CS Problems - Help

[Trenix]

Alright so lets start with describing my tank.

• Sponge filter
• Driftwood
• 10 Gallon tank
• Java Moss
• Java Fern
• Gravel
• Sand

I purchased CS from The Shrimp Farm. I had shrimp come with the white band of death before introducing them to my cycled tank. Over the course of days, more shrimp got the white band of death and then they started dying, some with some without the band. I then started my water changes after a week, using age tap water and the drip method. That just caused more casualties with the exact same problems.

I then got my water tested, PH was ~7, GH 7.2, KH 6.7. The guy who tested it said it was good parameters for my shrimp and it can't be my water's fault and that I shouldn't change anything or add calcium which I wanted to do because I read that might be the problem, so I left it as it was. I also picked up seachem prime for my water changes. Next week I did a water change using seachem prime and still I got a loss. Then I read to not do so many water changes to move it to every two weeks, so I did. Still, another two losses after a water change. The weird part about it, one or two shrimp at a time have negative effects from water changes, while the rest are grazing, calm, and behaving normally. If it were the water change, shouldn't it effect them all?

Anyway, the only other thing I can think of is that my water is trash, maybe my parameters are fine, but there must be something in it that's killing of my shrimp, because my shrimp die the moment I add anything to the tank. Also I have also been feeding my shrimp once every week, hikari crab cuisine which they sometimes eat and when they don't I take it out within an hour or so. I thought that could be the good source of calcium they needed from the failed molts they have from water changes. Weird thing about all of this is that the young ones are alive and well and some cherries are mating and having eggs. People say this is a good sign that the water parameters are great. I also have little pests like water fleas swimming around, another indicator that the water is fine.

At this point, I'm just confused and annoyed. Like I said, some shrimp are fine while others act weird. One molts perfectly, other has the white band of death. They're dying, but also reproducing, what's going on? I'm at the point where I'm about to just get RO water and condition it myself. So tips, help, anything please. Also can anyone suggest me the best conditioner for RO for cherry shrimp? I mean if this wont fix it, than I'm clueless at this point.

[Mustafa]

If the shrimp already came in a bad shape then there is really not much you can do to save them...they will die one by one. If you're lucky a few of them may survive. Damage to shrimp appears to be cumulative..the ones that look like they're ok are just not as far along the "death trail" as the ones that are already dying.

[Trenix]

I think I may have figured out the problem. I just got some new equipment, one being a TDS pen. My tap water is 154 ppm, my string water is 32 ppm, and my aquarium water is somehow 207 ppm. While 154 can work, my water company does not add calcium into it, so the ratio from calcium to magnesium very low. I almost have quadruple magnesium over calcium. My tap water also records sodium in the water and says it can be from road salt. Also who even knows what chemicals they put into it. So it appears my tap water might be the culprit, but I'll have to figure out overtime.

I will have to correct my water with water changes using Salty Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+ and RO water. As for why my aquarium water is higher ppm than my tap water, I believe I did some quick thinking using shrimp food and egg shells which most likely increased the ppm to optimal levels. Therefore water changes would of probably caused these crashes and shrimp deaths and it would be rather annoying conditioning my water with calcium every time. Anyway, I've learned my lesson with tap water, definitely terrible idea.

Another thing, I got a heater with a thermometer and found that my temperatures were also optimal, around 69 degrees at night and been told they can stand temperatures as low as 65 degrees which I highly doubt my tank has ever gotten. Wish the internet didn't say cherry shrimp were extremely hardy and that all you need is tap water and a dechlorinator to raise them, very misleading. I'm sure some are lucky and are able to do this, but most aren't.

[Mustafa]

Yes, there is a lot of misleading information out there. Generally freshwater shrimp are a lot harder to keep and breed than the vast majority of fish.