I need some help, suggestions...something....

[julielynn47]

Okay, most of you know I started the 10 gallon a few months ago. Finally got it cycled. Finally got it to the point that the unknown nitrite spikes went away. Parameters on the water are all good.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrates - between 5 and 10
PH - 6.8 to 7.6 ( hard to read color at times )
Phosphates - 0

About a month ago I put in 15 ghost shrimp. About 3 weeks ago I put in a cherry shrimp and an orange shrimp.

The orange shrimp kept getting in the filter and finally died in there.

The rest of them are now all dead. I do not know what killed them. I wish I did. I know ghost shrimp don't always make it because they are not cared from properly prior to you getting them. So I know that up front, but all of them?

The water was crystal clear until about a week after the shrimp went in. Then it clouded up and and been that way ever since. I change the water, it clouds right back up. Now, if this had been going on all along I could understand it better. But it just started about 3 weeks ago. The tank has been going since July. I am not using liquid carbon, and I have not used any liquid ferts. I just don't know what to do about the cloudiness. Is that what killed the shrimp? Who knows? Or at least I do not know.

I have tried carbon and purigen, still cloudy, neither helps in the least.

Any help, suggestions, anything at all, is welcome.

 

[StevenF]

Do you know your GH and KH? IF not do you have a line to your local water quality report?

 

[BettaBettas]

I say do some really immense research on Cherry Shrimp, they are a fairly easy start. Don't buy any more Ghost shrimp OR Amano shrimp I'd say (amano are good but just wait until everything for sure is good to go in the tank), make sure your parameters meet that of a guide for CS. Also if this is your first time with shrimp, that's why they are all dying xD when I first started with shrimp I spent about 20$ in CS and they all died, then I did IMMENSE research and found out why they died. Then, I got 40 more CS and they are living happily ever after

 

[StandbySetting]

Has the tank ever been treated with a copper medication? Any live plants?

 

[julielynn47]

I have not used anything with copper in it. Here is a picture of the tank. It is less cloudy today than it was when this picture was taken. So I guess it is slowing clearing up.

I won't be putting any more money into cherry or orange shrimp until I get some idea of what it wrong. I am not new to shrimp. I have had ghost shrimp many times in my 55 gallon over the years. They never last long, I think they may be being eaten as a snack in that tank, which is why I started this as a shrimp tank. I know it sounds bad, but I will try the ghost shrimp at .39 cents and hope for the best. But I can't afford to keep sinking 3.99 or more per shrimp and watch them die. I have to figure this out.

 

[julielynn47]

I just did a water change and cleaned the filter. It is as Byron stated in another thread, can't remember where it is located, but anyway, as he said about one of his tanks, my tank is full of some kind of organics I am guessing. The felt pads that I cut to put in the filter were brown. The filter floss was brown. So I rinsed everything and replaced the felt. I don't know what it is, but it is definitely in the water column. I hope it clears itself up soon.

As for shrimp, I am happy to report that I know there are still 3 alive and they look well. They are eating and appear just fine. But where they have been the last couple of days it is hard to say. But there is a lot of wood and plants in there for them to hide in. About a week ago I was only able to put my eyes on 3. I am going to assume it was these 3 little guys and hopefully they will be okay.

 

[NickAu]

The rest of them are now all dead. I do not know what killed them.

Shrimp require a mature stable tank, That means a tank that has been running for at least 3 months after it is cycled.

I did IMMENSE research and found out why they died.

Maybe you could share this knowledge with us, and it just may save somebody else going through the same thing you did.

 

[BettaBettas]

http://aquariuminfo.org/rcs.html
Also very pretty tank! its kind of a jungle theme, or at least that's what I see lol
Anyway this link here should help you a lot, even though you have already sorted out your issue, you can use this for future reference. Good luck!

