# Cherry Shrimp Cold Stress



## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Noticed something weird in my shrimp tank by the window last night, shrimps were swimming around like crazy. Water was clean having done a change two days ago. Temperatures stable in the bathroom around 72-74 degrees.
Tank is in front of a window, with a towel to help insulate the tank. I dropped down in the 20's two nights ago, then 29 degrees or so tonight.

This morning I wake up, tank temperature is around 70-71 degrees, with a large dieoff (9/60)

Quickly plugged in small tetra tank heater (10 gallon) which will keep temperature stable around 75-76degrees, will hope for the best.

Word to the wise, this winter make sure your tanks temperature is stable.
Thankfully I have 5 tanks with cherries and tigers.

-Gordon


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

I had similiar situation in my nano with some RCS. Team was dropping into high 60s at night and I lost a shrimp or two. I have since put on a hydor mini and the temp is staying in mid 70s


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

From long island to long island! Hope its not our water supply my friend.


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## GlitcH (Aug 21, 2006)

Tanks without heaters in the winter..........comon ppls 
Your askin for it.

Cherries are super resilient but large temp swings will kill anything but a crayfish


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Funny thing is that it was only a difference in about 4-5 degrees. Still, heater is on and tank is warm again. 

Took a peek in there this morning and didn't see any more dead.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Gordonrichards said:


> From long island to long island! Hope its not our water supply my friend.


I guess you never know! My wife won't drink the stuff. I always have 1/2 empty bottled water that ends up making it into my tanks. My fish/plants are spoiled. I just added the heater to late. I hate all the equipment on a nano since it's tough to hid it.


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

I'm running two 10's in my bathroom, a 33L and 20L in the bedroom. They get whatever water is in the tap :^)


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## DarrylR (Dec 5, 2007)

Gordonrichards said:


> Noticed something weird in my shrimp tank by the window last night, shrimps were swimming around like crazy. Water was clean having done a change two days ago. Temperatures stable in the bathroom around 72-74 degrees.
> Tank is in front of a window, with a towel to help insulate the tank. I dropped down in the 20's two nights ago, then 29 degrees or so tonight.
> 
> This morning I wake up, tank temperature is around 70-71 degrees, with a large dieoff (9/60)
> ...


I have witnessed this before and never had die offs after seeing it. I remember I read before that was the males roaming around the tank wanting to mate. Have you ever noticed all the ones flying around the tank are males .


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Nah man, Houseofcards and I both faced the same problem at the same time and we both live on Long Island.

Temperature dropped, and cold stress killed around 14 of them, different ages, not just adults.

After throwing a heater in the tank I haven't noticed any die offs.

I wish I had room for the tanks elsewhere, but the tank is where it has to stay.


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

I never thought cherries really cared, funny story for you.

Last January I moved. I had to move all my tanks. Took out plants, fish, and the cherries I could catch. Move the tanks. It was so cold that on the way to my house the little bit of water that was in the tank froze! When I rescaped the tank a day later guess what survived in the ice in the bottom of my tank? Several cherries where in there swimming around!


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## cell (Mar 9, 2009)

I experienced the cold stress too. I found shrimps in my canister filter, that lived in the darkness for months. So I put them into a 1 gallon tank, lighted but unheated. Few days later, the shrimps were dead.


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## Dracocaeli (Sep 23, 2009)

wow, this thread is like perfect for me... lol except its kinda the opposite

one of my cbs recently died from too hot water i think, it was 78 79. so i unplugged my heater which was set at 71 and they seem to be doing fine now at temperatrues of 71 -72... however is this variation bad? at night it gets to 70, then during day 73, 74, 75?


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Crystals are better in lower temps I hear in the 70's
I think it was a drop in my bathroom of around 15 degrees or more. Have a draft in the window. :^( Since then I have had no real die offs.


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## ucdchan (May 9, 2009)

That's strange... i have lot of cherry shrimps I put outdoor (culled from my indoor tank), and they do just fine. The temperature was at 52 degree F one morning, so it probably dip into the 40s. During the day, it's around 70 to 80 since it's outdoor in the sun. It's a 35 gallon tub. They seem to do even better since their red color is more intense since I've put them there. No clue as to why. Not really sure if they're breeding though since I have 95% of surface cover with duckweeds and other floaters to keep mosquitos away.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

houseofcards said:


> I guess you never know! My wife won't drink the stuff. I always have 1/2 empty bottled water that ends up making it into my tanks. My fish/plants are spoiled. I just added the heater to late. I hate all the equipment on a nano since it's tough to hid it.


you know if you wanted you can get a tetra submersible heater 2-15 gallons 50 watt at walmart and bury it in your substrate or in your filter box, it's really small except the cable will be a bit out of place :/ maybe the reptile under the tank heaters might work...


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

my cherries are really hardy, i frequently leave them in cups of water at night and the temp drops below 60 F and the next day afternoon the temp is up again at 76 they do fine, they might loose color in cold temps but otherwise they're fine. RCS are so hardy that they withstood my beginner mistakes :/ maybe yours have been inbreeding too long and are weaker? just a possibility get some new shrimp with new blood


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i forgot to mention but you may have had a lot more deaths because when one shrimp dies the others eat its dead body it's like zombies eating some guy but they clean out the shells and stuff so it's like an empty husk that looks like someone molted...


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## chad320 (Mar 30, 2010)

I trim moss in a steralite tub and often times the tub sits around for days at room temp around 62-65 degrees. I always have to catch babies and return them to the tank before trimming more.


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Yeah. Questionable though for me. Still, the tanks in my bathroom are directly in front of a window. Next winter I'll probably turn the tanks into grow outs. Will be moving my shrimps to my 33 gallon tank.

Need to find housing for my angel fish though.


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