RyeGuy411 Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 It could very well be the TDS. I know that when I added fish to a shrimp tank and fed them tiny bits twice a day the TDS skyrocketed from 150-230 in the matter of a week. So there is a possibility that the TDS is way off from what they came from which with shrimp casues osmotic shock. Since they have an exoskeleton and cant balance out the internal and external pressure they get stressed to death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 So is there a TDS test kit? I didnt see one at either lfs I went to today. and how do you control tds? I haven't fed em in the 10gal yet...kinda nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 TDS test is a digital pen LFS would most likely not carry them. Fish are not sensitive to TDS because they can equalize internal and external pressure. You can get one off of amazon for cheap 15-25 bucks. Controlling TDS boils down to what the TDS of your source water is, for most people tap water. Then monitor the increases in TDS and when it gets to a level higher than what it started at thats when you do a water change. My tap water is about 180 TDS so for my cherry tanks they are usually around 200-250 when it gets up towards 250 thats when I do a 10-15% water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 I suspect： 1 food, only feed shrimp food, not fish food 2 GH, around 8 should be good 3 Filter, not good enough, adding canister/HOB filter 4. Temp 68-70F 5, Substrate, for bare bottom tank, pH may swing big. adding pool sand as substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Well...woke up to one more dead.. in the 10gal. This is so irritating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Went 2 days with no deaths...then came home to multiple deaths this morning. Ordered a tds pen 2 days ago..hopefully it arrives soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Got my tds pen. Tds in the tank is 140...which from what i read is inside the acceptable range. Soooooo back to square one. Noooo idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Try 100% ro. When I used tap I had unexplained deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I will try that. Someone said something about having to "remineralize" RO water though. How do I go about that? Is there a simple additive I can buy to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evabug1 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Salty Shrimp gh+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 1 jar will last a very long time for you. 1 small scoop for a 5g is something like 6gh/100TDS pictokid1983 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Cool. Ill check it out. Thanks a ton! Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 So im looking to order some gh+ now. Im wondering how long it lasts keeping the parameters stable. I imagine the parameters will slowly get out of wack when I have to top off due to evaporation. Or do I add gh+ to every little bit I add per week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Only top off with ro water. When the water evaporates, it leaves the minerals behind. Don't add gh+ unless you do a wc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Cool cool. I went several days without deaths so I figured it was under control but woke up today with another dead one. So ill give 100% ro a shot xD Could it be the hikari algea wafers doing it? I dont have any 'shrimp specific" food and my lfs doesnt sell it. I put 2 in for 1hr then take the excess out. Have been doing this every 3 days or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I use TetraVeggie algae wafers in mine every now and then and they do fine. (My Oto loves them) Hikari algae are probably really similar, but I have heard people occasionally get too much copper, TDS, or even ammonia spikes from using other types of fish foods. (May be a myth, though) You can feed regular veggies, too. Many people recommend organic produce since inverts can be sensitive to pesticides, but quite frankly, I've used conventional zucchini, spinach, and kale without problems. Boil them in water in the microwave for about a minute, then cool and drop them in. (Little pieces, of course) miwu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hmm still cant figure it out..nothing seems to be wrong. my salty shrimp GH+ will be here in a day or 2.. how do I go about switching my current water with 100% RO water? Without shocking and killing the remaining shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedaquarium Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 d3r, have you tried doing a full tank reset? i tried out before, actually it was soothing's suggestion and it worked out fine... im setting a new tank up with black river sand and just mosses, crypts, and anubias... and using 100 filtered water with TDS of 003.... and remineralizing with nutrafin african cichlid conditioner... works well so far.. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Who did you buy your shrimp from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 @stoned, were you having unexplained deaths aswell? N I bought them from theshrimpfarm.com. Had tons of great reviews and decent prices. Think I just got some bad shrimp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Sorry never heard of the shrimp farm. do the dead shrimp have Any marks or growths? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 No growths but they seem to get darker OR whiter in the abdomen area before they KO. I got my salty shrimp gh+in the mail so tomorrow morning Ill be switching from tap/ro to 100% ro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostick555 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I think you may have gotten shrimp that have had bacterial infection prior to you receiving them. If they are turning milky white then it is bacterial and more than likely with out treatment they will to just continue dying. You can try Seachem Paraguard but if they are dropping at the rate they are going now, you soon will not have anything to treat. I am sorry you are having a bad first experience but I would not let this discourage you from a future try with some good stock to start out with. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Thanks. Im down to 5 now (I think) I found this place afterward so from now on ill try to buy from sponsors from here. but yea...ill find some seachem paraguard and treat. Maybe do that BEFORE switching to 100% ro so I know what the problem was/is. Like I said my tap water fits the required params for cherrys so id rather use tap if at all possible. thanks for all the help and suggestions. This hasnt driven me away from shrimp just yet xD as frustrating as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d3r Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 3rd day of paraguard treatment. So far so good. No more deaths at the moment. How long should I treat? Theres no timeline to follow on the bottle. 2 - 3 weeks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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