Missing Shrimp

[noobfish]

This is the one I got

Shrimp King Complete Food - Pro Shrimp UK

Dennerle Shrimp King Complete Food Sticks for Shrimp, Crayfish, Crabs and Snails.

www.pro-shrimp.co.uk

My shrimps go mad for it in a way I never saw with Hikari shrimp cuisine. It says to use 5 mm per 20 shrimps so I break a piece off a stick when I feed them.

Thanks! That's the one I have in my cart, just wanted to double check.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Any particular "flavor" you recommend? I also see they have a sample variety pack?

I'm in a similar boat, though I see mine all the time, eating around the tank.
Ordered the 'Complete', as it was this that seemed most highly recommended and I ordered a variety sample pack, just to see what, if any of it, they liked.

(Hopefully, they won't behave like cats and demonstrate a clear favourite, only to refuse to eat it, ever again, when I make a bulk purchase).

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

So my Dennerle 'Complete' arrived today and I have to say that I'm quite impressed.
Before I dropped half a pellet in, I spent some time scanning the tank, to see just how many shrimp were in view.
I could see 5, including 2 Amano shrimp and 3 red cherry shrimp.

Within 15 seconds of dropping the pellet in, that number had doubled and there were 4 shrimp on the pellet itself!
Even one of my relatively shy wood shrimp joined the party.

 

[noobfish]

Mine arrived today as well. I'll have to wait until Monday since the tank is in my office, but good to hear you had results with yours. Hopefully mine react the same!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Any news? I'm not saying your shrimp didn't join the great choir invisible, but I've had amanos disappear for months, in one case for two years, then reappear and just act like everything was peachy. They're weird that way.

 

[noobfish]

Came in to work today and spotted 1 sunburst and 1 blue when the light came up. Broke a stick of Dennerle Complete in half and put it there. It's been 2hrs and nothing has touched it and still just the two I first saw. The sunburst is sitting munching on wood and the blue is doing his usual fluttering laps from plant to plant.

Also strange, the sunburst that seemed to have eggs a couple weeks ago no longer shows any sign of eggs or anything. I've scanned the tank for 30min and have not seen any baby shrimp at all.

I checked water conditions this morning...

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 1-2
6.9pH
GH - 80-100ppm
KH - 40ppm

I don't get it!? Only I could have more trouble with shrimp than any other aquatic critter!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Came in to work today and spotted 1 sunburst and 1 blue when the light came up. Broke a stick of Dennerle Complete in half and put it there. It's been 2hrs and nothing has touched it and still just the two I first saw. The sunburst is sitting munching on wood and the blue is doing his usual fluttering laps from plant to plant.

Also strange, the sunburst that seemed to have eggs a couple weeks ago no longer shows any sign of eggs or anything. I've scanned the tank for 30min and have not seen any baby shrimp at all.

I checked water conditions this morning...

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 1-2
6.9pH
GH - 80-100ppm
KH - 40ppm

I don't get it!? Only I could have more trouble with shrimp than any other aquatic critter!

Don't feel too bad. I've never been able to keep any shrimp alive for very long, except amanos--those things live forever in my tanks. I suspect, with me, it's that my local water is extremely soft.

 

[Ch4rlie]

When a shrimp loses its eggs, either the eggs have hatched or the shrimp got spooked and dropped the eggs unhatched.

Do check the tank for any other critters in there, there may be something predating the shrimps, unlikely but check nonetheless.

I remember quite a while ago I had RCS and the numbers were dropping steadily and I thought at the time must be something up with the water and despite all tank water tests showing good readings, nitrate a little high but mainly due to tap water at the time (40ppm nitrate from tap!!) so sorta dismissed it thinking shrimps are probably hiding as there were loads of plants in that tank.

Some time later I saw that I had damselfly nymphs in my tank and these were predating on my shrimps and later counted my harlequins and endlers, a couple were missing of each specie too so could have been down to those nymphs, never proven of course and eventually got rid of those nymphs (had 5 of them, hitchhiked on live plants from LFS!!!!!), nasty little critters tbh.

Probably not those I would have not have thought to be honest but check tank out just in case, they hide real well btw which does not help much unfortunately.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I've discovered that shrimplets are extremely tiny.
Fortunately, I have a pale blue bucket, which makes them relatively easy to spot, when they're swimming in the bottom of it.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

When a shrimp loses its eggs, either the eggs have hatched or the shrimp got spooked and dropped the eggs unhatched.

