Cherry Shrimp Deaths

[justintoxicated]

recently I have sceen some of my Cherry Shrimp Dropping dead. I purchased 6 and I think I have 3 left but I'm not sure.

Whenone died a couple weeks after I got it I didn't think too much of it, but my last female died today (she was carrying eggs this morning).

She gave birth once and I have sceen some shrimplets in my moss, but not too many. So I'm trying to figure out what is causing their deaths? Could it be weekly water changes? I also seem to have lost a few smaller apple snails (brigs).

Ph is 6.8
0 amonia
0 Nitrite
Nitrate (varies plants suck it up so I dose KNO3 Often)

I have had a ghost shrimp living in this tank for over a year without any issue but also found that when I first put ghosts in there a few of them died. is this to be expected? The female seemed so healthy, first having kids then all of a sudden dead?

edit: just found the pregnant female, so this is either male or another female I didn't know I had.

 

[Reddog80p]

Your water might have increased levels of copper and lead due to copper and lead components in the piping and faucet. If you are using well water, heavy metals might already have leeched into your well even before the water reached your pipes. Again, as a result your shrimp die "mysteriously". Get a good copper test kit (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes a good one) and test your water. If there is no copper in your water, test it for other heavy metals.

 

[justintoxicated]

I dosed some iron today could that be it?

I don't think the problem is copper unless it spuraticaly shows up in my tap water? I'm not on a well.