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Losing a shrimp about every week and half...update post #42

3K views 41 replies 12 participants last post by  ravensgate 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a tank that houses some S-SS grade CRS, CBS juvies, and some Goldens . Tank has been setup and cycled for two months, shrimp have been in there for 6-7 weeks or so. I've been losing 1 about every week to week and a half. Here are the parameters (and this is where they are EVERY week except TDS and please read the note on that)

pH 6.5-6.6
KH 0
GH 5
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

TDS as of today is 180. When the tank was started it was 140. It's gone up gradually over the course of the last 7 weeks. Been using Fluval Minerals for my RO water and its a bit dirty so may be switching remineralizers. NOTE- Deaths have happened regardless where the TDS has been sitting. Have lost probably 7-8 shrimp only one showed signs that it could have been a molting issue.

Diet - Tuesday - baby food (when babies present which they are now) and dried food
Thursday - Kale or spinach
Saturday - baby food, repashy or dried food
Sunday - Bioplus when babies present

The shrimp I lost today just had her babies last week. :( Water changes are done with remineralized RO water once a week, at the rate of 10%. Tank stays pretty constant around 70 degrees. Occasional fluctuation of 1-2 degrees.

So outside of dropping the TDS (again, deaths were happening even when I kept it at 145-150) does anyone else see anything else out of whack? Shrimp are breeding. Not sure on survival rate of babies since the first batch was born last week and the latest batch is still being hatched as I type this.

No new plants, no new livestock, no contaminated nets, tweezers, etc have been in this tank.
 
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#42 ·
Wanted to update this thread. So the tank is a 3 gallon and I was running a small sponge filter on it when I was having all these problems. I added a Toms Rapid Mini Canister filter to the tank, customized it a bit, swapped out the stuff that came with it with Seachem Matrix, Eheim Substrate, and Purigen and I have only had one death since the install and that was of a berried female who was acting very stressed during her pregnancy. Within a week and a half of installing the filter I had to change out the Purigen because it was coffee brown and exhausted. Soooooooooooooooo apparently my dang water was filthy...no wonder they were dying. Survival rates on babies has seemed to increase as well. I still have the small sponge filter in there even though the canister is on it, too lazy to take it out, the babies love it and its not hurting anything.

So that's my conclusion, lack of filtration/dirty water seems to have been what was taking them down. I only have a few adults left from the onslaught but have probably 40-60 babies/juvies in there ready to take over when they get grown.
 
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