# OMG all my shrimp are dead\dying!!



## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

Shrimp can be super sensitive to too much Excel/C02, how often/big have the water changes been between dosing? That's just my only guess if your water parameters, temp, and everything else are fine and the shrimp are not diseased looking or anything. Someone else may have a better guess or more to offer. Good luck. I hope some make it.


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## gordonrichards (Jun 20, 2009)

What did you change in the tank.

Takes something to kill them all off.

Ferts/algae treatment?

-Gordon


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

How are the rasboras?


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Only new thing I added to the tank was a new filter about a week ago. I let the new filter sit beaide the old one for 2 or 3 days. My weekly water changes are 30 to 40%. Rasboras appear fine, showing normal behavior. 

Argh can't believe they are ALL dying.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Should check your water since switching filters. Sometimes a few days isn't enough for it to build up a bioload and you could be going through a cycle right now. Test for ammonia/nitrite right away.


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## gordonrichards (Jun 20, 2009)

Next to no bio-load in a tank with a couple shrimp and 2 rasbora.

I think it was your water change.

Check with water co, they may have flushed the system.

Do you age your water?
I'm thinking you dont...

May have been a bunch of chlorine in the water :^(

-Gordon


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## jccaclimber (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm used to seeing filter swaps done over a couple weeks (maybe overkill, not sure), not a few days. I agree that you should check your levels.


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> Should check your water since switching filters. Sometimes a few days isn't enough for it to build up a bioload and you could be going through a cycle right now. Test for ammonia/nitrite right away.


I have not checked the water since the change, I was actually going to check today. I usually check it every 2 weeks, as it is rather stable.



gordonrichards said:


> Next to no bio-load in a tank with a couple shrimp and 2 rasbora.
> 
> I think it was your water change.
> 
> ...


Yea not sure how good/bad my bio load as. I use to have more fish and more shrimp, but I reduced all the numbers. I guess bio load goes down once you remove the fish. Never though about that. But don't plenty of people have shrimp-only tanks?

Shouldn't have chlorine in it as I put the water conditioner in there, that is suppose to remove it. And no I don't age my water, never heard of that?? 



jccaclimber said:


> I'm used to seeing filter swaps done over a couple weeks (maybe overkill, not sure), not a few days. I agree that you should check your levels.


Yea next time, I'll give it more than a few days. 

Any advice on keeping the few shrimp alive, alive? I put a few in a cup of water (water from the tank), but that probly won't do anything. :icon_sad:


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Think I might of found out what might of did it. My dad realesed a "insect bomb" in the houes this morning downstairs. Good chance it might of made it's way upstairs into my room, into my tank 

This was done without my knowledge and my room door was left open. Not sure how likely it is for something downstairs to make it's way all the way upstairs. House HVAC was off. But for now I think that's the culprit!!! Of course he is like I dont think that did it! 

One good note - looks like 1 adult yellow, is looking normal again. I will keep checking.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Quentin,

Sorry about your loss; I suspect you found the cause. I am a 'grey beard' and I don't like to disagree with parents, but shrimp are very sensitive to contaminates, especially cleaners and poisons (sometimes furniture polish too). All it takes is a few parts per million (ppm) settling on the surface. It doesn't take much; if you could smell it that would probably be enough.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Quentin said:


> Only new thing I added to the tank was a new filter about a week ago. I let the new filter sit beaide the old one for 2 or 3 days.


 
Did you move the filter media over? If not, you likely removed too much of the biological filter all at once and now the tank is cycling (so you have ammonia and/or nitrite killing your shrimp). A couple of days is not long enough for a new filter to establish itself well enough to replace the old one.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

IMO it doesn't seem to be the beneficial bacteria issue as shrimp pretty much have no bioload. There should have been enough bacteria left in the substrate or sides to not kill fauna off. I believe it was the bug bomb as you thought!


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

Yea says write on the bomb box to cut off fishtanks and cover them SMH. My father did neither. He has fish tanks, but his have lids and the bomb was at a farther distance from those and he only has shrimp.

Looks like my dad will be buying me some shrimp. How long should I wait, a week or two? Do a water change every other day?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Do several water changes. Maybe 50% or larger every other day to ensure to get rid of the contaminates! If all looks good after a week it should be safe. However, I have no personal experience in bug bombs so I can't be sure. Obviously the longer you wait and more water changes you do the safer. Maybe introduce some cheap ghost shrimp and see how they do after a week?


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I would scrub it, recycle it and start over. You don't know how much got in or where.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

My only reason for not saying scratch it is that some shrimp lived and he said they are getting better? So might as well wait a bit and test with ghost shrimp


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm pretty sure it's going to be a complete TKO. 5 shrimp are dead, 5 shrimp are still kicking their legs but I don't think they will make it. The one that I thought was acting normal again, is back acting sickly. SMH. 

It will suck to scrub the whole tank, especially with all the plants in there. Arghhh. Shakes fist at my dad!!!


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## jccaclimber (Aug 29, 2011)

Have you done a WC to try to clear things out yet?


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## ch3fb0yrdee (Oct 2, 2008)

I have a 15 gallon Yellows tank and I had a similar experience. After I did a 40-50% water change, my shrimps started behaving strangely. They became active, they swam around and circled the tank. 

I thought it was a good sign because behaviors like this previously almost always resulted in my females getting berried the morning after. Then, I noticed some shrimps swimming up and falling down and some swimming around the edge of the tank as if trying to escape. A few were upside down with their legs kicking in the air and/or just sitting still all through the day only to die the next morning. 

My water parameters have stabilized since and I was lucky enough to walk away with most of my females alive. I lost around 5 yellows during this disaster, four males and one female. 

I was pretty puzzled but after doing research I realized it was osmosis shock that killed off my shrimps. I recently got a RODI unit and I did a 60/40 water change with the 60% being RODI water. My water parameter had a big swing and it took a few Yellows with it.

Do you keep a record schedule of your water changes? I always document the date and water parameters after each water change in case situations like this happened.

Maybe something changed with your local tap water that could have caused the sudden deaths. Swings in gH and pH will kill off shrimps. Yellows, like Cherries, and extremely resilient to water parameters that they are acclimated to, but sudden swings can and will kill them off just as easily as CRS. With shrimps, I believe stability is THE most important thing. A local breeder keeps his CRS in water parameters that is gH:10+ with TDS:600+, and they breed like rabbits for him.


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## theemptythrone (Sep 5, 2011)

Yeah thats probably it 
Youre supposed to tape and seal your tank completely when you use those


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## beagord (Nov 6, 2011)

no matter how small the dose of excel in my tank it kills my shrimp.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Wow that suxs! It could be the Excel but most likely the insect bomb that touched the surface of your water. Look on the bright side. Now you get to try out new shrimp if you choose to.


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## Quentin (Mar 16, 2011)

As of this morning, took a quick glance at the tank before work. 1 adult yellow looked normal, 2 others were still alive, and right side up, but not quite normal looking. Didn't see the other 2 or 3 shrimp in tank, so not sure if they are still alive or not. Hopefully I can make out with a few suvivors. 



jccaclimber said:


> Have you done a WC to try to clear things out yet?


Yes. And will do a small one today.


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

Same day, similar results, different cause. Vacuumed out four Yellows last night, saw three survivors, with the other half of the population unaccounted for. Cause could have been mosses added on Saturday with insufficient rinsing from the PP bath (doubt it) or cold stress thanks to a window left open all day on Friday despite explicit instructions to the contrary. Or both.


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