# Decrease in shrimp activity :(



## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

So I recently finished setting up my new shrimp tank, I had an old tank that I used for shrimps before and the same filter media I had in the past, just gave it a quick rinse to remove debris. 
I also added new gravel but used speed sand (http://www.shrimpfever.com/shop/health-additives/lowkeys-speed-sand-50g/)
to help with the cycling process, and let it cycle it for 2 weeks.

I added the shrimps about a week ago and they were perfectly fine and grazing, not I noticed that they move a lot less now.

Is there a problem with my tank or is it just normal behaviour?

Here are my tank parameters:
Temperature 24 degrees
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
pH 7.8


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

what kind of shrimp?


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

I have 14red rili shrimps, basically neocaridina


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

what about the hardness?


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

How did you rinse your filter media? Inside the tank water or outside regular water? 

If you didn't use the tank water to rinse the media in, you've virtually killed off all the good bacteria needed to seed your new tank  

The bacteria die in water that is different from the tank they were in, so in rinsing with any water that's not from the cycled tank, they die.

According to the web, you need to have nitrates in your tank to break down ammonia/nitrites otherwise your tank will be off balance. I have had this problem in the past with my shrimp tanks, losing shrimps over time so I decided to do it the long way this time around, hoping they will survive better.

Im not familiar with using this new sand product as a substrate only, but without biofilm (the yucky stuff that comes out of the media) you don't have any food for the shrimps to eat. Most shrimps will eat biofilm off rocks, wood, plants, sponge filters, floss etc and leave commercial food alone. Your PH is fine for neo-caridina shrimps but not for any of the CRS or TBs.

If they are eating commercial food that's good, but they still need the biofilm
that is produced from the soil/plants etc that builds up over time in a tank.

If you have any more media from the other tank I would use that in your new tank, don't rinse it a lot, just a little squeeze, then put it in, but keep it inside some tank water till you transfer it over. 

Ive raised baby shrimps on a piece of dirty floss from an HOB
in a breeder box, using the biofilmon the floss was enough to keep them alive until they could go into the big tank.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

Not sure about the hardness, the master kit I purchased a while ago didn't have that :/

I rinsed it with tap water since there was poop and algae growth on it...Jeez it was my first time seeding a tank so I thought if it was a quick rinse I could just do that to get rid of the debris from the sponge...

Although most of the items in my tank was from a previous tank since I expected it to help.

I also noticed that the speed sand product created a build up of bioflim between the substrate, when I took out one of my decorations previously it was chalk full of biofilm.

I'm counting the shrimps daily now and no deaths so far, they seem a bit better today here is a picture of my tank:


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

It looks good, but you need more plants! Get some moss (aqua inspirations had some nice stuff) or Shrimpfever whichever is closest to you. The cholla wood is good and shrimps will eat off that and you can leave it forever in the tank it will slowly disintegrate. PH 7.8 isn't bad for neos...they can stand up to 8.4 I had some yellows in my sulawesi tank at 8.6 and they were breeding in there with crushed coral for substrate and NO plants...figures 

Most neos are extremely hardy, but keep in mind shrimps can die from lots of different reasons, here are some of those.....bad molts ( they get stuck and die) overfeeding (pig out and drop dead) stress from being moved (don't handle the move very well) bacterial infections (this can be anything) fluctuating temp and PH levels. Females from being harrassed constantly by males after molting.

Give it some time and see what happens, if you can drop the temp down a bit to 70F Neos seem to like cooler temps than CRS and that might be why they are not active. Also what minerals are you adding to the water? Also if you are feeding inside that glass dish and the food is not eaten within a few hours, take it out! Uneaten food can cause bacteria to grow and make shrimps sick. 

Tap water doesn't have any minerals so you need to add some...Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ is one, Fluval Mineral for Shrimps is another, or you can opt for some of those mineral balls.

By the way, is that Zeolite stones you have in the tank? If so, I had a lot of shrimps die off after I added that particular product to my tank, so I took them out....die off stopped! Don't know why, but as it was something new I was trying, it caused a problem and once I removed them my tank returned to normal


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

Thanks for being so informative, I wanted to try raising a specie specific tank for my first couple of shrimp tanks, then make one that has both fish and shrimps (red chilis).

I thought I read somewhere during my first few days when I was researching that they like higher temperatures... I feel like such a horrible owner...

I actually went to shrimp fever and the owner (Tommy) told me less is more, and that if I have less plants and less decorations it would be better as dead shrimps are harder to spot with more decorations etc.

Going to drop my temperature to 23C (~73F) and see if any changes occur, just did some more research apparently what I read was for caridina's (since I previously bought CRS as my first one).

Ahh, I see my previous shrimp tank did well without minerals so I wasn't too informed on that, I'll get some mineral balls the next time I head up to shrimp fever 

I believe these are the stones, I'm not sure if it's zeolite stones, but I saw that Tommy (owner of shrimp fever) had it in his tank and recommended for me to buy it as it grows algae for shrimplets etc.

http://www.shrimpfever.com/shop/breeding-supplies/inert-breeding-stones-300g/


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Yes I got my zeolite stones from Tommy too, but for some reason the algae never grew on them and my shrimps died after I added it to my tank, so for me I wouldn't use them again.


