# Cleaner shrimp problems



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

I had five cleaner shrimp in the tank. They did extremely well until two days ago. I found three of the smaller ones dead with their heads gone. Now there are two left, the largest and second largest. I just found that the second largest has a large light brown stripe on it's back or thorax (just above where the tail connects).

I removed the shrimp and examined it by hand and under a magnifying glass. I also gently probed the area. I can not determine if the exoskeleton is missing or if it's some type of fungus covering it.

The shrimp seems healthy. Didn't seem to mind me examining it. 

I can't seem to find much information on shrimp problems. Do you think that one of the fish has developed a taste for shrimp or has some viral killer invaded the tank?

Thanks,


----------



## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

What fish do you have in the tank? Many fish will eat shrimp. Shrimp are also sensitive to water quality so may have died and then been picked at by fish. Have you tested ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?


----------



## Big Dog (May 17, 2010)

The problem with having fish and shrimp in one aquarium. The fish will most likley eat the shrimp as a snack. I would only keep a shrimp or fish only aquarium. Do not mix the 2 togather. Also they like very clean water.


----------



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

3 types of platies, a couple of fish that I can't identify (my wife got them...), 2 gray cats. I also had 5 gray shrimp but as of yesterday they are all dead. 

Yesterday the two largest shrimps died and the largest platy.

Current tank reading:

pH 6.4 - it's normally 7.6, so I added a little pH Up and will test again tomorrow.

Ammonia 0.50ppm

Nitrite 0ppm

Nitrate 10ppm

The only thing out of the ordinary is that one of the fish started showing the symptons of Velvet, white spots and scratching against objects. I treated the entire tank with anti-parasitic fish medication. I followed the directions and when the treatment was complete, I changed about a third of the water. The pH usually drops but come back right away. It normally works so well that I've gotten out of the habit of checking it. So I was a little alarmed when I tested it today and saw that the pH hadn't come back up yet.


----------



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

Big Dog said:


> The problem with having fish and shrimp in one aquarium. The fish will most likley eat the shrimp as a snack. I would only keep a shrimp or fish only aquarium. Do not mix the 2 togather. Also they like very clean water.


They have lived in harmony since October.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

The fact that your tank is 5 months old and has a 0.5 ppm ammonia reading bothers me. Ammonia will definitely ruin a shrimp's life, as will getting chowed on by other fish. I also know that high nitrate, phosphate, and especially copper concentrations will kill shrimp, along with many meds like the anti-ich medication malachite.

Long story short, take care of that ammonia before anything else. I would recommend an immediate partial water change. Also, are you dechlorinating the water you add to your tank? Chlorine kills.


----------



## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

+1 I think the ammonia and or meds killed your shrimp. Ammonia at level wont outright kill all fish but it will make them weaker and more prone to disease so it could have been the cause of your other problems too.


----------



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> The fact that your tank is 5 months old and has a 0.5 ppm ammonia reading bothers me. Ammonia will definitely ruin a shrimp's life, as will getting chowed on by other fish. I also know that high nitrate, phosphate, and especially copper concentrations will kill shrimp, along with many meds like the anti-ich medication malachite.
> 
> Long story short, take care of that ammonia before anything else. I would recommend an immediate partial water change. Also, are you dechlorinating the water you add to your tank? Chlorine kills.


I've done a little reading on the ammonia and I think you're right. I'll work on that part.

I use a conditioner on tap water and let it set for a few days before adding to the tank.


----------



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

snail said:


> +1 I think the ammonia and or meds killed your shrimp. Ammonia at level wont outright kill all fish but it will make them weaker and more prone to disease so it could have been the cause of your other problems too.


I agree it was probably a combination of the ammonia and the medication that killed the shrimp.


----------



## Steven (Feb 20, 2011)

Appreciate the previous comments, but I have two new issues.

1) The pH keeps dropping. I add enough to raise the pH 0.4 but it will drop again by the next day. What could be causing that?

2) One of the platies has gone insane. His fins are sticking out at strangely. He runs around the tank at high speed and frequently leaps out of the water. When I feed the fish or do any tank maintenance he tries to jump into my hands. He just looks mad (insane mad).


----------



## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

DON'T try to alter PH with chemicals it just messes a lot of stuff up and doesn't stay stable, as you are experiencing it causes PH swings which are dangerous and may be causing your fish to act strange. The fish are likely fine with the ph your tap water is but if you need to alter it things like crushed shell in the substrate work much better..


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Agreed. Don't mess with the pH. I'm guessing you're trying to use phosphate buffers to alter the pH, and that's a major no-no. Leave the pH alone. Your fish can adjust to a very wide range of pH.

Your molly might just be very stressed out with everything that has been going on. Try turning the light off for a day and see if he chills out. Do you have structures and other things in the tank that he could hide in or behind?


----------

