Trouble with shrimp

helihead

helihead

New Member
Hi,
We have a couple of tanks, a 29 Gal and a 46 Gal bowfront. We can put pretty much any shrimp in the 29 and they do great but we are yet to get a shrimp to live past 24 hours in the 46. I have tested water in both and they look fine with zero or very near zero bad readings. Both tanks are well established for at least a year. Both tanks support pretty much any other kind of life we put in there.
The 46 gal currently has a small yellow tang, a small flame angel, a zebra damsel, a hawkfish and a false percula plus 2 emerald crabs, a pencil urchin, 2 turbo snails, 2 ricordias about an inch to 1.5 inches across and a small maxima clam. Oh yeah, there are about 8 small hermits in there as well. The only other thing we want in there would be a cleaner shrimp because the tang is constantly cornering the other fish as if she wants them to clean her.
Over the past 9 months we have tried 3 different cleaner shrimp from three different sources and they all died within 24 hours. We also decided to try a couple of peppermints just to see how they did and they also died within 12 hours. We moved one cleaner we had in the 29 gal over to the 46 and it died in about 2 hours. Obviously something is wrong but we can't see it with our test kit and everything else living in there seems perfectly happy.
What are shrimp sensitive to that fish, clams, snails, crabs, etc not sensitive to?
Thanks
 
helihead

helihead

New Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3274708
Did you know hawkfish eat shrimp???? That may be part of your problem.....
Yep I know but this hawk is about the same size of the pepermint shrimp so no way he could have done it plus two of the ones that died did so before he was in the tank. On other we literally saw walk across the floor of the tank, wobble a little and go over on his side so we know the hawk didn't get him.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Shrimp are sensitive little critters. When I moved my tank..everything seemed fine and made it to the new house. As I was re-acclimating them to my now set up tank, one of my cleaner shrimp just turned on its side and died. The other one sitting right next to him was fine. The shock of moving was just too much for him to take.
So let’s start with the obvious...How did you acclimate them from the 26 to the 46?
 
S

saxman

Guest
have you ever used any copper or other meds in the tanx? what about fumes from cleaners, paint, etc that may have been used near the tanx?
 
helihead

helihead

New Member
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3274746

So let’s start with the obvious...How did you acclimate them from the 26 to the 46?
Sorry I forgot to mention that. I'll admit that I just floated the first couple to match the temp but I dripped the others for at least an hour. When we moved the one from the 29 to the 46 I dripped it like it came from a LFS. They seemed fine in the drip tank but didn't make it for long.
 
helihead

helihead

New Member
Originally Posted by saxman
http:///forum/post/3274868
have you ever used any copper or other meds in the tanx? what about fumes from cleaners, paint, etc that may have been used near the tanx?
None that I am aware of. We washed the new 46 tank out with water when we got it but no cleaners. I do add additional minerals and occaisionally an iodine supplement as I was told the ricordias would need that. I always thought corals would be the most sensitive and they have been happy as can be for about 6 or 7 months. I am careful to follow the directions on the supplements and even add less than the recommended dose to make sure I don't overdo it.
OK since you asked the copper question... I have three little boys ages 6, 4 and 2. They love the fish and it is possible they might have dropped a penny or something in there although the top is almost completely covered. If so, would that have done it? If so, how the heck to I find it without taking the whole tank down? I kind of hesitate to do that since all other inhabitants are super happy but I'm a bit worried it may start to affect the others eventually if I don't sort it out.
Thanks
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Helihead
http:///forum/post/3275109
None that I am aware of. We washed the new 46 tank out with water when we got it but no cleaners. I do add additional minerals and occaisionally an iodine supplement as I was told the ricordias would need that. I always thought corals would be the most sensitive and they have been happy as can be for about 6 or 7 months. I am careful to follow the directions on the supplements and even add less than the recommended dose to make sure I don't overdo it.
OK since you asked the copper question... I have three little boys ages 6, 4 and 2. They love the fish and it is possible they might have dropped a penny or something in there although the top is almost completely covered. If so, would that have done it? If so, how the heck to I find it without taking the whole tank down? I kind of hesitate to do that since all other inhabitants are super happy but I'm a bit worried it may start to affect the others eventually if I don't sort it out.
Thanks

Did you test for iodine before you dosed the tank? Iodine if there is too much, becomes poison to your critters and shrimp are the most sensitive of inverts to stuff like that.
Also, yes a penny could poison the tank as well.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Agree iodine even what we consider small amounts can be bad.... Don't add if you don't or can't test.
 
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