# Red Cherry Shrimps dying after shedding?



## AheartlessFish

I finally got a good batch of cherries. they're housed in a 5 gallon with pool sand, java moss, and some anarcharis. temp at 81

Ph 7.2
Nitrates 5ppm if not 0
water change 50% weekly

They're dying after they shed? not all of them do but when it does its sad. the larger ones seem to go as the smaller ones dont die off so easily...

i read around that i could dose some iodide to help? while others are saying its useless.

the guy i got these cherrys from dont dose anything at all and he has a huge colony.

Tank is just cherrys and some amanos.


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## alexopolus

I'm very curious about your amanos! Twice I had to move my amanos from two different tanks... I'm one tank I noticed that my runny nose tetras were disappearing with no explanation (no dead carcass), so one day when the lights whent off I took a flash light and noticed that all my amanos were very active... Well, I didn't took long I saw a amano pulling down a runny nose tetra by the tail, I took 10 sec and the poor fish had 3 shrimps on top. (this is very rare, but can happen). After that I had another tank with amanos and cherries, I noticed that my amanos where getting a nice brownish red coloration, and well couple of days later I saw a couple of them eating my cherries.
Cherries are very hardy,they can survive 90F temp to 40F (I have them in my outside pond), high ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Keep a eye on your amanos.


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## vicky

+1 on the Amanos. The only other thing I can think of is do you have enough calcium for them? If your water isn't very hard you might add some crushed coral/oyster shell or add a cuttlebone (sold for birds) to the tank. It's also easy to overfeed these guys.


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## AheartlessFish

as for calcium i add alittle bit if cacl2 on day one (maybe this is my culprit)

as for over feeding, i give them enough food each day, they eat it within a few hours (pellet food made for shrimp).

Again its after they shed...i think i saw an amano die to the same problem so im not sure...


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## alexopolus

Shrimps are very vulnerable after they shed during molting and right after, the new exoskeleton is not completely hard. They get a bit slow after molting so If you have a predator with it, easy prey! By the way, I have lost amanos when my water temp hits 80+, they do better on the 70-78 .


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## AheartlessFish

im just losing them after molting so im not sure if its a temperature issue...however ill drop it a few digits


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## vicky

If your shrimp don't have enough calcium to make a new shell, molting will be very hard on them. The little bit of cacl2 you added on day one was probably long ago used up or changed out with the water. Try adding 1/8 teaspoon per week and see if that helps. I have soft water and add a cuttlebone to my shrimp tanks every few months. They are vibrant and healthy. Plants use calcium, as do snails, so adding it regularly, unless you have a lot of it in your tap water, may be necessary.


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## AheartlessFish

yea i have some in there...prob less than 1/8 teaspoon since is only a 5 gallon...i was really hoping to keep this tank low maintenance as possible 

dead shrimp becomes fish food for my serpaes.
its just sad to see an adult shrimp go to waste.

ill try the 1/8th teaspoon after waterchange and see if that helps out.


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## AheartlessFish

just lost two more this morning...dont know whats going on


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## OTPT

Recently I got a batch of Amano shrimp. They were very small (1/2" and smaller). 
Several of them died after molding. No problem with the older/larger ones.
The problem went away when I started dosing CaSO4. 

I'm not sure. But calcium defficiency might be the cause.


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## vicky

Calcium deficiency really does sound like the most probable cause. 1/4 teaspoon CaCl2 with each water change is probably not too much. I have soft water and I add Seachem Equilibrium with water changes, using about 1 teaspoon per five gallons. But with my planted tanks I seldom actually change water, usually I just add to replace evaporation. My shrimp tanks all get cuttlebone, too. Any store that has bird supplies will have these, perhaps even your grocery store. Buy the cheapest, plain variety they have, break them up and throw away the metal clip. You might get lucky and find broken pieces marked down. For my five gallon tanks, I put in a piece an inch or two long, every few months. It floats at first, but usually sinks after a week or so. When I first did this, I saw the shrimp actively feeding on it. It may take a few weeks of higher calcium before the deaths stop, but if it is only after molting I can't think of any other cause. You could test your water for hardness, but since you already have a calcium supplement I'd just try it. The guy you got these from may have a harder water supply, or have a substrate adding calcium (crushed coral, etc.). Once you get this figured out you will have more shrimp than you know what to do with. They are very prolific. ;-)


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## AheartlessFish

funny cause my little guys are doing great! 2 more of the larger ones died off...dosing cacl2...maybe the chloride is killing them


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## vicky

I'm not a chemist. I have not read anything indicating this amount would be a problem, but I suggested you start with 1/8 teaspoon as a more gentle change. If that didn't cause a problem, i.e. if they didn't appear sicker after the addition, then 1/4 teaspoon the next time seemed appropriate. The Equilibrium I use has calcium sulfate, I believe. I also have calcium carbonate. I think I remember Walstad recommending a mix of ions, and your shrimp may need a mix of minerals, too, such as magnesium. This is why I keep recommending cuttle bone. I'm sure it contains everything they need for their shells, and I have never heard of it causing any problems, except unsightly floating. ;-) The thing is, it takes time to build a shell. I think you need to get the minerals up and keep them up for a while. I am not a shrimp expert and cannot tell you how long, but I suspect a few weeks would make a much bigger difference than a few days. Have you used the Fertilator? http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/fertilator.php It will help you calculate the amount of different forms of nutrients to use.

Just a thought but it's also possible you just got some old shrimp. If the young ones are growing, eventually you will have a colony.


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## AheartlessFish

!!! makes me sad to see them go thats all 

im gona keep trying the dosages of calcium. Its just weird because none of my friends who had successful colonies ever had to dose anything at all !

everyones waters different !

i will keep an eye out and test it out thanks alot for all of the inputs


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## trit0n2003

Definitely a mineral deficiency, what is your GH?


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## apctjp

50% water change may be the problem.
Try no more than 10%.
If there is a filter, or the water parameters remain healthy,
then topping off of evaporated water is all that's needed for RCS.


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## xenxes

Don't blindly add calcium without knowing your GH.

GH being too high can cause molting-deaths, as shrimps grow too fast.

Temperature too high can cause molting-deaths, same with meat protein. Your temperature is on the higher side, I'd try to lower it to the mid 70's. Also what are you feeding, what is your GH?


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## rostick555

Did you guys realize that this thread is almost 6 months old?


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