Dwarf shrimps dying after adding wood and moss

**beetroot** · 22nd Sep 2008, 16:36

Hi All

Need advice please.

I keep my shrimps in small, kind-of bare tanks with just some water grass (dont know what to call them) and some brown leafs, like this attachment. They used to be doing just fine (more than 2 months), no casualties at all and even babies have survived well.

3 tanks, 7" x 6", no pumps.
Each tank about 12 shrimps - cherries, tigers, sakura -separate tanks.

But 2 days ago, I bought wood tied with moss & mini nana for them - very small piece that can fit into my tanks. And now they are dying on me

. 1 sakura & 3 tigers have died. Before buying the wood+moss+nana, i did ask auntie and she said it is ok for shrimps.

Is it because of the wood+moss+nana that has affected water condition? What should I do? remove the wood?

**celticfish** · 22nd Sep 2008, 16:53

Most of the stuff you buy from the LFS are grown emersed.
Some suspect the fertilizer the farms use on them.
This then goes into your tank and kills the fauna.
I usually soak the new purchase in water for a night or a day before use to prevent this.
That said, whatever new item or unknown origin item you want to put in a tank should go through this regime too.

Yes, remove the new item immediately.
For your surviving fauna you have two options.
One, do a 50% water change.
Two, better method, move your fauna to another stable tank.

Don't feel too bad about it.
Take it as a learning experience.
Like a friend said to me "Charge it to experience and move on."

**meerkat** · 22nd Sep 2008, 16:55

My guess is that you have introduced some bacteria or toxic chemicals into the tank.
The wood+moss+nana themselves may not be harmful but what is on them properly is. For example, the water which they were previously immersed in might have harmful stuff.

Did you do a proper sterlisation plus plenty of rinsing before introducing the wood plus plants into your tank?

If you have not done anything else other than putting the said items in (for example, dosing anything like liquid fertilizer, fishes or ornaments into the tank) or have performed regular WC, then I think the wood+moss+nana is the main suspect.

It is imperative to have a hospital tank with proper aged water from the non-affected tanks and scoop the surviving little guys into it. DO NOT PUT them into other tanks as they may infect the others.

Pour away the water from the infected tank and start the whole cycling process from scratch. If you have substrate you may need to also perform the laborious task of cleaning it as well as the contaminants may already seeped into it. You can expedite the process by using aged water from the other tanks but if I were you I will start from scratch to play safe.

For your surviving shrimps, just cross your fingers and hope for the best..

Hope they tide through.

As for the wood+nana+moss, you can sterilize plus rinse it or better still soak them for a few hours if you still want to keep it.

Else, dump it.

**kaganesti** · 22nd Sep 2008, 16:58

Did you soak them in water before adding them into your tank?

**leechaorui** · 22nd Sep 2008, 17:01

Quickly do a WC and quarantine the plants first. Add anti chorine, black water and control the water temperature and ph for your shrimp.

**beetroot** · 22nd Sep 2008, 19:01

Thanks you all for the advice.

Yes i did rinse them a few times and soak them in water half a day before putting those woods (1 for each tank) in.

Will do water change when I get home from work. My poor shrimps....

When you say sterilise, any particular method? Quarantine wood/plants for how long?
After soaking in water again.... i wonder if it is still safe to use the wood? Trial and error on my poor little shrimps again?

Was thinking of getting orange shrimps tonight, but now.....

**beetroot** · 23rd Sep 2008, 01:10

I have done water change, and removed the wood+moss+nana which are soaking in a separate tub. Will soak and change water.

They "look happier" now, well... to me... (fingers crossed) moving around... Have not seen moulting yet as compared to yesterday - quite a fair bit. But will monitor.

Cherry adults are still the hardiest, no casualty except for babies

. Tigers most casualties.

The wood thingy, I need to soak for how long before testing again? Scared now...

Thanks.

**meerkat** · 23rd Sep 2008, 13:28

My experience with Tigers is that they are not a very hardy species. Agree with you Cherries are very hardy. Mine have become parents and soon-to-be grandparents soon!

As for the wood+moss+nana, soak for at least 3hrs. After that put it under running water to rinse it thoroughly and shake the excess water off rigorously before putting it back into the tank.

And hope for the best...

Or like what I have mentioned earlier, dump it altogether if you think it is not worth gambling with the lives of your precious little guys...

**beetroot** · 24th Sep 2008, 00:33

Congrats meerkat!

Would you know, or from past experience, the rank from hardiest to the least... for cherries, sakura, tigers and orange? I have these.

