Please help. All shrimp dead

cdn_beaver

cdn_beaver

Member
Unfortunately, I discovered that my shrimp have died. I had 1 pepermint shrimp, and 1 cleaner shrimp. Both seem to have died simulanteously, which leads me to believ that there is a problem with the water.
I took samples, and conducted abunch of tests.
Temp - 80
Hydrometer - 1.025 ~1.026
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20
PH - 8
Phosphate - 0.5
Calcium - 360
The ammonia spike I'm assuming is from the death of the shrimp. I hadnt seen the cleaner in about 2 days, and the pepermint I saw only last night.
The only change to the tank was the addition of a Seaclone 100 protein skimmer yesturday. Could this have caused the problem? It is putting alot of little bubbles into the tank (Assuming its normal for break in period).
I still have 4 turbo snails, and a marbel sea star that seem to be doing fine. The tank is fed a pinch of marine fish food every other day, and 1/2 cube of frozen mysis shrimp once a week.
I have no fish yet, but was planning on getting a tomatoe clown in the next day or so.
Can somebody please help?
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Were they dead, like you actually found the full body, with meat and eyeballs, kinda dead...
Or did you maybe find a "molt" as they shed and grow..??
Just asking..it's a possibility
 
diddley

diddley

Member
i seriously doubt that it is a problem with your iodine level..........unless you've been dosing it. could be a ph problem, test ph and alk. keep an eye on that star as well. they are good indicators of water problems, unfortunately. also, if you're looking to go reef, your phosphate is pretty high. good luck.
 
cdn_beaver

cdn_beaver

Member
Thanks for the input. I also brought a water sample to the LFS, and their findings were basically the same as mine.
My PH is alittle low, and my salinity is alittle high. They think the combination of the 2 is what is most likely the problem. They recommend a water change with a lower salt content, and adding more marine buffer.
As per the PH, Ive been trying to bring it down for awhile now. In the next couple of months, I would like to upograde my lighting and start andding corals to creat a reef tank. Does anyone have any suggestions? Ive been adding a phosphate remover media called "green-x" to an additional filter, but wasnt really making much difference. I removed it yesturday, to make room on the back of the tank for the new protein skimmer.
Thanks again to everyone for the help. Im very new at this, and all the help is really appreciated. Its rather discouraging to lose livestock. I was really starting to look forward to finally adding my first fish soon. I guess it will have to wait.
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member

Originally posted by cdn_beaver
My PH is alittle low, and my salinity is alittle high. They think the combination of the 2 is what is most likely the problem. They recommend a water change with a lower salt content, and adding more marine buffer.

That Salinity doesn't look high, Normal to me...35ppm is like 1.026 or 1.027
PH is low, but not really enough to kill shrimp unless it fluctuates a lot.
You may want to do daily readings, maybe even two a day for a few days and chart your readings. Just to see if you are having fluctiations.
How are you keeping up with adding evap?
A little evap on a small tank can cause all types of fluctuations.
 
cdn_beaver

cdn_beaver

Member
Thanks again.
For the evap...
I do weekly water changes, and add aditional water to make up the extra that has evaporated.
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member
For the evap...
I do weekly water changes, and add aditional water to make up the extra that has evaporated.
So you don't add any evap water in between water changes?
This is why smaller tanks are harder to care for.
Lets just say that Per week you loose 1 gallon, that could bring your salinity up, then when you do your water change, you bring it back down.
Every week Up and down Up and down..
What I would do is set a mark with a marker somewhere out of sight, with the tank full, then see how much you loose next water change.
Then look at that mark everyday or everyother day and Add just regular RO/DI water (no salt) to get it back up to the line.
Remember Water evaps, Salt, Minerals, calcium, etc, etc, do not and just concentrate.
Since your water appears to be fine.
These slight up and down might be where your problem is.
I'm thinking "out side the tank" :)
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member

Originally posted by sw65galma
...I'm thinking "out side the tank" :)
Actually, if the water params are good you may want to "think" or better yet "look" inside the tank...
Any hitchhcking critters that may have snuck in for a "shrimp dinner"...??:eek:
 
cdn_beaver

cdn_beaver

Member
Thank you sw65galma for the information about evaporation. I had never thought about the fact that the water evaporation would cause the salinity to change. I guess it makes sense that the water goes away, leaving behind the salt and other addiives behind making the salinity change. I seem to have very little water evaporation, but I guess every bit makes a change on a small tank like mine.
Any hitchhcking critters that may have snuck in for a "shrimp dinner"...??
This was also my first though, but nothing has been added for quite some time. Although, I have noticed small white worm type creatures extending and shrinking back into the rock. They seem to be all white, and mainly come out when the lights are off, and rertract back into the rocks again when the lights come on. However I still do seem to see them on occasion when the lights are on.
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member

Originally posted by Squidd
Actually, if the water params are good you may want to "think" or better yet "look" inside the tank...

What I was thinking is he's doing the test after the water change and everything in hunky dory. But it may not have been pre water change..
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member

Originally posted by cdn_beaver
Thank you sw65galma for the information about evaporation. I had never thought about the fact that the water evaporation would cause the salinity to change. I guess it makes sense that the water goes away, leaving behind the salt and other addiives behind making the salinity change. I seem to have very little water evaporation, but I guess every bit makes a change on a small tank like mine.

Yup that's why tanks less than 55gals are much harder to care for. And say a 300 is almost effortless (in some aspects) compared to say a 15 Gallon
 
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