Flower Shrimp Died. Why?

[justintoxicated]

I don't know what kind of shape this shrimp was in when I got it but it loved to fan teh current from my 204.

Only had him for about a week and now it is dead.

I noticed it's color started to change to red last night and it was no longer fanning the water.

I dosed Flourish and flourish trace this morning.

I pulled up a piece of driftwood to rubber band some Java moss to it and noticed the poor guy had recently died. (I know it was recent because there were no mystery snails chomping on hi yet) I tossed it in the other tank and within seconds mystery snails were all over it.

I noticed flourish trace and flourish copper both contain copper. I was told the levels are not high enough to cause shrimp death and I have both snails and ghost shrimp in the tank that look fine.

What could have cause it? Are these shrimp brackish or something? I'm having a real hard time finding out information online and I am hesitant to buy another untill I know why this one died?

Are marble shrimp more hardy?

20 gallon planted tank

Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm
amonia 0

Have guppies, Honey goroumies, ADF, Mystery snails, and 2 oto's

Thanks in advance.

[justintoxicated]

I found something that says these shrimp need a high oxygen content...

Most of my fish tend to swim at the top of the tank.

I eliminated alot of surface agitation because i have DIY Co2 and plants in the tank. (I do have slight rippeling across the surface of the tank)

Could it have suffocated? I did notice it would climb the cords to my filter and stick it's head out ofthen.

How can I provide oxygen AND C02 for my plants?

Or maybe it died from something else?

[thefirethief]

Im no expert but I as the flower shrimp is a filter feeder, your water might simply have been too clean for it to feed properly. Best wait for someone who knows something to answer your question though.

[justintoxicated]

I don't think that is the problem I do have algae in teh water and I have been dripping in algae wafers for my snails, that and it did seem like he was growing. He had some really long Poops too.

[justintoxicated]

Well I'm thinking to try again, but I'm also interested in the shrimps at Petsmart, they are already adults about 3 inches long and filter feeders as well. ($11.99 each)

They are Labled "Marble Shrimp" and say they require aquarium salt, then again practicaly everything at petsmart says they require aquarium salt...

At my petsmart they are healthy i have been watching them for some time, they also seemt o change colors liek this flower shrimp but non of them were as gorgeous as the adult flower shrimp at the LFS that was bright orange and pink. They ones the store is selling are alot smaller though and are only ($6.99)

[graphicdesign_r]

I think you were the one who had been experience occasional mortality in ghost shrimp too if I'm not mistaken.

You need to get more info on your water. Do you have hard water? Green stains around your drains and faucets? You may have too much copper for healthy invertebrates.

[justintoxicated]

hmm well I shoudl have the same water as petsmart of the LFS's unless they are using Rev osmosis...

I have white build up around the faucits cause I never clean them, if I look really hard there is a little bit of green I have never cleaned them though lol.

But the other 2 ghostshrimps remaining seem happy and clear, plus I have a WHOLE bunch of mystery snails all are fine! The ghosts shrimps that died both had babies and got pretty large as well before passing on.

I noticed Flourish has soluable copper in it as well as flourish trace... :(

[YuccaPatrol]

All of these are wild-caught and it is likely that it was too stressed from capture and shipping and handling by various middlemen from across the world. It may very well be that you did nothing to harm it.

The red coloration is a good thing though according to the species profile at www.petshrimp.com

Petco sells them for half the price that Petsmart offers.

I bought two of these about a month ago and they are doing great. They turned red soon after I got them and have been filtering as well as scavenging ever since. I never thought I would find something that would eat the woody dark brown rhino pleco poop, but these guys chomp on it like it was an ear of corn.

I do not typically purposefully feed them, but if I see one is filtering in a really good current, I will add a pinch of freeze dried brine shrimp cube that I grind into a fine powder and watch them catch and eat the tiny particles.

[justintoxicated]

Oh dang, too late, I just got back form petsmart, since I saw them eating and pooping yesterday and they have had them for a couple week i figured i would get one from there, I also got mine 1/2 the price of petsmart's but to drive to the LFS that had them it would have cost me over a gallon of gas anyways and at $3 a gallon it was not wort my time, plus These ones seemed to be in good shape...

oh well...$12 isnt that much money, and I knew I was getting ripped whene I relized the marbles were actualy flower shrimp... Since marble shrimp are actualy salt water, this new one is actualy 3 times the size of the one that died as well.

Yesterday they had a fake rock standing on the side of the tank and all the shrimp were lined up they had a really good current.

Today the rock was laying flat and non of them were having any luck and hte lady that helped me drop the rock them about 5 times before finaly sticking her hand in the tank to hold it.

[echoofformless]

Marble Shrimp. Bamboo Shrimp. Siamese Flower Shrimp. Singapore Flower Shrimp. All the same species. Atyopsis moluccensis.


http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1842



I've had one in my 5g betta land for a month or so. Seems well, and has already molted.

I doubt they need any serious oxygen, as this tank has an internal filter and a pretty tight lid. Evaporation is very very slow, thus I assume it's rather still water, no?

The copper might have played a part. Or he could have just died because...well...living things sometimes just die. I can't even count how many fish I've lost in my 30+ years of fish keeping to what appears to be nothing more than just simple...death.


From what I have experienced and gathered, these are fairly hardy and easy to keep. So go for it again. You'll probably do well.

[justintoxicated]

Thanks for everyones help, this new one is very large but I think it's going to take him some time to get used to my tank. That and he jumped out of the bag at petsmart!

I was looking into getting something like this.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4185&N=2004+113805

Would this cause a problem in a planted tank since I guess I do want some trace amounts of soluable copper? it is a bit expensive but I could toss it on top of the purigen or something.

[DaveinSF]

I've tried bamboo shrimp-- three times and a vampire shrimp once. I've just come to the conclusion that these shrimp are harder to keep alive than other shrimp. It could be the relatively inefficient way in which they feed.

My tank was also mature and planted, and definitely not overstocked. If it's any consolation, I've had no problems at all keeping thriving otos and amano shrimp in that same tank.

You may want to try amanos. They're not as big, but they're fun to watch and seem pretty hardy... and they are ruthless about going after food if I throw an algae wafer or cucumber slice in there...

[justintoxicated]

talking about ruthless feeding you should see my snails swarm algae wafers.

Untill the big bad dayys comes in and ties to kick them all off his wafer lol.

[thefirethief]

I've tried bamboo shrimp-- three times and a vampire shrimp once. I've just come to the conclusion that these shrimp are harder to keep alive than other shrimp. It could be the relatively inefficient way in which they feed.



Thats exactly what ive been worried about since I got my Camaroon Armoured Shrimp. There are plenty of Marine Invert foods that feed corals, sponges and other filter feeders, Im guessing they could work in freshwater too?