What is the logical next step?

**Soothing Shrimp** · 02-04-2013, 10:13 PM

It will take a little while to stop. The minerals have to be "used" by the shrimp's system.

jczernia · 02-05-2013, 12:45 AM

You wrote the tank has been up for 5 years I think it is time to break it down and start over. Put the shrimp in spear tank and start over. I head something similar with my CRS. I moved them to a bear bottom tank for mean time and the deaths stop. Now I am ready to put them in in a newly cycled tank. I think I head bacteria issue.

**dougolasjr** · 02-05-2013, 01:38 AM

I do regular moderate water changes (25-30% every four days or so, average.) I use tap water that I condition with Amquel+.

Am I wrong in saying thats alot of water changes...

**Rob in Puyallup** · 02-05-2013, 02:15 AM

I only learned about 6 months back that my twice a week 25% WC was the likely source of my CRS and CBS deaths. Since I cut back to only when absolutely necessary (LOL!) the shrimp haven't stopped multiplying, and deaths have gone from quite frequent to almost never.

This is using remineralized distilled water, BTW.

rodcuda · 02-05-2013, 02:40 AM

5 years is a long time and the crash may have pushed it over the edge. Start the tank from scratch and I would think you should be good to go. While that is getting up to speed the bare bottom tank with a cycled filter should be fine.

rah-bop · 02-05-2013, 04:00 AM

Mordalphus: Thanks, I hope they stop dying soon too.

Soothing_Shrimp: I hope so.

Dougolasjr and Rob: I used to have a billion shrimp and a filter that stopped working, so I was doing water changes with that frequency to keep things under control while I got a second filter going. Eventually the new filter was working fine but I just kept up the frequency of the changes for some reason (habit?). If something happened to the water source and there was a sudden drop in gh, then I agree, frequent water changes probably devastated my shrimp population because I was throwing out all of the mineral content. Now that I know that this was (probably) an issue with water hardness (and now that I have barely any shrimp left to make the water dirty), I am keeping an eye on the nitrates and I will only do water changes when I have to. I doubt I will need to do them very much at all for a while.

jczernia and rodcuda: I assume you mean that the substrate needs to be replaced, right? Is there something else I'd have to do? What are the signs that a tank needs to be completely overhauled?

I have ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia and it is currently keeping my pH amazingly stable. My plants are growing like gangbusters, there is algae for the shrimp to eat, and my bio filter is working very well. I am currently not having to fight to keep any of the parameters from swinging around, though I am adding minerals because my tap water is about 1 gh. Does ADA Amazonia naturally keep a gH of 5? Because otherwise I am having trouble coming up with reasons why I should throw my shrimp into an unstable new environment when things are already so shaky. Assuming I did redo the tank, what will be the difference between that and what I currently have? What is missing from my tank that should be changed?

SHMaRiM · 02-05-2013, 06:12 AM

Read my thread.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=235338

It has all the info you could ever need about raising shrimps...

Pretty sure you are over reacting... No need to bomb the tank and restart.

My suggestion would be to not change the water very often... In all honesty the only time my shrimp do poorly is when I change the water too often. I change only 20% of my water about every 12-16 days...

Also, make sure you aren't feeding too much. If you have plants, feed about half as much as you "think" you need. Pretend you are the size of a shrimp... how much could you eat? Feed that amount about every other day, obviously adjusting to the size of colony you have. My guess is that you are giving them a thanksgiving feast every time you feed them... Put those fools on weight watchers.

The good news is that you killed off all the weaklings. The remaining shrimp are susceptible to whatever hell your friend threw at them.

rah-bop · 02-13-2013, 12:07 AM

Third and hopefully final update:

I have not had any more deaths for a week now, which is a new high score lately. The water parameters are stable, everyone is perky and a couple are saddled and ready to party. Thank you to everyone who suggested raising the GH. That seems like it fixed my problem.

02-04-2013, 10:13 PM	#16
Soothing Shrimp Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (72/100%) Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Illinois Posts: 3,508	It will take a little while to stop. The minerals have to be "used" by the shrimp's system. __________________ DBP Club! My thinking has been invert-ed!

