Ghost shrimp issues

[James0816]

Having an issue with my ghost shrimp. Seems everytime I do a wc, I always lose a couple. I treat the water with prime and let it sit for a spell to make sure temp and ph are good to go prior to adding it in. Can't quite figure this one out. Any thoughts?

[Bobnova]

How often do you do water changes, and how large of changes?

[msjinkzd]

which tank are they in? what is your maintenance routine?

[James0816]

10g....25% pwc once a week.

[FtwayneFish]

They/ we need to know this^ stuff.

but. I have a healthy tank that had been up and running for awhile. for some reason the Ghosties wouldnt last in the tank. I thought it was either they just got in at the lfs when I got them the couple times I tried, or they had been there for awhile. I also thought it was that there wasnt anyfood getting down to them in my 55g (alot of fish). But they should eat the invisibles too. But know they last.

[Bobnova]

What else is in the tank with them?



Ghost shrimp aren't the most durable of creatures, a lot of it is due to the way they are bred and shipped to the fish stores. They get every bit as much care as other feeders (little to none, vastly overstocked and underfed, etc.), which leads to shrimp that are weak at best.

[StereoKills]

:iagree: Most ghost shrimp are sold as feeders so they often aren't in the best of health. However out of 6 I bought 6 months ago, 3 are still doing very well.

[pixl8r]

All advice given thus far is excellent. I'll add a few tidbits.

Just to be clear; Ghost, glass, and feeder shrimp are most commonly a few different species of Palaemonetes shrimp. They come from warmer climates of North and Central America. There are species in South America too. They are not hunters but opportunistic scavengers. They eat anything. If there are insufficient hiding places for this type of shrimp, keeping them with fish of just about any size is not a good idea. Like all shrimp, Ghost shrimp do best in tanks that have a well established environment.

One of the best tips I've been given, is when you have an unknown shrimp problem, stop all medications and maintenance on the tank. Let it sit.

I know it seems strange, but often times, there are a variety of problems that affect aquarium shrimp that time can and will cure. So, put your water changes on hold. Only keep the water level where it's needed for optimum filter performance.

Keep watch, even though you're not cleaning out the tank. If the death rate continues then you may need to take the tank down and QT the remaining shrimp.

FYI, I have shrimp tanks that never receive direct feeding (only soaked oak/maple leaf litter) and plenty of light for algae.

[Bobnova]

If you have an in-tank thermometer you might want to check and make sure it isn't leaking.
I had one of the glass ones with the lead beads as a weight that developed a tiny crack and let water into the lead, which promptly started poisoning shrimp.
That cost me almost an entire tank of cherry shrimp, and was quite depressing.


EDIT:
The post above this one has good advice as well IMO.

You might call up your local water company and get a copy of the annual water report. It'll tell you exactly what is in the water. There may be some copper in there that is causing problems or something.