Ghost shrimp turned white?

[KLG1234]

I purchased four ghost shrimp for my five gallon planted tank two days ago on Saturday. It is now Monday and one of the four has turned a milky white and tends to keep his tail tucked under him. Is he dying?

 

[Retired Viking]

I also have ghost shrimp, he may be shedding his exoskeleton, they grow out of the outer shell.

 

[KLG1234]

I also have ghost shrimp, he may be shedding his exoskeleton, they grow out of the outer shell.

Thanks so much for your reply! Hoping this is all it is. These guys are so interesting I love how they pick everything clean off the bottom so cool to watch!

 

[Colin_T]

Yes it's dying, either from poor water quality or spironucleus.

What fish are in the tank?
If there are no fish in the tank, use salt.

The only cure I have found for spironucleus is salt and lots of it.
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 4 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate will affect some plants. The lower dose rate will not affect plants.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

 

[Retired Viking]

@Colin_T is pretty knowledgeable about such things, so I would follow his advice. I have 10 ghost shrimp in a 30 gallon tank. They are entertaining. One lost his shell just the other day. If you see an empty exoskeleton leave it because they will eat it. It is good for them. I have no fish with them, so they seem more active.

 

[Colin_T]

Shrimp are definitely cool. Mine used to swim upside down under the surface of the water and grab flake food and pull it under the water. Some even crawl over your hands when you put them in the tank. They were looking for food.

 

[Retired Viking]

This is what my 30 gallon tank looks like, I also grow plants for my other tanks in this one. I have a background for the tank but take it off to let sunlight in for the plants. The shrimp like to climb around in the Anacharis.

 

[KLG1234]

Yes it's dying, either from poor water quality or spironucleus.

What fish are in the tank?
If there are no fish in the tank, use salt.

The only cure I have found for spironucleus is salt and lots of it.
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), sea salt or swimming pool salt to the aquarium at the dose rate of 4 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate will affect some plants. The lower dose rate will not affect plants.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

In the tank there is a single male betta and a mystery snail as well. Sounds pretty bad thanks for all the info

 

[KLG1234]

This is what my 30 gallon tank looks like, I also grow plants for my other tanks in this one. I have a background for the tank but take it off to let sunlight in for the plants. The shrimp like to climb around in the Anacharis.

Here’s mine. it’s my first live planted tank and I’m really loving it just sad my shrimp aren’t loving it! Also here’s a cute pic of one of them I got last night!

 

[Retired Viking]

I also have moss ball in all my tanks and my shrimp like to climb on them.

 

[KLG1234]

I also have moss ball in all my tanks and my shrimp like to climb on them.

Yes the shrimp love them!

 

[Retired Viking]

I have 2 nerite and 1 ramshorn snail in the tank along with a couple of pond snails that are hitchhikers on the plants

 

[Colin_T]

In the tank there is a single male betta and a mystery snail as well. Sounds pretty bad thanks for all the info

If there is a Betta in the tank, only use 2 heaped tablespoons of salt, not 4. Unless you already put 4 in, then leave it for 2 weeks.