# What can be so deadly in a newer aquarium to kill all within hours...



## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

just like the title says, i recently set up a fluval shrimp and finally i added shrimp yesterday..all dead.
tank is fully planted. 
i tested water and this is what i got:
ph, 7.6 (kind of high but not deadly high)
nitrite, 0
nitrate ~5
GH KH -not sure what the reslts mean yet, but one took five drops to change to green and the other one took 18 drops..
i don't have an ammonia test kit. 

no co2
substrate is the stuff that cmoes with the set up with an extra layer of flora max black. i did add dolomite and mouriate of potash at the bottom with some pure laterite i had laying around.

no dosing, so far i havent really added anything. 
its been running for two weeks or so.
i originally set it up with tank water from another tank, filter was already in use as well...hopefully had a colony of bacteria in.

so.....imput greatly appreciated!
thanks


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Did you drip acclimate them? I know they can be sensitive to pH and temperature changes.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

not with the first ones, yes with the second ones.
but litterally, so delicate that within the hour they were dead? =/


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

Other than the too-fast acclimation already mentioned, the usual suspects are:
1. Chlorine in the water, from the tap. Use dechlorinator drops.
2. Bleach or soap used to clean the tank or objects in it, or residue in the water bucket.
3. Metals.

Makes it clear how little pollution it takes to affect a colony, doesn't it?


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

When the weather is hot or there is a lot of rain (meaning floods in the water collection areas) the water company can dump extra chemicals in what ends up flowing out of your tap. Extra dechlorinator is the usual thing to do but does not take care of everything that the tap water may contain during drought or heavy rain.

Best approach is to get an $50 carbon filter from Home Depot/Lowes. Run all your tap water through it. It removes a long list of chemicals that you cannot find tests for. In addition to that I also add some dechlorinator.

Keep in mind that all dwarf shrimp are weird. They can die on you for no apparent reason after months of keeping/breeding them successfully. Not as a result of a water change or anything.

--Nikolay


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

i wonder, since the tank is only 7.6 gallon i can probably buy a few gallons of water from the store and add them, cant i?


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Damian,

Lets get some other specs please. One of these questions will provide you with an answer. :^( Sorry for your loss.

What type of shrimp did you buy?

What is the temperature of the room the tank is in?

What is the ph of the store you purchased them from?

Those Fluval tanks provide a perfect environment for shrimp.
The substrate brings ph to about 6.5-6.8 in time.
24 waiting period is long enough before adding shrimp.

-Gordon


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

Gordonrichards said:


> Damian,
> 
> Lets get some other specs please. One of these questions will provide you with an answer. :^( Sorry for your loss.
> 
> ...


i did not buy the shrimp, they were a gift. 
there WAS malawa and orange eye blue tigers and one more i don't remember the name. 
the temperature is like 78 in the room. the tank has no heater.
don't know what the guy's ph is.

i wonder, is dolomite or muriate of potash toxic to them shrimp? 
also, remember i capped the ebi susbstrate with flora max substrate. 
my tanks ph is as high as it comes out of the sink, 7.6...


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

Im going to say you still have ammonia in there. 

Also search the GWAPA site. I recall a thread by Viktor or Christy where they used the potash and had similar results.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

bigstick120 said:


> Im going to say you still have ammonia in there.
> 
> Also search the GWAPA site. I recall a thread by Viktor or Christy where they used the potash and had similar results.


oh man! i remember something like that...i guess thats a bye bye to shrimp for my tank.. :-({|=
that suxs!!


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

I think its for the first few month. I dont believe that is last forever. Could be wrong.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

yeah. i asked around in gwapa to see what the other members experienced after a while.. thanks man, i know i will not murder any mroe shrimp for now. 
we should have a sticky that names "common additives in planted tanks that are lethal to shrimp" or something...


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## JustLikeAPill (Oct 9, 2006)

You tell me. I have spent over $200 on cherry shrimp over the years. They always die one to three at a time. My most recent batch was thirty and I have twenty left. Every thing is perfect in the tank... Mini M with three liters of established biomedia. Regular tank maintenance. The right co2 level, Ada fertilizing, established ADA substrate system (even with Penac and tourmaline!) and I dose Bacter 100 monthly Penac-W weekly with water changes, filtered well water... Nitrate level of five ppm...three hours of drip acclimation, weekly 25% water changes...

I am convinced if you look at them wrong they will croak on you. The irony is when I had saltwater, the shrimp that I would buy that cost $35 a pop would live just fine!


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

JustLikeAPill said:


> I am convinced if you look at them wrong they will croak on you. !


ha that made me laugh!! 

fortunatly these were all gifts and trades. i refused the OEBT s because i didnt want to kill them but the person who gave them to me said they should be fine (neither of us knew of the potash at the moment...)


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## CL0NE1 (Jul 27, 2011)

A good test for copper is to remove some water from the bottom of your tank..using a syphon. Then add vinegar. If the water turns blue, there is copper in the water.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

CL0NE1 said:


> A good test for copper is to remove some water from the bottom of your tank..using a syphon. Then add vinegar. If the water turns blue, there is copper in the water.


Great advice. If you are using tap water you never know what might be in there. I did great when I use R/O water, but the plants didn't do well. I now have a new tank with all new everything. We'll see.


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## wHeEzO (Feb 8, 2006)

Possibility of deaths is usually copper. Which happened to me, some fertilzers have copper in it and even a little bit isnt safe. Other than that, maybe not enough dechlorinator? 

R/O works for shrimps well. I haven't used it yet though but heard they work. =)


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