Cleaner Shrimps instance death

yellowtangs · 08/30/2006, 05:08 PM

The life expectancy of a cleaner shrimp is about 4 years or so, ok so my was over 4 years and it die about a week ago.

I still have my fire shrimp (it's about 2 years old now)

Today, I purchased a mid size cleaner shrimp at Roozens Nursery in Maryland. It looks healthy at the store.

I acclimate it for about 30 minutes with 1 gallon of my display tank water before placing the shrimp into the tank. It's death after about 2 hours in the display tank.

I called the store and check to see what's their water sanity level and they told me it's about 1.023...ok so I check my and it's about 1.025. The guy at the fish store told me that's too big of a diff between the water sanity level? does anyone agree that's would cause the death? I have doubt!!!!

What's else could be the cause: ok my temp is ~79 degree and ph and alk are at normal level...

csb · 08/30/2006, 05:30 PM

Shrimps are sensitive to sudden changes in salinity ... .002, if sudden, would be enough to at least cause stress on the animal. For how long did you acclimate?

LobsterOfJustice · 08/30/2006, 05:31 PM

For what it's worth, my pair of fire shrimp have killed three cleaner shrimp.

yellowtangs · 08/30/2006, 05:35 PM

I acclimated it for about 30 minutes with about 1 gallon of water...

I've never acclimate my previous cleaner and fire shrimps... they are doing just fine when I had it 3 years ago

jasper24 · 08/30/2006, 05:38 PM

Please explain in detail how you acclimated the shrimp.

ambaratur · 08/30/2006, 05:38 PM

How are you measuring your salinity? If you are using a hydrometer and the LFS is also (that is all my LFS uses) they can be off by more than .001 as well... with compensating errors it could have been off even more.

yellowtangs · 08/30/2006, 05:45 PM

replay to jasper24, acclimate by dripping water into the bag for 30 minutes, than place the shrimp into the display tank.

ambaratur, the lfs and I both use the seatest hydrometer to measure the sanity level

Ritten · 08/30/2006, 05:49 PM

Sometimes it is just hard to explain those sudden deaths. Sorry for your loss. Does the store offer a guarantee? Cleaner shrimp are getting spendy.

yellowtangs · 08/30/2006, 06:14 PM

Ritten,

unfortunately, there's no guarantee on the shrimp! it goes for 24 bulks on a midsize in the LFS in Maryland. How much does it goes for in other area of the country?

cweder · 08/30/2006, 06:19 PM

I have had problems with acclimation in the past as well. It sure is disheartening. I would highly recommend a refractometer. They are not too pricey and exceptionally accurate. I always test the water my sea creature came in first then measure mine. Then you have a better idea how much change your creature is having to adapt to and how quickly or slowly you should go. Drip acclimation is the best, but you want to put the bag in your sump for 15 minutes to even out the temp differences first, then open the bag and double the volume of water in the bag over at least 30 minutes, dump out half this water and double the volume again. Now you should be in excellent shape to put your shrimp in.
This has'nt failed me yet.

USMarine1171 · 08/30/2006, 07:40 PM

Well, you see? The answer is quite simple why your shrimp died so quickly. You have been measuring the level of "sanity" in your tank. You need to measure the level of insanity! Then, perhaps, you will not experience these sudden deaths.

GOOD LUCK!!!

cweder · 08/30/2006, 07:52 PM

Yes, a good salinity meter will cost you under a hundred. A good
sanity meter.......priceless.

tang named junkyard · 08/30/2006, 08:45 PM

iodine is a killer

Slartibartfast · 08/30/2006, 09:33 PM

Are you absolutely sure the shrimp is dead? A lot of times they molt when put in a new environment, and it isn't always easy to tell the difference between a molt and a shrimp.

petoonia · 08/30/2006, 11:42 PM

What was the size diiference between the two shrimp in the tank? If the fire shrimp was much bigger it could have easily killed the cleaner shrimp.

Better Luck Next Time!!!

affan · 08/31/2006, 12:50 AM

Inverts are particularly sensitive to several shocking changes; temperature and salinity are two. A sudden change in specific gravity might have triggered a salinity shock to your shrimp resulting in his demise. Consider investing in a refractometer.

Also, when purchasing a cleaner shrimp you must make sure the shrimp is active. An individual that moves very little is most likely sick. Secondly the colors should be bright and the orangish underbody clear and translucent; lastly a shrimp which is carrying eggs is much more difficult to acclimate than one that isn't. Thirty minutes is simply not much of an acclimation period for an ultra-sensitive species. With all of this said, you might have simply ran into badluck with a sick specimen.