Do check the tank for any other critters in there, there may be something predating the shrimps, unlikely but check nonetheless.

I remember quite a while ago I had RCS and the numbers were dropping steadily and I thought at the time must be something up with the water and despite all tank water tests showing good readings, nitrate a little high but mainly due to tap water at the time (40ppm nitrate from tap!!) so sorta dismissed it thinking shrimps are probably hiding as there were loads of plants in that tank.

Some time later I saw that I had damselfly nymphs in my tank and these were predating on my shrimps and later counted my harlequins and endlers, a couple were missing of each specie too so could have been down to those nymphs, never proven of course and eventually got rid of those nymphs (had 5 of them, hitchhiked on live plants from LFS!!!!!), nasty little critters tbh.

Probably not those I would have not have thought to be honest but check tank out just in case, they hide real well btw which does not help much unfortunately.

This might be awful, but that sounds fascinating. I love dragonflies and damselflies. They are amazing little animals. Whenever some scene of drama like that unfolds in my tank, my mental voice turns into David Attenborough for some reason...

 

[Ch4rlie]

Oh yeah, damselfly nymphs really are interesting and fascinating little critters in their won right and do deserve a mention but absolute complete predators, in fact they remind me of aliens in the movies in the way they can detach their jaw to clamp down on their prey.

Yep, they so do, look it up!

 

[noobfish]

When a shrimp loses its eggs, either the eggs have hatched or the shrimp got spooked and dropped the eggs unhatched.

Do check the tank for any other critters in there, there may be something predating the shrimps, unlikely but check nonetheless.

The only things in my tank are (were) the shrimp, 2 mystery snails, and A Lot of detritus worms. I don't know why or how, the tank has been cycled and running for a couple months. As posted above, the conditions/parameters are good. I do twice weekly 50% water changes and vac the substrate once every two weeks.

I've discovered that shrimplets are extremely tiny.

I stared at the tank for over 30min, just watching everywhere for movement... none to be seen.


Apparently shrimp just aren't for me. Maybe I'll just let the tank be for a few months and try something at a later date.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

The only things in my tank are (were) the shrimp, 2 mystery snails, and A Lot of detritus worms. I don't know why or how, the tank has been cycled and running for a couple months. As posted above, the conditions/parameters are good. I do twice weekly 50% water changes and vac the substrate once every two weeks.

I stared at the tank for over 30min, just watching everywhere for movement... none to be seen.


Apparently shrimp just aren't for me. Maybe I'll just let the tank be for a few months and try something at a later date.

Bummer. I've sort of come to the same conclusion.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Detritus worms, otherwise known as planeria.

This is the first clue imho, these worms are usually down to poor water or poor tank maintenance.

Also the fact the tank has only been running for a couple of months is another indicator, shrimps really do best in an established tank that’s been running for longer than a couple of months. Shrimps tend not to do that well in newly set up tanks unfortunately.

These will undoubtedly affect shrimps as they are more sensitive to water parameters.

A bit more information about planeria for you from a good source.

How to solve a problem like planarians

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

 

[noobfish]

Detritus worms, otherwise known as planeria.

This is the first clue imho, these worms are usually down to poor water or poor tank maintenance.

Also the fact the tank has only been running for a couple of months is another indicator, shrimps really do best in an established tank that’s been running for longer than a couple of months. Shrimps tend not to do that well in newly set up tanks unfortunately.

These will undoubtedly affect shrimps as they are more sensitive to water parameters.

A bit more information about planeria for you from a good source.

How to solve a problem like planarians

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Here's a pic of one, there's lots more. I've read up on them before and am confused. Everything says it's due to a dirty tank or lack of maintenance. I do 50% water changes on Tuesday and Friday every week. I vacuum substrate every other Friday (only because with a few shrimp and 2 snails I don't get a ton of waste). I only offer food to the shrimp about twice a week. My water tested as follows:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 1-2
6.9pH
GH - 80-100ppm
KH - 40ppm

Here's full tank. You can see it's not filthy conditions. (Sorry for the glare)

With my water conditions and maintenance, I don't know what else to do to get rid of them.