# Snowball shrimp turning opaque white ?



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I have lost two shrimp recently and both were literally snow white, completely opaque when I found the remains, which had not yet been eaten. So I was able to remove the remains before they were consumed, which I think is just as well. Now I see another shrimp developing this opaque colouration and though as of today the shrimp seems ok, is active and appears to be feeding, I am wondering if I'm going to find this one dead one day soon as well ?

Is this a sign of some type of infection ? There is no pink or red colour, only the body turning opaque white instead of the usual semi translucent appearance they usually have.

Up to now I've been very fortunate, these are the first shrimp deaths I've had since I started keeping them. The tank they're in has been a bit on the warm side, while I am trying to get the timer settings sorted out on the fan I have on it. So temps have been a bit up and down while I fiddle with the settings. Been trying to keep it from getting over 75 F, but it's gone up to 80 a few times now. 

I must assume this is stressful for the shrimp ? Other parameters have been stable, it's jut the temps I'm having problems with. Poor shrimpies. Though the Ghost shrimp I have don't seem to mind the temps so much, I think it has substantially cut down on the number of live fry I get from the Ghost females, though they continue to breed regularly. I've got four berried ones just now, but of five that were berried earlier, I've only got about a half dozen fry, instead of two or three dozen. 

I think one of the deceased Snowballs was a saddled female, only the second time I've seen one saddled since I got these, so that was kind of a bummer. They are in the same tank I had my micro crabs in, but it appears the crabs have disappeared. Not even their shells are left, and I assume they have been eaten by the shrimp. sigh.. 

I think if I were to try keeping crabs again I'd have a crab only tank for them, or perhaps just very small, peaceful fish for company. I suspect shrimp might have been too pushy for them. Or the temps were too high.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Could be bacteria infection, I think the best treatment is lower and more stable temperature in your case. Stress is the number 1 killer to shrimps in high density (all our shrimp tanks are high density comparing to their nature habitat), when they are stressed, they're much more likely to get bacteria infection and less likely to survive it.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I thought I remembered this being mentioned as possibly being caused by infection. And they are pretty crowded in there, seeing as it's also got all my baby ghost shrimp in it. I want to get them out, but I need a grow out tank for them and it's under way, but 'til I get it set up, they have to stay where they are. Going to be hell trying to not only to catch them all but separate the juvie ghosts from the Snowballs. Ah well, such is life !


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## arc (Mar 11, 2010)

Tagging on to this thread. I've keep snowballs for about 2 years now and this is still a problem for me. I've tried Paraguard, Maracyn-Two(low ph only) low and tap water ph, bare bottom, soil and normal gravel all with the same effect. They have been in with my CRS with minimal water change/food to a snail tank that gets very regular water changes. 

This seems to affect the older ones and some of the juveniles which quickly die off for me. There always seem to be survivors though and the populations have been stable at about 40-50. Just wondering if anyone out there has a large(500+) of snowballs or maybe they are just general more sensitive.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Interesting to know this. I have not had Snowballs for very long, only for a few months. This is the first that I've noticed the problem, but now you mention it, it does appear to to affect the largest, and I assume oldest shrimp and one or two of the smaller ones, which I assume are younger. It seems clear they managed to reproduce in my 30 G tank without my even seeing them, as there are a number that are much too small to be from the original batch I started with. And every time I think I have finally caught all of them out of the 30 G tank, I find another one or two still in there. Today I netted a saddled female and I know there are a couple of smaller ones still in there as well. 

As of today also, I noticed there are two more turning white inside. Both are still active and feeding, but I keep watching to see what happens with them, now I've lost, I think it's 3 so far, since it started, about a week or 10 days ago. And to be honest it could have been going on in the 30 G tank too, but there are so many ghost and Whisker shrimp in there, anything that does die is eaten almost instantly and it is rare for me to find any remains, unless they're right up front and I'm there not long afterward to see it. That's one reason I started taking them out of the big tank and putting them in the smaller one, so I could keep better track of their numbers and also to see if any of the girls get berried. 

I sure hope that whatever it is, it does not decimate their numbers, because I don't have all that many of them yet. Hard to count accurately, but I think maybe I've got two dozen or so.


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