# Ghost Shrimp Got Cooked!



## phibo (Mar 18, 2008)

Hi, I bought 5 ghost shrimps to put into my dwarf puffer tank yesterday. This morning my woke up to 1 dead shrimp and he was light ORANGE like it was cooked. Later On this afternoon coming back from work. I found another 3 shrimp that are dead. One is super orange like it was fully cooked and the other 2 are just like how they were when i bought them. I want to ask why are them shrimps so different when they are dead? Could it be my puffer who killed them or thet got cook by my 80 degree water?

PS. I still got one left in the tank which I cant find. Hes probably dead, but wonder if ya have any good idea to find him.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

Well they didn't actually cook in the water. It is strange how they change color so fast. I personally believe (nothing to back it up) that they're chemically cooked. Similar to some dishes where you cook the shrimp and fish and stuff in acids (typically lemon or lime juice, just cant think of the name of the style..)

But yeah you might as well take them out if they're not getting eaten.

-Andrew


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## phibo (Mar 18, 2008)

A Hill said:


> But yeah you might as well take them out if they're not getting eaten.
> 
> -Andrew


Im trying to get some Crystal Shrimp for my tank, so I bought them ghost shrimps to see if my dwarf puffer will attack shrimp or not. With situation like this. Is my shrimps dead because of the water or the puffer killed them?


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## jackstraw (Mar 1, 2008)

That's funny, when I first I bought 6 Glass/Ghost shrimp for my Dwarf Puffer planted tank the same thing happened. I woke up the very next morning and one of them was laying in the gravel uneaten and "cooked". My water temp stays around 78F and I use seachem's line of liquid ferts (Flourish, Excel, Iron, NPK) and DIY CO2. pH is at 7.0-7.2, Amm=0, trite=0, trate=0.

I thought it was pretty weird but the others are doing OK so far.


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## MOsborne05 (Jan 7, 2007)

I did the same thing. My heater malfunctioned and my ghost shrimp turned a bright pink color. I felt kind of bad for them, but then I remembered that they were food for my puffers


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## jen0910 (Jan 13, 2008)

In my experience all ghost shrimp turn that pinkish color when they die.


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## GreenThumbing (Feb 23, 2008)

I had the same issue, They all died one by one, but when my yellow shrimp population got out of control, I put a few in this particular tank with no issues, OH an no puffer. I'm pretty sure your puffer did them in.


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## MOsborne05 (Jan 7, 2007)

I don't think it was the puffer because the puffer would have eaten them. If the puffer took the time to kill them, then it definitely would have eaten them. It was most likely something to do with water quality or acclimation.


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## GreenThumbing (Feb 23, 2008)

MOsborne05 said:


> I don't think it was the puffer because the puffer would have eaten them. If the puffer took the time to kill them, then it definitely would have eaten them. It was most likely something to do with water quality or acclimation.


Possibly, but without seeing the bodies of the dead shrimp, no one can really tell the actual reason they died. Are they pieces of bodies or are they still whole?? I would agree if they are whole it could be water conditions, but if its scattered parts, then I would vote Puffer.


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## greyhoundfan (Mar 17, 2006)

spontaneous underwater combustion.


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## phibo (Mar 18, 2008)

Them shrimps were in one peice, so I assume nothing attacked it. 
As for the color of them dead shrimp, only 2 of the 4 that i found dead looks cook. The other 2 looks just like what it was before its dead.

PS. I knew i should have taken pictures of them dead ghost shrimps. Its like once in a life time thing.:red_mouth Unless i go buy a few more ghost shrimp .


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## Spiritwind (Feb 2, 2008)

Ghost shrimp turn pink because of the high carotene content of their blood, when they die it diffuses and turns the whole body orange. They should be tolerant of a good range of temperatures. How did you acclimate them?


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

A Hill said:


> Well they didn't actually cook in the water. It is strange how they change color so fast. I personally believe (nothing to back it up) that they're chemically cooked. Similar to some dishes where you cook the shrimp and fish and stuff in acids (typically lemon or lime juice, just cant think of the name of the style..)
> 
> But yeah you might as well take them out if they're not getting eaten.
> 
> -Andrew


that would be ceviche... one of my specialty btw








the pic is not mine, just took off from the net...


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

Ceviche is awesome, but ingredients are usually pretty expensive. 

Whether or not the puffer killed the ghosts, I would not put CRS in a tank with it. If it figures out they taste great, it's all over.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

greyhoundfan said:


> spontaneous underwater combustion.


Impossible! The shrimp was not drinking and smoking at the same time.



Spiritwind said:


> Ghost shrimp turn pink because of the high carotene content of their blood, when they die it diffuses and turns the whole body orange. They should be tolerant of a good range of temperatures. How did you acclimate them?


That makes sense. But if their blood has such a high carotene count, why are they clear?

As for the death reason. Ghosts are sold as feeders and the quality of their treatment is terrible, they also have a big predator fish in the tank which makes them stressed on top of being stressed already...

That generally means death.

-Andrew


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

fishscale said:


> Ceviche is awesome, but ingredients are usually pretty expensive.
> 
> Whether or not the puffer killed the ghosts, I would not put CRS in a tank with it. If it figures out they taste great, it's all over.


expensive? not really, they are quite cheap to make...


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