02-05-2013, 01:38 AM	#18
dougolasjr Invert Addict (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 768	I do regular moderate water changes (25-30% every four days or so, average.) I use tap water that I condition with Amquel+. Am I wrong in saying thats alot of water changes... __________________ BAMA AGAIN!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! -Doug

02-05-2013, 02:15 AM	#19
Rob in Puyallup Opae Ula Crazed. (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3/100%) Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Puyallup, WA Posts: 1,253	I only learned about 6 months back that my twice a week 25% WC was the likely source of my CRS and CBS deaths. Since I cut back to only when absolutely necessary (LOL!) the shrimp haven't stopped multiplying, and deaths have gone from quite frequent to almost never. This is using remineralized distilled water, BTW. __________________ 35 gal Hex Shrimp and Celestial Pearl Danio ;29 gallon Endler's only;Petco Bookshelf 6.6 gal Crystal Shrimp and Hitchhiking CPD fry tank; Bookshelf 6.6 gal Brackish Opae Ula Shrimp; Fluval Ebi 7.9 gal assorted Shrimp only.; 10 gallon Opae Ula tank, started Nov 21, 2012. Opae Ula, Hawaiian Red Shrimp, SuperShrimp, whatever...Journal Now... I'm out of room!

02-05-2013, 02:40 AM	#20
rodcuda Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (14/100%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Central Florida Posts: 843	5 years is a long time and the crash may have pushed it over the edge. Start the tank from scratch and I would think you should be good to go. While that is getting up to speed the bare bottom tank with a cycled filter should be fine. __________________ Rod

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02-05-2013, 12:45 AM	#17
jczernia Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (31/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Chicago Posts: 486	You wrote the tank has been up for 5 years I think it is time to break it down and start over. Put the shrimp in spear tank and start over. I head something similar with my CRS. I moved them to a bear bottom tank for mean time and the deaths stop. Now I am ready to put them in in a newly cycled tank. I think I head bacteria issue.

02-05-2013, 04:00 AM	#21
rah-bop Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 55	Mordalphus: Thanks, I hope they stop dying soon too. Soothing_Shrimp: I hope so. Dougolasjr and Rob: I used to have a billion shrimp and a filter that stopped working, so I was doing water changes with that frequency to keep things under control while I got a second filter going. Eventually the new filter was working fine but I just kept up the frequency of the changes for some reason (habit?). If something happened to the water source and there was a sudden drop in gh, then I agree, frequent water changes probably devastated my shrimp population because I was throwing out all of the mineral content. Now that I know that this was (probably) an issue with water hardness (and now that I have barely any shrimp left to make the water dirty), I am keeping an eye on the nitrates and I will only do water changes when I have to. I doubt I will need to do them very much at all for a while. jczernia and rodcuda: I assume you mean that the substrate needs to be replaced, right? Is there something else I'd have to do? What are the signs that a tank needs to be completely overhauled? I have ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia and it is currently keeping my pH amazingly stable. My plants are growing like gangbusters, there is algae for the shrimp to eat, and my bio filter is working very well. I am currently not having to fight to keep any of the parameters from swinging around, though I am adding minerals because my tap water is about 1 gh. Does ADA Amazonia naturally keep a gH of 5? Because otherwise I am having trouble coming up with reasons why I should throw my shrimp into an unstable new environment when things are already so shaky. Assuming I did redo the tank, what will be the difference between that and what I currently have? What is missing from my tank that should be changed?

02-05-2013, 06:12 AM	#22
SHMaRiM Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Battle Ground, Wa Posts: 231	Read my thread. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=235338 It has all the info you could ever need about raising shrimps... Pretty sure you are over reacting... No need to bomb the tank and restart. My suggestion would be to not change the water very often... In all honesty the only time my shrimp do poorly is when I change the water too often. I change only 20% of my water about every 12-16 days... Also, make sure you aren't feeding too much. If you have plants, feed about half as much as you "think" you need. Pretend you are the size of a shrimp... how much could you eat? Feed that amount about every other day, obviously adjusting to the size of colony you have. My guess is that you are giving them a thanksgiving feast every time you feed them... Put those fools on weight watchers. The good news is that you killed off all the weaklings. The remaining shrimp are susceptible to whatever hell your friend threw at them.

02-13-2013, 12:07 AM	#23
rah-bop Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 55	Third and hopefully final update: I have not had any more deaths for a week now, which is a new high score lately. The water parameters are stable, everyone is perky and a couple are saddled and ready to party. Thank you to everyone who suggested raising the GH. That seems like it fixed my problem.