# Cherry Shrimp



## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

In the last few days, I've had one cherry shrimp die. So far a total of two has died and eaten by the others. This hasn't occurred in a while and I do change the water and I have a lot of java moss and hygro plants in the tank.

Any suggestion on the problem?


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## WiyRay (Jan 11, 2009)

You might need to give some more info for someone to get a good idea of what is going on. 

Otherwise, maybe its just coincidental old age? 

I've had 1 of my cherries die last week due to an overdose of excel along with my hornwort shedding all its "pines" and turning into a long flimsy green string.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

What are your water parameters, how long as the tank been established, what other livestock do you have in there, how large is your tank (I assume it is the 7g?), and finally, do you inject CO2 and/or dose Excel?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Darkblade48 said:


> What are your water parameters, how long as the tank been established, what other livestock do you have in there, how large is your tank (I assume it is the 7g?), and finally, do you inject CO2 and/or dose Excel?


0 nitrate, tank has been up since Jan 2010. No other livestock and its the 10 gallon tank and no Co2 or excel or anything


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Fish_Man said:


> 0 nitrate, tank has been up since Jan 2010. No other livestock and its the 10 gallon tank and no Co2 or excel or anything


Ammonia and nitrite levels? Shrimp are much more sensitive to these than fish are.

As WiyRay mentioned, it could just be coincidental old age as well.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

I hope its just due to old age. 

Do cherry shrimp fight and die?


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> I hope its just due to old age.
> 
> Do cherry shrimp fight and die?


I have not seen any of my RCS fight but how big were the ones that die? and what is your temperature set at?


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

One shrimp death can be just a coincidence or an accident.

Be careful with a big water change. In my personal experience it causes shrimp deaths. If you have time, look what people write about 15% weekly WC here.

Do not overfeed them.


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> I hope its just due to old age.
> 
> Do cherry shrimp fight and die?


Cherry shrimps don't fight, ghost do.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

I feed them every other day and very little shrimp pellets from hikari. Theres a lot of java moss in the tank so I don't feed them that much.

the last two that died was not that big in size but it could be a male.

I do about 10-15% waterchange each time.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Are your RCS breeding?


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> I feed them every other day and very little shrimp pellets from hikari. Theres a lot of java moss in the tank so I don't feed them that much.


It's a good way of feeding.
I feed my shrimps not often. Usually it happens at evening when I want them to show up from plant brushes 

It's good that you have a lot of plants. Shrimps can use them as a food for a long time. Check out biofilm feeding.

Have you checked your nitrate and nitrite levels?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

both levels are low to none. 

I think my RCS are breeding since I see little ones on the glass


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> both levels are low to none.
> 
> I think my RCS are breeding since I see little ones on the glass


Looks like you are doing everything correctly ...so don't worry if one dies off now and then because you will have more babies since they are breeding. The ones that die of old age should be just little over an inch. If you lower the temperature to 76F or 78F they will live longer


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

damnit... another one died last night... for some odd reason they like to die at night and it's only when I wake up to find a bunch of them surrounding it.

it never happens when I'm awake to see why if possible.....

I think I have a good amount of male to female... I see babies but could it be from the batch I got a while ago?

I can never tell if they are breeding since I don't see eggs under their tail... or I just can't tell.... I see the eggs on the saddle but dunno if males go and fertilize it when they molt.

Should I do another water change and also change the filter?

I might plan to take out the decorations in the tank and just have the java moss around....not sure if the decorations are causing any problems to the shrimp


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Just remove that body.
BTW, my shrimps don't eat corpses. But I might just find corpses quickly.

What is your filter? Do not change all the media at a time.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Just remove that body.
> BTW, my shrimps don't eat corpses. But I might just find corpses quickly.
> 
> What is your filter? Do not change all the media at a time.


aquarclear 20, also I couldn't remove the body.. it was almost done by the time I saw it

These are the decorations:

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17371/si4151999/cl0/canyonrockwithtrees

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17371/si4152002/cl0/canyonrockwithspire

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17361/si4388068/cl0/tikihousesmall

Should I take them out and have just java moss around? I notice some of the "paint" came off... dunno if its due to the shrimp 
picking at it (its been a while so dunno if this is a problem)

Could the java moss be releasing a lot of Co2 at night that killed the shrimp?


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Your filter is fine. I assume that you get out media and rinse it in aquarium water weekly as people usually do.
If there is no ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, you filter does a good job. 

I don't think that decoration pollute a water. This would be a big shame for BigAl's. If they do a little, carbon in your filter has to suck up some chemicals. 

Are you sure that that shrimp died today. If its body is partially dissolved, it might happened several days ago.

Ho many shrimps are there?

What is your light?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Your filter is fine. I assume that you get out media and rinse it in aquarium water weekly as people usually do.
> If there is no ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, you filter does a good job.
> 
> I don't think that decoration pollute a water. This would be a big shame for BigAl's. If they do a little, carbon in your filter has to suck up some chemicals.
> ...


It was sometime last night (my guess) cause this morning I saw a bunch of them at this one spot that for some reason they all die at or they move the dead body to.... it couldn't have been several days ago unless it was in the cave and they moved it out of there...

there were about 5-6 shrimps eating the dead body.... the only reason I know is cuz they usually are not gathered together in one area.

total shrimps in the tank... = 60+ (hopefully)

my light is the standard one that came with the 10 gallon starter kit (fluorescent tube)


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

probably gonna do a bit of a water change and filter when I get home today... 

I wish I could see the eggs in the tail of the shrimp.. I can barely see them most of the time.. they are hiding in the cave or in the moss....


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> total shrimps in the tank... = 60+ (hopefully)


Don't worry about random deaths


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> Don't worry about random deaths


I'll try but it scares me when one dies and another dies.....


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

I've changed the filter and added more java moss into the tank... Should be all good again


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> I've changed the filter and added more java moss into the tank... Should be all good again


What do you mean by changing the filter? Did you change a media?
Do not change it all, bacterias live there. New media doesn't have useful bacterias.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> I'll try but it scares me when one dies and another dies.....


How old are your RCS?


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> What do you mean by changing the filter? Did you change a media?
> Do not change it all, bacterias live there. New media doesn't have useful bacterias.


Just washed it in the aquarium water I siphoned out.

No clue how old but when I got it was a few months ago


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> Just washed it in the aquarium water I siphoned out.


That's right. Just in case, check you ammonia, nitrates and nitrites.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

yep I'll give it a check when I get home

adding more java moss will hopefully get rid of any excess nitrate or ammonia


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## igor.kanshyn (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish_Man said:


> yep I'll give it a check when I get home
> 
> adding more java moss will hopefully get rid of any excess nitrate or ammonia


For this purpose better to use fast-growing plants. Like, Hygrophila genus. You can just place it into the tank floating around.
I don't think that you really need to remove excess nitrate or ammonia now, but just be aware of this way.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

igor.kanshyn said:


> For this purpose better to use fast-growing plants. Like, Hygrophila genus. You can just place it into the tank floating around.
> I don't think that you really need to remove excess nitrate or ammonia now, but just be aware of this way.


yep I have some hygro floating around at the top which is growing roots all the way down to the bottom


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