't manage to get all the corpse out. Hopefully the remaining ones are Ok and I can get my colony back up to full strength.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

Copper in water from the boiler, never thought of that you know something to remember. I usually bring my water up to temperature with water out the kettle. I still have berried females and males so should be Ok. I hope you have more luck than me mate.


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## Matt Warner (22 Mar 2013)

Well from now on I'm using only cold water and adding it slowly. I was also slacking on water changes too. Back to 20% a week now. I hope you don't have any more losses!


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

I'm keeping positive, the whole colony started from about 10. Just need to sort these bleeding pipes. I maybe try the lfs and get some rigid tubing. Thought soft stuff would have better for lily pipes. Was one of them days when you think you've cracked it then after staring at it for 30 mins you see a drip again. It's went on all day.


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## LondonDragon (22 Mar 2013)

Was it a new filter?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (22 Mar 2013)

I hadn't just bought it mate it was a prime 10 hydor I've had lying about for years. I gave it a good clean and used the dirty sponge from the internal I was using as well as some sintered glass medium I had lying around with floss. That's the best thing about this tank. I made it from stuff I already had in one of them boxes we all have full of bits and pieces. Only thing I've bought was the lily pipes from the board. Ordered a mesh intake today though. Lessons learnt never throw stuff out or sell your gear, you never know when you might need it. I found in the same box two little activated carbon sponges from a little internal eheim from 15 year ago I never used, bag was Still sealed so I hollowed one out and put it over the inlet until my mesh comes. No more sucking up babies and hopefully the carbon will absorb some nasties out. Do you think there could have been traces of copper in the sintered glass? I've never used copper meds in this tank but probably did in the one that filter medium came from.


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## Matt Warner (22 Mar 2013)

I don't think it was the sintered glass was the problem. It's so frustrating when shrimp die and you can't figure out why!


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## LondonDragon (22 Mar 2013)

AverageWhiteBloke said:


> I've never used copper meds in this tank but probably did in the one that filter medium came from.


Most likely the cause!


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## thelats1981 (22 Mar 2013)

however it's happened it's a bummer, sure you'll get the numbers back up though, fingers crossed for you pal.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (23 Mar 2013)

> Most likely the cause!


 do you think that the sintered glass medium may have traces of copper? It hasn't been in an aquarium for probably six months since I got my new filter!

Brace yourselves, this is what greeted me today. Viewer discretion! This post may contain scenes some people may find upsetting.


IMG_00000040 by AWB70, on Flickr


IMG_00000043 by AWB70, on Flickr


IMG_00000044 by AWB70, on Flickr

Hardest part is syphoning out bodies while trying to save the young shrimp that seem to be feeding off them!

IMG_00000042 by AWB70, on Flickr

Some survivors seem to be just hanging on one corner or hanging at the surface. They don't seem to react unless I try and touch them then they take off.


IMG_00000041 by AWB70, on Flickr

I've did a 40% water change with warmed up to temp water for the last three days. Not sure if I'm doing more harm than good. I had promised 10 of these each to Alistair and Martin, was going to sort it out last week but was away working. If I had most of these corpses would have been living the dream by now! Even bitterer pill to swallow. Can we make an exception and let me use foul language in this post?


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## Martin cape (23 Mar 2013)

Jesus. That looks terrible Neil. How many do you have left now? Have you lost even more than you did the other day?


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## AverageWhiteBloke (23 Mar 2013)

Hard to tell if I've lost more or with the swirling action of the filter bodies that were tucked in behind scape have just eventually ended up around the intake of the filter. At a rough guess I would say I still have about 20ish adults and there a still some babies knocking about. Odd thing is I thought that the babies would have went first being the most sensitive and the females are still berried. I though they ditched their eggs when stressed.


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## Martin cape (23 Mar 2013)

Maybe just the filter and increased current and flow that's killed them pal. As, like you say, if it were copper, the egg carriers and babies would go first.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (23 Mar 2013)

It's an idea, not sure they would be unhappy about that. A couple of them are sitting right in the path of the outflow now. Makes me wonder of a few ventured too close to the intake, got stuck to it and died and the water went nasty quick with it being a newly set up filter. 5 Galls is not a great deal of water.


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## Martin cape (23 Mar 2013)

Maybe just weren't used to the flow and like you say, got too close to the intake. Wonder if where they were huddled together was where the flow is at it slowest.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (23 Mar 2013)

Only time will tell, I'll pop down tomorrow and do another water change. They definitely liven up and start grazing again after one. Hopefully over the next couple of days this filter will have populated enough and the shrimp will feel the benefit of some better filtration and a slightly higher water volume.


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## Tim Harrison (23 Mar 2013)

That's tough to deal with...I hope it works out alright.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (24 Mar 2013)

More losses today. Just did another WC. Looking a bit empty in there now. Strange thing is the majority or survivors seem to be babies. There are even some little slither of ones on the glass that look like they were very recently born.


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## Martin cape (24 Mar 2013)

Wonder what's happened. Your going to have none left at this rate pal.


