4 years and suddenly...

[shadyleafytree]

I’ve had my shrimp and set up for over four years and suddenly today I looked in the tank only to see two shrimp swimming around. A week ago I was just gazing at all 9 shrimp swimming around bright red in color and today suddenly it appears all but two are there. Nothing was changed in the tank, food, or salt levels.

What are some things I can check to see what the cause was? I’m so broken up about my “buddies” being gone.

[roygbiv]

Sorry to hear about what's happened.

I'm not very experienced, but I thought it might be useful to get some additional information for others with more knowledge...

Are the seven shrimp completely missing or are their bodies in the tank?
Is it possible that there was a drastic change in temperature at some point?
Is it possible that the tank was contaminated in some way? I know someone mentioned that using a paper towel inside the tank killed a number of shrimp, probably because of the bleaching chemicals in the paper.

Do you have a way to test the pH of the water?

Good luck!

[sliphorn]

I’ve had my shrimp and set up for over four years and suddenly today I looked in the tank only to see two shrimp swimming around. A week ago I was just gazing at all 9 shrimp swimming around bright red in color and today suddenly it appears all but two are there. Nothing was changed in the tank, food, or salt levels.

What are some things I can check to see what the cause was? I’m so broken up about my “buddies” being gone.

..
How big is the tank? Nine shrimp after four years suggests there was no breeding going on, which suggests something is amiss.
..

[mike.d]

Had someone cleaned nearby recently? Other posts here have mentioned spray cleaners that got droplets into the air and settled in the tank. Is the tank covered?

[Mustafa]

Maybe the shrimp showed up again.....