Keep loosing cleaner shrimp

[theuksnoobreefer]

Hi all, just after a bit of advice.

I've got a Fluval Evo 13.5 with a RFG.

I had a shrimp get stuck in the RFG during the night, and unfortunately it was dead by the time I had got to it. I replaced this with another cleaner shrimp, and two days later the exact same thing! I've replaced it yet again with another cleaner shrimp, but this time I've woken up to it being lay on the sand bed with its legs bent. I'm assuming it has been stuck but managed to get out but sustained some damage.

I've no idea why they keep venturing up towards the RFG nozzle, the first shrimp I had was in there for circa 5 weeks and didn't venture up once.

My remaining shrimp is struggling to move around properly but doesn't appear lethargic.

I'm not having the best of luck with this tank!!!

 

[twentyleagues]

Hi all, just after a bit of advice.

I've got a Fluval Evo 13.5 with a RFG.

I had a shrimp get stuck in the RFG during the night, and unfortunately it was dead by the time I had got to it. I replaced this with another cleaner shrimp, and two days later the exact same thing! I've replaced it yet again with another cleaner shrimp, but this time I've woken up to it being lay on the sand bed with its legs bent. I'm assuming it has been stuck but managed to get out but sustained some damage.

I've no idea why they keep venturing up towards the RFG nozzle, the first shrimp I had was in there for circa 5 weeks and didn't venture up once.

My remaining shrimp is struggling to move around properly but doesn't appear lethargic.

I'm not having the best of luck with this tank!!!

I dont think a healthy shrimp would get stuck to a rfg nozzle. Probably got pulled there post mortem.
We need more info
Age of tank
parameters all, temp kh,calc, mag, ph, trates, trites, ammonia, phos.
How long did you have the longest lived shrimp?
What is your method of acclimation?
Was the tank ever used to medicate fish with copper or other harsh meds?

 

[56longroof]

My peppermint shrimp climb all over the RFG in my tank. I think there is something else going on. Are you buying them from a LFS or online?

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

I dont think a healthy shrimp would get stuck to a rfg nozzle. Probably got pulled there post mortem.
We need more info
Age of tank
parameters all, temp kh,calc, mag, ph, trates, trites, ammonia, phos.
How long did you have the longest lived shrimp?
What is your method of acclimation?
Was the tank ever used to medicate fish with copper or other harsh meds?

Age of tank is circa 7/8 weeks.

My longest shrimp lived around 5/6 weeks which is what I'm finding odd.

I had two clowns which had ich, so I'm in the 72 day waiting period for that to die off. It's never been treated with any harsh meds.

I have two hermits and a turbo snail in there which are fine, not sure if that's any info that's needed.

My latest params are:
- 25.2c temp
- Ammonia 0
- Nitrites 0
- Nitrates ~20

Method of acclimation is as follows:

- Let bag float for 5 minutes.
- Open bag, add 1 inch of my tank water and wait 3 minutes.
- Repeat above 4 times in total.
- Then fish said shrimp out of bag and place into tank. Being careful not to put any transit water into my tank.

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

My peppermint shrimp climb all over the RFG in my tank. I think there is something else going on. Are you buying them from a LFS or online?

I've bought them all from a LFS. Two from one, and one from another store.

 

[Shirak]

Ok so the fish are no longer in the tank?

What are you feeding the shrimp and hermits?

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

Ok so the fish are no longer in the tank?

What are you feeding the shrimp and hermits?

Yeah I've not had fish in there for a while, coming close to 4 weeks now.

I'm feeding them every other day, very light frozen brine shrimp. I'm talking a very small amount as I don't want to over feed.

 

[Shirak]

Maybe a nutrition issue? Not much nutrients in brine shrimp. I would use larger size sinking pellet food or frozen mysis.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Age of tank is circa 7/8 weeks.

My longest shrimp lived around 5/6 weeks which is what I'm finding odd.

I had two clowns which had ich, so I'm in the 72 day waiting period for that to die off. It's never been treated with any harsh meds.

I have two hermits and a turbo snail in there which are fine, not sure if that's any info that's needed.

My latest params are:
- 25.2c temp
- Ammonia 0
- Nitrites 0
- Nitrates ~20

Method of acclimation is as follows:

- Let bag float for 5 minutes.
- Open bag, add 1 inch of my tank water and wait 3 minutes.
- Repeat above 4 times in total.
- Then fish said shrimp out of bag and place into tank. Being careful not to put any transit water into my tank.

