Reply With QuoteFirstly, get the ammonia, nitrite and PH readings.
Have you cycle your tank?
Hi guys, I've just set up a 2 ft tank a few weeks ago, (simple setup with sponge filter, waterfall type filter, no CO2)
I'm only keeping Cherry Shrimp in it. Bought 18 adults to start with but only abt 10 left now.. 1st week or so i think abt 4 died due to bad acclimitisation..
after that stabilised and even have baby shrimps, got abt 15-20 now..
but the adults seem to be dying 1 every couple days..
No idea what is going on.. Can any one help?
P.S some adult shrimp have been moulting already, so far seen abt 4-5 shells..
Thanks guys!
Firstly, get the ammonia, nitrite and PH readings.
Have you cycle your tank?
I have the same experience when I first started with Cherry. Any plants or mosses?
________________________
Always learning..
Regards, Joe.
So sorry, but I do not have any test kits.. maybe I would go get some this week.. But as they are fairly costly, if I remember correctly, pH is $10, nitrite and ammonia are $14 each... that's a total of $38, which is quite a bit of money for a student like myself.. Anyone here knows what brand is good to get but also not too expensive? (are the prices I found alright?)Originally Posted by Madmax
I do have a thermometer though, the temp is mostly around 27C.
Yes, I've got 2 portions of Java Moss tied to granite stones and some caabomba (don't know if spelled correct) in the tank. Btw, I'm using GEX substrate, the red colour packet one.. I was told (and read on forum) that it lowers the pH which is supposedly good for shrimp right?
Thanks again to all for the help..
Update: lucky no adult shrimp died today.. Also, I counted abt 20-25 baby shrimp in the tank this evening. I think the pregnant female gave birth this morning/afternoon or something..
Last edited by Quixotic; 7th Nov 2007 at 02:36. Reason: Merge posts
you just setup 1 week and already put the shrimp in? Not recomended thing to do for ADA soil, not sure about GEX, but probably the same. Probably due to ammonia spike, the beneficial bacteria have not established yet.
Once the shrimp has get used to it, it will start to breed like rabbit. The more moss you have the better it is.
________________________
Always learning..
Regards, Joe.
I hope you cycled the tank before you placed your shrimp into your tank... But since you mentioned that you do not have any test kits I suppose you did not check your tank is properly cycled... For new setups you need to cycle your tank for like 6-8 weeks...
Don't buy anymore shrimp until you've bought your test kits to confirm your tank is ok first...
Since you are student why don't you check out the Marketplace for 2nd hand test kits... There are other forums that you check out as well...
When I first setup my tank, I do have very seasoned and cycled (extremely dirty!) bubble filters. So far, I have lost 2 of my 20 cherry shrimps that I bought. This is mainly due to the fact I used tank water from my arowana tank and it contained salt.
If you don't want to spend the money, it is fine. Anyway, cherry shrimps are cheap and the test kits costs more. Moreover, the ammonia may be so minute that it may not register at all. Meanwhile, you should abstain from buying anymore for the next 6-8 weeks. Should they all die, buy some feeder fish and keep the cycling going.
Best of luck.
Alright.. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.. I think I'll not buy test kits la.. really cant afford them now.. (any kind bro staying in toa payoh/braddell can offer free tests?)
hum... I think you should save some money. test kit itself isn't that expensive. They can be used for about 1 year +. Plus way your shrimp is dying, really need them.
API PH test kit = US$5
API Nitrate and ammonia test kit = US$6 each.
Last edited by Quixotic; 10th Nov 2007 at 21:18. Reason: Added currency code
hi Derk, my cherrys die on me several times until i change my substrate to magic soil, you can get a pack of magic soil or Gex soil(red packaging)from Colourful aquarium , Petmart and NA...you can keep the sponge filter if you like...cycle the tank for a week...put in your chery shrimp...give them 2 weeks and you will see the female pregnant
hi troyz, yea, I was using red packaging Gex soil (then) already actually.. My shrimps are doing fine now, many thanks to those here in AQ who helped.. Thanks!
hi...so what was the problem actually?
It could be due to the tank not fully cycled. Normally i add in a few fishes like guppy after a few days while cycling the tank. Think it helps the BB to build up a bit faster.
Should consider saving up to buy a set of API Test Kits. At least pH and Ammonia first. It will save you money, and save shrimp lives in the long run.
hi bro,
what is your water temp ?
Don't mind if I post here? I am really interested in the red cherry shrimp. But my setup is really simple. It's just a 2-feet tank (about 14.5-gallon capacity) with a mechanical filter which I use the white colour floss-like sponge as the filter.
May I know the difference between a biological filter and a mechanical filter? And can a mechanical filter maintain a healthy level of the bacteria that breaks down ammonia? Or only biological filters can do that?
And if I'm sticking with my mechanical filter, can I still have fishes and shrimps at the same time? I am currently employing the help of bio-bacteria solution to make sure there's enough bacteria in my tank. My tank is only cycled for a week, can I start adding fishes, say neon tetras?
aiyoh... maybe it was time for them to go to a happy place. fishes sometimes also like that.
well cherry shrimp like hamster and rabbit, so your baby should multiply very fast too...
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