08/30/2006, 05:08 PM	#1
yellowtangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Fairfax, Va Posts: 37	Cleaner Shrimps instance death The life expectancy of a cleaner shrimp is about 4 years or so, ok so my was over 4 years and it die about a week ago. I still have my fire shrimp (it's about 2 years old now) Today, I purchased a mid size cleaner shrimp at Roozens Nursery in Maryland. It looks healthy at the store. I acclimate it for about 30 minutes with 1 gallon of my display tank water before placing the shrimp into the tank. It's death after about 2 hours in the display tank. I called the store and check to see what's their water sanity level and they told me it's about 1.023...ok so I check my and it's about 1.025. The guy at the fish store told me that's too big of a diff between the water sanity level? does anyone agree that's would cause the death? I have doubt!!!! What's else could be the cause: ok my temp is ~79 degree and ph and alk are at normal level... __________________ nano reefer Current Tank Info: 50 gal bowl font

08/30/2006, 05:30 PM	#2
csb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 541	Shrimps are sensitive to sudden changes in salinity ... .002, if sudden, would be enough to at least cause stress on the animal. For how long did you acclimate? __________________ Winter ski bum, summer reef bum. Tank pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/snojrnl Current Tank Info: 30g mixed reef

08/30/2006, 05:31 PM	#3
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	For what it's worth, my pair of fire shrimp have killed three cleaner shrimp. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

08/30/2006, 05:35 PM	#4
yellowtangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Fairfax, Va Posts: 37	I acclimated it for about 30 minutes with about 1 gallon of water... I've never acclimate my previous cleaner and fire shrimps... they are doing just fine when I had it 3 years ago __________________ nano reefer Current Tank Info: 50 gal bowl font

08/30/2006, 05:38 PM	#6
ambaratur Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Flagstaff, AZ Posts: 776	How are you measuring your salinity? If you are using a hydrometer and the LFS is also (that is all my LFS uses) they can be off by more than .001 as well... with compensating errors it could have been off even more. __________________ "God is dead." - Nietzsche "Nietzsche is dead." - God Click my red house for my 125 gal. tank build thread. Member of Northern Arizona Marine Aquarium Society (NAMAS) Current Tank Info: 125g AGA MegaFlow - 150lbs Fiji live rock - 50g DIY sump/fuge - Tunze 9010/9015 Skimmer - Eheim 1260 - 2x Seio 1500 - 5x 80w IceCap T5 Retro - PhosBan Reactor 150 - AC Jr. Controller - Typhoon III RO/DI - Mixed Reef

08/30/2006, 05:38 PM	#5
jasper24 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 2,120	Please explain in detail how you acclimated the shrimp.

08/30/2006, 05:45 PM	#7
yellowtangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Fairfax, Va Posts: 37	replay to jasper24, acclimate by dripping water into the bag for 30 minutes, than place the shrimp into the display tank. ambaratur, the lfs and I both use the seatest hydrometer to measure the sanity level __________________ nano reefer Current Tank Info: 50 gal bowl font

08/30/2006, 05:49 PM	#8
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	Sometimes it is just hard to explain those sudden deaths. Sorry for your loss. Does the store offer a guarantee? Cleaner shrimp are getting spendy.

08/30/2006, 06:14 PM	#9
yellowtangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Fairfax, Va Posts: 37	Ritten, unfortunately, there's no guarantee on the shrimp! it goes for 24 bulks on a midsize in the LFS in Maryland. How much does it goes for in other area of the country? __________________ nano reefer Current Tank Info: 50 gal bowl font

08/30/2006, 06:19 PM	#10
cweder Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 550	I have had problems with acclimation in the past as well. It sure is disheartening. I would highly recommend a refractometer. They are not too pricey and exceptionally accurate. I always test the water my sea creature came in first then measure mine. Then you have a better idea how much change your creature is having to adapt to and how quickly or slowly you should go. Drip acclimation is the best, but you want to put the bag in your sump for 15 minutes to even out the temp differences first, then open the bag and double the volume of water in the bag over at least 30 minutes, dump out half this water and double the volume again. Now you should be in excellent shape to put your shrimp in. This has'nt failed me yet.

08/30/2006, 07:40 PM	#11
USMarine1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 17	Well, you see? The answer is quite simple why your shrimp died so quickly. You have been measuring the level of "sanity" in your tank. You need to measure the level of insanity! Then, perhaps, you will not experience these sudden deaths. GOOD LUCK!!! __________________ "Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share." --Ned Dolan

08/30/2006, 07:52 PM	#12
cweder Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 550	Yes, a good salinity meter will cost you under a hundred. A good sanity meter.......priceless.

08/30/2006, 08:45 PM	#13
tang named junkyard Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: bakersfield Posts: 1,201	iodine is a killer

08/30/2006, 09:33 PM	#14
Slartibartfast Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 204	Are you absolutely sure the shrimp is dead? A lot of times they molt when put in a new environment, and it isn't always easy to tell the difference between a molt and a shrimp.

08/30/2006, 11:42 PM	#15
petoonia HereWeGoAgain... Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,648	What was the size diiference between the two shrimp in the tank? If the fire shrimp was much bigger it could have easily killed the cleaner shrimp. Better Luck Next Time!!! __________________ I've been in the hobby for about 10 years....(so I know a little bit)...(but not all that much).... Current Tank Info: 58G. Oceanic (Starphire). Mixed Reef

08/31/2006, 12:50 AM	#16
affan Moved On Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: From NYC, currently serving time in Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 1,125	Inverts are particularly sensitive to several shocking changes; temperature and salinity are two. A sudden change in specific gravity might have triggered a salinity shock to your shrimp resulting in his demise. Consider investing in a refractometer. Also, when purchasing a cleaner shrimp you must make sure the shrimp is active. An individual that moves very little is most likely sick. Secondly the colors should be bright and the orangish underbody clear and translucent; lastly a shrimp which is carrying eggs is much more difficult to acclimate than one that isn't. Thirty minutes is simply not much of an acclimation period for an ultra-sensitive species. With all of this said, you might have simply ran into badluck with a sick specimen.