Hi!
A few months ago, I bought a Marineland 5 gallon hex aquarium which is planted with lots of java moss, anacharis, hornwort, and an Amazon sword in an EcoComplete substrate. Once the tank was fully cycled and the parameters seemed perfect, I adopted a small batch of red cherry shrimp. They appeared to be doing very well, so I adopted some more and had a total of approximately 30-40 shrimp.
While the cherries have all grown considerably and the females have become saddled, none of them have bred since they have been placed in the tank in October. More alarming still, over the last few weeks there has been a slow but steady decline in their population. They all look active and healthy, but every two to three days I will find a dead shrimp body. It appears as though they are having trouble molting, as many (but not all) of the bodies are located near an empty molt shell. I have tried to address the molting issue by adding some crushed corals and a piece of cuddlefish bone to the tank, but the die-offs have continued.
I have been testing my water with an API test kit for the last few weeks to gain insight into the problem, but I haven't noticed anything that would explain the sudden deaths. Water parameters this week have consistently been:
Ammonia:0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates:0
Water Hardness: 3-4
ph:7.5
Temp: 78-79 degrees
Light: 10 hours/day, two five hour periods with a siesta in between
I feed the shrimps twice a day with a very small mixture of Hikari flakes, Hikari blood worms, and Omega One algae wafers all served in very small quantities which disappear quickly. During the rest of the day, they feast on the algae growing on the plants and moss.
In light of the sudden deaths, I have been performing small (5-10%) water changes daily for the last week, just in case there is some sort of toxin. When performing the water changes, I always use cold water from the tap and treat it with Tetra Aquasafe. I then wait until the water is room temp before adding it to the tank. Copper in my area is supposed to be low, but I have not been able to locate a copper test yet (though I went to five stores this weekend to get one), so I am not positive that this can be ruled out as the source of the problem.
With the exception of the water conditioner and some Seachem Purigen which I put in a pouch near the filter, there are no chemicals or fertilizers being added to the tank.
The shrimps' tankmates are a small Mystery snail, otocinclus fish, two Amano shrimp, and three feeder guppy fry, all of whom are doing exceptionally well.
I am extremely attached to these shrimp, and heartbroken that something is causing them to die. Does anyone have any helpful recommendations? Does it seem likely that the problem is due to copper? the water conditioner? diet? plants? Any advice from more experienced shrimp keepers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
A few months ago, I bought a Marineland 5 gallon hex aquarium which is planted with lots of java moss, anacharis, hornwort, and an Amazon sword in an EcoComplete substrate. Once the tank was fully cycled and the parameters seemed perfect, I adopted a small batch of red cherry shrimp. They appeared to be doing very well, so I adopted some more and had a total of approximately 30-40 shrimp.
While the cherries have all grown considerably and the females have become saddled, none of them have bred since they have been placed in the tank in October. More alarming still, over the last few weeks there has been a slow but steady decline in their population. They all look active and healthy, but every two to three days I will find a dead shrimp body. It appears as though they are having trouble molting, as many (but not all) of the bodies are located near an empty molt shell. I have tried to address the molting issue by adding some crushed corals and a piece of cuddlefish bone to the tank, but the die-offs have continued.
I have been testing my water with an API test kit for the last few weeks to gain insight into the problem, but I haven't noticed anything that would explain the sudden deaths. Water parameters this week have consistently been:
Ammonia:0
Nitrites:0
Nitrates:0
Water Hardness: 3-4
ph:7.5
Temp: 78-79 degrees
Light: 10 hours/day, two five hour periods with a siesta in between
I feed the shrimps twice a day with a very small mixture of Hikari flakes, Hikari blood worms, and Omega One algae wafers all served in very small quantities which disappear quickly. During the rest of the day, they feast on the algae growing on the plants and moss.
In light of the sudden deaths, I have been performing small (5-10%) water changes daily for the last week, just in case there is some sort of toxin. When performing the water changes, I always use cold water from the tap and treat it with Tetra Aquasafe. I then wait until the water is room temp before adding it to the tank. Copper in my area is supposed to be low, but I have not been able to locate a copper test yet (though I went to five stores this weekend to get one), so I am not positive that this can be ruled out as the source of the problem.
With the exception of the water conditioner and some Seachem Purigen which I put in a pouch near the filter, there are no chemicals or fertilizers being added to the tank.
The shrimps' tankmates are a small Mystery snail, otocinclus fish, two Amano shrimp, and three feeder guppy fry, all of whom are doing exceptionally well.
I am extremely attached to these shrimp, and heartbroken that something is causing them to die. Does anyone have any helpful recommendations? Does it seem likely that the problem is due to copper? the water conditioner? diet? plants? Any advice from more experienced shrimp keepers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
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