I just can't keep Cherry Shrimp!

[Shaun]

Everytime I buy Cherry Shrimp they die within days of being added to my tanks. Most recently I bought 10 stunning looking Shrimp, tested the water they were in, which matched the parameters of the future home, then acclimatized them VERY slowly over about 2 hours. I had them in a bucket and slowly dripped water in from the tank. All my tanks are over-filtered, understocked and water changed 2-3 times a week with aged tapwater. The tapwater is soft and pH neutral, I don't do anything except dechlorinate with Seachem Prime. This particular 140 Ltr tank houses 9 Corydoras and 6 Hatchetfish which I didn't think would be a threat to the Shrimp. It is very heavily planted with overgrown Java Moss, Java Fern and a few others. Hardscape is driftwood and a thin layer of sand.
So, the Shrimp went in and started feeding on micro-organisms in the Moss, the Fish ignored them and I went out for a couple of hours. When I returned home, dead Shrimp everywhere! After less then 2 hours!?
Any suggestions? This is the 3rd time I've tried them with similar results, in fact this time they died quicker then before.
Everyone tells me they're really easy to keep and I'm fascinated by them whenever I see some...
Thanks,
Shaun

[Hitch]

Odd....

when you do the drip....try dripping for longer period of time next time...when I add shrimp, I usually drip for 4-5 hours.

Also, do you have anything in the tank that has a high copper/other metal content?

whats the temp like?

as for the shrimps themselves, are you getting juvis? or just adults? Generally adults are more sensitive.

Lastly, as for the shrimp carcasses, are they whole carcasses? and aside from the pink red colouration, are there any other colouration?

[Shaun]

Temp is 24c. No copper or ferterlisers in use.
Generally buying 1/2 grown specimens.
The carcasses were intact with no colouration that looked unusual.
Shaun

[Hitch]

everything sounds fine....

I'm sorry, I can't think of anything that might cause the deaths.

Hopefully someone els will notice something that I didnt.

Best of luck.

[Taratron]

Where are you getting the shrimp from? Are they being shipped in, or bred in Australian water?

24*C is about 75* F....my shrimp are kept closer to 80* and I see babies often. What fish do you have them with? Have you ever used copper-based medications?

I remember hearing once that Prime had a minute amount of copper in it, but I use Prime often on my tanks, and I never see any dieoffs.

Very odd overall. I've never acclimated my shrimp, save for when I tried the crystal reds to a harder water. My cherries all are in pH 8.0 or so.

[DJ-don]

Where are you getting the shrimp from? Are they being shipped in, or bred in Australian water?

24*C is about 75* F....my shrimp are kept closer to 80* and I see babies often. What fish do you have them with? Have you ever used copper-based medications?

I remember hearing once that Prime had a minute amount of copper in it, but I use Prime often on my tanks, and I never see any dieoffs.

Very odd overall. I've never acclimated my shrimp, save for when I tried the crystal reds to a harder water. My cherries all are in pH 8.0 or so.

i use prime too. its an excellent purifier. but it is false that it contains copper.

[apistomaster]

Starting off with 25 Cherry shrimp is better than only 10. They are normally very adaptable and in my place they have become spread through most of my tanks just from moving plants some always are in the plants so I only lack cherry shrimp in tanks where there are predatory fish or wet/dry filters with overflows which draw the shrimp in which explore too close. Then they become established in my sumps. My shrimp are thriving in my soft water to tap water tanks and I also only use Prime as my water conditioner. Prime definitely has nothing to do with your problem.
I suggest you set up a 10 gal tank just for shrimp and allow a heavy growth of Hornwort to fill the tank. Use this tank to build a thriving shrimp colony from which you can harvest the excess to stock your other tanks. Use sponge filters in your shrimp tank.

[Shaun]

Thanks, for all the help guys. I've got a spare 2' tank which I'll set up especially for Shrimp. See how they go...there's a few Australian native species I'd like to try as well.
Shaun

[Proteus]

perhaps try keep them with only moss and water NO sand/rocks/decors...

and then see if the live past few days if its not the case then its the water....

if its not the water that's the cause


its more likely some type of metal's in your sand or rock decor its more common than what people think though I don't do shrimp anymore thats how I killed off my pricy orange eyed/blue tiger shrimps by accidently leaving a planted fert tab in the sand... didn't know it until all shrimps died overnight.

[leej24]

I had that same problem with my RCS, but that was when I had them in a tank with a temperature of 80-82F with no substrate and with java moss. Ever since I moved them to a non heated tank (72-75F) they've been doing fine. They're kept with bristlenose fry, endlers and some other livebearers. Plants include java moss, java fern, anubias, some sort of swordplant, spirodela polyrrhiza. Substrate is gravel. They seem to multiply just fine.

[apistomaster]

Cherry Shrimp can live and even reproduce in water less than 70*F to 86*F. I personally have good reproduction at 84*F but at the higher temperatures, the shrimp populations can quickly exceed the carrying capacity of the tank and result in precipitous population crashes. This can be avoided by routine harvesting of the excess numbers of shrimp. A very heavy growth of Ceratophylum will promote high shrimp populations. I used to use Najas but Hornwort yielded better production.
Having a lot of Java Moss on the bottom or growing on objects will add additional foraging surface areas.
I keep large numbers of shrimp in my L134 and Hypancistrus breeding tanks all of which do best at around 84*F.
There is no one way to keep and breed these shrimp that is best. It mainly depends on your goals. Do you want as many shrimp as possible or just enough to stay self sustaining?

[jessonthenet]

some people say that 23C is good breeding temperature and some say that 26C is a good temperature and then some recommend slightly acid then others say that slightly alkaline with a high gh is good for breeding then you have some saying that they like anything. So what is correct say you were happy to have a booming population and needed to fill up a 125l tank?

[apistomaster]

I recommend the warmer ~80*F water and moderately hard, GH6-7 with a pH of 7.0 to 7.4.
It is possible to raise them in much softer slightly acid water, too.
The Cherry Shrimp is an extremely adaptable animal. I would say the greatest mistake is to begin a colony with too few specimens in too large a volume aquarium. Begin with at least 25 young specimens in a 10 gal tank for most rapid population growth.
Beginning with only 10-12 adults often ends with at least a few losses and thus fewer breeders. Young shrimp adapt to new environments much better than mature adults.

[Hitch]

Many of mine are in waters of 76-78F and others in 84-86F water and both are breeding like crazy. I use local water....ie hard with a pH of 7.6, and they are still thriving.

Give them good food, plenty of vegetation (most popular is moss...since its a good food source and provides cover for the shrimps), good water and just give them time. The eggs take about a month to hatch...so be patient.

Like Larry said, get more than 10 as a start. For CRSs, I started mine with 100 specimens....separated into 2 20gs (50 each). And they are booming like no tmr...

[Shaun]

Thanks for that Larry, Hitch, others...
Some great info
I'll hopefully be setting up a dedicated tank for Shrimp this weekend.
Shaun