# Shrimp swim around a whole lot after very large water change?



## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

I removed the rocks in my aquarium to put outside in the tubs with the aquasoil I'm cycling. I didn't disturb the substrate at all.

I fluffed up the plants to get e debris up in solution. Everything was normal. I prepared ten gallons of water. Added my kh and gh boosters is the same amounts i always do. 

I changed ten gallons. Figured it would be ok and be refreezing to the fish and shrimp. The new water was approximately the same temp as the tank. I feel the water out of the faucet with my hand and approximate the water temp, so its possible that there is a one or two degree difference. 

Anyway, its always apprx. The same temp as the tank water. I don't use a heater in my tank so the water is about 73 degrees, or room temp. The new water could have been a degree or two warmer or cooler, but felt the same temp to me. I changed the water like I always do. Except I normally change five gallons at one time but this time I changed ten. 

The shrimp who normally stay hidden all started swimming around. Their swimming was not erratic or anything, they are simply swimming, but I have never seen them swim around like this, so many at once. I'll see a few swim not and then, but never twenty out of forty! 

Are they happy and swimming because of the nice, clean water? The old water did have .25 nitrite in it (and I'm assuming after what's basically a 100%. Water change, there is none) 

Thanks for the input. My gut feeling says they are happy bit I'm just double checking.... I'd like to reiterate that it was the same water I always use, I added the same amount of gh and kh booster I always do (1 dash baking soda and 2 dashes Tom Barr's gh booster PER five gallons) so this couldn't have been a reaction to different water chemistry.


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## Swan900 (Apr 27, 2010)

Mine do it with 50% water changes. There fine. Had them for ages now and if it was a chemical inbalance I belive I would have lost them by now. Maybe they are reacting to clean water as you said, also they could be trying to get to microscopic food particles that are in the water after the disturbance of the w/c. I wouldnt worry, but it is interesting to know why they do it!

Swan


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

After large water change, they will sometimes breed. They could be looking for a freshly molted female.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Also, using cold water, and changing less is much better. I do 25% wc with cold water weekly, temperature going down is fine, they are equipped to handle a drop in temp, just not a rise.

Hot water heaters build up gunk in them, and hot water pipes are sometimes copper.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

The tank is unheated btw, if I havn 't said that already. I really don't need to as I live in GA. 

Glad to know it's normal! Just how cold are we talking about here? I thought it was bad to put in fresh water that's not the same temp as the tank. So they like cold water at water change time? How much colder? 

We do have copper pipes... So should I be worried? Or do copper pipes carry hot water only?

I am doing the e.I. Method so I must change water 50% weekly.

They have mellowed out now lol


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## Tenzo (Mar 10, 2010)

My RCS started going crazy when I increased the flow rate of my filter. Same goes for my Harlequins, they just swam around the entire tank.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Yeah, my tigers flipped out when I added a hagen elite mini to help diffuse co2... They're definitely sensitive little critters


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

So for water changes, how cold should the water be that i add? Everyones die of what cold is different. 5 degrees cooler than the tank water? 10 degrees?


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I just use cold tap water, have never had a problem. Although I'm not sure since you're changing 50% a week. Maybe someone else here knows? I'm sure he's not the only shrimpkeeper who doses EI.

I usually change at the most 25% (5 gallon bucket on 20g's), and they actually rejoice in the cold water (I think to them it means rain!)


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

But see, I still don't understandnwhat you mean by cold lol. Cold could be 50 or 60 or65 degrees lol. I need a temperature to know what cold means to you guys.

To me, 70 degree water is cold. I have a feeling you mean colder than that, though,


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

He is saying straight cold from the tap, no warm water mixed in. This is on average 60 for me.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Damn that is cold! How do fish like otocinclus appreciate that?


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

> Damn that is cold! How do fish like otocinclus appreciate that?


It doesn't seem to bother them. I use cold tap water also. It usually drops my tank from 78 to about 72-75 degrees F, depending on the time of year. Tank is back to 78 in a few hours.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

What is the max allowed for that? just 25% or can I do a whole 50% with the e.i. method?

Seems weird that this doesnt bother fish or shrimp yet we are supposed to acclimate fish and shrimp to the temp. or out tank water before we start acclimating them to the new chemistry of our water with drip acclimation, adding small amount of water, etc.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

My ottos seem to love it as much as my shrimp do...

The reason is because in nature, the temperature of a lake or river dropping rapidly happens quite often, with rains and snowmelt, etc. So our shrimp are, from birth, able to handle drops in temperature quite well. However, sudden rises in temperature are almost never found in nature, with the exception to volcanic vents and hot springs, so there is no reason for their bodies to have evolved a coping mechanism.

This is the reason we acclimate fish from the store, because by the time you get your package home (or from the mailman), it will have cooled significantly, and adding it into a wonderfully warm aquarium will make them gasp!

And yes, by cold water I meant just turn on the "cold" faucet, dechlorinate and fill. No need to refrigerate, lol.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

That is really, really cool I formation to know! Thanks!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Yes, straight tap. It siulates spring rain and often stimulates them to breed. Count the # of exoskeletons laying around tomorrow tonight and then tomorrow for proof. They get naked and....well, youll be having babies soon.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I do not know the limits of their adaption though, but every time i water change the temperature in my shrimp tank drops 3-5 degrees in a matter of minutes


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## Hockiumguru (Sep 3, 2008)

With that kind of a temp flux, you must just syphon the water straight into the tank, as opposed to using any kind of drip effect, otherwise water temp wouldn't change much. Am i correct in this assumption?

I was also under the impression one was to readd water drip style, to limit dramatic water differences. This is what i've been doing on my RCS/CRS tank, but I don't get much in the way of molts, perhaps i'll give this a shot in the future.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

you do water changes a drip at a time? That's crazy!

I just have a 10 gallon water bottle full of RO/tap mix that I run a siphon through to fill my tanks.


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## DANIELSON (Jul 15, 2010)

I have a 10G shrimp tank and am kinda lazy with my water changes. I have a gallon jug i just dip in take water out. Then fill up the jug with tap then pour it back into the tank with prime poured into the tank. Its easy


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## Hockiumguru (Sep 3, 2008)

mordalphus said:


> you do water changes a drip at a time? That's crazy!
> 
> I just have a 10 gallon water bottle full of RO/tap mix that I run a siphon through to fill my tanks.


i syphon the water out at full pressure, but returning new water i let it drip. takes hours on just a 20g. i only change about 25% every 2 weeks.
Thats what was recommended to me when i first got them.


*apologies for the slight hijacking


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

wow, I've never heard of that before.


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