Shrimp and crab death

Ozzlil · 04/19/2012, 12:28 PM

Ok, I have my new saltwater tank about 3 weeks. 30 gallon, with live rock from established tank, 2 small clownfish, 2 small hermit crabs, fire shrimp, small peppermint shrimp, green Goni and torch corals. My water chemistry is perfect, all levels in range....but my fireshrimp and hermit crab died! Is it because there is not enough "scavenger food", waste in the tank?!?

kingevil · 04/19/2012, 12:32 PM

maybe someone killed them.

GTR · 04/19/2012, 12:37 PM

Even with live rock from an established tank you can go through a cycle. Many inverts are super-sensitive to ammonia. Could be they were doomed before you bought them or as you suggested they didn't get anything to eat, left over food fed to the clowns may not have been enough.

BigCountry74 · 04/19/2012, 01:11 PM

weird. if that torch coral is doing well then your water is doing well. thats my take at least. something could of killed them, or as GTR suggested they were doomed before you brought them in.

bnumair · 04/19/2012, 01:34 PM

ur tank is not mature yet. 3 weeks is not enough for invert even from established rocks.

kingevil · 04/19/2012, 01:41 PM

jeez..... if there was no die-off during the transition of the live, established rock, then there will be very little to no cycle and livestock should be fine. live rock is the basis of the whole bio system.

bnumair · 04/19/2012, 02:19 PM

whats the guarentee the rock from established tank has enough baterial colony to sustain a new system. exposed to air or oxygen rich water most wont make it anyways.

kingevil · 04/19/2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnumair

whats the guarentee the rock from established tank has enough baterial colony to sustain a new system. exposed to air or oxygen rich water most wont make it anyways.

live rock can retain its bacteria when exposed to air for short periods of time. in fact, the op stated water parameters were fine. of course, i am assuming the rock was taken from the previous, established tank and directly transferred to theirs, or even transported in water. there are so many variables when talking about bacteria retention in live rock. and it's very unfair for people to claim just because rock was moved from one tank to another, that there will be a new cycle or that their new tank is not 'mature' yet.

GTR · 04/19/2012, 04:50 PM

The surfaces of live rock are just some of the places that bacteria will colonize. A change in temperature and/or other water conditions can knock-down the population which may not recover for some time. I've had it work myself several times, but it doesn't always.

As far as stated water conditions, "fine" is useless to me when trying to eliminate cause.

SKurj · 04/19/2012, 05:52 PM

live rock from an established tank doesn't guarantee stability...

04/19/2012, 12:28 PM	#1
Ozzlil Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 12	Shrimp and crab death Ok, I have my new saltwater tank about 3 weeks. 30 gallon, with live rock from established tank, 2 small clownfish, 2 small hermit crabs, fire shrimp, small peppermint shrimp, green Goni and torch corals. My water chemistry is perfect, all levels in range....but my fireshrimp and hermit crab died! Is it because there is not enough "scavenger food", waste in the tank?!?

04/19/2012, 12:37 PM	#3
GTR Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Twin Falls, ID Posts: 7,152	Even with live rock from an established tank you can go through a cycle. Many inverts are super-sensitive to ammonia. Could be they were doomed before you bought them or as you suggested they didn't get anything to eat, left over food fed to the clowns may not have been enough. __________________ AKA, Riff

04/19/2012, 01:11 PM	#4
BigCountry74 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,761	weird. if that torch coral is doing well then your water is doing well. thats my take at least. something could of killed them, or as GTR suggested they were doomed before you brought them in. __________________ 135g mixed reef (retired) http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2132815 Current 40g reef http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2483250 Current Tank Info: 40g bare bottom reef

04/19/2012, 01:34 PM	#5
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	ur tank is not mature yet. 3 weeks is not enough for invert even from established rocks. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

04/19/2012, 02:19 PM	#7
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	whats the guarentee the rock from established tank has enough baterial colony to sustain a new system. exposed to air or oxygen rich water most wont make it anyways. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

04/19/2012, 12:32 PM	#2
kingevil Moved On Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: phx/east valley Posts: 917	maybe someone killed them.

04/19/2012, 01:41 PM	#6
kingevil Moved On Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: phx/east valley Posts: 917	jeez..... if there was no die-off during the transition of the live, established rock, then there will be very little to no cycle and livestock should be fine. live rock is the basis of the whole bio system.

04/19/2012, 04:50 PM	#9
GTR Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Twin Falls, ID Posts: 7,152	The surfaces of live rock are just some of the places that bacteria will colonize. A change in temperature and/or other water conditions can knock-down the population which may not recover for some time. I've had it work myself several times, but it doesn't always. As far as stated water conditions, "fine" is useless to me when trying to eliminate cause. __________________ AKA, Riff

04/19/2012, 05:52 PM	#10
SKurj Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Oshawa Posts: 539	live rock from an established tank doesn't guarantee stability... __________________ 40g Long since Mar 2012, 20lbs marco rocks, 25lb live rock, Aquamaxx HoB-1, sumpless, CPR Fuge, 4 tube T5HO, Mixed reef, softies and LPS Current Tank Info: 40g Long sumpless