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## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

How are your shrimps they doing better ? did some die ?

Some things that I have learned over time from great guys on this forum and personal experience.

- No carbon in the filter (got rid of some mysterious deaths of my yellow neos) after I removed it.
- Don't over feed (try a day or two in a week where you don't feed)
- Add almond leaf or two every couple of weeks so there is always some for shrimp to graze on at different stages of decomposition.

- I used tap water for water changes, I added prime and let it sit for a day sometimes two, "aged water" also when adding water I didn't just poured full bucket it's always was added gradually. (I have large tanks and use small pump to drive water up the small hose takes about 30 min to pour 4-5G into 46G tank)
- I went from weekly 15-20% water changes to about two 5% water changes per month. It seemed to improve and decrease random deaths as well. I think doesn't matter what type of shrimp they all like stability. 

- I have large tanks and the less I started doing the better things got. So keep it simple don't add random stones they can mess things up.
- Higher temps (I get 25.5-26C without heater where one of my tanks is placed) this decreased breeding for my shrimp.
- Even after tank was cycled it still needs to age to become more stable environment for the shrimp.
- Buy a TDS meter from amazon.ca for about 12-20$ I never see mine go over 160-180 seems to work well for all of my tanks and shrimp.

Sometimes it's just the shrimp that is weak and will die and there is just nothing that couldn't been done.


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

once again bettaforu to the rescue! lol... easily one of the most knowledgable members on here that I havent met yet, great posts!


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

I just did some research apparently they can get chalk full of bacteria possibly leading to death, so tomorrow morning I'm going to take them all out. It's a shame because the shrimps seem to love it 

I guess I'll just replace it with some java moss I have from my other tank, thanks for the advice


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

THAT is the most informative thing I've read all day, I honestly really appreciate that! I've actually been snooping around the forum and read some of the comments you have posted in the past and all of it was relevant to my previous problems I had with my first tank!

I recently dropped the temperature to about 23C, and immediately noticed that my female adult rili's are getting saddles!

I'm unsure of which TDS meter to buy, I'm currently looking at this one since it has many positive reviews, what are your thoughts ?
http://www.amazon.ca/HM-Digital-TDS...p/B001RK38LU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8


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## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

That would work mine is about 1/2 of price and I had no issues this one looks like it will outlast mine plus has the temp. If you have the funds go for it.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

What kind of heaters do you guys recommend?

I'm currently using this one: 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-5-15-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10291808

I've been using that heater for both my 5 gallon and 10 gallon tank, but I'm curious what kind of heaters you guys are using/recommend


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## razoredge (Dec 31, 2011)

I highly recommend not using the tetra heater from walmart. I have had at least two occasions where the heater was faulty and killed all my shrimps. It was a costly mistake and I do longer use heaters in my tank. It may be a bit colder for my shrimp and they will not be as active but I don't have to contend with faulty heaters. In the long run I save money buy not using heaters for all my tanks.



EverydaySoCloudy said:


> What kind of heaters do you guys recommend?
> 
> I'm currently using this one:
> http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-5-15-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10291808
> ...


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## alstare2000 (Feb 16, 2013)

I'm on the same boat as Razoredge, I don't use heaters (have them as a back up just in case)

Not sure how warm/cold your house is but with shrimps you can pretty much keep them without a heater. They live in fairly cold water in the wild.
For neacariding they would still be ok with 18C and above with around 21-25C is probably more favorable for them from what I have red.

Watch this video it's caridina shrimp in the wild but gives you idea what they live as in the wild. I think neocaridina would have similar environment






As to this specific heater I had two of these tetras running without issues for about 3+ years with my first tanks they are at my parents now still work ok. but for bit more I'd get eheim that can be adjusted (ex:~$30 at angelfins).
Once again if your house is anywhere 20C and up I wouldn't bother with w heater.

Cheers


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

My house is fairly cold at night time about 18-19 degrees during the winter (since blankets make it really hot). So I'm guessing the water may drop even lower so I'm worried about that :/

I'm not really great with aquarium tech so most of my equipment is from my local pet stores and whatever they recommend  Is there any heaters for my smaller tanks 5-15 gallons?


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## Dervie (Sep 22, 2014)

EverydaySoCloudy said:


> My house is fairly cold at night time about 18-19 degrees during the winter (since blankets make it really hot). So I'm guessing the water may drop even lower so I'm worried about that :/
> 
> I'm not really great with aquarium tech so most of my equipment is from my local pet stores and whatever they recommend  Is there any heaters for my smaller tanks 5-15 gallons?


I have the Hydor 50w heater. I use it for my 10g and it works fine. Although it isn't accurate, I just adjust it higher to make up for it.

http://www.amazon.ca/Hydor-50W-Subm...8&qid=1449473877&sr=8-2&keywords=hydor+heater


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

I heard hydor is a decent brand + smaller heaters, do you have any knowledge on the Eheim Jager heater series?

