1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

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MsNymbus
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1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Hello - sadly today I found a dead shrimp in my tank 🙁 I’ve added the shrimps to my tank about 4 weeks ago after cycling and adding snails first. I don’t see any other dead ones but I did notice some hiding in the algae and they are looking pale. The algae growth on the calcium seems to be doing ok, but my macroalgae isn’t growing as fast as I expected. I haven’t fed them yet, but I did see what appeared to be some pieces of molting so I thought they were doing ok! I followed the step by step instructions here. My tank is a cube with a cap with a couple openings (so not sealed) and I’ve been topping off with RO water as needed for evaporation. Is there anything I should do differently or is this one dead guy a sad anomaly? The water is a bit cloudy now, i assume from the dead shrimp but I don’t know if it could be something else that causes the problem. The snails also seem to be doing fine & I’ve seen baby snails. I’m attaching a pic of the dead shrimp, if that helps. I am hoping this is just a one off issue & they’ll eat him but would love any input! Thanks!
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Oh and my tank is 3 gallons and 15 shrimp (14 now, assuming no others are dead that I missed!). I don’t know how many snails there are now but I started with 10.
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by Mustafa »

What else is in the tank in terms of decoration etc.? Do you have a picture of your entire tank?
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Mustafa wrote: Sun Dec 11, 2022 10:44 pm What else is in the tank in terms of decoration etc.? Do you have a picture of your entire tank?
Only things from this website! Sadly I found another dead one today 🙁 the rest appear fine and range in color from transparent to red so not sure what’s happening! I am attaching a pic of the whole set up.
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

A lot are still hiding in the algae, but I do see some swimming around sporadically
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by Rudiarose »

Have you checked salt levels? I just ordered a salt meter from Amazon to make sure mine is good. With a bigger tank it might have gone wonky?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZ ... UTF8&psc=1
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Rudiarose wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:05 am Have you checked salt levels? I just ordered a salt meter from Amazon to make sure mine is good. With a bigger tank it might have gone wonky?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZ ... UTF8&psc=1
I haven’t but might be worth a try! Thanks!

Also, as an update, the remaining shrimp are still mostly hiding so it’s hard to tell how many remain but I haven’t seen any more bodies. I also saw several molts which I thought was a good sign! Which is why I’m confused haha. The algae is just starting to cover the calcium really nicely too. I haven’t fed them yet to avoid overfeeding but wondering if I should? I’d also been considering ordering more shrimp but obviously don’t want to if there’s something wrong on there (but maybe having more in the small tank would help?)
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

So 2 dead of 15 (it might be 2-4 - there was one I saw that I think was the same one moved around a few times but can’t be sure)

It’s possible there are more that I just didn’t see, but there are still (apparently) happy shrimp remaining, albeit a little shy. (Red in color, molting, picking, swimming, etc)

I’d like to keep those ones happy and healthy if possible! It’s hard for me to tell at this point if those guys are some kind of molting fluke or if something’s off. If testing is the way to go, I’ll do it!
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by Rudiarose »

Yea, get a salt tester and you might have to wait to order more salt from this site unless New Yea. I know I am waiting for my order and they said they take the order but not deliver till then. The salt tester you can get on Amazon. Also the body you found might have been molt skin that looks like a body and they might be hiding because they molted.

https://www.amazon.com/Refractometer-Fi ... 156&sr=8-6
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Rudiarose wrote: Sat Dec 17, 2022 4:24 pm Yea, get a salt tester and you might have to wait to order more salt from this site unless New Yea. I know I am waiting for my order and they said they take the order but not deliver till then. The salt tester you can get on Amazon. Also the body you found might have been molt skin that looks like a body and they might be hiding because they molted.

https://www.amazon.com/Refractometer-Fi ... 156&sr=8-6
Thanks! Just tested the salinity and it’s in the right range (~15ppt/~1.010sg) so I don’t think that’s the culprit? Correct me if I’m wrong

I am fairly certain I saw two dead ones because they were pink & solid & looked distinct from the clear molts! While I don't think I’ve seen any more bodies, I’m counting only about 7 shrimp now, though it’s hard to tell because they are all hiding in the algae. I’m not sure if half of them died without me seeing or if only a few (2-4) did and the remaining ones are just tiny/hard to spot. I’m hoping it’s just the 2 I saw (I say 2-4 because I wasn’t sure if one of them floated up/moved or if it was a new one) but I truly have done everything possible to make their habitat healthy following the site set up to a T and only buying from here too. Is there anything else I can test for or look out for? Should I feed them or buy more shrimp? Or wait it out for a bit?

Thank you!
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

I also spotted this today (see pic)…is it some kind of worm?? Or just a weird shaped piece of substrate? 😅 it’s shiny and does not appear to be moving. If it’s a live organism, is it dangerous/what is it/what do I do??
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

So I did count more seemingly healthy shrimp (11-12) and I saw another molt. But today I noticed a little guy swimming very erratically - almost jumping like popcorn and landing on his back - I think if something is wrong, whatever it is might be affecting him - what does this type of swimming mean?
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Ugh, more have died/are dying (popcorn jump swimming and landing on back) please help - what do i do?? I followed everything to a t here im at a loss!
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by Rudiarose »

Do you do a cycle of day and night with their lights? Also they have no place to hide. Some kind of cave or something they can go into. They might want to sleep in the dark or hide if they are molting or whooing. I got a light that does a bright light during day and then I turn on a blue light at night. Mine come out at night more then day.
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Re: 1 dead shrimp & cloudy water :(

Post by MsNymbus »

Rudiarose wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 12:43 am Do you do a cycle of day and night with their lights? Also they have no place to hide. Some kind of cave or something they can go into. They might want to sleep in the dark or hide if they are molting or whooing. I got a light that does a bright light during day and then I turn on a blue light at night. Mine come out at night more then day.
I do have a light cycle - 12 on, 12 off. I was thinking about getting something like you said as well but wasn’t sure if the constant light would bother them. But if yours are happy, I’d like to try it! Do you have a link?

I also do want them to have more places to hide - the only reason I kept it so bare was in case the algae grew but it didn’t get as big as I thought.

Still anxious about my poor shrimpies dying though 🙁 I’m wondering if there’s something I can do quickly/easily to help them ASAP, in addition to what you suggested. Maybe a water change but I know that stresses them out too and wouldn’t want to mess with the remaining ones if unnecessary! Sigh. Caught between not wanting to do too much and stress them out and not doing enough and neglecting them!

Anyways, thanks for your input, I definitely am due for an upgraded light & hiding spots! Just worried about moving too much around while they’re sick/weak. But maybe it will help!

Thanks again, and would love to know what light you use!
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