I've been losing adult female red cherry shrimps about 1-2 every other day for the past week with seemingly increasing frequency. Water is completely fine: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm, pH 8. WC once a week. 10g. Some java moss, very little substrate.
In the past week of so, I've noticed 2 things. More and more little pin prick size 'bugs' dashing about the bottom of the tank in clusters. Some float then crawl around the tank walls.
I've read about nematodes, hydras and planaria but none seem to fit.
These are whitish/grayish (not reddish like nematodes), very fast and move like busy ants, except with no aim (unlike hydras which I assume are suctioned in place and move slowly) and they look like microscopic ADHD ticks (very unlike planaria's slug-like look). They dash about in circles and sometimes float until they hit a wall then crawls around it.
I thought they were newly laid shrimp eggs but now I read that newborns look exactly like shrimps, not bugs.
When I put in a cucumber slice, a lot of these bugs attach onto it within minutes, alongside the shrimps. However, the vast majority of the bugs are still dancing in circles nearby, even after a whole day has passed.
Also, when the minimal substrate is disturbed (during WC) I see very thin white worms floating about. They're about 5-6mm long, less than 1/2 mm thick, tend to float around and jerk to get where they want sometimes. They don't attach to the wall but usually end back up on the floor.
I only have RCS + some babies, and a few of pond snails along w/ a handful of Java moss.
The dead shrimp are not more than 1" long, so unlikely to be dying from old age ? I got them about 1 month ago. No idea how old.
Help ! Should I gravel vac all these critters out right this minute ?
Thanks
Without a microscope or magnifying glass, does anyone have a guess ?
In the past week of so, I've noticed 2 things. More and more little pin prick size 'bugs' dashing about the bottom of the tank in clusters. Some float then crawl around the tank walls.
I've read about nematodes, hydras and planaria but none seem to fit.
These are whitish/grayish (not reddish like nematodes), very fast and move like busy ants, except with no aim (unlike hydras which I assume are suctioned in place and move slowly) and they look like microscopic ADHD ticks (very unlike planaria's slug-like look). They dash about in circles and sometimes float until they hit a wall then crawls around it.
I thought they were newly laid shrimp eggs but now I read that newborns look exactly like shrimps, not bugs.
When I put in a cucumber slice, a lot of these bugs attach onto it within minutes, alongside the shrimps. However, the vast majority of the bugs are still dancing in circles nearby, even after a whole day has passed.
Also, when the minimal substrate is disturbed (during WC) I see very thin white worms floating about. They're about 5-6mm long, less than 1/2 mm thick, tend to float around and jerk to get where they want sometimes. They don't attach to the wall but usually end back up on the floor.
I only have RCS + some babies, and a few of pond snails along w/ a handful of Java moss.
The dead shrimp are not more than 1" long, so unlikely to be dying from old age ? I got them about 1 month ago. No idea how old.
Help ! Should I gravel vac all these critters out right this minute ?
Thanks
Without a microscope or magnifying glass, does anyone have a guess ?