EDIT:

Wanted to add that the Hydro Theo you mentioned and the Eheim Jager are the two heaters I'm currently choosing between


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## Dervie (Sep 22, 2014)

EverydaySoCloudy said:


> I heard hydor is a decent brand + smaller heaters, do you have any knowledge on the Eheim Jager heater series?
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> Wanted to add that the Hydro Theo you mentioned and the Eheim Jager are the two heaters I'm currently choosing between


i know of some people who swear by the Jager heaters. Unfortunately, I havent used it.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

I saw that amazon had a used Jager heater on sale so I grabbed it immediately, if anyone is curious about them I can give a quick review after I receive it and calibrate it 

I was scared to get a hydor because I read some reviews of it failing quickly after about half a year...


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I normally don't use heaters either, but my tanks got sooo cold in my new apartment out in Woodstock, than I opted for a heater. I ended up using my Tetra one, so far its been working like a charm. Used it with my Bettas for a few months beforehand and it stayed at 79F. I am going to not use a heater in my new planted 10 gallon tank where the shrimps will be transferred to in the New Year. Heaters are good, but as many have said shrimps can and do live perfectly well in cooler water without issue in the wild, so why change it here.

I did try an eheim one but couldn't get it to calibrate so took it back.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

bettaforu said:


> I normally don't use heaters either, but my tanks got sooo cold in my new apartment out in Woodstock, than I opted for a heater. I ended up using my Tetra one, so far its been working like a charm. Used it with my Bettas for a few months beforehand and it stayed at 79F. I am going to not use a heater in my new planted 10 gallon tank where the shrimps will be transferred to in the New Year. Heaters are good, but as many have said shrimps can and do live perfectly well in cooler water without issue in the wild, so why change it here.
> 
> I did try an eheim one but couldn't get it to calibrate so took it back.


Was this the tetra one you were mentioning about:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-5-15-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10291808
If it is I've used it for me betta in the past as well, it's a nice little heater, didn't notice any temperature fluctuations either!

I've always stuck to which ever heater I found from local pet stores and walmart etc so this is my first time using something "outside my comfort zone" in a sense


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

yes that's the one...so far no fluctuations on it.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

I guess you can say that getting that heater was "betta for you"


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

LOL that was soooo funny, but in fact that is exactly what the nom de plume
stands for Bettar for you.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

Ahahaha and here I thought I was going to start make betta jokes, since I originally thought the name meant that you're an owner of many bettas


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Ahhh but you are right too...I am a HUGE Betta lover, in fact if you go to some of my older posts you can view the ones that mention Bettas I had for sale and see some of the pictures.

The name is a play on words...basically a Betta for u and better for you! meaning a Betta is better for you! 
Love Bettas, some of the most beautiful fish in the World. Everyone should have one, or two....or like me 10 or so
at any given time 

Ive dabbled in everything from fish, crayfish to shrimps. In fact I was the very 1st person to bring OEBT shrimps and many Neos to Ontario when there was only low grade CRS available. I started bringing in more and more different types of shrimps, and then others did the same thing, so you could say I am one of the Original Shrimp Importers. At lot of the older shrimpsters on here bought their shrimps from me! I appreciated their trust as I was not from the GTA area and they didn't know me at all.

Myself and Frank Jiang and a couple of others did it back 5 years ago.


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

So you're telling me while I was messing around with my first betta you were making life changing results in ontario's aquarium fans ???

I have to agree with you bettas are honestly beautiful, I've had a couple of bettas in the past, they usually get swim bladder disease quite quickly. Probably because of the way they breathe + eat, I usually fed them peas to help with digestion afterwards 

EDIT: 
So you're telling me while I was messing around with my first betta, you were making large impacts for the many aquarium owners in Ontario ??


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

Yep that's what I was doing. Have dabbled in many things, including breeding some of the finest half-Arabian horses on this side of the US! 
Many champions and World/National champions to my name, including the first ever Palomino Pinto Half-Arabian Stallion to be shipped to Scotland (my homeland  ) and still standing at stud over there today!

Once I got finished with the horses I started on the Bettas, then Shrimps, then fish.

Here's my old webpage on my bettas, you can see some real beauties on there.

http://bettaforu.yolasite.com/


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## EverydaySoCloudy (Nov 24, 2015)

Man those bettas are all very beautiful, I've done quite a bit of research on them after my first failed betta attempt ahaha. Now I know if I ever need any bettas I can just private message you for one right ?

That's a pretty big switch, from large mammals to an aquarium


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

just always liked fish, had goldfish from the time I could walk...every Saturday
I would make my Dad take me downtown to the petstore and come home with something....even mice one time  Of course they went back as soon as my Mum saw them, but next week it was something else.

Guess my Mum thought goldfish was a better way to keep me occupied and less likely to want a snake, worm, mouse, rat etc


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