# Cherry Shrimp Impartial Molt?



## Venthus (Feb 27, 2011)

I recall reading somewhere that shrimp can have molting problems if the gH is high, their diet is high in protein and the temperature is high. Not sure if this is it, but it's worth a look, I think?

And... I found the reference: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/shrimp-other-invertebrates/128346-rcs-molting-problem.html

"Temperature plays a decent role in this too, because the warmer the tank, the faster they grow... A low GH mixed with a high temp will cause them to grow faster than they can harden and molt, and a high GH mixed with a high temp will cause them to grow too fast inside of a very hard shell and basically be constricted to death.

Also in place of high temperature, you could substitute meat protein. Meat protein also can cause the shrimp to grow too fast for their shells"


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Well since I am adding distilled water I know the gH isn't as high as it is in my 29g. Plus I recently added a piece of driftwood. Just started with the bloodworms, but the hikari food does have a decent % of protein in it. I don't think my temperature is too high or too low (74), but without knowing the gH I can't rule this out completely. I will find out soon.

Since my post last night, I came home from work and found two more dead shrimp. One was the berried female as I had figured. She was still hanging onto my intake, I poked her and she fell. Her legs are still twitching and her mandibles are going crazy, but... shes as good as dead. 

Please any more information would be extremely helpful, other shrimp are active for the most part, until they drop dead. Wish me luck on hatching her eggs...


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

well, distilled water has a GH and KH of zero, and usually acidic.

a piece of driftwood could drop the pH down to like 3.

I'd say if you took a digital meter to your water, it would be pH 3.5 or lower.

I say take the driftwood out and soak it in a bucket for a month to get the tannins out, and do water changes with tap water instead of distilled.


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

I tested my distilled that I bought, and it has a pH of 7.4ish. I tested the water last night, right before I posted, and those are the parameters that I got, so my pH isn't that low. I boiled the dw for almost 30 minutes before it went into the tank. Also my tap is very hard, and has a pH of about 8.6, so I've been using about half and half.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

ahh ok, well until you know your actual GH, it would be hard to know what's causing a molting problem, as most often it's tied to GH.

have you tried just not feeding?


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Yes I have, I didn't feed them for a week once. I don't feed every day now, but have increased feeding to a couple pellets of shrimp cuisine every other day, since it apparently expires in september?


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Could the fact that I am using straight distilled water to fill up in between water changes be causing this? Seeing as how I use half distilled and half tap could the difference in water parameters cause them to try and molt too often?


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Okay, new update. GH is now at 10, so I'm pretty much ruling that out. Copper tested zero, so theres also no issue there. I'm out of ideas and getting extremely frustrated, I'm about out of shrimp... Any help whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. More info, but I really don't think it matters. Substrate is floramax, also made by coralsea. There are a few small river pebbles in the tank, and a few balls of fertz from rootmedic's root tabs (pulled substrate from planted 29g). I highly doubt any of the above would be causing these issues, please let me know if I'm wrong.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

First, I would calibrate your pH testing kit to make sure that it is 7.4 because generally speaking, distilled ranges from 5.6pH to a neutral 7. The latter being the usual result. If that is the case, then your shrimp are dying due to the severely low pH level in the tank. However, in the event that it is indeed 7.4, then your pH is fine. However, distilled is stripped of all minerals and calcium and everything because it is created by the condensation of boiled water, thus leaving it completely bare of any essential nutrients for shrimp. This is why most people will tell you to do a combination of distilled and tap when using it. RCS are notoriously resilient and can live in a very wide arrange of water parameters. For instance, I have RCS breeding in a tank that has a gH of 2 with a pH of 6.8, but I also have them breeding in a tank that has a pH of 8.4 and a gH of 8.

From the sounds of it, your shrimp are lacking calcium and minerals needed to molt and create their shells. Since it sounds like you are using full distilled, that would be the initial issue I see. I would bump up your gH and kH using mosura mineral plus or buying cichlid water conditioner. Also, start providing them food with good nutrition such as blanched kale in their diet. Without the proper dietary calcium and minerals, your shrimp will not be able to produce their shell properly and cracking will appear. Feed them kale, 3-4 times a week for a month and see how that helps the situation. Always remember dietary calcium is far more beneficial then what is present in the water column. However, even the water is important as well.


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## purebishop (Feb 16, 2011)

Overfeeding can kill them too.


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks nikki. Like I said earlier, sorry for somewhat forcing you into this thread. I happened to see your post right before I went out, so I managed to pick up some kale. Well see what happens. Also I'm not doing just straight distilled. Its about half and half, but that being said, I don't have a calcium test on hand. I'll borrow one from a friend and see what I find. You think I should up gh from 10? Thanks again.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Calibrate your test, is what I suggest. I honestly believe it is a calcium deficiency issue or pH issue.


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## Dmac1391 (Feb 2, 2011)

Well, Its been about a week now, I tested the calcium levels and came out with somewhere in between 30 & 40 ppm. I don't know exactly the ideal levels of calcium for shrimp within the water column, but it seems on the lower end to me. 

On the bright side, since starting to feed the kale, any of the shrimp with broken shells seemed to have recovered, and I even found another berried female today after work. I'm iffy about this though; last time two shrimp were berried, I got lots of deaths and zero babies, so I just have to cross my fingers and wait. :confused1:


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## Cap'n Slappy (Apr 29, 2011)

I had the same problem with my Taiwan Fire Reds, and the problem was fixed once I dropped the GH below 10. At high GH, too much calcium accumulates in the carapace and makes it tough to break off. I don't think overall pH is as important for this problem as GH. And supplementing with a little reef iodine can help, too.


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