Cleaner Shrimp Mystery?!?!?!?

CKreef · 09/13/2007, 01:06 PM

Okay so over the past several months I have bought about 8 cleaner shrimp. Only one has made it!!! The other seven have not made it 5 minutes. I have done everything from slow drip acclimation to just floating the bag and dumping them in. What the heck is going on?? I bought one today and acclimated it for about an hour. It looked fine in the bag. Then I released it and it swam to the bottom and began picking at the sand. Within a few minutes it just sat motionless. I stuck my hand near it and it darted back and then sat motionless again. Shortly thereafter it laid on its side and died. I have had no problems acclimating fish or corals. Corals usually open shortly after going into the tank. Other inverts I have put in have done fine(cucumber,pistol shrimp,pom pom crab, hermits,starfish, and snails). Why cant I get more than one cleaner shrimp to live in my tank???? The water tests fine. Someone please help!!! I would like another cleaner shrimp but I am tired of killing all of them!!! Any info or helpful tips would be great!!! Thanks Chris

Musho3210 · 09/13/2007, 01:08 PM

what are your water stats? They normally like a nice long, slow drip acclimation. My blood shrimp got 2 hours and 30 minutes 1-3 drops per second acclimation.

AquaReeferMan · 09/13/2007, 01:17 PM

I dont know what to tell you buddy. I usually only acclimate my cleaner shrimp for about an hour. I remove a 1/2 cup every 20 minutes. Are you buying them from the same place? If so I would try and find one somewhere else.

CKreef · 09/13/2007, 01:19 PM

The LFS I get them from just dumps them in but Ihave acclimated them for 3 hours before.

Water Parameters
Ammonia 0
Nitrate .5
Nitrite 0
PH 8.3
Calcium 460
Salinity 1.025
Phosphates .5

itsthesong · 09/13/2007, 01:20 PM

I usually acclimate for two hours, after floating the bag for 45 minutes to get the temp right, using the drip acclimation method. I would try a LFS, assuming your parameters are correct.

Legatio · 09/13/2007, 04:35 PM

ive had the same problem lately, i had 3, had them for about 2 months, 1 disappeared about 3 days ago and 1 was dead when i got home this afternoon, everything else in my system is looking great, coral are open and fully colored, fish are unstressed ,etc and the 5 in my main display that are almost a year old are still doing good...as far as i can tell

water test:

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 81
Calcium 390
Salinity 1.022
Phosphates 0
Silicites 0
Temp 79
Iodine...i need to refill my test kit but i dosed it just like i always have for the last 3 yrs 5 days ago

Kannin · 09/13/2007, 04:41 PM

I killed cleaner shrimp until I checked for heavy metals. now everything is fine.

Legatio · 09/13/2007, 04:47 PM

.....

never thought of that, thank you, ill pick up a heavy metal kit when i got to the LFS for a new iodine one, the only change in my maintenace is buying RO instead of making my own since my RO unit broke or was broken as my wife would say :P

frags on a rock · 09/13/2007, 07:49 PM

check for copper

Dr Begalke · 09/14/2007, 07:37 PM

ya, i agree, check for copper.

Legatio · 09/14/2007, 08:22 PM

No copper in the tank, test came out negative. any other ideas?

m2434 · 09/14/2007, 08:23 PM

I'd bet on heavy metals. I usually only acclimate for a few minutes - never had any problems.

09/13/2007, 01:06 PM	#1
CKreef Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ashland City Posts: 1,614	Cleaner Shrimp Mystery?!?!?!? Okay so over the past several months I have bought about 8 cleaner shrimp. Only one has made it!!! The other seven have not made it 5 minutes. I have done everything from slow drip acclimation to just floating the bag and dumping them in. What the heck is going on?? I bought one today and acclimated it for about an hour. It looked fine in the bag. Then I released it and it swam to the bottom and began picking at the sand. Within a few minutes it just sat motionless. I stuck my hand near it and it darted back and then sat motionless again. Shortly thereafter it laid on its side and died. I have had no problems acclimating fish or corals. Corals usually open shortly after going into the tank. Other inverts I have put in have done fine(cucumber,pistol shrimp,pom pom crab, hermits,starfish, and snails). Why cant I get more than one cleaner shrimp to live in my tank???? The water tests fine. Someone please help!!! I would like another cleaner shrimp but I am tired of killing all of them!!! Any info or helpful tips would be great!!! Thanks Chris

09/13/2007, 01:08 PM	#2
Musho3210 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Evanston IL (near chicago) Posts: 1,899	what are your water stats? They normally like a nice long, slow drip acclimation. My blood shrimp got 2 hours and 30 minutes 1-3 drops per second acclimation. __________________ Ryan

09/13/2007, 01:17 PM	#3
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	I dont know what to tell you buddy. I usually only acclimate my cleaner shrimp for about an hour. I remove a 1/2 cup every 20 minutes. Are you buying them from the same place? If so I would try and find one somewhere else. __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

09/13/2007, 04:41 PM	#7
Kannin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fall City, WA Posts: 1,538	I killed cleaner shrimp until I checked for heavy metals. now everything is fine. __________________ I used to target feed mojanos... until I found out that they weren't baby bubble tips.

09/14/2007, 08:23 PM	#12
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	I'd bet on heavy metals. I usually only acclimate for a few minutes - never had any problems. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

09/13/2007, 01:19 PM	#4
CKreef Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ashland City Posts: 1,614	The LFS I get them from just dumps them in but Ihave acclimated them for 3 hours before. Water Parameters Ammonia 0 Nitrate .5 Nitrite 0 PH 8.3 Calcium 460 Salinity 1.025 Phosphates .5

09/13/2007, 01:20 PM	#5
itsthesong Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Anywhere I want to be Posts: 183	I usually acclimate for two hours, after floating the bag for 45 minutes to get the temp right, using the drip acclimation method. I would try a LFS, assuming your parameters are correct.

09/13/2007, 04:35 PM	#6
Legatio Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 16	ive had the same problem lately, i had 3, had them for about 2 months, 1 disappeared about 3 days ago and 1 was dead when i got home this afternoon, everything else in my system is looking great, coral are open and fully colored, fish are unstressed ,etc and the 5 in my main display that are almost a year old are still doing good...as far as i can tell water test: Ammonia 0 Nitrate 0 Nitrite 0 PH 81 Calcium 390 Salinity 1.022 Phosphates 0 Silicites 0 Temp 79 Iodine...i need to refill my test kit but i dosed it just like i always have for the last 3 yrs 5 days ago

09/13/2007, 04:47 PM	#8
Legatio Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 16	..... never thought of that, thank you, ill pick up a heavy metal kit when i got to the LFS for a new iodine one, the only change in my maintenace is buying RO instead of making my own since my RO unit broke or was broken as my wife would say :P

09/13/2007, 07:49 PM	#9
frags on a rock Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Louisiana Posts: 59	check for copper

09/14/2007, 07:37 PM	#10
Dr Begalke Moved On Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: OH Posts: 246	ya, i agree, check for copper.

09/14/2007, 08:22 PM	#11
Legatio Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 16	No copper in the tank, test came out negative. any other ideas?