How to add supershrimp

[Varanus]

Black coral sand?

If you can find any that isn't live sand then yes that should work. The trouble with live sand is that it tends to have a lot of organic matter in it that can decay and poison the shrimp in a small tank (the idea behind live sand is that the organisms in live sand are alive, but chances are most of them have died by the time you get the sand, given they are sealed in an airtight bag for perhaps months).

[Vorteil]

Definitely agree with Varanus. I made the mistake of using live sand. I did not clean it which caused all kinds of issues I believe. Lots of dead organic matter which caused major hair and slime algae blooms.

[Nellyville41]

I bought my black sand from petsmart. I think it was the nation geographic brand. Black sand substrate, not live or anything. It’s almost like very small gravel, not fine as sand. The shrimps pick it up and filter thru it.

[Mustafa]

Hmmm..looks like you tried doing the best by reading different sources out there and listening to people at the pet store, but when it comes to these shrimp it's best to just keep everything as simple as possible and literally just follow the instructions on this website. Ignore everything else anyone else tells you and you won't have any problems. Here is the link to the setup instructions. You really don't need anything else (besides this forum) and actually shouldn't listen to anything or anyone else out there. Problems usually happen when well-meant, but wrong advice is taken in to consideration. This website and this forum are the absolutel authority when it comes to Supershrimp:

https://www.petshrimp.com/set-up-a-supe ... tructions/


As others have said, your problem has nothing to do with salinity. They can live and also suddenly be transferred to a wide range of salinities. All you need to do to transfer the shrimp from their bag to their new home is to adjust temperature by floating them in the water, or letting them sit for 20 minutes to half an hour at room temperature if your tank/bowl is not heated.

Live sand only causes problems. NEVER use table salt for anything...not even rinsing...table salt, iodized or not, kills these shrimp. NEVER use bleach to rinse anything either for similar reasons. Just use plain tap water to rinse whatever you need to rinse.

You don't need to worry about exact salinity, so you don't need a refractometer or hydrometer to measure salinity unless you're super curious. It doesn't make a bit of a difference to the shrimp. Just follow the setup instructions and your salinity will be just fine. Don't rely on a store to create the water for you. That eliminates one more unknown factor. It's really easy to actually mix up the brackish water in a bucket following the instructions here. (Bascially, add about half the normal amount of reef salt that the instructions on the salt package recommend for a given volume of water, then mix it....done).

And yes...you can add 30 shrimp...that's not the problem. The above mentioned things were most likely the problem. So, I would recommend setting up everything from the beginning following the instructions here and wait for some algae growth to appear. You can add macroalgae/supershrimp mossballs and brackish snails to accelerate the process if you want. Then you'll be golden and can finally enjoy your setup. I know it's disheartening when something like this happens, but with the right information you will succeed.

[Varanus]

I bought my black sand from petsmart. I think it was the nation geographic brand. Black sand substrate, not live or anything. It’s almost like very small gravel, not fine as sand. The shrimps pick it up and filter thru it.

Does it say on the bag that its actual coral/aragonite? I assume you are more likely talking about the Super Naturals brand black sand. I used that myself, as the shrimp look good on it, however be aware that this sand is inert. Its modeled after black sand beaches but its not actual coral sand. It won't add calcium, so you'll need to provide something else as a source. In my tank this is provided with a large holey rock. Aragonite sand or crushed coral works too.

[crittersni]

Thank you for all the responses. My 4 remaining shrimp have survived 2 weeks in the new container. They get indirect natural light, some LED light and I'm using a full-spectrum fluorescent light to get things going to build the algae. I'm planning on waiting another week to make sure they're still okay, and then order more. If they're doing well, the new ones should, too. No? Yes?

[Nellyville41]

I bought my black sand from petsmart. I think it was the nation geographic brand. Black sand substrate, not live or anything. It’s almost like very small gravel, not fine as sand. The shrimps pick it up and filter thru it.

Does it say on the bag that its actual coral/aragonite? I assume you are more likely talking about the Super Naturals brand black sand. I used that myself, as the shrimp look good on it, however be aware that this sand is inert. Its modeled after black sand beaches but its not actual coral sand. It won't add calcium, so you'll need to provide something else as a source. In my tank this is provided with a large holey rock. Aragonite sand or crushed coral works too.

Oh I know. I have coral all over my tank as well.

[Mustafa]

Thank you for all the responses. My 4 remaining shrimp have survived 2 weeks in the new container. They get indirect natural light, some LED light and I'm using a full-spectrum fluorescent light to get things going to build the algae. I'm planning on waiting another week to make sure they're still okay, and then order more. If they're doing well, the new ones should, too. No? Yes?

Yes, as long as you don't change anything the new ones should be fine too.

[crittersni]

Is this a berried shrimp?

[i<3Opae]

Yup looks like 2 eggs to me! Congrats!

[crittersni]

Thank you. I added this info also as a new post after I saw the other dropped eggs and before I saw your reply. Pics are there. After losing most of my previous shrimp, I set up this new tank a couple of months ago. This is new to me. I'm excited to see the two berries (others are saddled), but I'm saddened that so many others were dropped.

[Flippers]

I think your salanity was different from that the shrimps were in

Can the shrimp be adapted to the new salinity? How long will it take?

[crittersni]

As long as it's reef salt, good water (distille or R/O) and in the appropriate range, you shouldn't have a problem with adjustment. I bought a refractometer and took it to my reef store. They calibrated it for me and showed me how to use it. Just watch the temperature. If you're not sure of temperatures, float the shrimp in the new tank for 2-4 hours before releasing them into the water. Good luck!!

[Varanus]

Can the shrimp be adapted to the new salinity? How long will it take?

As brackish water animals they are adapted to handle rapid changes in salinity fine, so you should be able to add them immediately (just pour them in with the water they come with). Besides if you follow Mustafa's directions your salinity should be fairly close to the salinity of the water they come in.