Shrimp Keep Getting Upside Down?

[Man of fish]

I got 15 supreme red cherry shrimp, and they keep getting themselves upside down somehow, then they can't move so they die. Why is this happening? Or how? I'm down to maybe 5 shrimp.

 

[fishprotector]

It sounds like they have a problem with the tank or water.

How did you acclimatise them?

Have you ever used any medication containing copper in the tank?

Is the tank fully cycled / any traces of ammonia?

 

[Man of fish]

I did a drip for 2 1/2 hours

Never used copper, but I do dose ferts

No my stats are:

6.8 ph
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
15 nitrate.

 

[crazyforcordoras]

I cant believe they are all dieing! Did you do a copper test?

 

[fishprotector]

All sounds pretty normal. Do you dose co2?

 

[Cazgar]

Have you added anything new to your tank recently?
I had a mass die off in one of my tanks after adding new plants

 

[fishprotector]

Yeh that is a point, it could be the reminants of pesticide used on the plants by the supplier to kill snails.

 

[Baccus]

I never dose my plants with fertilizer but I have heard of people experiencing problems with their shrimp that they could only blame on the ferts they where dosing with. Almost all ferts have small doses of copper contianed in them, so I would check all the componants of the fert your using and just see if any copper seems a bit high. You didn't say weather or not you are dosing with Co2 as well as ferts, Co2 can really muck with the pH and kill shrimp.

It really does sound as though posion of some sort has got into your tank, either via new plants, or even something as simple as a chemical getting sprayed near the tank and drifing into your tanks system.

A friend of mine kept complaining about his fish dying all the time and it took me a while to click onto what was causing the deaths. He had one of those automatic airfreshener things that squirted out scent at predermaned times. And the air freshener thing was positioned on top of a low wall pointed directly at the tank. The fish didn't die immediately but it took a gradual toll on them. I am not saying that you have a similar air freshener I was just giving an example of how the most innocent of things can be a fish keepers down fall.


Also just out of curiosity what temp is the tank running at? Too hot or too cold can kill shrimp just as easily.

 

[Man of fish]

Ok here we go.

I dont use co2

I've added nothing but plants 2 weeks ago that came from a member on here.

The fish in here are thriving, so it can't be the water in general

It's at about 77-78.

 

[Man of fish]

Also don't have a copper test so how can I get that done?

 

[Cazgar]

I was mystified when I had the mass die off a week or so ago, lost 50+ shrimp
My water was fine, my fish weren't affected, it could have only been the plants.
Don't know how you'd test for copper or pesticide, but that seems the most likely culprit

 

[fishprotector]

API sell a test kit for testing Copper. Think it is normally part of the marine and reef test kits, but here is a link to their website for reference:

http/www.apifishcare.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=71

 

[Man of fish]

Oh well I guess that was $25 down the drain

Guess my dream of having cherry shrimp is done for this tank oh well the guppies I've got in here can make me my money back by me selling the fry for like $1-$2 a piece.