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Random shrimp deaths in mature tank

The one in my mature tank at home, about 1 year old Akadama, the one in my work nano is about 2 month old Amazonia II
 
I havent seeny any deaths in a while Paul but that could be because there is hardly any shrimp left in my tank!
 
I think is a natural occurance with many shrimp keepers. I bought 6 sakura from Germany 2 years ago and the polulation boomed in my 60l. So much I probably had a few hundred in the tank.

I kept the tank nice and clean, it had lots of moss and a 300lph filter and good tempreture to keep them happy.

9months to 1 year later I noticed that the shrimps were not getting bigger, or which I found that many had actually died from no reason whatsoever.

Now after 2 years the population has recovered again and I have over 100 shrimp again, but the colony has never had any addition shrimps added so I believe cross breeding may play a factor in this which causes early death or possibly the quarentine/acclimitisation period just wasnt enough and they suffered something from the transportation process.

Dont give up, What I have done since is actually sold/given alot of the shrimps away to friends and reintroducing a new batch of sakuras from other sources to replenish the bloodline. I kept mine in standard tap water and normal gravel substrate, nothing fancy.

Just my 2 cents 🙂
 
Hi mate, no wiped them all out! Got a new tank now which is not set up yet so will give some more a try and see how we get on. Cheers
 
i gave up with shrimp. They just faded away in my tank.
 
There are never "random" deaths, there is always a cause!

If the shrimp are dropping off one by one it is usually (but not always) either a bacterial infection or a moulting issue. You need to determine which issue before you can address it, although both of these can be caused by high nitrates.
 
I now always have a bottle of para guard to hand.....just in case of bacterial issues.
 
This is just a guess / thought, but isn,t the ph very low at 6.1 Mike ?

we live near each other and both have ultra soft water . My kh is just about 1 from the tap and ph is 7 ish .

I,ve only had mine a few months but they seem to be doing ok touch wood .
 
Mel, what should the ph be for cherries mate? The test kit I have is the strips and there not very accurate to be honest.
 
6.4 - 7.6 for cherries, although generally they're usually quite hardy. Very odd, sounds like a bacteria infection perhaps
 
Sentral said:
6.4 - 7.6 for cherries, although generally they're usually quite hardy. Very odd, sounds like a bacteria infection perhaps
Click to expand...

Agreed, Cherries are pretty tough and will adapt to moss params. Did you introduce new shrimp / fish before the kill?
 
I may be wrong, but Dincho will give his opinions later I imagine, but I believe that not supplementing Minerals could be a cause? as KH is very low? If my water was that low in KH I would also be checking for PH swings.

Also you havent stated what your GH is, This could be a factor as GH aids moulting, I would advise a test kit from API.
Or to get CRS instead :lol:

Regards
 
Dincho said:
There are never "random" deaths, there is always a cause!

If the shrimp are dropping off one by one it is usually (but not always) either a bacterial infection or a moulting issue. You need to determine which issue before you can address it, although both of these can be caused by high nitrates.
Click to expand...

Hi Dincho, would you have any idea on nitrate levels that would cause these problems in RCS? I've seen several posts about people with RCS or CRS dosing full EI and having no issues. Also have seen posts from shrimp breeders that won't fert because of this. I was dosing EI levels but only 3 times per week. Macros, Mon, Fri, trace Wed.

I think I may have come down with the bacterial infection. I noticed the males had a rather cloudy abdomen and read up somewhere it could be a bacterial infection.

I think when people say "random" they cannot put a finger on the source. When it's the odd one here and there it makes it harder to trouble shoot, when you have a total wipeout very quickly then it can be easier to pinpoint the problem.

I think moss'd up wood and no ferts/EC for my next attempt. 😀
 
As far as nitrates are concerned, i believe there is no specific figure but i would imagine above 40ppm or anything considered excessive. EI dosing wouldnt be recommended in any shrimp setup as without doubt that if it wasnt killing the shrimp it would stop them breeding.

I use ADA Green brighty & brighty K as instructed on bottle and my Red Crystal Shrimp are fine.
Just use the rule of changing everything SLOWLY.

Any rapid change in PH, Co2, GH & kH will cause shrimps to moult and more often then not die.

Regards :thumbup:
 
Hey iain,

That is a big jump! Do your shrimp breed readily?
As normally shrimp with co2 injections as a rule are detrimental to shrimp breeding as they normally prefer well oxgenated water.

My shrimp are kept in a no Co2 tank with no ferts added. Willow and peacock moss present with almond leaves present to try boost immune systems/ provide a snack! I also have the spraybar slighty above the surface to increase oxgen levels. But not too much to keep me awake 🙄

I am only an amateur fish/planted tank keeper, but Im trying to share as much as I know,
Dincho is definitely THE MAN.
I discussed alot with him before I even knew of UKAPS, and he put me well an truely in the right direction.


Regards :thumbup:
 
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