Orange/red head on dead shrimp.

[rambamodam]

Hi,

 

Recently purchased some shrimps and about a week in I started to get die off's. Shrimps are sluggish and once I pull them out of the water their heads are bright red/orange. Any of you guys dealt with something like this?

[dao]

If they are inactive than water parameters is the problem. You would have to provide more information. The changes of colour on a dead shrimp indicates nothing - thats how they usually look once they die.

[rambamodam]

Water params are:

 

Ammonia - 0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate 5-10

 

TDS 120

Ph - 6.4

 

I understand that changes of color most of the time is due to the shrimp starting to decompose. This time its a little different. It's only happening to my blue bolts and the change of color is isolated on the head only.

 

It looks something similar to this:

 

[dao]

The nitrate range you have given is rather wide. Do you have a dedicated no3 test? 10 is already high for Taiwan Bee and might result in deaths. Although I would expect them to still be active to some extent. You should have the NO3 in range of 0-2 for success, but the rapid die offs and lack of activity suggest there is another factor contributing. The rest of the parameters you posted is perfectly fine.

[Revaria]

The tds to me seems kinda low, when I bought shrimp and had die offs within a few days the tds was the issue as I misread my tds meter, when I increased it to 150 up using a mineralizer, they bounced back and started to molt. It may also be the pH difference between the place you bought it from and yours, the temperature, or they could be hungry.  

[MinusInfinity]

There is are a few variables to consider for dying shrimp.

Where you purchased them from and their water parameters. It's best to match their parameters but you can acclimate them to yours, just do it for 2 hours+. Especially for more sensitive and expensive shrimp. 

Your own water parameters, I noticed that your nitrates are a bit too high. 5-10 is already a sign that your tank either isn't fully cycled  yet and needs a water change or something is creating a spike in nitrates.

This could also be a bacterial infection. I've had personal experience with this when I introduced OEBT's from another breeder into my tank with Neos. They were blue dreams/rili and i noticed that all of their heads turned from the normal yellow to a reddish/orange on the inside while slowly dropping like flies. I managed to save some by dosing medication but I ended up losing most of the colony. In a sense think of it like this, If we went to a foreign country like Mexico and drank their tap water, we would get sick because our bodies aren't used to the bacteria  or whatever is in the water. While the natives there will be completely fine, since they are used to it.