Huge shrimp die off :( :(

[Nick potts]

I kinda already know it is pretty much going to be impossible to come up with any reason or anything, but you never know.

Did my daily check on my shrimp cull tank, it's a mix of cherry and crystal reds in there, they have been happily living together for around 6 months now. I have the occasional shrimp death as expected due to age or bad moults etc, but I was greeted by carnage today, I have pulled out maybe 100 dead cherries and a single crystal red so far (the tank is very overgrown), Ottos and shrimp are all fine.

Nothing has changed in the tank, it runs on a large Hamburg matter filter as well as a couple of standard sponge filters, I feed daily a mix of shrimp king range. There is a strict no spray rule around the tanks so i have ruled out an aerosol/cleaning spray etc.

I checked the parameters and I am getting an ammonia reading which I was expecting with the amount of dead shrimp.

Currently doing a large water change, but as i add the water back slowly it is going to take a while.

Any thoughts welcome.

 

[mlgt]

I've had something like this happen before. There was talk on the forum about shrimps getting stress which may release something in the water from themselves which in turn causes mass death. If the females are berried this can happen.
But what you doing is right, testing and doing water changes. Perhaps air bubble from substrate? I would just pop in lots of plants to make the shrimps feel more at home too.
Hope you get it sorted. it isn't nice to see that many dead shrimp. The most I have lost is around 30+ high grade crystals.

 

[cldskt]

Are you using RO water? If not, perhaps some change in your tap water?

If RO water, how do you usually re-mineralise them?

Possible contamination from handling the tank (didnt wash hands after handling something toxic for shrimps, kids dipping their hands in, etc)?

 

[Nick potts]

I've had something like this happen before. There was talk on the forum about shrimps getting stress which may release something in the water from themselves which in turn causes mass death. If the females are berried this can happen.
But what you doing is right, testing and doing water changes. Perhaps air bubble from substrate? I would just pop in lots of plants to make the shrimps feel more at home too.
Hope you get it sorted. it isn't nice to see that many dead shrimp. The most I have lost is around 30+ high grade crystals.

Thanks, yeah it's gutting to say the least.

Tank is bare bottom and heavily planted with most, ferns and loads of floating plants

Are you using RO water? If not, perhaps some change in your tap water?

If RO water, how do you usually re-mineralise them?

Possible contamination from handling the tank (didnt wash hands after handling something toxic for shrimps, kids dipping their hands in, etc)?

RO water remineralized with MgSo4 and CaSo4 to a GH of 6, O KH

Contamination was a thought, but I can't think of anything, my hands are always washed before going in the tank.

 

[Simon Cole]

Insect populations in the UK decreased by roughly 40% this year. My friends and I are suspecting there is an as yet unknown pollution release. My suspicion is that you have some measure of pesticide in your water.

 

[Andy Pierce]

Any signs of pathogens like 'green fungus' or planaria?

 

[Nick potts]

Insect populations in the UK decreased by roughly 40% this year. My friends and I are suspecting there is an as yet unknown pollution release. My suspicion is that you have some measure of pesticide in your water.

Possible, but I don't think there is any way to check this?

Any signs of pathogens like 'green fungus' or planaria?

Nothing visible, I checked for fungus and parasites as well as any white rings.

No planaria, with no substrate i find i don't get much in the way of things like planaria or detritus worms etc

 

[tam]

Treated other pets for fleas or similar, touched someone else's pet that could have been treated?

 

[Nick potts]

Treated other pets for fleas or similar, touched someone else's pet that could have been treated?

No other pets in the house, and I haven't been near anyone else's recently (hayfever)

I haven't noticed any more deaths yet, but I was observing a few shrimp early they were clearly on their way out, swimming upside down (not in the normal way they do ) and floating/drifting, then a little push of energy and repeat.
,

 

[mort]

Did this just randomly happen or was it after a water change? If you haven't changed any water and haven't put your hands in it reduces the possibilities a bit.

Its not really been hot so I doubt this is the problem but temperature spikes have caused quite a few shrimp deaths.

 

[Garuf]

Do you have any activated carbon you can run for a week?

 

[Simon Cole]

I don't think there is any way to check this?

...Bioassay using water fleas.
Are you running carbon dioxide? Are fish present and affected?

 

[Nick potts]

Did this just randomly happen or was it after a water change? If you haven't changed any water and haven't put your hands in it reduces the possibilities a bit.

