I'm trying to figure out why my cherry shrimp are slowly disappearing from both of my tanks. Hoping someone here might have a clue.
I've added about 30 or so shrimp in the larger tank and around 20 or so in the smaller one and they've slowly been disappearing over a number of weeks. I've gotten my RCS from 2 different sources at different times. Twice I've seen dead shrimp in the larger tank, once being eaten by my cherry barbs and one today just dead in the moss. The second one later got eaten by loaches and maybe other fish. I don't know if they were killed by the fish or not; I just know they got eaten by the fish. Both dead shrimp I saw were large red adults, probably females.
Here are my current tank contents. Some of the fish in the big tank are somewhat new.
The 65g has been set up since beginning of March and the 20g since mid April. Both tanks are cycled as you can tell by the params. My water params look good ammonia and nitrite are both zero in boths tanks. Nitrate is between 10-20 in the small tank, and between 5-10 in the larger. Temperature in both tanks is around 79F. pH is 7.4-7.6 in the small tank and 7.2 in the big tank.
I have lots of plants and driftwood in the larger tank and both tanks have java moss for them to hide in. My 2 amano shrimp in the big tank are doing great. I've had them for 5 months, much longer than the RCS.
I have sponges over my filter intakes.
Perhaps related to this is that I've noticed fewer ramshorns in the big tank. They breed quite easily in the small tank and I'm regularly crushing them there. But in the big tank I don't see ramshorn babies anymore.
Copper? I do have copper piping in the house but if copper is the problem I would have expected the amano to have perished by now. The tanks have never been treated with any copper medications.
So anyone know why the shrimp are disappearing? Is some fish killing them, is there something in my water which is poisoning them or is there something lacking in my water?
I should also add that I have had berried shrimp multiple times but have never seen any babies. I had a separate thread about that probem which you may have seen.
I've added about 30 or so shrimp in the larger tank and around 20 or so in the smaller one and they've slowly been disappearing over a number of weeks. I've gotten my RCS from 2 different sources at different times. Twice I've seen dead shrimp in the larger tank, once being eaten by my cherry barbs and one today just dead in the moss. The second one later got eaten by loaches and maybe other fish. I don't know if they were killed by the fish or not; I just know they got eaten by the fish. Both dead shrimp I saw were large red adults, probably females.
Here are my current tank contents. Some of the fish in the big tank are somewhat new.
65g Planted: 7 Boesemani rainbow, 1 TRUE Siamese algae eater, 6 zebra danio, 6 cherry barb + 3 fry, 8 black kuhli loach, 1 albino bristlenose pleco, 2 amano shrimp, cherry shrimp, snails
20g: 7 cherry barb fry, 8 harlequin rasbora, 3 fancy guppies, 12 neon tetra, cherry shrimp, some live plants, snails
The snails in both tanks are ramshorns and MTS. The may be one or two pond snails also but I haven't seen any in a while.20g: 7 cherry barb fry, 8 harlequin rasbora, 3 fancy guppies, 12 neon tetra, cherry shrimp, some live plants, snails
The 65g has been set up since beginning of March and the 20g since mid April. Both tanks are cycled as you can tell by the params. My water params look good ammonia and nitrite are both zero in boths tanks. Nitrate is between 10-20 in the small tank, and between 5-10 in the larger. Temperature in both tanks is around 79F. pH is 7.4-7.6 in the small tank and 7.2 in the big tank.
I have lots of plants and driftwood in the larger tank and both tanks have java moss for them to hide in. My 2 amano shrimp in the big tank are doing great. I've had them for 5 months, much longer than the RCS.
I have sponges over my filter intakes.
Perhaps related to this is that I've noticed fewer ramshorns in the big tank. They breed quite easily in the small tank and I'm regularly crushing them there. But in the big tank I don't see ramshorn babies anymore.
Copper? I do have copper piping in the house but if copper is the problem I would have expected the amano to have perished by now. The tanks have never been treated with any copper medications.
So anyone know why the shrimp are disappearing? Is some fish killing them, is there something in my water which is poisoning them or is there something lacking in my water?
I should also add that I have had berried shrimp multiple times but have never seen any babies. I had a separate thread about that probem which you may have seen.
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