# RCS dying



## Eheim (Nov 26, 2008)

Hi all, i have a 55gallon aquarium with an Eheim 2224 and an Eheim Aquaball 2212 for extra circulation with 4 Red Line Torpedo Barbs (Puntius Denisoni), 1 Needle Nose Pleco (FARLOWELLA ACUS), 1 Sand Shark Pleco(LORICARIA PARVA) and 3 Amano Shrimps (Caridina Japonica) which i have had doing very well for some months now.
I purchased 16 RCS and they seemed to do fine till my Re Line Torpedo barbs got a taste for them after after a Female RCS had babies and so 1 by 1 they disapeared.
I then set up a 10g aquarium with water, gravel and a filter from the 55g aquarium and some plants and a piece a driftwood for the remaing 2 RCS and a baby. Last night the last one died but seemed to have shed before it died as i found the exoskeleton in the tank as well.
They seemed fine for the week or so they lived in the tank and ate well every second day i gave them 1 or 2 granules of HBH lobster bites and made sure they ate it.
I have Seachem Cuprisorb and Hypersorb in the filter.
My Amanos are doing well to date.
Thanks in advance.


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## Sunstar (Sep 17, 2008)

It died after shedding? Sounds like a moulting death. They need some calcium, quite likely. Feed them some gently boiled: kale, spinnach or some other calcium rich food.


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## Eheim (Nov 26, 2008)

Thanks i'll give it a try.


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## Eheim (Nov 26, 2008)

My Amano shrimps are doing good i've had them for 3 months and they have shed well just s bad luck with these little guys.


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## Eheim (Nov 26, 2008)

I found my Nitrates at around 20PPM do you think that would of had an effect on the RCS long term?


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## Chromes03 (Apr 10, 2008)

hey high nitrate may be the cause but there are many possibilities and anything may trigger the shrimps to stress and eventually pass away. do you currently have any plants in your tank? how often do you water chage? *make sure u don't overfeed...should always remove uneaten food after couple of hours..I once had a 55g tank w/ 400+ cherries, I overfed them the month I was selling them and one by one they passed away.... I've never had a problem with high nitrate. In my tanks, I always have some sort of plant like java moss, frogbits, or hornwort...to help absorb the nitrates. A water change will help lower your nitrate.


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## Eheim (Nov 26, 2008)

I had some Crypts in the tank, java moss and java fern. Some of the crypts leaves melted but there was one or 2 new shoots, i fed every 2nd day in a place i could see if they were eating and i only left it in for about 2to 3 hours but found they ate everything, i was feeding HBH crab and lobster bites. Although it was matured gravel and filter i think maybe there was a ammonia or nitrite spike maybe. Thanks Chromes03 apprecite your advise.


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## cwilfinger (Aug 1, 2008)

I had problems with my shrimps dying(3-7 a day). All my water params were just fine. With advise from others, I did a 50% wc and then dosed with a double dose of Prime. I have had no problems since. It could be minerals in the water that your normal water conditioner isn't getting or it isn't getting all of it out of the water.
As far as ammonia or nitrite spikes, wc will help remove them.


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