You are basically doing a 12 minute acclimation..... go slower! I take 30-45-60 minutes for invert acclimation, and I consider myself as going fast, some take longer, even hours.

Tank pics will help, I'm wondering how much rockwork you have. Shrimps normally stay in the rocks.

How is the flow? How is the water being oxygenated?

I would be concerned about pulling the shrimp out of the water completely, I don't think its a good idea. Personally I keep the shrimp wet, and by the time I add the shrimp, almost all of the water in the bag is my own tank water. Again, your acclimation is too fast. Fish is different because fish tanks will have medicine or copper in the water, so you don't want to add this to you tank, but invert tanks have no copper or medicine, its just straight up water.

I don't think you feed enough food or enough variety, I feed my 3 tanks 3-4 times per day. Its very rare that I feed brine shrimp since it has very little nutritional value.... only brine shrimp and nothing else is a poor diet IMO.

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

You are basically doing a 12 minute acclimation..... go slower! I take 30-45-60 minutes for invert acclimation, and I consider myself as going fast, some take longer, even hours.

Tank pics will help, I'm wondering how much rockwork you have. Shrimps normally stay in the rocks.

How is the flow? How is the tank being oxygenated?

I would be concerned about pulling the shrimp out of the water completely, I don't think its a good idea. Personally I keep the shrimp wet, and by the time I add the shrimp, almost all of the water in the bag is my own tank water. Fish is different because fish tanks will have medicine or copper in the water, so you don't want to add this to you tank, but invert tanks have no copper or medicine, its just straight up water.

I don't think you feed enough food or enough variety, I feed my 3 tanks 3-4 times per day. Its very rare that I feed brine shrimp since it has very little nutritional value.... only brine shrimp and nothing else is a poor diet IMO.

This is what was on the leaflet from the LFS on acclimation, so I followed that, and it literally has in bold at the bottom "be sure not to transfer any transit water into your tank".

What would you advise feeding then? I have only two hermit crabs and a turbo snail. I do not want to risk over feeding either.

My flow appears to be ok, I have plenty of surface agitation.

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

Maybe a nutrition issue? Not much nutrients in brine shrimp. I would use larger size sinking pellet food or frozen mysis.

I do have some frozen mysis! My LFS recommended the brine as I only have CUC present in the tank :/

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

This is what was on the leaflet from the LFS on acclimation, so I followed that, and it literally has in bold at the bottom "be sure not to transfer any transit water into your tank".

What would you advise feeding then? I have only two hermit crabs and a turbo snail. I do not want to risk over feeding either.

My flow appears to be ok, I have plenty of surface agitation.

Ya sorry I noticed after the fish were not in the tank anymore. I still fed my invert tank once or twice a day, usually either a few pieces of reef frenzy or pellets. But I don't think food is the issue for the shrimps, my comment was for the fish.

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

Ya sorry I noticed after the fish were not in the tank anymore. I still fed my invert tank once or twice a day, usually either a few pieces of reef frenzy or pellets. But I don't think food is the issue for the shrimps, my comment was for the fish.

I'm really unsure then, I'm close to giving the hobby up!

I'm certain it is the RFG causing the issue as they have seem to get stuck in the holes around the nozzle where water is dragged through.

 

[ScottJ]

I'm really unsure then, I'm close to giving the hobby up!

I'm certain it is the RFG causing the issue as they have seem to get stuck in the holes around the nozzle where water is dragged through.

Maybe switch back to the nozzle that came with the tank?

 

[Dragen Fiend]

As others have stated, an RFG nozzle is not going to hurt a cleaner shrimp let a lone kill it. Unless its sick already sick. My cleaner shrimp sits on my DMP-20 all the time and is fine. Are you getting them all from the same lfs? Potentially could be something wrong from the source. Or its starving.

I prefer not having a cleaner shrimp unless I have fish for it.

 

[Mellotang]

Did you ever medicate tank?

 

[theuksnoobreefer]

Did you ever medicate tank?

Nope, see previous replies. My tank is fishless at the moment due to ich. It will stay fishless until I reach the recommended 72 day mark.

 

[Mellotang]

Did you buy the tank new or used?

 

[Shirak]

Ditch the brine shrimp. Feed pellets or mysis. The hermits are good at scavenging but the cleaner needs food. Every other day is ok. A little each day would be better. Stop worrying about nutrients and do water changes etc like you would do if there were fish in the tank.

Where are the fish currently and what do you plan to do to keep ich out in the future?

 

[twentyleagues]

Algae based pellets or flakes and mysis shrimp. Brine is pretty much just water.