lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yesterday, a red shrimp (I think it's a red cherry shrimp) died and my dad didn't take it out. When I got back, the other shrimps (the yellow shrimps which seem a bit bigger) had eaten the red one and I could only fish out the tail and a bit more. I was reading about molting and how shrimps are more vulnerable during that period, so I was thinking that maybe I should create a hiding spot for the shrimps. So far, I only have some java moss. My tank isn't very big so I want something small. What objects could I put in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 From what I understand, your water lacks the minerals/nutrients needed to rebuild a strong shell or failed to molt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Cholla wood is a good item to add for hiding places. Blue Crown Aquatic Trade 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I was thinking of any household objects/ things I have on hand so I don't have to go buy it. Do shells work? I have some shells that I picked from the beach years ago. Could I rinse them and put it in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Clay pots work, you could use the shells they will harden the water over time but probably wont make much of a difference. And most likely that dead shrimp wasnt attacked and killed by the other shrimp. I have only seen my female shrimp attacked after a molt by males trying to mate with her. They have never killed one although I have heard it is possible if the male female ratio is too high. How many shrimp are in this tank, how big is the tank and how long have they been in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 If you don't mind, I never really got the water hardness stuff. I've heard of GH and KH but I never really understood what it is and why it matters. I have 6 shrimp, 2 red ones and 4 yellow ones. The tank has been set up for a month or two. I forgot the tank's measurements but I know that I have around 3L of water in there, if not more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Well, in a nutshell- KH helps to stabilize ph, so it doesn't swing so much. GH helps make the shell thick or thin depending on how much there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Well, in a nutshell- KH helps to stabilize ph, so it doesn't swing so much. GH helps make the shell thick or thin depending on how much there is. Does this mean that the 'hardness' of the water determines the shell's thickness? Also, are we trying to get the shell somewhere in the middle as in not too thick or thin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 That's the general idea, Lexi. Different shrimp require different thicknesses to their shells. Too much gh and they can actually become statues because they can't shed that shell. Too little and it is so thin they have a hard time molting it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Oh.. Thanks for that. By the way, I would like to know if you have used the API master test kit and if you have, what do you think of it. I'm trying to find a reliable kit to buy, and I ordered the API one, but some online reviews say they aren't accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Depends whom you talk to. For me, I'm fine with API tests. However some people like Hannah or Sera since the colors may be easier to read/accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Do API isn't that bad right? Some people make it sound so inaccurate and unreliable that I thought I chose the wrong kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 Do API isn't that bad right? Some people make it sound so inaccurate and unreliable that I thought I chose the wrong kit. You can't expect reliable results with cheap test RyeGuy411 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 there are so many mixed opinions on the API master test kit I don't even know which one to listen to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I would say I have noticed a pretty significant difference in API pH tests. If you are keeping neos it shouldnt matter but bees or crystal shrimp it does matter. OMG Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I would say I have noticed a pretty significant difference in API pH tests. If you are keeping neos it shouldnt matter but bees or crystal shrimp it does matter. Totally agree. Everytime I tested for PH for my neos, it was 7.6 When I used my PH pen, it was 8.2 API is very unreliable and probably most of the good reviews are customers who doesn't even know their results may be very off. RyeGuy411 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maylee Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I'm not sure how much I trust my API master test kit either. I get completely different results using their strips as well but that might be limitation of strip tests in general. Not to mention it's hard to tell what the test actually shows. You can't differentiate the shade of color it shows sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted April 16, 2015 Report Share Posted April 16, 2015 I think the first question is, why did your shrimp die? Probably your tank water/ cycle, as I recall. It is important to remove dead shrimp asap because they will foul your water, and if it was diseased, you need to prevent it spreading. It is very true that critters who molt may seek protection while their new exo hardens. I have yet to observe this behaviour in neos, so I don't know if/how long it happens. It is still a great idea to provide hiding spots. The shells could be dirty and in a small tank, you may have problems with the params. Clay pots are great - you can buy one larger pot and break it into pieces. Coconut shells are pretty cheap ($2), plus the awesome bonus of all that yummy coconut to eat You may need help opening it and then cracking/cutting the shell. In all my reading, I have yet to see anyone who has tested API against lab-grade equipment. Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 @35ppt I'm not sure if it is due to the tank cycling problem because I read that if your tank has bad water parameters, the shrimps won't even survive through the night, so since only one died, I didn't think it was due to that. Why would the shells still be dirt if I rinse them with tank water? And if I used broken pieces from a clay pot, wouldn't the sharp edges hurt them? And for the coconut, is it the white ones or the ones with brown hairy outside? And how would you"treat" the whole thing before putting it in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 I think I have neos. I have yellow and red cherry shrimp. Does this mean that it doesn't matter much if my API test kit is inaccurate? Also, couldn't i just deduct a number from the result of the API pH test? For example if compared to a pH pen it is off by 1 every time, I could just deduct 1 from the pH result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 How big is your tank and how long has it been set up, how long have you had the shrimp and did you get them all at the same time? How did you cycle your tank? What kind of filter are you using, and do you have any test kits and if you do what are your water parameters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 My tank currently holds around 3 litres of water and has been set up for around 2 months, although two weeks ago I changed all the water as well as the sponge inside the filter. My filter is a HOB filter but the intake isn't sponge, it's sorta like curled up wire. I didn't get all my shrimp at the same time. I think I got 10 at first then some died then I got more and I had 13 in total I think. I didn't cycle my tank. I used the water from the aquatic shop where I got my shrimp. The owner let me take some of his water home, and I added tap water bit by bit to that water. Now, I use nutrafin tap water conditioner and I didn't cycle my water after my complete water change. I'm just see on which shrimps survive and I'll go on from there. I don't have a water test kit yet but I've ordered one so I just have to collect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Ok you could have many many issues. First 3L tank? that is really tiny I have a very small tank and it holds about 6.5L your water can fluctuate wildy at that size and you cant add large amounts of shrimp with such a tiny tank. My tank currently holds about 30-40 adult cherries but they were born and grew into that size container from three shrimp over months time giving the tank time to populate bacteria that can handle that many shrimp. You didnt cycle the tank, big problem, and water from the aquatic shop is useless. Beneficial nitrifying bacteria dont live in the water they live on surfaces like the substrate and filter material. It is very bad to do a complete water change, and dont change the sponge inside a filter unless it is literally falling apart. The proper way to clean a filter is to do a small water change about 10-15% of the tank volume then rinse the sponge in the water you removed from the tank. Your tank never really cycled and, if it did start to cycle you reset it by removing the filter material. Keeping shrimp in such a small container is possible but you have to be very careful and is not reccomended, one little thing can throw the tank out of balance and kill your shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Well I wasn't planning on getting too many shrimp so I just got the smallest tank in the aquatic shop. Also, I put my shrimp in the bathroom so there isn't much space. If my shrimp live, I might consider getting a bigger tank and doing a cycle with my test kit, then I can get more shrimp. One thing I'm thinking of, since most people say API master test kit isn't accurate, can I rely on it to cycle a tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 You can use the API test decent enought to cycle, some people have an issue with the ammonia test showing trace amounts when there is none. The Nitrite test is fine and the Nitrate test is ok if you shake the living dalights out of the #2 bottle. So short answer yes it can work for a cycle. Shrimple minded and wot_fan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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