Missing shrimp - high ammonia

[caitylady]

I'm missing a ghost shrimp! My ammonia is spiking and I think it's cuz I can't find him. I have a cycling 10g with one other shrimp, a betta, and 2 corys. What would be the best way to find him and get him out?

I was thinking a bucket with used water to put my swimmers in and siphon for him?

And ideas?:help:

 

[colinsk]

Look in the filter. I have found a couple there.

 

[marinkafuschia]

just keep up on water changes to keep ammonia down, if its crazy high then, umm, I'll let some one else come up with a solution !
hope you find him!

 

[caitylady]

I have an Aqueon. How the heck could he get in there?

 

[madfox]

I have an Aqueon. How the heck could he get in there?

They get sucked in the intake VERY easily, and then whacked with the impeller blades. You should get a sponge pre-filter on there to keep the shrimps from getting sucked up in the future. Also, shrimp really need a tank that is already cycled as they are very sensitive to water chemistry, so he might have died even before he got "slurped" (as someone on here so eloquently put it somewhere else... :lol2: ) if your ammonia and nitrites are too high. You might want to consider waiting to get more until after your cycle is over. Then again, with a betta, your shrimp will always be in danger of becoming a tasty snack.

Good luck!

 

[caitylady]

With an Aqueon the intake is grated. There's no way he could fit -- unless I've read some diagrams wrong?

I'm definitely not adding any more anything until this all stabilizes.

Thanks!

 

[colinsk]

The openings in my filter are way too small to let in shrimp, yet I have found two there. They would give Houdini a run for his money.

 

[caitylady]

Okay, I trust you. Wish me luck and thanks!

 

[caitylady]

He's not in the filter. I rooted around a little, moving decos and such, but he's not here. *shrug* Maybe I'm retarded and siphoned him out by mistake one day? I wouldn't put that past me, with my credit load this quarter.

 

[Kashta]

Odds are good your betta has already eaten him. Your cories are also very sensitive to poor water quality issues. If you're going to keep your present stock in there while trying to cycle the tank, there's a high probability of losing the shrimp and the cories - even with frequent water changes. The levels just change so fast and so dramatically through the process.

Are you using a liquid test kit to measure the levels? You're going to need very accurate tests and watch these parameters closely with little to no room for error to keep your fish and shrimp alive.