Dying Cherry Shrimps

[Norstar]

I have noticed some of my Cherry Shrimp are dying. Levels seem ok. Perhaps they are not molting or having a problem molting? Is that possible?

[Melody]

How big are they? Cherry shrimp do not have a very long lifespan, but I forget exactly how long it is.

One thing about Shrimp, if something major is wrong, you know it because masses of them die off. Cherry Shrimp are one of the toughest on the market though. If you're only losing a few here & there, my guess would be natural causes.

Molting issues are easily tackled with their food. Some say you can use iodine but, as we've learned with snails, as long as they get it in their food (such as Shrimp Pellets), all should be well without additives.

The other factor which may be effecting Shrimp this time of year, is the water supply is changing. Lots of deaths reported when that happens. You can try doubling up on the dechlorinator in a process of elimination, but you should be seeing a lot more deaths if that's the issue.

That said, I'm far from well informed when it comes to Shrimp, so maybe you'll get some better ideas from others.:)

[Norstar]

I am only losing them from time to time.

I have not been feeding them shrimp pellets, just algae wafers. But i'll give them a try!

Thanks! :)

[hp10BII]

My Cherrys do o.k with regular weekly 25% waterchanges and a mix of shrimp pellets (calcium from the ground up shrimp), algae wafers and fresh veggies. If you don't have shrimp pellets on hand, maybe Hikari brand Crab Cuisine might be worth a try...supposed to have all the good stuff that Crabs and Lobsters need.

What type of plants do you have in the tank? Apparently anubias and cryptocornes release a toxin that can be fatal to shrimps if the leaves are damaged or broken.

[Norstar]

Thanks for the info. I have a couple of small cryps and some java moss.

Has anyone else heard of cryps being noxious?

[Soggybottom]

No...dang I have 2 kinds of anubia and 3 kinds of crypt in my shrimp tank :eek:

[Melody]

There have been discussions about it on Shrimpnow.com. Everyone seems to think its a rumour because they can't find the logic behind it. That doesn't make it untrue though.

I don't know enough about either plants or Shrimp to say.:Dunno: