Rescaping and losing Shrimp

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ElissaBee

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On Saturday I did my weekly water change and did a partial rescape if my 9.7 gallon. Just moved some dwarf lotus to the back and crypts to the front. Between then and now (Monday evening) it seems my cherry shrimp have disappeared. I can only locate one of about 15 in the tank now. I also see some evidence of dead shrimp in the tank. This is not the first time I've seen a die off after doing cleaning and replanting. What's the trick here? Do you take your shrimp out of the tank when you do even a partial rescape? Granted it's only a 9.7 g tank. Maybe if it were bigger would things be a little easier and less sensitive? I'm sick of losing livestock especially when I'm so attentive to it and the hobby.
 
Well, make sure you find a spot to siphon water out in your tank where there are no signs of shrimp. If you didn't then you might've sucked them up. But if they died from the rescape, they could've disappeared if you took out decor or plants, and they were actually on it. Or since Cherry shrimp are really fussy fish, then they might've jumped out from being stressed or you could've accidentally placed decor or plants on top of them. It's a mystery, but it will most likely be one of these reasons. Now make sure you look extra carefully where you siphon out the water and where you re-place items in your tank. And try not to muck up the water and make it too cloudy, or else your shrimp could die again because they are very fussy and needy shrimp. Keep all this in consideration, and I hope I helped you at least a little with this info! ;)
 
It could well be that disturbing the substrate has polluted the water - they are quite sensitive.
About 7 months ago I had a mass die off of shrimps. I was actually convinced I had lost them all as it was several weeks before I even saw one. I did an immediate 90% water change the night I noticed, followed by another 90% change the next morning. I decided to leave the tank for a while in case it was contaminated. A few weeks later I started seeing the odd shrimplet. I never added any more and now I have hundreds again.
 
Thanks for the replies. I did see a few come out of hiding last night. They were keeping a low profile. But i do think my big beautiful red female is gone. She is nowhere to be found. Luckily I have 15 new shrimp on the way today from a breeder in San Francisco.
 
Thanks for the replies. I did see a few come out of hiding last night. They were keeping a low profile. But i do think my big beautiful red female is gone. She is nowhere to be found. Luckily I have 15 new shrimp on the way today from a breeder in San Francisco.
They do hide very easily.

You are lucky to get shrimp in these hard times. Most of the shrimp trade has shut down due to COVID-19.

Shrimp die, it’s just part of the life cycle. It is sad. :(
 
Shrimp are very sensitive to nitrates. Did your parameters change any after the change? Shrimp can hide anywhere. Some may show up again. I don’t vacuum the bottom of my tank anymore. I have too many tiny shrimplets. I just do partial water changes. I haven’t lost a single shrimp since then.
 
Shrimp are very sensitive to nitrates. Did your parameters change any after the change? Shrimp can hide anywhere. Some may show up again. I don’t vacuum the bottom of my tank anymore. I have too many tiny shrimplets. I just do partial water changes. I haven’t lost a single shrimp since then.
I really don't vacuum the bottom anymore either mostly because I don't want to uproot plants. But I do move plants around occasionally. And I always check vac'd water for life before pouring down the drain or into my houseplants. I didn't test water after the replanting but I did do a big water change right after so I wouldn't expect a spike.
 
Why is everyone afraid to vacuum around plant roots? I vacuum around my over planted 29g tank every week. No problem. :no:
 
I’ve actually read several articles that say to avoid the area around plants.
 
I’ve actually read several articles that say to avoid the area around plants.
Interesting. I would think there would be more poop around the plants, because that’s were the shrimp like to hang out.
 
Just gravel clean the open areas and leave the gravel if it's within 2 inches of the plants because that's where most of the roots are. Amazon sword plants and Aponogetons can have bigger root systems so you might leave 3-4 inches around them.
 

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