Ok.. may take a gamble

... with cherries first...

**meerkat** · 24th Sep 2008, 21:09

Hmm... For me I have kept Tiger, Orange, Red Cherry ( or Sakura as some bros suggested for the redder kind) and Blue Tiger shrimps. Never thought of keeping CRS because of both the high price and maintenance ($$$!!).

Well in terms of hardiest based on survivability and the success of breeding, I would say (from hardiest to low) would be:

Red Cherry, Orange, Blue Tiger, Tiger.

NB: Never kept a Tiger alive for a week so far and have given them up

**beetroot** · 24th Sep 2008, 23:49

So far after water change, they are all doing great. I have currently put the wood into my friend's fish tank as I will be away this weekend for a few days, so better not risk it first (I won't be around to save them!). When I'm back next week, I will try again, as they are nice pieces of wood tied like a miniature tree... to decorate the tanks and not look so bare.

Ahh... no wonder you rate Tigers last, are they so hard to keep? For me, for the past 2 months (before the wood addition) they had all been ok, I guess they just need clean water. The babies that came with the pack are all growing up now

.

Same reasons as yours, I think I would not keep CRS... for now (or ever? haha). My Cherries are "big" and not very red; while my Sakuras are less than half of my Cherries' size and much redder, so I keep them separate

.

**d2sign** · 25th Sep 2008, 10:29

Originally Posted by meerkat

Hmm... For me I have kept Tiger, Orange, Red Cherry ( or Sakura as some bros suggested for the redder kind) and Blue Tiger shrimps. Never thought of keeping CRS because of both the high price and maintenance ($$$!!).

Well in terms of hardiest based on survivability and the success of breeding, I would say (from hardiest to low) would be:

Red Cherry, Orange, Blue Tiger, Tiger.

NB: Never kept a Tiger alive for a week so far and have given them up

I thought Blue tiger are much more expensive than a S grade CRS? Blue Tiger (Caridina cantonensis sp. "Blue") and Tiger (Caridina cantonensis sp. "Tiger") are same tiger species, since you successful retain Blue Tiger, you shouldn't have problem with normal Tiger. Hmm, they in different tank?

**meerkat** · 25th Sep 2008, 16:46

Frankly I have never heard of Blue Tiger shrimps before until I bought a bag listed as "Blue Tiger" from C328 for let me think...8 for a red note (can't really remember as it was quite a while back).

So there you have it-me having 8 blue tigers with the rest of the shrimps. Not sure if the blue tigers is the real MacCoy as they don't look blue to me

They were all kept in the same tank.

**d2sign** · 25th Sep 2008, 18:57

I believe the one you bought are blue shrimp. But best to show us some picture, hehe.

Check out these threads for more info:
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=33231
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=43555 (you get an idea how much it cost)

Cheers.

**meerkat** · 25th Sep 2008, 20:04

Looking at the pictures, I guess mine could be just blue shrimps

No way my shrimps got those beautiful colouring! Guess I bought it during April's Fool Day?

**d2sign** · 25th Sep 2008, 20:55

How much I hope you got yourself the blue tiger... It's common that they label wrongly. Have fun shrimp keeping

**beetroot** · 25th Sep 2008, 22:26

Most probably meerkat's are blue shrimps from c328, and most of them (sold in a pack) are not really blue...

Well, after i wrote last night, went to check on them... and... another dead Tiger

.
Today, back from work... a dead Sakura

.

How long after you guys keep your shrimps that they start dying...?

**d2sign** · 25th Sep 2008, 23:16

Err.. A bit hard to answer this question. If the tank conditions or water parameters are not right for them, they will die in no time.

I have pay my lesson to learn this golden rule: If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Keep it simple, good water quality, correct temperature and good food are the key to healthy shrimp.

Life span for freshwater dwarf shrimp typically around 1 to 1.5 years (but Yamato up to 3 years). But if condition is right, 10 shrimps can breed 500 shrimps in half a year.

**beetroot** · 25th Sep 2008, 23:24

Agree - keep it simple. When my tanks were simple, they were alright. Only after I started "decorating" that they have become weak.

**beetroot** · 30th Sep 2008, 18:34

Argh... do not wish to go meerkat's route of giving up on Tigers, but seems like my Tigers are dying one by one (another 5 in the past 4 days)

.

I have not even re-introduced back the wood+moss and they are dying already. For the first two months I kept them, there were no casualties at all. Have they been "weakened" by the incident?

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