Dead cleaner shrimp!?!?!?! :(

[velbar]

yesterday I found one of My two newest cleaner shrimp (I had barely had it 2 weeks or so) down in a corner of My tank and live rock, dead. The other one I got at the same time and the one I have had for months and months are doing great, increasing in size and shedding, all the good stuff, but for the life of Me, I don't have a clue what happened to this one since the other is doing so well.... I love the little guys
Ph and alkalinity, nitrate and nitrites are dang near perfect according to the test strips and My salinity has barely changed over the last few days.
grrrrr

 

[monsinour]

1. test strips are not accurate. Get yourself a mini chemistry set from a reputable brand. However, what are the #'s your strips are telling you for the different measurements?
2. fluctuations in salinity is not good for inverts at all. Ideally it should stay the same. Are you topping off with fresh RO water?
3. Ask your LFS where the shrimp was purchased to see if they know how it was collected. Some shrimp have been collected with poor methods and do not survive that long after capture. My LFS had a problem with Pepps and this issue not too long ago.

 

[jstdv8]

be sure it wasnt jsut a molt...

 

[velbar]

when I top off I use water I have pre-salinated to match the water in the tank. the only real reason the salinity in the tank should be changing otherwise is pure evaporation of the water increasing the salt content but the variation is kept with in .001 according to My hydromiter I keep in the tank.
the numbers for My chem levels are estimates based on the color matching but here is what I estimated them at this morning.
Gh 180
Kh150
Ph 8.4
No2 1
NO3 0
Salinity 1.022
as for where I got them, I would believe that the FS I got them from is well reputable and did what they could right (Bought it from Saltwaterfish.com) and as I said, the other one I got at the same time is doing terrifically.
I will look closer into the rocks and make sure it wasnt just a molt but it looks different from the last moltings I have seen.

 

[jstdv8]

Salt doesnt evaporate, you shouldn't add saltwater to your tank unless it is for the purpose of a water change or for some reason you had a malfunction that caused your tank water to become less salty.
Salinity is usually kept around 1.025
And you shouldnt have any nitrites unless your tank is still cycling.

 

[velbar]

points taken Jstdv8, thank you

 

[monsinour]

topping off with saltwater will raise the salinity, slowly. Theoretically you could continue to do this until you get to 1.025 and the raising should go slowly. Nitrite sure is bad stuff for inverts. Heck its bad stuff for anything alive in the tank.

 

[chain]

Cleaner shrimp do well in pairs and can be kept in larger groups in large tanks, however I have seen two larger cleaners gang up on the third and kill him. This is typical behavior for cleaner shrimp and I wouldn't be surprised if that is what happened. By adding more then 2 you leave room for aggression towards the weakest. Peppermint shrimp don't usually display these traits, and are a more group friendly shrimp. Depending on the size of the tank and how much room you have, its very well possible that 2 of your cleaners ganged up and killed the third basically just for spite. Many people can't comprehend that a little cleaner shrimp would be aggressive, however you would be surprised. I have had cleaners kill peppermints before and caught them in the act of catching and killing them. Alot depends specfically on the personality of the fish or invert rather then standard classifcations, however it is best to use standard classifications as general guidelines when considering a fish or invert. There are always rare exceptions to most every rule, and don't be surprised if someday one finds its way into your aquarium. Best of Luck

 

[velbar]

I was not aware of the PAIR rule for cleaner shrimp sadly, I would swear I had read they did well in any number, I have lost both cleaners I just bought 3 weeks or so ago but I think that in part is also due to something having pissed off My spiny urchin because there were several of his spines broken off and on the floor of the tank...
grrrrr

 

[chain]

Yes if you have a male/female pair up, they will usually hunt down any other cleaners in the tank and neutralize them. Don't get me wrong its entirely possible to keep 3 cleaners in a reef with no aggression at all, however once two of them pair up, it usually is just a matter of time until they hunt down that odd shrimp out. I do agree with you though in that it doesn't sound like your shrimp were killed due to aggression within their own species. It sounds like an issue which they had prior to insertion into your tank. Truly sorry for your loss. I have a cleaner ive had for a good 6 years. He's gigantic and still keeps on growing. I can tell he's getting old however in that its becoming more difficult for him to get his share of the food at feeding time. He doesn't seem to have the energy he used to so I target feed him to keep the peppermints from stealing his food. They are great shrimp to have, sounds like you just got ahold of a bad batch to me. I wouldn't hesistate in trying again, however you may opt to look at a different store.