 

[StevenF]

I have very soft water in my tank and my fist attempts with shrimp all failed. I never saw a dead one and nothing in my water tests showed up. i guessed that they were having problems molting and dosed the tank with some calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. That solved the problem and the shrimp started to molt and

I haven't had a lot of problems since. I have had some predication but that is not a serious issue if I feed the fish once per day. One time the shrimp were quite sluggish and slow moving. They sort of looked like my dad when his thyroid medication is off. Did a search and found information confirming shrimp need iodine and some comments from others with the same issue. I took some Iodine Tincture and added a very small amount to my tank. my shrimp activity returned to normal. I now add one drop of iodine to my 5gallon tank after a water change. And monitor the iodine level closely with a hanna Colorimeter. most of the time I don't see iodine but when i do it is typically less than 5ppm.

I have two flow shrimp currently with 4 amman and 4 blue dream shrimp. Only issue I have now is the blue dream shrimp hove only reproduced once. The fish ate all but 2. I need more plant cover for the shrimp but the moss I added quickly got choked in hair algae. I am working on that issue now.

 

[BettaBettas]

shrimp don't like purely hard water, but some mix of slightly hard water is good for them. about a cup in a gallon, with same ph

I have very soft water in my tank and my fist attempts with shrimp all failed. I never saw a dead one and nothing in my water tests showed up. i guessed that they were having problems molting and dosed the tank with some calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. That solved the problem and the shrimp started to molt and

I haven't had a lot of problems since. I have had some predication but that is not a serious issue if I feed the fish once per day. One time the shrimp were quite sluggish and slow moving. They sort of looked like my dad when his thyroid medication is off. Did a search and found information confirming shrimp need iodine and some comments from others with the same issue. I took some Iodine Tincture and added a very small amount to my tank. my shrimp activity returned to normal. I now add one drop of iodine to my 5gallon tank after a water change. And monitor the iodine level closely with a hanna Colorimeter. most of the time I don't see iodine but when i do it is typically less than 5ppm.

I have two flow shrimp currently with 4 amman and 4 blue dream shrimp. Only issue I have now is the blue dream shrimp hove only reproduced once. The fish ate all but 2. I need more plant cover for the shrimp but the moss I added quickly got choked in hair algae. I am working on that issue now.

 

[julielynn47]

I have some SunGrow Mineral Rocks for shrimp and snails in the tank. Which are supposed to supply what they need for molting. So that part should be covered.

Water is still cloudy this morning, I guess it will just stay cloudy. I am about ready to just give up on that. Why it used to be clear and now isn't is just a mystery to me.

Actually, I am starting to wonder if the SunGrow Mineral Rocks are not what is causing most of the cloudiness. So I am conducting an experiment of my own. I took all of them out, except for one, and I will do a water change and see if the cloudiness goes away. I mean, it is only a 10 gallon tank, and by leaving one of the mineral rocks in the tank should be enough. They can crawl on one as easily as they can crawl one a bunch of them. And I never see them on the rocks anyway. If the water clears then I will know what has been clouding it.

 

[NickAu]

shrimp don't like purely hard water, but some mix of slightly hard water is good for them.

How much would you mix? Would you need a TDS meter? or is near enough good enough, Shrimp also need stable water conditions, Just doing it by eye will cause water parameters to fluctuate.

 

[BettaBettas]

How much would you mix? Would you need a TDS meter? or is near enough good enough, Shrimp also need stable water conditions, Just doing it by eye will cause water parameters to fluctuate.

No you don't Need a TDS meter although it can help (you can take water samples to your LFS and usually they will tell u kh/gh, cheaper and more efficient sometimes this way. ik everyone isn't rich ), this is cherry shrimp if im correct with the op, cherry shrimp are pretty hardy but some people say they aren't. you should still treat them as if they aren't hardy though :l. and I also stated early they need stable water conditions, mad bro? lol jk, also im not the op so why are you asking me how much I would mix? ask her

 

[NickAu]

You obviously do not know what you are talking about

First you need to determine what hardness is best for the shrimp.
Then you need to find out how hard your tap water is
Next you need to check the bottled water ( did you know bottled water can range from 3 to 14 in PH)

Now you need to mix tap water and bottled water, let it settle then you need to test hardness again and adjust as needed to reach your target range.

Its a lot more complicated than just add a bit of this to a bit of that.

 

[julielynn47]

hmmm, I am a little lost. LOL Am I the OP? If so, what do I need to be asked? I am not sure what is going on here.