Amano Shrimp In Trouble

[DrSlackBladder]

Damn, just found a dead Amano shrimp in my tank.  I've had four for several months, doing well in my community tank.  Yesterday I replaced the silk plants with Cabomba, rinsed the filter in old tank water, did a 50% w/c with temp matched dechlorinated water as usual, and added a pair of Dwarf Gouramis.  The Gouramis and all other fish are fine, feeding well as usual, active with erect dorsal fins, etc.  But the shrimp seemed a little skittish.  I checked the water stats and showed 0.25 ammonia, which surprised me (it's always zero, as are nitrates).  Nitrates about 5ppm, not surprising since the big water change only yesterday.  So I changed 50% water again, which was when I found the dead shrimp, curled up and pink/white.  I know shrimp are extremely sensitive, so suspect it was the ammonia spike that did it.  Surprised at the spike though, with the addition of only two Dwarfs.  Will keep an eye on stats daily and water change a necessary; just hope it's not too late for the remaining three Amanos.

 

[aaronc]

It is more likely it was in fact the plants that caused the issues.
 
Shrimp are VERY sensitive to copper.  And plants are often treated with copper to kill off snails.
 
The dead shrimp then could have caused the slight ammonia spike.
 
Did you rinse all of the filter sponges?  
 
Aaron

 

[snazy]

All scenarios possible. Silk plants are also inhibited by beneficial bacteria, removing all at once(depending how many i suppose) then cleaning the filter and adding fish all can contribute to the ammonia spike. Chemicals on the new plants is a possibility too.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Thanks for the comments.  Lesson learned; too many changes in one go.  I'll keep on top of the daily water changes and testing to ride out the spike, and fingers crossed for the remaining amanos.  I'll keep and eye out for a nitrite spike too in a few days.....

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Assuming copper is the culprit, what can I do to get rid of it?  Just water changes?  How long before it disappears? 

 

[AshP1986]

Add carbon to your filter.

 

[snazy]

Carbon may not remove copper. Plenty of water changes I'd say but it it were copper more than one shrimp would die.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Well after the water change this evening it was one dead, two missing and one just still (but alive).  Will report back tomorrow morning 

 

[aaronc]

Well after the water change this evening it was one dead, two missing and one just still (but alive).  Will report back tomorrow morning 

Hmmm not good! Keep us posted
 
How are all of your fish looking? Still behaving normally?
 
Aaron

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Did another 50% water change today after measuring about 0.1ppm ammonia.  No nitrite, very low nitrate (as expected).  Still one dead (removed yesterday), one alive and behaving more normally (not skitting around, sitting feeding on some algae on the bogwood, where they usually hang out, and not looking "hunched round", and two still unseen since plants were added.  All fish doing well and behaving perfectly normally.  So copper associated with the cabomba is looking most likely cause.  Just hope I've lost only one and that I'll see the others in the coming days.  I expect the copper will take a few days to leach out of the plants so will do 50% w/c for next few days.  I dechlorinate using Tetra Aquasafe, which claims to bind trace elements such as copper into harmless substances - maybe it doesn't do as it claims, maybe it does do this which is why I haven't lost all my shrimp (yet), maybe the copper concentration was just too high to deal with for the Aquasafe and the (so far) one shrimp that perished.....

 

[aaronc]

I hope they show up
 
Shrimp wipes out associated with new plants are very common I am afraid.
 
See this article from PFK - http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4831
 
Good luck with the remaining shrimp! Keep us in the loop

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Great news!  Just seen two shrimp preening themselves on the bogwood!  So far that's one dead, one still missing and two definitely survived.  Fingers crossed for the missing guy.  The two I've just seen appear to be doing a lot of cleaning themselves; those many "legs" under the rear of the body  keeping pretty busy, and bodies a little more arched round than the usual straight, so I guess they're still unhappy with something in the water.  At least they're not scampering around like they were after I added the plants though.  Will do another 50% w/c now.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Hmmmm; haven't seen a shrimp, dead or alive, since my last post 

 

[snazy]

Sorry to hear that. The ammonia on its own is a no no for shrimp. Hopefully its not all lost.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

Ammonia has been back down to zero last few days.  Just have to keep hoping and looking.....