Cherry Shrimp Being Eaten?

7311 Views 11 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Knotyoureality, Feb 23, 2013

QualityCuddles

Discussion Starter · #1 · Feb 20, 2013

Hey all,

I'm new to aquarium keeping and just set up my first 8 gal a month ago. I have 5 Rummy Nose Tetras, 5 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Siamese Algae Eater, 2 Apple (Gold Mystery) Snails, 1 Male Betta (who is currently in his own bowl because he scratched his head on our new filter) and 4 (used to have 7) very sad looking Cherry Shrimp.

Planted with Water Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, Banana Plant, Anacharis, Dwarf Grass, Micro Sword, Bog/Drift wood and 1 Marimo Moss Ball.

I have a bubble bar, filter, fluval plant substrate and a 13W light too.

For the last two weeks everyone has been getting along just fine, everyone was eating, and the water looked good:
Used API 5-in-1 test strips
GH: 0-30
KH: 0
pH: 6.0-6.3
Nitrite: 0.5-1
Nitrate: 20

We were using SeaChem Flourish Comprehensive Plant Supplement, but we found a shrimp (not a molt) dead and thought, "maybe we over-dosed". So I stopped using the Flourish and the shrimp were fine. Then yesterday I came home to a half eaten red shrimp and another laying on his side not moving. He was still alive though, and the Rummys were nipping at him and chasing him around the tank. I fished out the 4 shrimp and put them in a breeder box where they are now. All the shrimp have bits of their tail fins missing (chewed off?) I checked the water:

GH: 30
KH: 0
pH: 6.0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: 20

I did some research and saw that cherry shrimp need a higher pH, so I did a 30 percent water change and added some baking soda solution (1 tsp baking soda & 1 cup water, put only 1/3 cup of this solution in the tank) then tested again:

GH: 30
KH: 40
pH: 7.0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: 0-20

So the pH should be good for the shrimp, ( I had been keeping it low because the a few Rummys had died early on from high pH (I think)). It's been about 24 hours since I tested the water and the shrimp seem to be OK except for 1 who still lays on his side like he's exhausted. They're still in the breeder box and I'm afraid if I let them out the Rummy's will eat them.

Not really sure what I should do. Ideally I would like to be able to keep the shrimp and the Rummy's but it's looking like they aren't compatible. I've been feeding everyone blood worms and Tetra Crisps 2x a day, but the shrimp still get harassed.

Any help or advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

I put this thread in the "Fish" section first by mistake, thought I'd post it here too just in case.

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Kitsune_Gem

· Registered

Joined Apr 10, 2012

1,041 Posts

#9 · Feb 20, 2013

Ill re post this again...You already have good answers in the same thread you made over in fish...

First you are way over stocked, second the only shrimp safe fish are oto catfish. Everyone else is a risk Third those test strips are crap, pick up the Api master test kit and re-test, I can assure you you will get different readings. Also I've kept cherrys in a wide range of ph, from 6.5 to 8.2..granted they always did better for me around neutral.

I keep fire reds and neons in my 10 gallon, but the shrimp have so much moss, and breed so fast my neons hardly put a noticeable dent into the population. That and most of my shrimp live onto of the moss near the surface, and the neons never go higher than half way to the top.