Cleaner Shrimp Died AGAIN!!!

elwshomayor
do you have any other inverts in there like snails/ hermits etc? if yes, how are they doing
if not, have you ever had your water tested for copper?

also - do you ever hear any mysterious clicking noises from your tank after the lights have been out for a while?

I doubt very much any of your fish are responsible
cleaner shrimp only clean when they are hungry, its a symbiotic relationship if the cleaner is not hungry it will provide a token service at best just to stop the fish pestering it for a while

Steve

 

.....another shrimp might have been it.... could be an evil crab hiding out in your rocks, your parameters might be off too...for the fish to get ich and the other one sick...If it was missing legs though it sounds like a predator. I wouldn't put it past a clown to beat up on a shrimp. I have seen some mean clowns... How big is the tank?

 

I was thinking the same thing, a Mantis came to mind. Great points Steve.



Luna

 

You know there is a difference between acclimating and floating? Also from personal experience and what I have heard from others on 3reef its actually a bad thing to acclimate anything for too long. Ofcourse you will hear a few different sides to this story but I say if you have success with your method continue it.. If you dont.. then change it up. If you acclimate them for an hour and a half and they die.. Might want to try 20 mins.. I am 25 mins from my LFS so by the time I get home they have already been swimming in a tiny bag of their own poop long enough. I acclimate them for 20 mins once home and have never had a problem.

IMO you need to buy some more test kits and make sure everything is correct and not just Nitrates - Ammonia - PH .. Good Luck..

 

When I read your post I was also thinking Mantis as well.

Absent of a predator and proper tank parameters, there is little left – starvation being one and acclimation being two.

Cleaner’s are incredibly sensitive creatures – they can not tolerate PH and salinity changes. Quite often folks order them online and by the time it arrives the water is rather fowled and acclimation is that much tougher.

My advice to you would be to test the bag water’s PH and salinity prior to the acclimation process. This will let you know what you are dealing with. Specifically Salinity swings is the traditional problem. These animals do not take well to it at all and can be put into an osmotic shock rather easily. I had a shrimp arrive from FishSupply.com back in the day that had a salinity that was really low (sorry, can’t recall any longer) I used a heater and an air-stone and dripped him for over 10 hours – rather successfully may add.

Edit : I forgot you mentioned missing legs after a molt. This is not uncommon, cleaners can go through some tough molts in their lives.

Also, should have mentioned – water changes without the proper parameters (ie, the same salinity) is enough to kill one off.

 

well i did got some new live rock the same day i got the shrimp, but i always check everywhere to see if there is anything strange...

I've never heard any noises after light goes off. I don't have a copper or phosphate checker but ill take a water sample to the LFS for him to check my tank. Although i have never done any treatment to the fish that involves copper.
What kind of animals can be predators that come in Live rock? ( what is a mantis? and how can i get ride of it)
all my fish eat pretty good right now, the problem i had with my tang got solved. and my other shrimp seems pretty healthy. (that might be a sign of no copper wouldn't it?)
the reason why i know that my clowns didn't hurt my shrimp because they never even get close to him and they are pretty peaceful. The only one that I've seen a little aggressive was my tang, but he did it when my shrimp was pretty much dead.

how do i figure out if there is a mantis/evil crab/... or anything that is not my fish attacking my shrimp?

i dont have any other type of inverts

 

the one remaining and healthy shrimp is a good sign , but its always a good idea to check when inverts are the creatures with which you are having problems (eliminate something from the list of possible suspects)

Signs to look out for if its a predator

depressions in the sand, excavations next to live rock
sand piled up in areas next to a hole in live rock
skeleton of a motled crab - these are often seen before people realised they had a crab
clicking noises after lights out - Pistol shrimp or Mantis shrimp

baited traps are often used with success if this is found to be the problem (Aquamedic have a product called Trap- pest but many people have made their own also )

Steve

 

hmm, well i dont see any depressions/excavations or sand being piled up
nor skeletons nor clicking noises. ( although i really never payed much attention to noises) i will tonight.

the only thing was that my first shrimp that died ( disappeared) , was when i only had 3lbs of live rock. ( i don't think there was a mantis there)
now i have about 20lbs but still i don't see any strange things.
any other suggestions on how to see if i really have a mantis? or predator?
im going to get my water tested on Monday at the LFS, since i cant go over the weekend.
im willing to try it.

 

Elweshomayor

crabs/ mantis can actually be very secretive, as are pistol shrimps

I had a tank set up for a year and a half, did a re arrange and when the rocks where removed and placed in tubs, 1 small crab and 1 shrimp appeared in the bucket after work was finished ( never saw any sign of either of them in the tank previously)

night time oberservation and listening are your best hope of finding out if this is your problem

Steve

 

wow... i just hope it doesnt cost me my other shrimp or any fish. soon ill be upgrading to an 150/180 gallon tank, and ill inspect all the rocks and sand ( ill be posting picks when i get ready, though its going to take some time)