[Phil Edwards]

Whenever I get Amano shrimp I invariably get a couple dying every day a few days after they're introduced to my tanks until only a few are left. Those few generally tend to live a long time afterwards, but at 1.50 apiece losing 15 shrimp isn't an attractive option.

Here's what I dose:
Grant's Stump Remover 100% KNO3
Fleet Enema
Epsom Salts
K2SO4 from Homegrown Hydroponics
Kent's Turbo Calcium- CaCl (was great with my SW shrimp)
Kent's Reef Iodine (1mL/75-90g with water change)
Seachem Flourish and Iron
50% weekly WC with tap water

Do any of you who have had more success with shrimp than I have see anything in there that may be a culprit? Do you use dechlorinator when you do WC? I really like shrimp and want to keep mine around as long as possible.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[Sir_BlackhOle]

Same thing happened to me. I bought six and 2.50 each and three died within a few days. The other three were around for about a year, but now I think they have died as well because I cannot seem to find them.

 

[pineapple]

I have very soft water and dose with KNO3, K2SO4, PO4 via Fleet solution and Flourish or CSM+B and many C. japonica. Temperature is usually 76F. Maximum CO2 level via an Eheim intake at 1bps. No problems and very few losses. I don't add iodine or anything special for the shrimp. I don't feed them either. They breed and are like aquatic cockroaches...

Water changes with pre-treated and warmed tap water using Seachem Prime.

Your additions are much more than mine. Perhaps therein lies a story.

Andrew Cribb

 

[Rob G]

Do you use dechlorinator when you do WC?

I've had problems with chlorine in the past, but the Amanos were usually the only fauna that did survive. I now use Seachem ChlorGuard. Sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[louieknucks]

I don't add any dechlorinator at all when I do water changes for my N. denticulata sinensis. Haven't lost any of them. As for the iodine from what I have read on petshrimp.com it is useless with shrimp and is just something people try to sell you to make money off of you.

 

[Piscesgirl]

There are some of us that do believe in the iodide/iodine, and I am one of them; but of course, it's a matter of preference. Phil, you may want to try feeding some sea veggies from time to time or nori. Is there any source of copper other than the Seachem Flourish? What type of declor do you use? I'm not very familiar with declors, since I'm on a well, but the kind that use/turn into formadehyde is possibly not safe for shrimp (I know it can kill brine shrimp.

Do you know if they are dying during moults, or?

 

[Phil Edwards]

Piscesgirl,

I don't use dechlorinator. I've only seen one shrimp that even looked like it may have died during a molt. The rest were just laying there on the bottom.

It's been a week or so and there have been no deaths and the shrimp that are left look good. Unfortunately it's only 1/3 of what I got to begin with.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[ryan_suiso]

Phil,

When you buy shrimp from your LFS do they place something inside the shipping bag for the shrimp to hold on to? Transporting any kind of ship can be hard since they will suffer from ectodermic shock (I think that what it is called) from the plastic bag if they do not have anything to cling on to. My LFS always provides a plastic mesh for them to hold on to until I get them home.

Hope this helps,

 

[John P.]

I assume your nitrite level is 0?

I would add some Prime to your water.

 

[JanS]

That's a very good point about them needing something to hang onto in the bag. Even some yarn will do the trick.

I have to say that I'm really surprised that a few of you don't use dechlor. Like PG I have well water so I don't have to worry about it, but I've heard lots of stories about the levels of chlorine going up from time to time (and spring seems to be one of them since they add more to the system), and it's devastating to fish and inverts. I would think better safe than sorry. :-s

 

[iris600]

I bought CR's from a fish store 2X. The first time, I bought five and lost 3. I went back to get replacements, and took home those three, lost 2. They wouldn't put naything in the bag. The last time, I took a clipping of one of my plants and insisted it go in the bag, and didn't lose a one.

 

[Piscesgirl]

Those are good points. The times I bought my Cherries (3 each visit x 2 or maybe 3 can't remember), they were always nice enough to put some clippings in with the shrimp. And, when I got the Crystals at the auction last year, they were also in a container with some plants. Actually, the Crystals had started to look dead and so were removed from the auction at first -- but 'revived' enough for them to take my money! And, they did fine, I didn't lose a one.

So, stress can indeed be a large factor, and the plants to 'hold' on to probably reduce the stress.

 

[clay]

i think the reason some do not use dechlorinators has to do with how the city or county adds chlorine to the water supply. i believe that if they use the chlorine gas, it dissipates once it leaves the tap.

 

[|squee|]

I have the same problem, at least your Amano shrimps live a few days for you. Mine just gets dead within the same day of introduction. I've tried instant acclimatisation, slow tedious acclimatisation, introducing them at various times of the day... nothing works.

Amano shrimps just can't live in my tank. =/

And my additives to the water are very simliar to what you guys do. *shrug*

 

[ryan_suiso]

On a side note ADA's Brighty K has a warning not to over dose if your aquarium contains shrimp. Bighty K is potassium and declor. I believe it is the declor ADA uses that might be toxic in high amounts. Not sure if this applies to all.

I have bought over 200 C. japonica shrimp when I was living in Japan. My mortality rate was about 10%. Newly added shrimp would not die in the tank, but crawl out mostly! In fact I saw one newly added shrimp crawling across my floor with a train ticket in his claw trying to get back to the LFS!

These shrimp are escape artists when added at first. Don't know if anyone else has had this experience.

 

[Phil Edwards]

I hadn't even thought that transportation stress from not having something to hang onto would be an issue. I'll try bringing plants for them next time I get some.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[JanS]

These shrimp are escape artists when added at first. Don't know if anyone else has had this experience.

I had that happen once when I moved a group from Q into their regular tank. About 4 of them went running full barrel up the filter intake and right into the filter - against the stream. It was like they all got together for the suicide run....
The water was the same in the new tank, so all I could figure was that they were just very upset with the move.