Cleaner shrimp died first night in tank??!!??

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

So I’ve got a 65 gal tank set up over a year no issues with fish what so ever. I got a cleaner shrimp for $37 yesterday and do just like my fish hang the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes then slowly pour little bits of water about a cup total for another 30 minutes and he was good to go in the bag I empty him out in the net over a container so I don’t use the lfs store water and put him in the rocks with my net so fish wouldn’t get to him immediately and he jump around until he found the back of the tank and just sat there. Kinda freaked me out so I let him chill for a couple hours he never moved so I took my net and he kinda freaked out backed up but he never got on a rock he just sat in the sand so I’m thinking molting. So I let him be turned the lights off and this morning he’s on his side and red. $37 blown in less than 12 hours. what the heck??

Anubisxii · Dec 23, 2020

What kind of fish do you have in the tank? past the stocking list the next most ask question is going to be what are your water parameters.

In my experience cleaner shrimp are super hardy. Also stupid question are you sure that he passed away and you didn't just find his molt?

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Getting my water tested today from the lfs store today after work. And I’m pretty sure he dead but I will double check lol

William Mumford · Dec 23, 2020

Do you have any other inverts hermits or emerald crabs.

NeonRabbit221B · Dec 23, 2020

+1 for stupid question are you sure you didn't just find his molt?
I have done this more than once and when my cleaner did actually die I didn't react to it because I thought he had just molted.

naterealbig · Dec 23, 2020

Raysup88 said:
So I’ve got a 65 gal tank set up over a year no issues with fish what so ever. I got a cleaner shrimp for $37 yesterday and do just like my fish hang the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes then slowly pour little bits of water about a cup total for another 30 minutes and he was good to go in the bag I empty him out in the net over a container so I don’t use the lfs store water and put him in the rocks with my net so fish wouldn’t get to him immediately and he jump around until he found the back of the tank and just sat there. Kinda freaked me out so I let him chill for a couple hours he never moved so I took my net and he kinda freaked out backed up but he never got on a rock he just sat in the sand so I’m thinking molting. So I let him be turned the lights off and this morning he’s on his side and red. $37 blown in less than 12 hours. what the heck??

Hi Raysup - this stinks and I'm sorry to hear. In my experience ornamental shrimp require a much longer acclimation period. I generally use the drip method, over the course of 3 hours. I use this procedure for snails, starfish, ect. Basically anything other than fish, coral, and hermit crabs. Do this, and you will see a greatly reduced mortality across the life of your aquarium.

Best,

Nathan

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Ok so definitely dead. Did some minor research when I can at work and looks like what your saying either water levels and/or acclimation period. So I guess I’ll get it tested as long as everything is good I’ll get another one and do a drip system for very extended time lol

iamacat · Dec 23, 2020

Going to need parameters.

Rmckoy · Dec 23, 2020

For many years , I had trouble keeping any shrimp ( cleaner , peppermint )
After increasing the acclimation and drip time they seamed to last .

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Yeah guess that’s what I’m going with. Weird thing is too I just added 10 hermit crabs same acclimation and there all doing just fine lol

Reef. · Dec 23, 2020

Sounds to me he needed a longer acclimatisation, I had similar happen, if your alk, ph and salinity is much different to the water he came in, he probably needed a very slow drip acclimation of an hour or even 2.

gentlefish · Dec 23, 2020

Nowadays I always check salinity in the bag that any coral, fish or invert came in. Last addition? Salinity 1.019.

Rmckoy · Dec 23, 2020

The last coral frags I brought home .
I tested the bag for ph , alk and salinity .
A slow drip has proved to be less stressful

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Well got my water tested and my salinity is extremely high. I get my water from lfs store so I just purchased a retractometer from him. Salinity is at 1.04

Reef. · Dec 23, 2020

Raysup88 said:
Well got my water tested and my salinity is extremely high. I get my water from lfs store so I just purchased a retractometer from him. Salinity is at 1.04

Do you buy the water with the salt already added or do you add the salt?

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Reef. said:
Do you buy the water with the salt already added or do you add the salt?

I buy it pre mixed. I just recently started doing this about 2 months ago so I was mixing myself blindly which is pretty stupid use to be perfect never needed to check but got that retractometer now so I just took out 5 gallons of my water and got 10 gallons of r/o water from him and added 5 gal for now and waiting a bit to check and see where I’m at and change another 5gal if needed until I hit my mark

Reef. · Dec 23, 2020

Raysup88 said:
I buy it pre mixed. I just recently started doing this about 2 months ago so I was mixing myself blindly which is pretty stupid use to be perfect never needed to check but got that retractometer now so I just took out 5 gallons of my water and got 10 gallons of r/o water from him and added 5 gal for now and waiting a bit to check and see where I’m at and change another 5gal if needed until I hit my mark

I was wondering if it was you or the LFS mixing it too high? Sounds like it was you then, must have been quite high if after 2 months it was still 1.04.

Raysup88 · Dec 23, 2020

Reef. said:
I was wondering if it was you or the LFS mixing it too high? Sounds like it was you then, must have been quite high if after 2 months it was still 1.04.

Yeah pretty wild to me I’ll be doing a change next weekend so when I get his salt mix I’m going to check it myself now when I get home and if it’s still high I gotta tell him to calm that down really nice guy so I’m sure he will understand and if it is still high should I be asking for a refund or another shrimp on the house?

Reef. · Dec 23, 2020

Raysup88 said:
Yeah pretty wild to me I’ll be doing a change next weekend so when I get his salt mix I’m going to check it myself now when I get home and if it’s still high I gotta tell him to calm that down really nice guy so I’m sure he will understand and if it is still high should I be asking for a refund or another shrimp on the house?

check the next salt when you buy it and if it’s high, ask for a replacement or refund, then buy your salt from somewhere else or make your own, you can use distilled water from Walmart if you don’t want to make your own.

if he is selling salt with high salinity I would not trust the water either, is he using a rodi unit etc you can’t trust any part of the product if he is getting the salinity so wrong.

If you do get another shrimp, use the drip method, very slowly as they are much more delicate than fish with any change of parameters.

Rmckoy · Dec 23, 2020

Raysup88 said:
Yeah pretty wild to me I’ll be doing a change next weekend so when I get his salt mix I’m going to check it myself now when I get home and if it’s still high I gotta tell him to calm that down really nice guy so I’m sure he will understand and if it is still high should I be asking for a refund or another shrimp on the house?

If I was buying premixed and it was extremely high .
it would be a lot more than a shrimp on the house.

that kind of mistake can only be made once .
not for months without knowing