Have 8-year Old Ecosystem Shrimp - Not sure what to do

[SuperProofer]

New Question: Now I noticed some of the shrimp in both jars seem to have some white fuzzy stuff stuck to their feet. None on the antennae or body, just their feet. Is this something I should be worried about? I've never really looked at them close enough to say if this is normal or not. Is it just algae they are snacking on or is something more ominous happening?

[SuperProofer]

Additional observation: the ones who have it only have it on their front gabby hands; not any of their back legs they walk around with.

[Sasquatch]

Are you sure it’s not claws on their front 4 feet? I just looked at my shrimp and they have 2 front claws on each side. It kinda looks fuzzy...

[SuperProofer]

Pretty sure. Ive been looking at them through a microscope. But they move too fast; I can't really tell what they are doing. If they are eating it or if it's just their claws. It doesn't seem to be slowing them down any and they are still swimming around like normal. I tried to take a picture but it just looked like a red blur, so not very helpful.

Maybe you're right and maybe I'm just being paranoid after losing a couple shrimp, but it just looks odd to me.

[Mustafa]

Maybe you're right and maybe I'm just being paranoid after losing a couple shrimp, but it just looks odd to me.

Yep...just paranoid. "Fuzzy" claws are normal. That's how they pick up their microscopic food. It sticks to the "fuzz".

[SuperProofer]

OK. That makes me feel better. I guess I just never noticed the fuzz being as prevalent.

[Mustafa]

Yeah, it's hard to see unless you take a really close look (if you have good eyes) or use a macro lens to magnify everything.

[SuperProofer]

I lost another one in the small jar today. Since the water change they've been corked and saran wrap sealed shut. Practically no work has been done on the house since then. I'm hoping its just residual of whatever was happening before; but I ended up transferring out the last 2 survivors from that jar to the larger one. Maybe the small one was just too small and the contaminant was too great.

I hope this is the last of it.

[SuperProofer]

Here's another thought... Where I've been keeping them since we've moved probably hasn't been the best for light to get in other than ambient light through the closed blinds or the occasional light on in the room. Is there such a thing as too little light?

[Varanus]

Well as far as I know less light means less algae growth and thus less food, also it means less oxygen due to lack of photosynthesis. Whether that would be enough to harm the shrimp I'm not sure at all.

[Mustafa]

I assume the dying has stopped?

[SuperProofer]

I found them eating another dead one this weekend. . But there were a couple weeks in between, so maybe it's leveling off?

I broke down and fed them some fish flakes this weekend thinking maybe there just wasn't enough algae in the tank (and hoping to spur a little more algae growth with any leftover food). They weren't ravenous about it, but did casually eat it all over the course of the weekend. So I put a little more in there last night and they ate that too! Little boogers - I'm trying to have a bit leftover to help you grow more algae! Lol

So I'm really at a loss a to what is happening.

[Mustafa]

They shouldn't continue dying like that but that last death may have been one of the shrimp that was exposed to the "killer" condition before...whatever that was.

[SuperProofer]

Yes, so far (knock on wood), I'm holding steady at 9 in the jar...

[Mustafa]

That's good news!