Its not really been hot so I doubt this is the problem but temperature spikes have caused quite a few shrimp deaths.

I did a small water change on Sunday, only 5 litres (50 ltr tank)

Yes been quite warm here but temp has been stable at 24c

Do you have any activated carbon you can run for a week?

Going to pick some up tomorrow, usually have some in the cupboard for things like this but used it all trying to remove some tannins

...Bioassay using water fleas.
Are you running carbon dioxide? Are fish present and affected?

No CO2 in this tank, the ottos are fine, as are most of the crystal red shrimp and the babies.

 

[Aqua360]

I did a small water change on Sunday, only 5 litres (50 ltr tank)

Yes been quite warm here but temp has been stable at 24c



Going to pick some up tomorrow, usually have some in the cupboard for things like this but used it all trying to remove some tannins


No CO2 in this tank, the ottos are fine, as are most of the crystal red shrimp and the babies.

That's really strange it's killed off cherries but not CRS 🤔

 

[JacksonL]

That's really strange it's killed off cherries but not CRS 🤔

Yeah, my experience has been that if it is water/contaminant related then CRS will die well before the cherries. My suspect would be something contagious, but then has any livestock/plants been introduced recently? Any cross contamination with other tanks?

 

[Wookii]

Strange situation @Nick potts - I would have expected the CRS to go belly up before the cherries too. How many cherries do you have left alive and well? Have you continued to lose any since the main die off?

It might be worth posting a FTS and kit list in case it can provide any other clues.

 

[jaypeecee]

RO water remineralized with MgSo4 and CaSo4 to a GH of 6, O KH

Hi @Nick potts

Sorry to hear about this.

Do you produce your own RO water or is it bought from your LFS? Is it just RO water or is it RO+DI * water? I'm just wondering if the tank water contained a trace of copper.

What is the conductivity or TDS of your water - before and after addition to the tank? And, what about pH? Is the figure that you have quoted above GH or KH? I suspect it's GH.

* RO + DI = reverse osmosis plus deionized

JPC

 

[Nick potts]

That's really strange it's killed off cherries but not CRS 🤔

Yeah, my experience has been that if it is water/contaminant related then CRS will die well before the cherries. My suspect would be something contagious, but then has any livestock/plants been introduced recently? Any cross contamination with other tanks?

Yep, i thought the crystals would be the first to go as well, only 1 dead so far and it was an adult.

Nothing new has been added recently, possible I could have moved something from one of my other tanks, but they all appear fine shrimp wise.

Strange situation @Nick potts - I would have expected the CRS to go belly up before the cherries too. How many cherries do you have left alive and well? Have you continued to lose any since the main die off?

It might be worth posting a FTS and kit list in case it can provide any other clues.

There are still a good number of cherries in there, and loads of babies as well, at least 100+, i don't know if it's just me, but they do look a little washed out in colour.

I'll get a FTS later, but it's a simple setup, a 50 ltr tub, run with air-driven sponge filters and a heater, few bits of lava rock and some plants.

Hi @Nick potts

Sorry to hear about this.

Do you produce your own RO water or is it bought from your LFS? Is it just RO water or is it RO+DI * water? I'm just wondering if the tank water contained a trace of copper.

What is the conductivity or TDS of your water - before and after addition to the tank? And, what about pH? Is the figure that you have quoted above GH or KH? I suspect it's GH.

* RO + DI = reverse osmosis plus deionized

JPC

I make my own RO water, it's just RO water at 0TDS. I have a copper test kit so can check that.

TDS I keep at 180 and never let it get much higher than 190/200, water changes are dripped in over a 3-4 hours.

I don't measure ph often, but last time I did around 6, GH is 6 and KH 0

Thanks all for the replies.

 

[JacksonL]

Washed in colour could be a bacteria issue.
I had my tangerine tigers colony almost completely die overnight, the few survivors looked washed out before turning almost white and dying. I didn’t lose a single shrimp from the colony of blue dream cherries in the same tank.

 

[castle]

My initial thought would be something not right with the 5l you added, it's normally the weakest that die and cherry shrimp are hardy weaklings so it makes sense that the ottos are fine whereas a number of cherries died. I once killed a lot of fish by using a jug out of the bathroom to top off some water, little did I know that rinsing it out wasn't quite enough to remove enough of the bleach my mother had used it for.
Really hard to say, but if they are washed out in colour it could be a many number of things 😕 Sorry 😞