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Can Tetras kill shrimp?

Chriso

Chriso

Seedling
Joined
16 Apr 2018
Messages
5
Location
Adelaide
Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum so I'm sorry to post with a question like this, but I'm really puzzled...
Two days ago, I bought six Queensland Algae Eating Shrimp for my 45cm nano cube. They weren't fully grown but I'd say around 15mm long. I found two of them dead this afternoon and wondered whether they might have been bullied by the Black Neon Tetra's I have in there too? I've spotted the remaining shrimp, but they seem to be in hiding, whereas yesterday all six were out and busy. I've read mixed reports about keeping shrimps and fish together and have seen numerous examples where they seem fine. These I bought were also supposedly quite robust in terms of water parameters etc. and I try to be very careful about ensuring that no other chemicals are introduced into the tank inadvertently.
My set-up is a follows:
Tank: 45cm cubed Nano, established 3 months ago.
ADA Aquasoil Amazonia.
Filtration: Eheim 250 Classic
Lighting: Fluval Aura for 8 hrs (Upgrading to AI Freshwater Prime in a couple of days)
Ph 7.2 (before CO2) 6.4 (after CO2)
KH 3
Temp 24ºC
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <5
CO2 1bps for 8hrs staggered by 1 hr with lighting (gives round 30ppm by my estimation).

Any advice or thoughts would be great! Thanks.
 
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IMG_4405.jpg
Here's the tank, please excuse the planting scheme, it's a bit haphazard as I'm still learning about plant habit etc.
 
That's quite a bit of cover, I'd guess the issue was acclimatisation related.
 
Thanks, tam and kadoxu. I acclimatised the shrimps by placing their bag in the top of the tank for an hour with some holes pierced in the sides to allow the waters to mingle gradually. Not sure about my GH as I don't have a test kit at the moment. I do know it's not a particularly hard water area though.
I did some plant pruning/replanting and a partial water change yesterday, do you think the disturbance might have caused problems as they'd only been put in 24 hrs before that?
 
If you use tap water then your supplier may publish reports for hardness - were they from a local fish shop i.e. likely to have come from the same water?

CO2 can be an issue sometimes too, if they aren't used to it - turning it off and then gradually increasing again can help them adjust gradually.
 
Thanks tam, I didn’t think of that. The breakdown on the supplier website says a GH of 5.9, which I’m thinking is quite soft. The shop where I bought them isn’t immediately local—about a hour’s drive, their GH seems to be 4.3. That said, perhaps they use RO as well? It sounds like acclimatisation could be the issue, as you say. Is there anything I should do now, or should I wait to see if they come round?
 
In future you could consider drip acclimatising them - it pretty easy and gives you a bit more control over the speed of change. It doesn't sound like your water should be too drastically different though.

I'm not familiar with Queensland Algae Shrimp - the normal amanos do like it a little harder so if you water is closer to 4 than 6 a GH booster may help. That's probably more of a longer term issue though.

You could turn it down temporarily and see if that helped make them a bit bolder/more active. If it did then just build up again slowly. If you are worried about the effect on your plants, turn the lights down to match to keep things balanced.

Fingers crossed the remaining ones adjust with a bit more time 🙂
 
Thanks again tam, I'll try what you suggest. Unfortunately, we can't get Amanos here in Aus. There are many here who'd love some but our biosecurity is pretty strict, and rightly so, I think.
 
Might not be anything but expected loss of a couple of the shrimp due to transport?
With established three month old tank ,perhaps the other's are just busy munching on hardscape /substrate, for the abundance of biofilm/microbial critter's/infusoria that has developed with age.?
If all of the shrimp however begin to die,then I might become suspect of water chemistry ,and or damage from the fishes that maybe would not need to actually eat the shrimp's,,but only nip at them whenever they are seen out and the shrimps succumb from the damage.
Me thinks small shrimp are on the menu for near all species of fishes.
Fishes with tiny mouth's, such as Threadfin Rainbow's might be better choice?.
 
With shrimp, water changes should be as minimal as possible (10% weekly is the usual recommendation), as they are really sensitive to changes in water parameters.
With low GH you may also have molting issues.
As for acclimating, drip acclimation is best, the next best one is to add small bits of tank water to their bags every 30mins for at least 2 hours, when the bag gets too full, you dump half the water out and keep adding small bits of water every 30 mins.
Like @roadmaster mentioned, it may also be just transport stress.
I have Tetras with shrimp and never had an issue.
 
Personally I think it’s a hit and miss kinda of thing. All comes down to size and who was there first.

Case in point, introduced rummy nose tetras before shrimp, all shrimp got chased around and eaten.

Removed rummynoses, added shrimp, then some cardinals, the cardinals grew to full size without ever touching the shrimp
 
Maybe ... 😉

Rummy's are quite different character than cardinals, & with any of 3 species being sold under the common name, even more disparate

I've had plenty of fish coexist apparently peacefully with various shrimp species, only to develop a sudden intense consuming! interest after weeks - months of the former
 
I've kept corydoras, hillstream loaches, platies and ottos successfully in a fish tank without the shrimp population being affected in the slightest.
I also once ended up adding my large enough clown loaches in a large tank that had run for years with corys, platies and shrimp, which tank ended up gushing on the floor one day. Upon taking up everything apart, I rescued hundreds of shrimp and I had to leave many to die, The clowns decimated the slow snails but not the fast shrimp, meaning that the entire issue is related to 1st, shrimp population is not introduced and left to establish first before predatory fish are added. 2nd. The fish tank is too small for shrimp to escape. Shrimp are actually rather fast but in a 45cm, 60cm tanks, etc... there's nowhere to run...
 
Yes tetras can kill/ try an eat shrimp. My neons and serpae have attacked a few of my shrimp before now. And have found one without its head not long ago too. Although i usually find its the smaller ones they will attack such as babies or cherry/dwarf shrimps. I have amanos in my community tank and none of the fish bother with these as they obviously too big for them to fit in its mouth.
 
I bought the Darwin Algae Shrimp which is exactly the same and possibly all breed from the same variety.
Mine came from Dave in Darwin and never a failure and 99% arrived within 24hrs 3,700+klm, road, air and road again.
You say you live in Adelaide and that is known for not having the best of waters.
I always floated the bag in a net and kept adding a little tank water over many hrs. (lights off) as they had been in darkness for a long time.
Water changes I did 2x35% weekly.

Keith:wave::wave:
 
WoW. Your aquarium is awesome. It says here that the most important thing for shrimp in an aquarium with tetras is multiple hiding spots. And you got plenty of those. The only remaining problem is future baby shrimps that have no chance against tetras. So make sure to transfer female shrimp for hatching.
 
Awesome tank I am a real fan of the jungle look. Keith GH might have something here about your water. My DAE's are tough as boots although full grown now and have survived a few different fish in their time. If you keep loosing them can you pull them out, (I know thats near impossible in tanks like you have) and get hold of some RO water and remineralizer. I think it has more to do with your water like Keith GH says.
 
I've had cardinals before now, and they went to town on the few cherry shrimp I had, pulled them to pieces. A very sad and painful learning curve to watch.
 
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