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## John S (24 Mar 2013)

What a nightmare. Hope you manage to save some. Not sure what to suggest other than what you are doing. Can you replace the filter media with some other mature media?


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## mafoo (24 Mar 2013)

What water are you changing it with? tap or ro/distilled.

Going by the pics, the dead bodies have caused an ammonia spike. Have you put new carbon in since the genocide?

Tetra AquaSafe has stuff in it that binds to stuff (metals, nitrites) and detoxifies it - might be worth chucking some of that in as well.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (24 Mar 2013)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Only filter material I have is in my other tank but now the new filter has been running for five days it may be worth just fighting on. Not sure if breaking it down at this point would help. It must getting there by now. I'm using Tap water and warming it up with water from the kettle. Been using king British dechlorinator not sure if that has the same properties has aqua safe but it always comes to use so will get some tomorrow. Nothing lost. I think your right regarding the deaths and ammonia spike. Just not sure what started the ball rolling. Perhaps dead shrimp in the inlet. Hope I manage to save some. Doesn't take many to get going again. I spent a fair bit of time siphoning out bodies today so there should be little else making the water bad. Also filtering through a carbon sponge as seen in the pic.


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## Matt Warner (25 Mar 2013)

Hi, how's the shrimp situation at the moment? Hope you haven't had any more losses!


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## AverageWhiteBloke (25 Mar 2013)

Was still a couple dead today but that's not surprising as there's not that many left. Did an other water change. One thing I noticed was the temperature was at 22 degree when I first went in as there is no central heating just a heater. Knowing from experience its freezing in there without the heater on and when I left tonight it was more 25. Don't think that would be an issue or surely that would have raised its head before. Another thing I've realised is just how many shrimp there was in there. I would say I've pulled 40 or so out and there must be 15/20 still in there! That's a lot of shrimp in 5 gallon. You rarely see them all out together. Perhaps I was already running on the edge and disturbing the filter combined with the initial dead ones trapped by the inlet has been enough to tip the scales. 
Hopefully with less inhabitants, some water changes and the bigger filter starting to mature I can pill this back round.


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## Martin cape (25 Mar 2013)

Sounds like its been an ammonia spike that's ended them pal. When I changed my filter in this tank I had an ever so slight spike in ammonia. That may be all it takes to kill shrimp.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (25 Mar 2013)

Lessons for the future is to keep numbers down. Problem is they breed that prolific by the time some of the adults get to a reasonable size to pass on you already have too many juveniles. Don't really want to sell them on unless they're a good size and you need them to mature and colour up to see which are the best shrimp to keep. 
I saw one I put in my big tank this morning that must have survived the kribs and found myself saying to it "Believe me mate you're better off where you are "


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## Martin cape (25 Mar 2013)

Sounds like a conundrum pal. You've got a very lucky shrimp in your big tank. Even managing to survive being a meal for the Kribs. 

Well, whenever you have the population growing and some are ready, I will take some from you Neil.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (25 Mar 2013)

No problem if things settle down over the next week it should be Ok. If I can see 20 its more likely there's 40. As long as I have enough to keep the colony going won't do any harm to have a clear out.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (26 Mar 2013)

No sign of any major losses today now the lights have gone on. Majority still seem to be hanging about on the uppermost plant leaves as oppose to walking about on the substrate. Wondering whether to do another WC or maybe give them a bit of piece and do the change tomorrow.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (30 Mar 2013)

Things seem to be calming down here. No losses today I can see anyway. I even give them a little bit of food to cheer them up! It's been over a week. Because I dropped the food in I got most of them into one corner and counted at least 20. Lot's of babies about so it shouldn't take long to build up numbers.

Massive lesson learnt! Shrimp are like icebergs, you can only see a third of them at one time  staggered at how many must have been in there. Next time I decide to change filters I need to have them both running for a bit before totally taking out the old one.


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## Martin cape (30 Mar 2013)

Haha. Wonder how many were actually in there. Not taking long to build back up again. So whatever is was is long gone


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## AverageWhiteBloke (30 Mar 2013)

Seems to have affected all the biggest shrimp. The ones 10mm and under seem to have survived the best but to be honest who knows how many are actually in there. Once things are settled I'm going to give the tank a good clip out so I see what#s going on. Cat litter gravel doesn't help either. It's pretty much the same colour as the shrimp.


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## Martin cape (30 Mar 2013)

Haha. Well whenever you think they are ready, and your population is up a bit, give me a shout and ill rehome 10


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## AverageWhiteBloke (30 Mar 2013)

No problem, sooner rather than later this time eh.


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## Martin cape (30 Mar 2013)

Haha yea. Think I'm in the middle of a bloom or chemical reaction at the min. Changed the water today and it went really cloudy within an hour. 

It's either a bacterial bloom, God knows why, or I haven't left enough time between adding Sodium Bicarb and Calcium Chloride and its precipitated out. Bloody annoying. Having a blackout till I get it sorted. May have to change water tomorrow too.


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