Number Of Dead Red Cherry Shrimp

[flix_cw]

Hi

I have an established 2 year old 56L tank, heavily planted. I have ~100 cherry shrimp in there along with a dwarf gourami pair, some harlequin rasbora and some kuhli loaches.

I have just noticed a good 4 or 5 dead cherry shrimp. Never have I seen more than one dead to be honest, and even that's very rare (probably because they usually get eaten so quickly!)

I've done a water change, but could there be a reason behind the deaths, or is it likely a coincidence? I've not dosed the tank with anything (ie. meds/copper), water changes are regular and there are no new additions.

This happened to anyone?

 

[Baccus]

It could be just coincience that 4 or 5 shrimp died around the same time, especially if they where all really mature specimens. Where all their appendages intact? Could the gourami pair have taken to nipping bits off the cherry shrimp until the shrimp died from the stress/ shock? Also where the bodies opeque/ white?

Are all the other shrimp behaving normally? still happily roaming about the tank stuffing their faces? or are they staying relatively still and when they are moving showing jerky or erractic movements?

Usually a die of in shrimp can be pinpointed to some chemistry change in the tank, either from you knowingly adding medications/ fertilizers or unknowingly having somebody spray someything as innocent seeming as deoderant, insect killer or hairspray near the tank.

You have already done a water change, which is good, if you aren't already running carbon in your filter then I would put some in on the chance that it is some toxin that got into the tank - although usually with a toxin/ poison you can expect a MASS die out.

 

[Crossfire]

Do you use liquid carbon? I've learned the hard way that overdosing even a little will result in extinction of all cherry shrimp...

 

[flix_cw]

All the rest seemed to be in hiding/staying still at the time. I did a massive water change and now they're all out and busy again. Weird. Must have been a water chemistry issue.

All fine now though, thanks for your comments! I've always dosed liquid carbon, but it's never been an issue. Fingers crossed!

 

[Baccus]

Good to hear that they seem to have returned to normal