ghost shrimp dying, turning white

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:39 pm

I have kept ghost shrimp successfully for over 2 years. The female was constantly carrying eggs (the larvae of which were eaten by my filter or fish, I assume), but 2 did eventually make it to the baby shrimp stage. Anyway, now I'm suddenly losing ghost shrimp all over the place (4-5 in the last 2 weeks have died).

I keep my tanks very clean (50% water change every week), which is NOT what I used to do. In fact, the ghost shrimp seemed to be doing better when I had tons of nitrates and black hair algae everywhere.

I have moderately planted tanks, which I supplement with low nitrates, phosphorus, and traces.

The shrimp turn white, like they're about to molt, then they die. So I thought I was having molting deaths, and have gone back to supplementing iodine (1 mL per 29 gal) after each water change. It hasn't helped.

The shrimpies are getting plenty to eat because I see them eating flakes, frozen food, bottom wafers, even picking off some live worms and snails.

What's going wrong? It seems like some kind of chemical imbalance or deficiency to me, but I don't know what exactly. I am planning on getting a bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis) soon and I want my tank to be invert-friendly before I take that plunge.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:16 am

Welcome to the forum,

Have a read of this and see if it's any help:

http://www.petshrimp.com/articles/whyshrimpdead.html

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:04 am

Do you check the pH regularly? What do you use to condition your water? Often during the hot weather water companies change what the add to the drinking water. Some naties may be getting through.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:30 pm

Thanks for the article! I did not see that when perusing the site. I read it and have kept fish for years (so use Prime, make sure water changes are done often to keep conditions close to source water, refill with water at same temp as tank) so feel I'm doing most things right. I do not medicate my fish as I believe prevention is the key. So far, no illnesses in years.

I feed only about 5 times a week, what fish can consume in a couple minutes (I try to keep feedings light). I do, however, put bottom feeder wafers out for my upside-down catfishes. The ghost shrimp don't seem to bother with those too much, though.

I HAVE added a few new plants, so it's possible the pesticide thing is at work. However, I always rinse plants very well before planting them, to get rid of rock wool as well as any hitchhiking nasties.

I will however, test my water for copper. I obviously do not add it through medications, but it never occured to me that my tap water might have copper.

tap water and tank pH have been stable.

It's very possible that I'm getting poor quality shrimps (Petsmart), but the first one to die was my "queen" who was the offspring of my original pair from a year ago. Maybe she was just old, although her parents lived for nearly 2 years.

Please let me know what your personal feelings are regarding the cause of their death. Thanks for your help!

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 11:06 pm

Also, I read that there are brackish species of Palaemonetes that are very hard to distinguish from the FW species. If I were accidentally given these from Petsmart, how quickly would they die in my FW tank? The deaths have been occurring about 2-3 weeks after purchase.

How do you tell a brackish glass/ghost shrimp from the true FW species?

Post by **Mustafa** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:06 am

You most likely don't have brackish ones. Brackish Palaemonetes usually die before they even get into dealers' tanks, so over the years the "industry" has adjusted to it by just selling freshwater Palaemonetes. You probably just have very stressed out and/or diseased animals. Shrimp can have contagious diseases, which *could* explain why your 1 year old shrimp died.

Ecir · Post by **Ecir** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:52 am

I've also bought Ghost shrimp at Petsmart and they got ID'd by Mustafa as the freshwater Palaemonetes paludosus, I would assume they label(or misslabel) the same in each store.

Ecir

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:55 am

Mustafa wrote:You probably just have very stressed out and/or diseased animals. Shrimp can have contagious diseases, which *could* explain why your 1 year old shrimp died.

Is there anything I could have or should have done then? Can I do anything now to make the tank safe for a bamboo shrimp and existing ghost shrimpies?

Thanks again for the help.