Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

hey, i been keeping and breeding shrimps for like 6 months now.
i recently moved to a house that has soft water (domestic filter i'm guessing)

so here is my problem:

I have 30gal tank planted with java ferns, java moss and amazon swords. i also have drift wood in it
i have
cherry shrimps and amano shrimps
5 rummy nose tetra
5 cardinal tetra
1 endler (livebearer)
and a pair of german blue rams ( just got)

recently i started to add carbon to my tank (its like liquid carbon from a brand called excel)

so the problem is my shrimps (most of them) are gathering around the surface of my tank, and the closes thing to the surface is my heater. I dunno if its carbon poisoning or the soft water from my tap ( first time doing a soft water change)
or maybe its from my amazon sword? <---also just got (like a day ago with the german rams)

Update: the shrimps sometimes fall off the heater motionless like they're frozen. then after a like 1 or 2 sec they start swiming to the nears platform or back to the heater.
i dont see any other sideaffects yet.

does anyone know why this is happening? i never seen my shirmp like this before
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb24 ... G_2830.jpg <--- heres a picture of my tank for a better understanding

It could be any and all of the things that you just described.
I too, fertilize with Excel. Are you following the dosing recommendation to the letter? If you overdose, it will kill period.
Try dosing every other day, 3ml at most. Your liquid fertilizer will also prove to be inadequate in the long run if all you are dosing is a carbon source. Your plants will also need micro ferts and the complete NPK range. In my tank, phosphates and nitrogen are naturally kept at an acceptable level for my plants without having to dose. The only things I dose are Fluorish, Excel and Potassium.
You need the API freshwater master test kit at the very least. It will help you measure ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, low and high leve pH.
As it is right now you are flying blind and it is next to impossible to say precisely which change is killing your shrimp. If I were in your position, I would address the fish you have (I would get rid of the rams, just stick with small tetras), STOP dosing and keep up with weekly PWC. Let things settle for a while and in the meantime take advantage of that time and learn what you will need in order to successfully grow plants and have healthy shrimp. It CAN be done, but dilligent research is a must.